Dec. 30th

Update: Again, I'm only looking for e-mails from those who have been able to get files from Peter. I already have plenty of emails from those who can't, so no need to let me know again. : )



"On January 5 2005, HD1 (Pan European HDTV channel) will be screening the Pornography section of the Trilogy DVD at 23:05 hours (CET).  On 27 Dec 2004 they broadcast the Disintegration part of the concert.  The sound is broadcast in 5.1 Dolby Digital.

http://www.hd-1.tv/ (click on the square blue "Music" icon for a list of all forthcoming music events, dates and times)."

(Thanks Richard)



(Thanks Lenore)



"The french magazine 'Les Inrockuptibles' has a special issue called 'Les meilleurs DVD musicaux' (the best music DVDs) wich includes a DVD
compilation with 'Siamese twins' (from the Trilogy live DVD) and also many other artists (Franz Ferdinand, Lou Reed, The Clash, Cat Power, Eminem, The Libertines...). This special issue is now for sale in France for 12 Euros."

(Thanks Jerome)

"About Rock Records has released on october 15, in parternship with italian channel Rock TV, a compilation that features Boys Don't Cry. I
know it is two months ago, but I just got to know it. Full tracklist here: http://www.about-rock.com/content/heavy.htm"
 
(Thanks Pietro)



"There is a vote for "The Best Concert in Mexico in 2004"
 
This poll is created by Televisa Mexico ... hurry up!!! spread the word, because Kiss is in the No. 1 and The Cure needs more votes!! (3rd
place) Please All the people from everywhere VOTE for The Cure!! It's very simple and quick ......
 
http://vote.esmas.com/default.asp?votacionid=12977 "
 
(Thanks Silvia)

"On the Rock TV site (www.rockweb.it), you can vote for the Cure in the "Rockweb band of the week" poll. Cure are second to Slipknot right now, but multiple voting is allowed... ; -) "
 
(Thanks Pietro)

"Each year at Christmastime, MuchMusic (Canada's version of MTV) takes a look at the cheesiest videos of the year, the annual "Fromage" special.  Hosted by Ed the Sock (an abrasively-spoken sock puppet) it's replete with brilliant, witty, no-holds barred critical commentary.  You may
even like the videos or artists in question, but usually have to admit to the cheese factor nonetheless.

This year they did a top-40 countdown.  And squeaking in at #39... The End of The World.  Ed the Sock did give credit for the nice effects in
the video... the cheese factor, according to him, was primarly Robert's appearance.  Comparisons were made to Elizabeth Taylor, and warnings
were given about whether-drug-abuse-has-lasting-effects-on-aging-rock-stars.

While not the kindest homage to our favourite fellows, in comparison to the ripping the other videos received it was quite tame, really.  And
only *barely* made it on the chart heh... It's nice that they weren't just totally forgotten anyway!

(Thanks heather the buzzard)

"I was watching VH1's "The Coolest Years: My Summer Vacation" and during the "Skinny Dipping" segment they played "A Forest". Quite an
odd song for that segment."

(Thanks Jon)

Dec. 28th

Later with Jools Holland

Tue 28 Dec, 12:20 am - 1:20 am  60mins (UK time, Europe add 1 hour)

Joining Jools tonight are The Cure, performing tracks from their new self titled album plus a classic track from their back catalogue of hits. Anita Baker will also be joining Jools in the studio performing a track from her new album My Everything and a classic track from her impressive repertoire.

Jackson Browne will be performing a track from his latest greatest hits album. Embrace make a welcome return to the Later studio. New York rapper Nas join his jazz musician playing father Olu Dara to perform their new single Bridge The Gap. Young Sunderland post-punk quartet, The Futureheads will be bringing their angular angry guitar pop to the Later studio.

Contains some strong language.

Subtitles   Stereo  Widescreen    Website:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/

***  This is a repeat of the show which was originally broadcast 11.35pm, BBC 2, Fri 22nd October 2004  ***

(Thanks Richard)



"well today i was wondering throught lisbon's record stores, and in one of them i have found a re-release pressing of standing on a beach in lp. this re-release had a sticker from universal in the up right corner like the re-releases in cd. very strange, as i haven't heard that this was going to be re-released in lp before."

Update: "This is a german import re-release, issued in 2001 by Universal."

(Thanks Paulo and Jerome)



"In the last issue of the Rolling Stone magazine (U2 on the cover) There are the 50 best records of the 2004, and "the Cure" is one of them and "Antics" by Interpol too..."

