Pretentious Critics Logo

HomeMoviesBabesRantsMusicAbout

Your Ad Here

The Cure

This is the Bad Man's Cure bootleg review and rating page.  It's for those of you into serious pretentious collecting of a seriously pretentious band.


I focus on their best period, 1980-1982, but I have been known to listen all the way through 1986.  After that The Cure are mostly rubbish, sporting a meager few songs worthy of your time to aurally process them.  Oh, and for those that say to me "fuck off, wanker!" remember that The Cure ARE my favorite band, and I AM their biggest fan.  Not only in girth...  So go listen to your girlie joy division records and don't come back until you've festered a smidgeon of aesthetic aptitude.

And on with the reviews...

 

A note about the Quality rating - if something sounds like it was recorded in a toilet three doors down from the gig, I give it a 4, not an 8, like most people seem to. These ratings are my own. If it's not "studio perfect", it doesn't get a 10. If it's not hard on the ears, it might still earn a 9. If it crackles or has any imperfections, an 8 (unless from vinyl, and then so noted). If there is some audience noise and distortion and speed issues, a 7. If it's shit, a 6. And if it's all but unrecognizable, a 5 or below.

1980.04.15 (17 songs) New York Hurrah's Club, New York, USA - FLAC (audience)
First track (only) has a lot of low-frequency noise, sounds like a bloody ocean (maybe a cooling fan is too close to a mic??),

  • highs are tinny and brittle,
  • fairly tight audio spectrum, no deep bass, not broad or open,
  • sounds good for AUD, especially the absence of most during-the-song crowd noise,
  • instruments and voices fairly level and very clear,
  • very little to no distortion,
  • most audience applause between songs,
  • some, but pretty minimal talking/aud sing-along/whistling
    Summary: reasonable balance, a great choice for the best earliest Cure live recorded show. You have to skip to August 1981 before you'll find something better than this.
    Rate: 7 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.04.21 (19 songs - Plastic Passion is cut) Underground Club, Allston, Boston, MA, USA VIDEO - FLAC (soundboard)
    Starts very warbly, incorrect/fluctuating speed (<-- probably due to age of the source tape, as with most of these),

  • broad sound spectrum,
  • interesting synth-keyboard-effects - not at most Cure shows I've heard,
  • all instruments are present and clear, including Robert's voice,
  • way too much bass-distortion (mostly from drum kit and vocals to the tape transfer),
  • audience sound is flat and distant, and mostly just between songs
    Summary: quiet tracks are well recorded, but the board was running too hot/distortion on the tape, not the good kind from amplifiers.
    If the guy running the board had pulled back on the master volume to tape a little this could have been really great.
    Rate: 6 6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.05.24 (16 songs) Stokvishal, Arnheim, Netherlands - 192kbps (soundboard)
    Available on the PLAY FOR TODAY bootleg
    Very crackly, distorted,

  • Robert's voice is clear,
  • instruments are clear and equally present in the mix,
  • audience noise only between songs,
    Summary: Too bad the vocals crack so much. Sounds sped-up.
    Rate: 7 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.08.26 (19 songs) LIVE ON PROSPECT HILL '80 Melbourne, Australia - SHN (audience)
    Starts bad quality, fades in and out,

  • CONSTANT talking, crowd noise, whistling, sing-along, yelling,
  • definitely an audience recording, audience is louder than the band,
  • Robert's voice is distant,
  • volume is variable,
  • sound spectrum is light on bass, good in the middle (when it's not changing in volume)
    Summary: Very variable volume and quality, tons of crowd noise, avoid except for the serious collector.
    Rate: 6 6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.11.11 (21 songs) Leicester University, Leicester, England, UK - FLAC (audience)
    Opening sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom three doors down,

  • Robert's voice is far, far, oh so far, away,
  • to hear it you have to turn up the volume loud - but then you hear more tape hiss than music,
  • instruments are flat, muddy, distant,
  • some crowd noise, about as bad as the band,
  • sounds sped up
    Summary: avoid except for the serious collector.
    Rate: 4 4 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons4 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons4 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons4 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.11.15 (19 songs) Lancaster University, Lancaster, England, UK - FLAC (audience)
    Robert's voice is distant, but not terribly so, still fairly clear,

  • a good example of an audience recording, in that it's obviously AUD but the crowd noise is low,
  • reasonable sound depth and quality, mostly in terms of low-distortion (although still present, which is expected),
  • some acceptable distortion,
  • sounds sped up,
  • some wavering in-and-out of instruments, left-and-right too,
    Summary: the wavering in-and-out is annoying, Robert's voice is too high, songs are TOO SPED-UP. If the latter could be corrected this would go up to 7.5.
    Rate: 6+ 6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1980.11.18 (15 songs - incomplete) Cardiff University Cardiff, Wales, UK (15 from 16) - FLAC (soundboard)
    Lots of tape hiss, treble distortion,

  • good sound level between Robert's voice and instruments,
  • minimal audience noise, only noticable between songs for the most part,
  • no bass extension,
  • has Forever (8:04), not cut-off,
    Summary: treble issues make this fairly intolerable on the ears. Too sped up.
    Rate: 6 6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons6 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1981.06.27 (23 songs) Park, Rotterdam, Netherlands - SHN (audience)
    A lot of audience noise and the distance of Robert's voice make me believe my SHN is not soundboard,

