The Cure

References

[1]http://thecure.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=11897

[2]http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/earcandy/archives/121792.asp

[3]http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ChainofFlowers/march1208.html

External links

•Official website (http://www.thecure.com)

•The Cure (http://www.myspace.com/thecure) on Myspace

The Cure: 'Reflections'

The Cure: "Reflections" refers to a set of shows in which The Cure played their first three albums Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith in full at the VividLive festival at the Sydney Opera House on 31 May and 1 June 2011. All three albums were played in their entirety on both nights, along with several other tracks from the same era.

The Cure announced that these "Reflections" shows would involve a 'uniquely evolving' line-up, which includes former keyboardists Lol Tolhurst and Roger O'Donnell (who left the band in 1989 and 2005 respectively), but notably did not include guitarist Porl Thompson who rejoined the band in 2005. It was not immediately clear whether Tolhurst and O'Donnell would be rejoining the band permanently.[1]

Later in 2011, O'Donnell confirmed he would be rejoining the band on a permanent basis. Tolhurst departed again after the 'Reflections' reunion, whilst Thompson remains absent from the current line-up.

According to a statement released by Vivid LIVE, "this will be the first, and only, time The Cure perform these

albums in succession." However, the band went on to perform seven additional 'Reflections' gigs in November: one in London, and three each in Los Angeles and New York.[2][3][4]

Show Lineup

The lineup for each album is as follows:

Three Imaginary Boys (1979)

The Cure Trio: Robert Smith (voice & guitar), Simon Gallup (bass), Jason Cooper (drums)

Seventeen Seconds (1980)

The Cure Quartet: Robert Smith (voice & guitar), Simon Gallup (bass), Jason Cooper (drums), Roger O'Donnell (keys)

Faith (1981)

The Cure Quintet: Robert Smith (voice & guitar), Simon Gallup (bass), Jason Cooper (drums), Roger O'Donnell (keys), Laurence Tolhurst (percussion & keys)[5]

Setlist

Three Imaginary Boys: 10.15 Saturday Night, Accuracy, Grinding Halt, Another Day, Object, Subway Song, Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover), Meathook, So What, Fire In Cairo, It's Not You, Three Imaginary Boys, The Weedy Burton

Seventeen Seconds: A Reflection, Play For Today, Secrets, In Your House, Three, The Final Sound, A Forest, M, At Night, Seventeen Seconds

Faith: The Holy Hour, Primary, Other Voices, All Cats Are Grey, The Funeral Party, Doubt, The Drowning Man, Faith

Encore 1: World War, I'm Cold, Plastic Passion, Boys Don't Cry, Killing An Arab (performed as "Killing Another"), Jumping Someone Else's Train/Another Journey By Train

Encore 2: Descent, Splintered In Her Head, Charlotte Sometimes, The Hanging Garden

Encore 3: Let's Go To Bed, The Walk, The Lovecats

The New York gigs also saw encore performances of: The Caterpillar, In-Between Days and Close To Me, not played at the previous shows.

Video Release Information

The Cure: "Reflections" concert is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray.[5]

References

[1]http://www.thecure.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=35390 "TheCure.com". Retrieved on 5 May 2011.

[2]"Vivid Live 2011|The Cure "Reflections": Vivid Live 2011" (http://www.modularpeople.com/vivid/the-cure-reflections-vivid-live-2011/ 5972.html). Vivid Live. . Retrieved 24 May 2011.

[3]Ben Wener (23 November 2011). "Live review: The Cure’s Reflections at the Pantages" (http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/11/23/ live-review-the-cures-reflections-at-the-pantages/86003/). The Orange County Register. . Retrieved 28 November 2011.

[4]Jon Caramanica (27 November 2011). "Goth Stalwarts in Gloomy Fettle Recall 3 Albums" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/arts/ music/the-cures-reflections-tour-at-the-beacon-theater-review.html). The New York Times. . Retrieved 28 November 2011.

[5]Smith, Robert. "The Cure: News: THE CURE "REFLECTIONS" LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE" (http://www.thecure.com/blog/ default.aspx?nid=35390&cmnt=1#s_comments_anchor). The Cure. . Retrieved 17 May 2011.