(Thanks Sixto, Diane)



(Thanks Pierluigi)



"the san francisco indie/britpop club popscene is hosting a cure tribute night on december 30, 2004. it's called "just like heaven: a special nye eve tribute to the cure," and according to the club's site they will "feature Cure cover songs by local Cure cover band JAPANESE BABY. During the evening, we will be playing plenty of music from the Cure's back catalogue AND we will have Cure giveaways, including a 'Join The Dots' boxset and items autographed by Robert Smith. For some lucky ones, STILA COSMETICS will be handing out free lipgloss for those who want to look like Robert Smith while dancing." (http://www.popscene-sf.com/rev3_frameset.html)"

(Thanks Rayna)



"Possibly help out a reader of your website (and myself) I hit a financial pothole and need to part with one of My most treasured possessions, a fender bass VI, I know A lot of us fans are always looking for one....
I will offer free shipping to anyone who mentions the Chain of flowers website!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3772107616"

(Thanks Zap)

"http://www.gibson.com/email/xpress_oct2704.html
 Don't know if you've posted this bit of semi-old news before, but this explains the red Tbird I've seen pictures of Simon playing recently."

(Thanks Greg)

"Again with MTV2 programs !!!

This morning i was having breakfast watching top10 best influencial bands, and i arrived for number 3 !!  THE CURE !!!!!!!!   ok ok now we're talking  !!!!!  I was very happy of course. 3 out of 10 is quite a nice rating !!!   For those interested number 2 were "the smiths" (cool isint it? ) and 1st place was deserved by "the pixies".
So far i agree that these two bands are important in rock history and to me at least. ( the last morrissey album is great, well to me anyway..) I am sorry, i dont know the ones over 3rd place, so i cant tell you. Maybe anyone konws???"

(Thanks Fil)

"The Cure (Staring at the Sea/Standing on the Beach) compilation came in at number 16 on CNN.com's "Best of The Best" review.  Here is the article:

Review: The best of the best-ofs
A subjective ranking of 50 favorite rock hits collections

By Mark Carroll and Jeff Green
16. "Staring at the Sea: The Singles," the Cure (1986) -- A hit at home in the UK and a success in the U.S., this killer collection from the late 1970s and early '80s helped Robert Smith and company get goth on the radio before the more lightweight hits that water down later compilations.

FYI, Echo and the Bunnymen picked up top spot over Bowie:Changes"

(Thanks Jo, Spiggy and Amy)

"This news report is presenting a music project for New Year's Eve which will be held in Rome, with various stages across the town and many DJs
and other related initiatives.
Talking about the presence of one of them: "a particular event in which the 80s melodies are blurred with music by the Cure, Joy Division and
Killing Joke".
 
http://www.rockstar.it/news.asp?ID=3070"
 
(Thanks Pietro)

Dec. 25th

Merry Christmas!

Can you believe this? It's snowing here in New Orleans on Christmas Day!

Dec. 22nd

"A few days ago, the peruvian press announced that the cure will play in lima peru in october 2005. Here is the link for all those who speaks
spanish!

http://www.peru21.com/P21Impreso/Html/2004-12-17/Escenarios0234156.html

"Gary Gagliardi, encargado del área de márketing de dicha empresa, anunció la próxima visita al Perú de dos monstruos del rock: Lenny Kravitz y la banda The Cure. "Desde hace muchos años, los empresarios peruanos han estado tras un concierto de The Cure. Pero, por fin, nuestro país podrá disfrutar del show de Robert Smith y su banda. La idea es aprovechar la gira mundial que harán. Si no hay cambios de último minuto, The Cure vendrá en octubre", aseguró Gagliardi, quien comentó que se prevé que el concierto de la banda británica que popularizó temas como Boys Don't Cry, Friday I'm in Love, In Between Days, entre otros, se realice en un estadio"."

Only a rumor for now, so don't go blowing your Christmas/Hanukkah/Decemberween/Festivus money on tickets to Peru. : )

(Thanks Ariel)

"As you may know the Limited Taking Off 3" CD was finally released on December 20th in Germany after being delayed from October 18th.  On
December 17th and 20th, two shipments of this Pock It CD were sent to us.  While we have not yet received these shipments, we will get them
out to all who ordered them as soon as we do.  We want to thank everyone who pre-ordered them for their patience, especially those that ordered
back in October.  We are hoping to include a nice little Bonus to all that pre-ordered and have waited so long.
 
We also want everyone to know that we are now reactivating the ordering link for the Taking Off Pock It as we will have a few extras after
pre-orders are filled.
 
http://idealcopy.american-data.net//Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MU-CURE-TAKIN-03&Category_Code=MUCure

thanks!"

(Thanks Chris)

Dec. 21st

"Tonight, as i was watching MTV2 best videos of 2004 (just arrived when it was number 3), i had the great surprise to see that number one was "the end of the world" !!!!   YES YES YES !!!!   I think it has been a viewer's vote, but i am not really sure about it.
 
