"There was an extremely long line on Hollywood Blvd. long before they would open the doors at The Palace. We were then let inside, and the place was pretty nice and cozy, and relatively small. There were two stories; the upstairs basically had the merchandise for sale. The downstairs had one vendor, and of course, the floor and stage where people were dancing to cure hits all night long.

As for the merchandise, there was really nothing great to buy...a very small selection of t-shirts and posters, all of which you see at your typical downtown record store. The stuff that caught my eye the most were the really old vinyl singles, such as 'A Forest', but they were all going for around $50-$100. The unfortunate thing was that the vendors were people who run record shops in L.A. that just took all their cure stuff to the convention to unload, meaning there would be no real bargains at all.

As for downstairs, there were some cool contests, such as who could sound like Robert the most, or who could find the most Cure song titles in a wordsearch. Once the contests were over, the master of ceremonies, Richard Blade, announced that Lol Tolhurst and his band, Orpheus, would take the stage shortly. He also said Lol would first come out to the stage by himself and take absolutely any questions from the audience. I was surprised at how warmly the cure fans welcomed Lol, since I figured most fans disliked him. He was very nice and friendly, and the questions weren't controversial at all, such as "would you like to do a cure reunion?" or "have you spoken to robert since the lawsuit?" His answers were sincere and polite, and there was mutual respect between him and the fans. He proved to be a really cool guy despite all the stuff people say about him.

His band also received a nice welcome when they took the stage, and were actually decent-sounding. Afterwards, Lol was in the lobby signing autographs for the fans. The convention was kind of disappointing for people who love cure merchandise such as myself, but it was a fun and interesting evening nonetheless."

"During 3 - 4 Jan. 1998 night (00.15 CET) Polish TVP 2 will rebroadcast David Bowie's 50 Birthday."

"I read in the new issue of Goldmine that Robert Smith will be the featured interview in the February 13 1998 issue; this usually means a cover photo too."

Galore

Top 200 Albums chart : holds at #155 (8th week)

Galore Video Collection

Top Music Videos chart : up 6 spots to #26 (6th week)

Wrong Number

Modern Rock Tracks chart: drops 5 spots to #23 (12th week)

Rock Big Picture chart: drops off the chart after 11 weeks on

Found this on the Teenage Wildlife David Bowie fan site (http://www.etete.com/Bowie)

>>A Bowie song from the 80s will be included in the soundtrack to New Line's forthcoming romantic comedy The Wedding Singer (due Feb 13). Other artists in the movie include The Cure, Culture Club, The Smiths and POTUSA doing a cover of Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star<<

Galore

Top 200 Albums chart : drops 7 spots to #155 (7th week)

Galore Video Collection

Top Music Videos chart : drops 4 spots to #32 (5th week)

Wrong Number

Modern Rock Tracks chart: drops 5 spots to #18 (11th week)

Rock Big Picture chart: drops 13 spots to #34 (11th week)

It was an event made more special by what wasn't there than by what was: no lights, no fog machines, no throngs of screaming teenagers. Just an intimate gathering of extremely grateful music fans...

Friday afternoon in Chicago, rock legends the Cure played a special "private performance" show, hosted by local radio station WXRT. Nearly 100 lucky contest winners and friends of the station jammed into an intimate studio space at the Chicago Recording Company to watch the band deliver a casual three-song set. The event was emceed by 'XRT personality Marty Lennartz, who took up a position at the side of the makeshift stage and bantered with band members in-between songs.

After acknowledging that the Cure has "always been kind of a singles band," frontman Robert Smith led his mates in a transcendent rendition of "Lovesong," a propulsive, moody gem from 1987's Disintegration.

Looking shy and a bit fatigued from an unrelenting slate of holiday shows, Smith peered out at the crowd from beneath his trademark dark mane and, with a few percussive strums of his acoustic guitar, cut loose on "In Between Days," followed quickly with "Friday I'm In Love." Pushing his now-warm voice to its fullest, Smith improvised over the usual vocal melody, his eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Around the room, audience members leaned forward in their molded plastic chairs, savoring the rare intimacy of the event.

"In America, people don't mind that we're a bit older," joked Smith, responding to an audience query about the band's amazing 20-year career. "(In Britain) you're supposed to die by the time you're 25!"