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Related persons and bands

Associates

Associates

Years active 1979–1990, 1993 (reunion)

Labels Fiction (1980-1981), WEA (1982-1988), Circa Records (1989-1990) Virgin (Reissues)

Past members

Billy Mackenzie

Michael Dempsey

Steve Goulding

Martha Ladly

John Murphy

Alan Rankine

Moritz Von Oswald

Associates were a Scottish post-punk and New Wave band of the early 1980s.[1] They were known for the operatic voice and theatrical antics of singer Billy Mackenzie, who committed suicide in 1997. Their biggest success was in 1982 with the UK Top Ten album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country".

History

1979–1982: Associates mk. 1

Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine met in Dundee in 1976 and formed the cabaret duo The Ascorbic Ones.[1] In 1979 they recorded songs under the name of Mental Torture before finally changing their name to The Associates. They then recorded their debut single, a cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging". Their version attracted a good deal of attention, not least from David Bowie, as it was released in June 1979 just six weeks after Bowie's version had hit the UK Top 10 in April. A string of highly regarded singles were released and two albums The Affectionate Punch and Fourth Drawer Down.

In 1981 Rankine and MacKenzie also released a version of "Kites" under the name "39 Lyon Street" with Christine Beverage on lead vocals, the b-side track "A Girl Named Property" was credited to The Associates. The band's breakthrough came in 1982 with the release of the single "Party Fears Two". Buoyed along by the popularity of synthpop at the time, the song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] Two other hits soon followed, "Club Country" and "18 Carat Love Affair". That year the band released their most commercially successful album, Sulk. Martha Ladly, of Martha and the Muffins, contributed backing vocals and keyboards to this album.

1983–1990: Associates mk. 2 and commercial decline

Rankine left the band in 1982 just before the Sulk tour. This proved disastrous in terms of the band's career, in particular as the band were being actively courted by Seymour Stein who thought they could become massive stars in the USA. Mackenzie continued to write and record music under the Associates name until 1990. The albums Perhaps, The Glamour Chase (which the record company refused to release, considering it not commercially viable) and Wild and Lonely were made during this period. However, without the guiding hand of Rankine, recordings were sporadic and subsequent Associates records failed to reach the charts in the UK and sold far fewer than their early albums.

1991–present: split and aftermath

The Associates name was put to rest and Mackenzie released the electronica-influenced solo album Outernational in 1992 with limited success. In 1993 Mackenzie and Rankine began working on new material together: news of an Associates revival generated hype and speculation of a tour and the demos recorded by the two were promising. However Mackenzie was not fully committed to the reunion and especially touring with it so Associates split for a final time. Mackenzie went back to his solo work, signing a deal with Nude Records and finding a new collaborative partner in Steve Aungle. Between 1987 and 1992 Billy worked with Swiss avant-garde outfit Yello. MacKenzie wrote the lyrics of the song "The Rhythm Divine" performed by Shirley Bassey on the album One Second, with MacKenzie singing backing vocals. MacKenzie contributed to three Yello albums; One Second (1987), Flag (1988) and Baby (1991). Some tracks for The Glamour Chase and Outernational were recorded with Boris Blank at Yello's recording studio.

MacKenzie committed suicide in 1997 aged 39, shortly after the death of his mother. He had been suffering from clinical depression. He was contemplating a comeback at the time with material co-written with Aungle. The albums Beyond the Sun (1997) and Eurocentric (2000) were released posthumously and re-constructed (and expanded with new unreleased songs) in 2004 into two albums: Auchtermatic and Transmission Impossible.

Rankine is now a lecturer in music at Stow College in Glasgow, and worked with Belle & Sebastian on their debut album, Tigermilk in 1996.

The book The Glamour Chase by Tom Doyle documented the band's career and MacKenzie's subsequent life.