Anyway, it's quite a big and nice surprise even if i totally agree that the video is great. Just the fact that a Cure video is in a top 10 is nice, but number one, my god !!  Really a gigantic year for us Cure fans. "
 
(Thanks Fil)



"This time TELEHIT, will air a complete concert of september 6th 2004. The date is January 1st, the schadule 16:00 hrs.

Here is the link of the information: http://www.esmas.com/telehit/noticias/actuales/413448.html

And here is the translation to English:

The End Of The World is Arrived...

The fire under the copper dome caught to hundreds of boys who sang to the unisonous ' Boys don´t cry' to be one night with the end of the world announced by Robert Smith.

The legendary personage intoned his better songs than between emotion, madness and a gothic dark flavor he burned on the scene.

Telehit was there and has the concert for you, if you could not be there, vívelo and if you exploded with the misticism of The Cure  leave you guide by pop the gothic one initiating the year with best music the close one first to January of 16:00hrs, Mexico.

(subject Information to changes without previous warning)"

And a report on the Cure special that aired Dec. 19th:

"Here is the list of the songs was pased in Cure special:

1.- A night like this
2.- The end of the world
3.-  I don´t know what´s going on
4.- In between days
5.- Just like heaven
6.- Pictures of you

These songs were recorded live on September 6th in Mexico City (Palacio de los Deportes) and i saw fragments of the press conference and interview."

(Thanks to Jose at The End of the World)



"These are both from the Guardian online.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,,1375017,00.html

Rock and pop CD reviews   

Pop CD reissues
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cure, Three Imaginary Boys Deluxe Edition
4 out of 5 stars
 (Polydor)

Adam Sweeting
Friday December 17, 2004
The Guardian

The Cure are usually identified with thunderous gloom and glowering musical textures, but their 1979 debut didn't sound like that at all. Three Imaginary Boys was a classic example of how bands were supposed to behave in the uncertain period of post-punk. Like Magazine or Gang of Four, the Cure couldn't be seen to be backtracking towards the mainstream, and also had to take an imaginative leap beyond the stagnant pond of punk.

Interestingly, the second disc of demos and outtakes offers a better idea of the group's ambitions and skill than their first album did. Robert Smith always hated Three ... , from the sound and track selection to the Polydor-imposed sleeve artwork, and lost gems like I Want to Be Old or I Just Need Myself give you some idea why. But the "official" album, which was nevertheless packed with excellent songs, deserves credit for making Smith realise that henceforth, he had to take complete control.


This is from an article listing what they consider good album cover art--

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,,1374952,00.html

8. The Cure, The Cure (Polydor)
Robert Smith's design brief for the Cure's comeback was straightforward. "I wanted something immediate and fresh and genuine and simple," he says. Who better to provide this than his 17 nieces and nephews, all aged between one and 17. "I asked them for a picture of a good dream, a picture of a bad dream, and the words 'the Cure', if they could write," he says. The results, collected in the CD booklet, are a fascinating collection of ghosts, pirate ships, angels, rainbows and otherworldly animals, echoing the uncertain, congested sprawl of the Cure's sound. The sleeve itself features Smith's 10 favourite characters, including a terrifying figure cloaked in black sporting demonic purple eyeliner. "They are not band likenesses," says Smith, firmly.

(Thanks Lenore)



(Thanks Boris)



(Thanks to Jose at The End of the World)

"Somebody got me, from Borders, this magazine called Borders Rock Essential which is all about "essential albums" they mention 2 Cure CDs,
in the greatest hits section of the book they list Staring at the Sea: The Singles and on the page titled '80's college radio what they say about Boys Don't Cry is "The Cure was one of the most influential bands to emerge from the wreckage of punk. Their early Boys Don't Cry is a collection of pop songs ripped to pieces and put back together again, with all the edges exposed. Not only does this record contain what might be the only direct reference to Albert Camus in rock history, but it makes vitriol and bitterness very nearly danceable."

(Thanks to Dee, Jerry, Robin or Greg)


"From The Times (London) 18th December 2004:

REISSUE THE CURE

Three Imaginary Boys (Polydor)

On their debut album 25 years ago, the Cure were pretty much unrecognisable
from the solemn gloomsters of today. They were spiky, artful and loved a
good ramalama three-minute single. They even covered Jimi Hendrix!"

(Thanks Nick & Jo)

"http://www.dresdendolls.com/bio/bio_amanda.htm

So this is a link from the Dresden Dolls website (a very good new band) but there is a picture a litte ways down of Amanda (the siger) with 3IB CD (the old version) etc..."