Acknowledging their tour manager's wild gesticulations ("We've got to fly!" he announced, making an airplane shape with his hands), the band paused briefly to sign autographs and pose for photos, then ducked into a waiting van, leaving a small group of Chicagoans to bask in the afterglow of a special afternoon. (Scott Hess)

First it was Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro going ga-ga over Fiona Apple. Now? Ever hear of Tara MacLean? Well, the Cure's Robert Smith seems to think she's the cat's meow. MacLean opened for the Cure at a recent show in Boston and Smith not only made a point of showing up for MacLean's set, but he chatted with the Fiona-clone for about a half hour and asked her for a copy of her CD. Or so we hear.

102.1 The Edge are featuring The Cure as one of the many bands in "the 4th quarter review" special on Dec. 20th at 6 to 9pm but the time is subject to change.

also the track "Lovecats" is featured on a cd put out by 102.1 called "the history of new music volume 2" .

they also are featured in Alan Cross's (102.1 personality) book called "over the edge: the revolution and evolution of new music" .

Sugar Ray (6:00pm), Everclear (6:40pm), Chumbawamba (7:30pm), Duran Duran (8:20pm), Sarah McLachlan (9:15pm), 311 (10:20pm) and The Cure (11:15pm). All times are Eastern Standard.

Galore

Top 200 Albums chart : drops 16 spots to #148 (6th week)

Galore Video Collection

Top Music Videos chart : drops 5 spots to #28 (4th week)

Wrong Number

Modern Rock Tracks chart: drops 2 spots to #13 (10th week)

Rock Big Picture chart: drops 9 spots to #21 (10th week)

Hot 100 Airplay chart : drops off the chart after 8 weeks

New CD is the Cure for the common fan

December 7, 1997

BY JAE-HA KIM STAFF REPORTER

Gloom rock. Goth rock. Whatever. The Cure has heard it all. But ask the group's founder, vocalist-songwriter Robert Smith, to describe his English band and he'll simply say, ``It's just rock 'n' roll.''

And he likes it. As the founding member of the 18-year-old group, Smith has become a hero to fans impressed by his wry way with words and keen ear for melody.

Then there's his look--all smudged lipstick, raccoon eyes and unruly shocks of black hair--which is often imitated by fans of both genders at the group's shows.

The Cure will headline Q101's Twisted 4 show Thursday at the United Center. Expect them to play many of their hits (``Just Like Heaven,'' ``Why Can't I Be You,'' ``Friday I'm in Love''), which can be found on their latest album, ``Galore.'' A compilation of the Cure's singles from 1987 to the present, ``Galore'' also includes the band's popular new hit ``Wrong Number.''

Phoning from his home in Brighton, England, Smith got the right number on the first try. Nursing a slight cold, he chatted congenially.

Q. Is there less pressure headlining a multi-bill lineup?

A. Quite the opposite, actually. The festival shows we've done over the years are the most high-pressure ones for us as a band. I've never felt a sense of competition when we're out on our own, because we realize we're selling the ticket for people who want to come and see the Cure play, and we're doing something the audience is going to enjoy, because why would they be there otherwise? With a festival audience we go out thinking that maybe 50 percent of the audience isn't there to see us. So they're generally the shows we try hardest at, particuarly if it's a particularly good bill--and there are some good bands in Chicago.

Q. Do you like the abbreviated sets?

A. We have a maximum time allocated to us of 1 1/2 hours, and we only really get going after an hour. So what we've done in the past is start playing in the dressing room for half an hour, and by the time we're going on stage, we're already in the groove.

Q. What is the X factor that makes the band tick?

A. From my perspective, it's because we still enjoy doing it. How we've managed to stay around and sell records and stuff is that the music's good. If we didn't have the music, people wouldn't stick around.

Q. It hasn't been as simple keeping a steady lineup.

A. That's true. I think that anyone who's been in the group would say they've trusted my instincts and my vision. There's never been too much conflict in the group because it's essentially been for me to express what I want to express, and when I don't feel like doing that anymore, the group stops. But there's no compunction for any of the others to stay and wait for me. They kind of go along with what I want to do or they don't. And when they don't, they leave. I'm actually on very good terms with all but two of the ex-members, which have been about seven or eight now.

Q. What are the chances of your going solo?

A. I wouldn't want to do it on my own. The Cure is perceived by the audience as being driven by me, but it's actually maintained by others. I've always liked the idea of a group context, because I can come up with ideas for things and whatever the lineup is interprets that. There's a community feel and I like playing with other people.