Legacy

Before Mackenzie's death almost all Associates records had been deleted. Former band member Michael Dempsey and the Mackenzie estate began a reissue programme to make sure the band's legacy continued. Almost every Associates album has been re-issued so far, including a 25-Anniversary edition of The Affectionate Punch in 2005. In addition to the original albums, two compilation albums have been released: Double Hipness (2000), a collection of early tracks with the 1993 reunion demos; and Singles (2004), an extended version of Popera - The Singles Collection which caught up with post-1990 material and included the cover of Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging". In 2002, The Glamour Chase (recorded in the years 1985-87) was eventually released. Finally, Wild & Lonely and Mackenzie's solo album Outernational were repackaged with bonus tracks in 2006.

Artists who have covered "Party Fears Two" include The Divine Comedy, Dan Bryk and Heaven 17. An instrumental section of "Party Fears Two" was used as the theme music for the BBC Radio 4 satirical current affairs series Week Ending.

The instrumental piano passage from the "Nocturne VII" track (which appeared on the posthumous Beyond The Sun album) was used in the BBC series Masterchef in November 2009.

An edited version of "Club Country" appeared in the second series finale of the BBC drama Ashes to Ashes, set in 1982.

American electronic pop duo, Microfilm, did a tribute song to Billy Mackenzie in 2009 titled "I'll Sing Like Billy Mackenzie in Heaven" which featured guitar and additional vocals by Scissor Sisters' member Del Marquis. It appeared on the 2009 EP "Blips Don't Lie" and the subsequent singles compilation I Am Curious: Microfilm 2006-2010.

Band members

Note: There are many other instrumentalists who augmented Associates through their tenure but not all are known especially on earlier demos etc.

•Billy Mackenzie - vocals

•Alan Rankine - guitars, keyboards and other instruments (1977–1982, 1993 for reunion)

•John Sweeney - original drummer

•Michael Dempsey (formerly of The Cure) - bass guitar (1980–1982)

•John Murphy (later of SPK and Death In June) - drums (1980–81)

•Steve Goulding (formerly of Graham Parker & the Rumour and later of the Mekons) - drums (1982–1983)

•Howard Hughes was a friend of Mackenzie and played keyboards live and on his later albums Perhaps, The Glamour Chase and Wild and Lonely. (1984–1990)

•Steve Reid was a friend of Mackenzie and played guitar on Perhaps. (1982–1984)

•Roberto Soave - bass (1983–1985)

•Moritz Von Oswald - drums (1985 onwards), percussion on "Wild and Lonely": also composed some songs on Outernational and did various remixes of Associates songs with Ralf Hertwig.

•Anne Dudley of Art of Noise - strings on Wild and Lonely. (1990)

•Martha Ladly (previously of Martha and the Muffins) - keyboards and vocals on Sulk. (1982)

•Robert Smith (lead singer of The Cure) - backing vocals on "The Affectionate Punch".

•Jim Russell - drums (1984)

•Ian McIntosh - guitars, live and radio sessions after Rankine left, (1982–1985)

•Martin Lowe - live guitars, (1982)

Discography

Studio albums

•The Affectionate Punch (Fiction, 1980)

•Fourth Drawer Down (Situation Two, 1981)

•Sulk (WEA, 1982) UK No. 10

•Perhaps (WEA, 1985) UK No. 23, NL No. 29

•The Glamour Chase (WEA, 1988) - but unreleased until 2003

•Wild and Lonely (Circa, 1990) UK No. 71

Compilations

•Popera (WEA East West, 1990)

•The Radio 1 Sessions (Nighttracks, 1994)

•Double Hipness (V2, 2000)

•Radio 1 Sessions Volume 1;1981-83 (Strange Fruit, 2003)

•Radio 1 Sessions Volume 2;1984-85 (Strange Fruit, 2003)

•Singles (Warners, 2004)[1][2]

Singles

•"Boys Keep Swinging" (Double Hip, 1979)

•"The Affectionate Punch" (Fiction, 1980)

•"Tell Me Easter's on Friday" (Situation Two, 1981)

•"Kites" [as 39 Lyon Street] (1981)

•"Q Quarters" (Situation Two, 1981)

•"Kitchen Person" (Situation Two, 1981)

•"A" (Fiction, 1981)

•"Message Oblique Speech" (Situation Two, 1981)