(Thanks John)

"this was in a news report about the PJ Harvey retirement from the live scenes on the site rockstar.it:

"Was it the coincidence (Friday 17) to create this event, or was it a choice due to the lack of interest by the artists to keep playing live to avoid "turning into" bands like Rolling Stones or Cure?"
 
(Thanks Pietro)

"Around 9pm Mountain Time tonight (just 30 minutes ago), when CNN Headline News cut to a commercial, the music playing during the transition was part of "The Loudest Sound".  When they came back from the commercial break, the music during the transition was part of "Pictures of You". "
 
(Thanks Tom)

Dec. 20th

"Just saw the TOTP Show & the Taratata Show on SAT1 (Germany). TOTP was routine with Roger hardly perfoming at all and Robert as top as ever. The audience seemed to be far too young to understand what was going on. On Taratata The Cure were great but the interview part between the two songs was cheesy because of the stupid questions. One question was what Robert thinks reading constantly about his death in newspapers.
Robert reacted friendly but was also wondering. the other question was how he prepared his nephews and nieces to draw the cover pictures. he
said he put them in a dark room! very amusing answer."

(Thanks Gerald)



"You can listen to Robert's contribution to the John Peel tribute show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/johnpeel/keepitpeel/doc.shtml"

(Thanks Adam)



"Well finally got my hands on one after being given the merry run around by schecter and the guitar center for the past few months..
What do I think?? Well for it's hefty 999dollar price tag here's what you get...(they are actually going for 699 on some sites)
A beautiful piece of cure collector's merchandise.That looks fantastic it really does have a cure look about it and I should imagine most curefans would love to own a signed one of these to hang on thier wall..
Does it sound like the cure??
Played thru the Roland jazz chorus it flaps out all over the place not a speck of clean jazzmaster tonal quality anywhere.
Played thru the Line six insane with plenty of vibrato we get the perfect wrong number sound..and thru the messaboogie Porl almost enters the room.
 
So for later cure  it does the job well but really it's not got the cure signature sound to it at all.I am quite surprised at the cheap finish on the neck and the sheer over laquering on the bodywork.Wouldnt like to gig with this guitar at all the laquer on the neck will make you sweat buckets and slide all over the place.
It is also not very well balanced when strapped up and however the bridge is unobtrusive .
the real test came after setting the guitar up properly with heavier strings trying to get that jazzmaster tone..after setting up the action is better but the fret board is out slightly.I got 2 other people to try and set it up too and they got more or less the same result with about a fret's difference between us.
 
So all in all??? 6/10 for a playable guitar it's really a toy for cure fans.
9/10 for looks (the head stock is the ugliest ever)
If you really want to sound like robert on a budget spend 200 dollars on a korean squire telecaster a chorus pedal and a roland jazz chorus cube.
Now the hellcat is a completely different story..schector have surpassed themselves.."

(Thanks Gary)



"MTV Brasil is releasing a compilation CD this Christmas with the best MTV ACOUSTIC moments .. one of the tracks is Just Like Heaven - w/ The Cure - recorded in the early 90's."

(Thanks Antonio)



"Falling Angels (a fanzine about The Cure ), the 1st interactive Cure fanzine is about to release this mounth its 5th new issue and a re-issue of the Falling Angels 1 is about to be re-release -this month too- completed, completly re-worked, new sleeve, new columns, etc ...
 
To anyone who has any question or to anyone who is interested, thanks to join Falling Angels at facurezine@yahoo.fr
 
Here is the link to the Falling Angels website  http://fallingangels.chez.tiscali.fr .
 
Notice : the fanzine is still written in french. We think to release an english version later

Also, the Taking Off forum is now open to english spoken people and french spoken people both ! It was only written in french until now.
http://nico.hmt-forum.com/"
  
(Thanks Annydrin)

"The Cure is the Alt-Rock artist of the week on artistdirect.com"

(Thanks Andrew)

"In this months issue of Mojo magazine there is an article where Depeche mode singer dave Gahan talks about Sigur ros,mentioning the cure... "I
really liked the fact I can't understand anything the singer Jonsi's singing,They're icelandic and Jonsi sings in his own language,Hopelandish.I just find myself making up my own words; it reminds me of The Cure-their songs always had such long intros that you could make up your own song before Robert Smith opened his mouth"
 
(Thanks Nat)

"just to let you guys know on VH1 latin america there was a top 60 "to dedicate" video countdown... the cure was number 37 with pictures of you!"
 
(Thanks Conrado)

Dec. 17th

"I just wanted to let you know that Drumcity Guitarland is now selling the new Schecter UltraCure guitar for $699.  The cases haven't been released,
but should be within a month or so."