Q. When you got married, you said you wouldn't have any children. Have you changed your mind?

A. No, my wife and I have stuck to our decision. I think the life I lead and how selfish I am excludes the possibility of me being a father.

Q. Does the thought of turning 40 in two years make your skin crawl?

A. [Laughing.] No. When I turned 30, that mentally meant a great deal to me. But after that, I haven't thought about getting old. I'm not young in pop terms, but in life terms I'm still relatively young. I can still remember making the video for ``Why Can't I Be You'' 10 years ago and I derive the same enjoyment from what I do as I did then.

Q. You said that ``Galore'' was meant to be an album for people who weren't necessarily Cure fans. Is this the album that people who like ``Just Like Heaven'' will listen to on the airplane?

A. I know I've been quoted as saying that, and I thought about it after I opened my mouth, which is generally the case with me. You've just alluded to something that I'd forgotten. When I'm going away to America, I'll fill two 12-CD containers and I generally tend to fill at least one of these containers with greatest hits CDs, even if I have all the artist's albums at home. So I don't think ``Galore'' excludes fans. But it can't be ignored that ``Standing on a Beach''--our first singles collection--has been our most successful album. So just by thinking rationally, it has to have been bought by people who didn't buy the other albums.

Q. After I wrote a favorable bit about your live version of ``Just Like Heaven,'' I received letters from angry readers who said that ``real Cure fans don't like commercial songs like that.'' Do you get that?

A. [Laughing.] ``Just Like Heaven'' is the only song of all the songs we've recorded since 1987 that's featured in every single set we've played. So I must like it! There is a slightly elitist minority among Cure fans who feel that only they get it, and that if you don't get into the band 100 percent then you can't possibly like us at all. I don't subscribe to that.

Q. ``Galore'' includes one new single--``Wrong Number.'' What's your reaction to people who say you've jumped on the techno bandwagon?

A. That would be a fair assumption for people who haven't heard anything else we'd done in the past. But we did ``Mixed Up'' [in 1990], which was drawing on remixes that were kind of techno. But we've had dance stuff done since 1982, and it was only really Depeche Mode and New Order from that same period who were doing dance. Just about all I listen to is either classical or dance music in my private life.

We've never been perceived as very fashionable or contemporary or cool, which is fine with me because it means we can kind of do stuff and disregard what we're supposed to be doing. But it does have a drawback. Whenever we're doing something that happens to fall in with what other people are doing, it seems like we're capitalizing on their success. If there was a bandwagon to jump on, it left a long time ago.

Q101 ran an 8 page "Twisted 4 Guide" in Friday's Chicago Tribune. It includes a bio of all the bands scheduled to play the show. The bio for the Cure is one I've seen before (Electra/Fiction promo?). The guide also includes:

"Broadcast: Q101 will give you round-the-clock coverage on the radio (101.1 FM), starting at 3pm. Tim Virgin, Robert Chase, and Brooke Hunter will anchor the broadcast, featuring exclusive backstage interviews from Brian the Whipping Boy, James VanOsdol, Zoltar, and Madison. Stick around after the show for an hour of Twisted 4 music, immediately following the last encore!"

"Webcast: Starting at 5pm on December 11, Twisted 4 will be webcast on http://www.q101.com. Click on Virtual Venue for your microchip- driven front row seat. You'll see and hear the bands on stage and backstage, in performances and interviews."

"Rules: Twisted 4/United Center rules:

Outside food or beverages of any kind are not permitted in the United Center. Cameras and videotaping are not permitted. Cigarette smoking is confined to restricted areas, and please remember that the United Center has a No Readmittance policy."

Monday, December 15 8PM - 9PM

XRT Exclusive: "Private Performance with The Cure" The Cure performs live and talks about their career and current tour amid the intimate setting of a Chicago recording studio.