•"White Car in Germany" (Situation Two, 1981)

•"Party Fears Two" (WEA, 1982) UK No. 9

•"Club Country" (WEA, 1982) UK No. 13

•"18 Carat Love Affair" / "Love Hangover" (WEA, 1982) UK No. 21

•"Even Dogs In the Wild" (1982)

•"Matter of Gender" (1982)

•"Ice Cream Factory" (1983)

•"Those First Impressions" (1984) UK No. 43

•"Waiting for the Love Boat" (1984) UK No. 53

•"Breakfast" (1984) UK No. 49, NL No. 36

•"Take Me to the Girl" (1985)

•"Heart of Glass" (1988) UK No. 56

•"Country Boy" (WEA, 1989 - withdrawn)

•"Fever" (1990)

•"Fire to Ice" (1990)

•"Just Can't Say Goodbye" (1990)[1][2]

References

[1]Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 34. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.

[2]Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 31. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

•An Associates/Billy MacKenzie FAQ website (http://pagesperso-orange.fr/affectionate.bunch/)

•Long established MacKenzie tribute site (http://www.billymackenzie.com)

•BBC article including video (http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/musicscotland/thevault/biogs/index.shtml?a/ associates)

•April 2007 interview with Rankine on the making of Sulk (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/ 0,,2065836,00.html)

Babacar

Babacar

Rob Steen, Caroline Crawley, Jemaur Tayle, Roberto Soave, and Boris Williams

Babacar was a short-lived worldbeat supergroup formed in England, featuring former members of Shelleyan Orphan, The Cure, and Presence. The group released one album in their brief existence, their self-titled debut album in 1998, before the band dissolved when Shelleyan Orphan reunited in 2000.

Background

Babacar was fronted by Caroline Crawley, former lead singer of Shelleyan Orphan. Although Jemaur Tayle, the other half of Orphan, later joined in, he is not listed among the album's credits.[1] Other personnel involved with the recording of the album were guitarist Rob Steen, bassist Roberto Soave (who had also recorded and performed with Orphan), and drummer Boris Williams, who is best known for his involvement with The Cure. Soave and Steen had also played in another band called Presence. Soave has also played a brief stint with The Cure. When Simon Gallup fell ill during the European leg of the Wish tour, Soave filled in for him on bass.[2]

Members

•Caroline Crawley - vocals

•Roberto Soave - bass guitar

•Rob Steen - guitar

•Jemaur Tayle - guitar

•Boris Williams - drums

Special guests/additional personnel

•Porl Thompson - guitar, banjo

•Bruno Ellingham - violin

•Tristan Powell - e-bow

Discography

Albums

• Babacar (1998)

Singles

• "Midsummer"

Notes and references

[1]Babacar by Babacar @ Artist Direct (http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1092076,00.html)

[2](http://www.foreverdrowning.net/setlist.php?date=882)

External links

•About Babacar (http://www.absoluteagogo.com/babacarwhere.html)

•Babacar at absoluteagogo.com (http://www.absoluteagogo.com/babacar.html)

•Fan Page (http://www.thesummersite.org/songsforsummer/html/sfs_babacar.html)

•Pictures of Babacar (http://www.absoluteagogo.com/babapic.htm)

COGASM

COGASM is a side project of singer Robert Smith of The Cure, drummer Jason Cooper and guitarist Reeves Gabrels. The first two letters of the members' surnames were taken to form the group's name,[1] which is properly spelled with all capital letters. The band was put together for the one-time purpose of creating a song for the soundtrack to the movie Orgazmo.

Discography

The single, "A Sign From God," appeared on the Orgazmo soundtrack, 1998. The song "Wrong Number" was recorded in the same session by the same formation, but instead credited to "The Cure" and released on the band's greatest hits Galore.

References

[1] Cure Frontman's Side Project (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1427730/19980819/cure.jhtml) in MTV News, Aug. 19, 1998

External links

•A Sign From God (http://www.thecure.com/discography/robert.asp?AssetID=1097027) on TheCure.com Discography

•COGASM.com (http://www.cogasm.com) - A fan site