If any of you get one, please let me know what you think of it. Thanks! And if you would like to get one for me, go right ahead. : )

(Thanks John)



"Thought you may like to know that Universal have made the "Entreat" CD available again as a "CD On Demand" title. Check out:
http://www.thedisckiosk.com/cd_music_archive/cdmusicarchive1.htm , and then search for The Cure titles. You can then purchase the title at
www.streetsonline.co.uk ; www.mvc.co.uk ; or www.woolworths.co.uk
 
The price at streetsonline is £11.99 which is a lot cheaper than searching ebay. I already have 2 CDs in this range (Two Blancmange albums), which have been unavailable for ages. You get a simplified cover - the original front cover, but no lyrics or sleeve notes. Worth checking out!"
 
(Thanks Neil)



"This sunday 19th of December a special program of 1 hour in the Mexican channel "Telehit" of the visit of The Cure in Mexico "An Evening With
The Cure", the schedule 16 and 20 hours.

(Thanks to Jose The End of the World)



"here's a review of the deluxe edition from the Washington Post.

Music
Rediscovering the Cure: Group's 1979 Debut Arrives at Last

By Elaine Beebe Lapriore
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, December 15, 2004; Page C05

Before they had keyboards, before hair dyed black as shoe polish, before Robert Smith twirled like a Goth Sufi, the Cure was a great power-pop trio. In the era of Wire, the Jam and Buzzcocks, Smith doled out more than his share of incomparable hooks.

This we observe from Rhino's "Three Imaginary Boys," which kicks off the label's series of Cure reissues, each packaged with a whole disc of outtakes and a booklet of insights about one of pop's most cultish bands. Seven previously unreleased songs! Photos of Smith at 17!

The new, deluxe "Three Imaginary Boys" marks the first U.S. release of the British band's 1979 debut. A hot-pink LP with appliances on the cover, the holy grail for American fans sold as a top-dollar import back then, in the thick clear plastic sleeve that was record-store code for "more than your allowance." Never mind that eight of the tracks also appeared on the Cure's 1980 U.S. debut, "Boys Don't Cry"; who could resist a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" that can only be described as goofy?

In contrast to the clean, spare pop of the original LP, the outtakes/rarities disc shows a rough-around-the-edges Cure. Some demos and live tracks are surprisingly garagey for the generally polished band -- note Lol Tolhurst's truly amateur drumming -- but enjoyably so. "Grinding Halt" is better for the sloppiness.

For the musicologists, there are four versions of "10:15 Saturday Night." Smith's home demo of guitar and churchy Hammond organ is slow and morose yet warmer in its melancholy. The snappy live version, quite frankly, rocks.

The Disc 2 tracks date from 1977 to 1979, and the flavor of the era banishes thoughts of the Cure as purely an '80s band. The lean new wave version of "I'm Cold" from 1977 beats the spooky recording that emerged later. The previously unreleased "Winter," "Play With Me," "I Want to Be Old" and "I Just Need Myself" are all sharp pop tunes, though the latter two owe plenty to the Buzzcocks' staccato vocals and crisp guitar licks.

Other new tracks show the looser side of a band now identified with humorless paleface Goths: the playful instrumental "The Weedy Burton" and "The Cocktail Party," a grand cotillion romp.

In addition to showing off those baby-faced band photos, the liner notes tell of the force behind the Cure's stark trademark sound: producer Chris Parry, who left his A&R job at Polydor to start his own label and sign the Cure. (Fun fact: Under cover of night Parry sneaked the Cure into studio space he'd rented for the Jam, recording for his old employer.)

Parry dipped the Cure songs in "weird reverb" and created an "icy veneer," to the shock of Smith, who wanted a warmer sound. (He hated the impersonal cover art, too.)

Now a legendary control freak, Smith vowed never to let another outsider produce the band's albums. "I figured we might only get to make one more record and I couldn't bear the idea of somebody else making mistakes on our behalf," he said. He also fired the band member behind the "Foxy Lady" cover.

(Thanks Lenore)

"Great 3IB review at Pitchfork."

(Thanks Chris and Charlie)



Nominations for Best Album 2004
What a year! Cracking debuts, astonishing coming of age albums and a truly breathtaking array of homegrown talent coming through. So where on earth do you start seperating the masterpieces from the merely marvellous? See all nominations including The Cure 'The Cure' and vote:
http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=57095

Sorry, I had to vote for 'Antics' by Interpol. I don't know if it's the "best" album of 2004, but it's my favorite.  'The Cure' (US version) wouldn't even make my top 10.

(Thanks Nina)

"USA Today Pop Candy column again referenced The Cure. This time as one of the top 100 people of 2004.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/popcandy/2004-12-14-popcandy-100_x.htm

"74. The Cure. Finally, after too many years of waiting, I got to see Robert Smith on stage and experience my eye makeup drip along with his own. As a bonus, his band offered some of the year's coolest CD artwork: The Crayola-bearing Picassos: Smith's young nieces and nephews."