  • bass drum is muted and/or distorted,
  • pretty good example of an AUD recording in that the crowd noise isn't pervasive,
  • treble is cut off, not actually clipped, just not there at all (better than distortion I suppose),
  • has Forever (11:15)
    Summary: hey, at least it's not sped up. Kind of flat in the bass, treble is muted, but not really distorted.
    Rate: 7 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1981.08.17 (15 songs - incomplete) Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia - FLAC (soundboard/FM)
    First thing to hit you is the bass depth and clarity, lack of distortion, smoothness of recording levels across all instruments,

  • definitely soundboard,
  • Robert's voice is fairly clear, a little warbly at times,
  • pretty broad sound spectrum,
  • audience noise is kept to a minimum between songs,
  • has Forever (10:24),
  • surprisingly little distortion
    Summary: One of the best early live recordings I've heard.
    Rate: 8 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1981.10.06 (12 songs) Theatre de l'Université, Tours, France 128kbps (soundboard)
    Robert's voice sounds a little remote, compared to the bass and guitar,

  • some back-ground or source hiss/noise,
  • clear voice and instruments,
  • low distortion on most tracks (except bass on Primary),
  • correct speed,
  • audience barely noticable,
  • some variation in tape volume level rising and falling (age?)
    Summary: record noise from the vinyl it was transferred from (?), Robert's voice has some fluctuations, but overall a pretty good recording.
    Rate: 7+ 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1981.12.03 Hammersmith Odeon, London, England, UK - FLAC (audience)
    Definitely audience recording,

  • sounds flat, somehow muted,
  • sound level flutters up and down,
  • instruments are muddy,
  • Robert's voice is discernable, correct speed, but mushy,
  • audience noise is mostly noticable between songs, but also sometimes in the quiet parts and into the beginnings,
  • low distortion,
  • broad deep sound spectrum
    Summary: a little boomy/muddy in the thick parts, also maybe the person holding the recorder was jumping up and down or something...
    Rate: 7 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1982.04.21 (18 songs) The Dome, Brighton, England, UK - SHN (audience)
    Robert's voice is distant,

  • reasonably similar sound levels for the instruments given it's AUD,
  • audience noise mostly just between tracks,
  • some, but minimal, distortion,
  • has All Mine (9:24)
    Summary: flat recording, but surprisingly not noticably distorted, pretty nice for an early AUD, nothing special compared with good soundboards, which at this point
    in The Cure's career are surprisingly hard to come by.
    Rate: 7 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1982.05.23 (15 songs) Musikhalle, Hamburg, Germany (last song cut-off (10:15SN)) - SHN (soundboard)
    Robert's voice is fairly clear,

  • speed fluctuates a little at times,
  • audience only noticable between songs,
  • definitely soundboard,
  • bass drum is a little too punchy (probably can be fixed with your EQ)
    Summary: This is probably one of the best recordings available for the stellar 1982 shows, besides of course the common l'Olympia bootleg.
    Rate: 8 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1982.06.07 (17 songs) A l'Olympia, Paris, France - FLAC (soundboard)
    Available on the "M" bootleg
    Summary: my favorite "official" Cure bootleg, by far. Reasonable good/great quality, great track selections, except missing Charlotte Sometimes.
    Rate: 9 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1984.05.06 (21 songs) The Top Tour, Guildhall, Portsmouth, England, UK - FLAC (soundboard)
    Definitely a soundboard recording,

  • Some hiss from tape,
  • great instrument levels,
  • low/no distortion,
  • deep bass extension,
  • some high-treble clipped (rare),
  • Forever (5:07) uncut
    Summary: A really solid recording and a great set list.
    Rate: 9 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1984.11.15 (21 songs) Post Pavillion Coliseum, Washington, D.C. USA - SHN (soundboard)
    Available on the COLD bootleg.
    Summary: Great concert from a great band at a great time in their great career. There you go.
    Rate: 9+ 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1985.10.22 (23 songs) Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA - SHN (soundboard?)
    Some crackle and tape hiss,

  • fluctuating volume,
  • some low-end distortion,
  • Robert's vocals are clear,
  • definitely soundboard,
  • audience only audible between songs
    Summary: The crackles and source tape limitations hurt this otherwise great show - including an 11:40 version of A Forest.
    Rate: 8 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 8 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1985.12.02 (20 songs) Eissporthalle, Berlin, Germany - FLAC (audience)
    This is a very loud, big recording,

  • definitely soundboard,
  • some crackles/clicks (perhaps from vinyl transfer),
  • Robert's voice is too shrill and clipped
    Summary: a beefy audience recording, loud and thick.
    Rate: 7+ 7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons7 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1986.07.20 (21 songs) Houston Southerm Star Amphitheatre, Houston, TX, USA - FLAC
    Available on the MAD BOB AND THE SCREWTONES bootleg (soundboard)
    Robert seems to be having fun on this night.

  • audience noise reasonable between songs,
  • instruments are clear and even in the mix,
  • Robert's vocals are clear
    Summary: Great recording.
    Rate: 9 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons9 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

    1986.08.09 (22 songs) Theatre Antique d'Orange, France - SHN (soundboard)
    aka SWEET TALKING GUY
    I don't need to say anything about this - go buy a good copy of the bootleg DVD and enjoy.
    Summary: Perfect
    Rate: 10 10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons 10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons10 small spinning stellated dodecahedrons

     


    • Home | Blog | About | Contact Us | ©2007 pretentiouscritics.com. All original writings copywritten by their respective authors. Duplication for non-educational purposes strictly prohibited unless given written permission.