The Cure Galore (Fiction/Elektra) The oldest of the 18 tracks here date back to '87, when these depressive hearththrobs decided to sound happy. When they try to be funky (Why Can't I Be You?), they seemed forced and corny. But when they stick to gothic guitar, (Just Like Heaven), their optimism is endearing, in part because of the insight Robert Smith has gained over the years. B

"I placed a call to WXRT today (12/5) and spoke to a music intern. He told me that the Cure show was a special that was due to be performed at a recording studio. He mentioned that the Cure would perform a set and then the audience members would get to ask the band questions afterwards. I think that definitely rules out the Metro and seems more likely that this will actually take place at the WXRT recording studio. He said that the show would be broadcast on XRT and said that it would take place on a Tuesday at which point I heard someone in the background mention that he should not give out too much detail. They actually gave out ten pairs of tickets at two seprerate locations in Chicago this past Thursday. Unfortunately I found out about that this morning. The intern did say that there was a possibility that they would give out more on the air since only twenty tickets total had been given out. It seems like this will be a radio show leading up to the Q101 Twisted Christmas show. "

Galore

Top 200 Albums chart : drops 36 spots to #132 (5th week)

Galore Video Collection

Top Music Videos chart : drops 11 spots to #23 (3rd week)

Wrong Number

Modern Rock Tracks chart: holds at #11 (9th week)

Rock Big Picture chart: holds at #12 (9th week)

Hot 100 Airplay chart : drops 6 spots to #75 (8th week)

"The Cure are on the cover of the December issue of Mean Street magazine. The cover is a 1996 group photo. The article is about the LA show from October, Galore and the Cure convention at the end of the month. There is also a B/W picture of Robert.

Mean Street is a free Southern California magazine."

Has it really been 10 years since the release of the Cure's Standing On the Beach, one of the essential documents of the post-New Wave/pre-alternative era?

Indeed it has, and the intervening decade saw the Cure scale even greater heights, both artistically and commercially. If they were a cult favorite when Standing on the Beach came out, they're now cemented as a part of the pop mainstream, an arena-sized act whose batch of hits -- particularly "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven" -- are fixtures on rock radio playlists around the world.

And now it's time to take stock again; at least that's the way Cure frontman and leader Robert Smith felt when making the decision to release Galore, a collection of 17 singles since Standing plus one new song, "Wrong Number", that hews towards the Cure's future. Though he's often perceived as somber and melancholy -- all that dark eye makeup will do that -- Smith is actually quite cheerful and polite, judging himself, at 38, pleased with where he's been but equally excited about where he, and the Cure, are going.

JAMTV Why another hits album now?

Smith: It sort of appealed to me that it was 10 years; it appealed to my sense of symmetry. I knew with "Wrong Number" being over six minutes long, the collection is over 70 minutes; if we waited for another single or singles off another album, it would have had to be a double CD -- unless, of course, technology bumped up the time you could have on a single CD. The label people feel that retail and that side of things, it would be a much easier record to sell if it was called Greatest Hits, but I suspect that they wanted that because the next album that we do, we're out of contract and they're not allowed to put together any kind of compilation without my say-so. I think they were trying to cash in, basically.

Retrospectives and anthologies usually mark a time for some reflection on what you've accomplished during the time they cover. Was that the case for you in compiling Galore?

It was actually the video collection that reminded me it had been 10 years, rather than the singles themselves. I think the difference on the first one, Standing on the Beach -- which covered about eight or nine years -- is that the difference between the first couple of songs on there and the end, that period of time, was a much more marked period for me. I kind of thought I was very different from the beginning than I was at the end. At the start of Galore, with "Why Can't I Be You" and "Catch" and "Just Like Heaven," the songs seemed closer in time. As with anyone, the gap between 20 and 30 is a much further gap than between 30 and 40. So it seemed less like 10 years, actually than the first collection. But the video collection sort of drove it home that a lot of water has passed under the bridge since "Why Can't I Be You."

What's your relationship like with the songs on Galore? Are there any you just can't fathom playing anymore?

Every single on Galore is in our repertoire; in fact, we played every one of them, apart from the new one, "Wrong Number," on last year's tour. "Letter to Elise" we played only once, but we played every song at least once. So it's not like I'm unfamiliar and I sit down and think, "Crumbs, we did that in 1987 and we did that in 1989," because the resonance is still there. I listen back to some of the earlier stuff, stuff from like the early '80s, and that seems like a different person and a different group.

The Cure's albums often have a sort of mood or theme, as well as some longer, more complex songs. Is it weird to put together a Galore and think of yourself as a singles band?