(Thanks The Mick)

"Saw this on madonnalicious.com:
Madonna's first boss added to the Hall of Fame
Posted: 14 December 2004 - Thanks to madonna.com
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced it's 2005 Inductees. Included in this list was Seymour Stein the Chairman of Sire Records. Stein co-founded the label in 1966, and has been one of the most successful and influential executives in the music business. His ability
to discover new talent led to signings of many groundbreaking artists such as The Ramones, Madonna, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Seal,
Depeche Mode, Ice-T, The Cure, The Smiths, kd Lang and Barenaked Ladies.

The Twentieth Annual Induction Ceremony, will be held on Monday 14 March 2005 in New York at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Other inductees include U2, The O'Jays, The Pretenders, Buddy Guy, Percy Sledge and Frank Barsalona. "

(Thanks Greg)

Dec. 14th

"It's sad to let you all know that I received a call over the weekend that 'Brian Adsett' died of Cancer last Thursday. He will always be fondly remembered by me, looking after the band whilst fans crowded round for autographs! 
(Some memorable picture's can be found on Autumn's website 1992 -1996) http://www.picturesofyou.us/poyindex.htm "
 
(Thanks to Chris White)



"This is hardly news, but although Robert did spend the night at Billy Corgan's home near Chicago in August, Corgan and his people recorded all their tracks here and sent them to London for Smith to add his vocals."

(Thanks Lenore)



(Thanks Dennis)



"I thought some of us took snapshots of the Black Session in Paris October the 15th... but I can't find any of them on the web...

I took with my cellular phone 5 pictures, the quality is low but it's a "Souvenir from Paris "!

Watch them at the following link http://airneck.rhapsodyk.net/blacksession.html"

(Thanks Airneck)



"The Cure will be featured on a new Razor & Tie new wave compilation called "I Want My New Wave." Due in stores on January 25th, 2005, the
compilation features Blondie, Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure ("Boys Don't Cry) and 13 other 80's faves."

(Thanks Rust)



"The Ideal Copy Newsletter lists 3 Cure titles in its top sellers for 2004, and thanks Cure fans.

8. Join the Dots
4. Three Imaginary Boys (Deluxe edition)
1. The Cure--Japanese release."

(Thanks Joe)

"On VH1's My Coolest Years - My First Time, Lovecats is being played while various celebs talk about losing their virginity.  VH1 sure does use a lot of Cure tunes for these shows..."

(Thanks Brian)

"Last week on VH1's RetroSexual: the 80's they played Hot Hot Hot!!!, Close to Me, Why Can't I be You? and Just Like Heaven. Also on the geek
episode of My Coolest Years they played Boys Don't Cry and Wrong Number."

(Thanks Robin)

"Here's a nice article about the band although the writer doesn't mention anything current.  It's called, ''Finding the Cure for monotonous holiday music'' at http://www.mainecampus.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/822977.html."

(Thanks Lenore)

Dec. 9th

"The book sold out quickly, but I have managed to find a last unexpected handful of copies hidden away. There is a small number now available ...... the last copies at thecureonrecord.com."

(Thanks Daren)



(Thanks Edouard)



"itunes has the full 33 track TIB for only $15.99. you don't get the booklet of course, but how many times can you read the history of the band anyway?"

(Thanks Brian)

"From the 7 December iTunes mailing list:

"Just added: Staring At the Sea - The Singles - The Cure"

(Thanks Bevon)



Aug. 29th, 2004 - Sacramento, Ca. (Arco Arena)
Attendance: 4,944
Capacity: 17,317
Gross Tickets: $213,846
Entire sales, which includes tickets, food, parking, and merchandise: $382,903

(Thanks Mike)

"Tonight 12/9/04 on CNN - Anderson Cooper 360.  The show lead out with InBetween Days"

(Thanks SWendt7)

"On VH1's  "My Coolest Years: In the Closet", they just showed The Lovecats and said something about how quite a few gay kids listened to
The Cure and loved The Lovecats. Actually, My Coolest Years plays A LOT of Cure music on all of their episodes."

(Thanks Michelle)

"Roger was at the Arthur Brown gig at The Pheonix in Devon on Wed 8 December. My mate had his photo taken with him."

(Thanks Dave)

"I was watching the show on VH1 "My Coolest Years" the geek episode was on. During the segment they talked about their prom, Boy's Don't Cry was playing in the background."

(Thanks Rob)

"This may be a little old, but I'm sure nobody else has reported it yet. About two weeks ago, I was listening to Sean Hannity (yes, there are conservative Cure fans as well) and he used Lovesong as lead in music. I do have to say I was quite surprised considering that Sean Hannity is a
country fan."

(Thanks Darqueelfe)

Dec. 8th

Update: I'm going to switch 2 files per day, so Lovesong and InBetween Days are going up tonight, 3IB and Fascination St. will be moved to Peter's server. Same goes for the Black Session files, I'll switch them each night until all have been made available.
 

Dec. 7th

Update: Ok, should have the new files up tonight or by tomorrow at the latest, so get the current files before midnight tonight.



"I went to the show following a tip off at 4pm the same day.
 
Robert performed 'All of this' half way through the bands set last night at Wembley arena, London. He returned to the side of the stage 2 songs
later and did a kind of 'Idiot dance routine' for one of the songs, It was pretty funny & maybe he was in a Christmas mood? During the 1st encore he again returned and sang vocals on' Boy's don't Cry'. I'm no Blink 182 fan, but they did put on a good show, despite the singers stupid remarks one being; "I can't read my set list dude, but who the f**k cares, reading is for idiots right?" Er..ok. That will inspire the 14 year olds in the audience then!!
 
Anyway, I took a few photos but it wasn't easy as the light was bad at the time. 
 
The day before Blink 182 performed on BBC radio one and covered 'Boy's don't cry' you can hear it here:
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/jowhiley/live_lounge/blink182_gallery/1.shtml"
 
(Thanks Chris)



(Thanks Jose)

"I found this one on www.duranduran.com  in "Fanforums":

 Faint Tones

Katy, Just a quick question for you or the band. At the end of "Know It All" there are some faint ring tones that sound a lot like one of the prototype tracks from the Japanese version of 'Pop Trash'. Is it one and the same??? Thanks.Al

"(lots of laughter) No - those tones were very quiet Al, but I am glad you noticed them nonetheless. They are something to do with Mr Tinley's obsession with a song by The Cure called "Forest." NR"

[posted 12/6/2004 U.S.A.]

Great, ha?"

(Thanks Nik.)

"This morning on the Daily Buzz, they did their new albums update.  They included the re-issue of Three Imaginary Boys.  Sadly, nothing else was
said."

(Thanks Jim)

Dec. 6th

"Just a small note for French people not to forget to listen to france inter tonight from 20:00 to 22:00. The famous Black Session is played tonight.
For all the others, from tomorrow, you can go on the radio website and listen the last program. the site is :
www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-inter01/emissions/lenoir/ click on " ECOUTER L'EMIISION DE LUNDI " on the main page."

Update: Here's what was aired - Plainsong, High, A Night Like This, The End of the World, Charlotte Sometimes, Lovesong, Taking Off, Primary, Jupiter Crash, Closedown, Before Three, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, A Strange Day, Disintegration, If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, The Kiss. The Cure also played alt.end and Us Or Them, but those songs were not included in the broadcast.

(Thanks Martin and Dennis)



"Thought u might like to know Robert will be doing two songs with Blink 182 on stage at Blink's concert at Wembly Arena, London, tonight!"

(Thanks niCCi)



"I was attending this morning a press conference by Orange, a european mobile telecommunications operator, in Paris. They were presenting to
the French press their new 3G services (Third Generation mobile phones) to be launched in France and the UK next thursday. And they showed one
of the advertisements that will be broadcast on French TV (and maybe on UK TV as well ?) from the 9th December on : the music featured in the ad
was  "Close to me (1990 version)". "

(Thanks Muriel)

"We've actually had the Rhino Deluxe Three Imaginary Boys since Tuesday.  We've been shipping since Thursday, making sure that copies do not
arrive before the 7th.  Most should arrive on the 7th or close to it.
 
The posters look great! We still have limited quantities of the poster remaining as Rhino was kind enough to give us a few more.  But we will sell out, so if people were waiting until release date to order...don't wait too long if you want the poster!
 
As far as a review goes...it sounds amazing, but i knew it would. Particular stand outs on the Bonus Disc are the 1977 studio demo of I'm Cold (with Porl on guitar!), and the three 3IB studio outtakes.  And is it just me, or does the guitar from Robert's home demo of 10:15 Saturday Night sound a little like Southern Rock?!? Reminiscent of The Eagles, Allman Brothers...maybe Thin Lizzy???
 
The booklet is nice as well.  Informative and detailed, leaving you always wanting to hear more.  One thing though-- ripping on Lol (again) for being an incompetent musician used to be funny, but now it's boring.
 
And i was really holding out hope that "killing an arab" was going to be on the disc as a 'hidden track'.  no luck.  but i understand why.  too bad, really.
 
No lyrics either (which of course is authentic to the original), so it looks like i WILL be holding onto my japanese pressing of 3IB from 1990
which has lyrics--and if i remember right, they are accurate (most Japanese CDs with English lyrics leave a lot to be desired...lost in
translation).
 