Not really, because they do tend to sort of pop up very naturally. There are usually one or two songs that have got that kind of hook -- they inherently catch you. I could kind of ignore them and concentrate more on the longer, more emotional pieces, but I always wanted the group to reflect how I felt about things, and that sort of pop sensibility has always been there. And I kind of like the idiocy of pop music. I would be a moron if I listened to it all the time or even very much at a time, but occasionally I like a good burst of foolishness. And we've used (the singles), along with the videos, to draw in people who otherwise might feel that the Cure is too difficult on some levels. So the singles and videos have portrayed a kind of light side of the band. But I think we've got a kind of unfair reputation, in this country particularly, of being kind of difficult and heavy. I think what we do is very accessible, generally. I think that most of the music that we've done has been based around melody, so therefore it isn't that difficult to get into.

The music seemed to get happier and more upbeat after Disintegration. What accounts for that?

I turned 30, and Disintegration for me was like the pinnacle, and I didn't think I'd do anything as good again. For me, the three best albums we've made have been Disintegration, Wish and Wild Mood Swings -- the last three -- all for very different reasons. After Disintegration, I wanted the group to be more friendly. I wanted to enjoy the process much more rather than for it to be so abrasive and so much of a trial. The albums that have grown out of that, Wish and Wild Mood Swings, have been infinitely more fun to make but possibly just lacked something somewhere. I still think, deep down, that Disintegration is probably the best thing I'll ever do; I had such a fixed idea of what I wanted. I was totally obsessed for three months. And I'm not sure I could ever do that again.

Is your personal life reflected in the music? You're happily married; does that make the music calmer and happier in a way?

Certainly since the `90s started, I have a home. I don't need to be famous. I enjoy myself in a lot of other ways. I've now got 21 nephews and nieces. I really enjoy being their kind of slightly deranged uncle. I have a lot of fun. The oldest is 21; the youngest isn't one yet; it runs from knowing nothing to thinking they know everything. I enjoy being the uncle that I never had, I suppose; it allows me to go places and do things with children, `cause I haven't got children of my own.

I'm experiencing things that I'd probably be missing out on -- which has nothing to do with the music or the group. It's going out and seeing things, taking them to the pictures or the cinema, or taking them to the theater or just going for walks. In some ways it's very banal; it's what everyone does, really. But it's something I haven't done before now.

Do you want kids of your own?

We decided a long time ago we weren't going to have children. I don't mind, really. We're too set in our ways. I prefer being an uncle, anyway; I don't know if I'd be a good father. I'd be too indulgent. I have no sense of discipline in my own life, so I'm not sure I can impose it on anyone else's.

Is "Wrong Number" a harbinger of what we can expect from the Cure's next album?

It's been influenced by listening to people like Xstatic. It's very fluid. It doesn't have verse-chorus as much; the stuff we started off doing this summer with the band I've kind of since disregarded and I've put in a studio at home. I've been doing a lot of stuff on my own just using loops and samples and things. It's taken quite a change in direction over the last two months and become very kind of ethereal. And it was very kind of rock about two or three months ago.

I find a lot of dance music is cerebral in a funny way -- just trying to use different combinations of sounds and loops and those kind of things. I got very into the hypnotic sound of seven or eight-minute dance tracks.

The Cure goes disco?

(laughing)We've always had a dance side to the group. We've always had remixes done; as far back as 1982 was our first American remix. I think it's been sort of pushed under the carpet and people have chosen to ignore it. We released an album in 1990 called Mixed Up, which was all remixes of old Cure songs. It was just hammered by the press and fans as well. I think this was a little bit ahead of its time, actually, because a couple of years later everyone was at it, and has been since.

But it's not really dance, what I'm trying to achieve. It isn't dance music. Music I listen to always has some kind of effect on what I'm doing, but I don't want to play music that I've already heard. I don't want to recreate something that's already there. That's totally pointless. Ninety percent of what I write I discard because I think "All right, I've nicked that. I know where it's coming from." And it's only the stuff I think "O.K., that's different," that's the stuff I keep.

The couple of shows you did in New York and Los Angeles in October, when Galore was released, were straight hits shows. Will the shows you're doing during the next few weeks be much different?

Those shows will be very different. We're going to be reworking some of the singles, sort of like remixing them onstage. We're embracing some new technology...taking it a bit further down the line. It'll probably be more satisfying. - by Gary Graff

just heard from chris,,,tix for the 17th are on sale now for shep bush same price...same phone number!!! NOW NOW!!!!!!....of course I'm telling you this after I've got my tickets!!!