And the postcards that originally came with initial releases of the album are not included in the booklet or other artwork. "
 
(Thanks Chris)



"http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/observer/story/0,,1366641,00.html

The Cure
Three Imaginary Boys Deluxe Edition
(Fiction)
Even before their comeback album earlier this year, the Cure had been enjoying a resurgence, thanks to a fistful of newer bands enthusiastically referencing their early sound. This stark debut from 1979 (recorded on the Jam's studio downtime) marked a moment when Seventies suburban punk turned into the dour pop of the early Eighties, and still sounds sharp even now. The particular attraction for Cure-spotters here is the extra CD of rare demos dating from their early years that - mostly - augments rather than duplicates the haul of Cure marginalia already available. Robert Smith's wheezing home demo of '10.15 Saturday Night' is particularly cute."

(Thanks Lenore)

"virgin radio is doing a 'top 500 songs of all time' countdown. voting goes until decembe 17. you can vote here:
http://www.virginradio.co.uk/music/top500/index.html"
 
(Thanks Elyse)



"The Dutch new wave band Stroszek has a curecover of 17 seconds online for download."

(Thanks Mike)





"Just saw British actress Minnie Driver on MTV2 on some sort of "Artists Select" show, where artists get to choose other artists.  (Not forgetting that Minnie Driver is technically an "artist" now she has her own album out.)
 
Anyway, she chose to play The Lovecats, she went on to say how much she loves The Cure, which was a very nice thing for her to say, but then she
completely ruined it all by closing with the statement "They really are my favourite band from the 80's".  Silly cow !!!!"
 
(Thanks Dave Ace)

"311's cover of Lovesong got 13th in VH1's Most Awesomely Bad Songs of 2004. Thought it might be nice to know that even VH1 thinks it sucks..."

(Thanks Amy)

Dec. 4th

(Thanks Antonio)



"Together with Special Ops Media, I'm holding a contest to win one copy of the "Three imaginary boys" Deluxe Edition!!
All information is on my site: http://imaginaryboys.altervista.org
Sadly, for shipping problems, this is only open to US fans. I'm sorry for non-US people, but I couldn't do anything about it."
 
(Thanks Pietro)



"Here are two AFP dispatches about the Black Session on Monday.

http://actu.voila.fr/Depeche/depeche_media_041203081842.9qve5qiy.html
http://actu.voila.fr/Depeche/depeche_media_041203082600.psmjh1ud.html"

(Thanks Christophe)





"There's an article in the latest edition of Sound on Sound (www.soundonsound.com) featuring a look at the engineering and production for 'A Forest' by Mike Hedges and Robert Smith. By the by, Smith has always cited Sylvian's Japan as the acoustic sound he was after with Seventeen Seconds."

(Thanks Ben)

"December 2004/January 2005 - Elle Girl (USA)
Anyone Seen My Eyeliner?
http://www.picturesofyou.us/04/04-12-elle-girl-robert%20backstage.htm

November 27, 2004 - NME (UK)
The Cool List 2004
http://www.picturesofyou.us/04/04-11-27-nme-cover-robert-40.htm"

(Thanks to Autumn at Pictures of You)



Taking off:
Italy Top 50 : re-enters at 45
Spain Top 20 : down to 17
Europe Official Top 100: out
Airplay World Official Top 100: down to 89
 
(Thanks Pietro)



"i just wanted to let you know that i will be broadcasting an all cure radio show on www.retroforward.com/radio, monday nights 10pm to 12am pacific time. The show is called "Japanese dream radio, with DJ Smiling_downward" and  i will be playing the well known and loved cure songs as well as adding in a few surprises. there is also a chat room on retroforward where people can come hang out and chat as well as request cure songs to be played."

(Thanks Stephanie)



"lostprophets have recorded two versions of "Boys Don't Cry": an acoustic version and a "Last Summer" 7" Vinyl version."

(Thanks Rust)



"I just want to let you know about this. Great Polish unofficial The Cure biography titled "Poletko Pana Boba" (it is very appreciated by Polish fans for its deep insight into the band and its phenomenon) - released first in 1997 - by Jerzy Rzewuski, will be reissued in March 2005. The issue is updated to 2004 by Jedrzej Polak. http://www.inrock.pl/zapowiedzi_2.htm"

(Thanks PinkEyes)



"Just thought it might be worth mentioning the release of the Siouxsie & The Banshee's B-Sides boxed set, Downside Up.  It was released on 11/29
in the UK, and I have no idea about the rest of the world.  Surely Robert plays on some of the Hyaena-era b-sides ("There's a Planet in My
Kitchen?"), so it might be worth a mention in your news section."

(Thanks Kevin)