Feb. 24th

COF is on a Mardi Gras break. I'll be back on March 1st.

Feb. 15th

"The latest update on the next Cure reissues is that the earliest they will be released is June - and that was optimistic, i think.  Spoke with one of the Warner Brothers/Rhino project managers last week.
 
And if anyone hasn't tracked down the Future Retro CD with  THE WALK (Infusion Mix) -
http://idealcopy.american-data.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MU-VARIO-FUTUR-03

or the Future Retro 2LP (with the extended mix of the same song)
http://idealcopy.american-data.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MU-VARIO-FUTUR-02"

(Thanks to Chris @ The Ideal Copy)



(Thanks Steven, Antii and Tempest)



"I'll be playing an exclusive, can't-hear-it-anywhere-else remix of "Treasure" off Roger O'Donnell's upcoming album on my radio show,
Albee's Amateur Hour, next Monday night (February 20th) at 8:00 PM CST.  Direct the faithful masses to http://www.arsonistradio.com and enjoy! 
Thanks again to the gracious Mr. O'Donnell for the opportunity!"

It's a great song, and features the beautiful vocals of Erin Lang.

(Thanks Jack)



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Proms-albert-hall-04.jpg

http://photography-on-the.net/gallery/D30_photos/medium/CRW_4897_00001.jpg

http://www.f-ball.co.uk/cases/fb28.jpg

http://www.womens-institute.org.uk/about/agm1.jpg

http://www.slowtrips.com/photo/data/3211/133Royal-Albert-Hall.gif

http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/~VYBY2/CPJ0312/DCP02305.jpg

(Thanks Olivier)



"From the Pop Candy section at USA Today -

So you wanna make out tonight?

After taking a quick survey of today's Valentine's Day-related links, I realized there was a serious lack of hot 'n' heavy music suggestions floating around. (Well, unless you count this story, in which Kelly Clarkson admits Aerosmith's Pink helps get her in the mood.). For those of you with full hearts and empty stereos, here are nine of my favorite make-out discs.

7. The Cure, The Head on the Door. Some would call the disc dark and goth-y, but I say it's better than Barry White. If you're still feeling amorous after hearing Close to Me and Six Different Ways, put on The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me to make the Robert Smith-filled night complete."

(Thanks Jeff)

Feb. 13th

Update - Looks like the pre-sale tickets are sold out. Should be more available for the general sale tomorrow. Here's a list of places you can order tickets from starting at 10am on Feb. 14th:

Royal Albert Hall: 0207 589 8212
See Tickets: 0870 166 0435
Ticket Master: 0871 230 5447
Star Green: 0207 734 8932
Ticket line: 0870 225 6677
On-line: www.aloud.com

Update - The show is sold out. But of course there are plenty of tickets left on ebay. 

"For those going to the gig at Royal Albert Hall on April 1st, we can all meet up in the following pub for some pre-gig drinks...Dunno what time
though, but the earlier the merrier... ;)) See you then! WOO!

http://www.fancyapint.com/main_site/thepubs/pub260.html

xx niCCi (nixnie)"

(Thanks Nicci)



(Thanks Craig)



"On Thursday the 9th I went to see The Dreaming (a yet-to-be-signed-band from L.A.) at Cannes in San Diego.  For those who don't know, The Dreaming is the new band of Christopher Hall, the singer of the now broken-up band Stabbing Westward - back in 94 -, Stabbing Westward covered the Cure's Give Me It.  Well, since Chris H. is such a big fan of the Cure, after the set they came back and did a cover of Let's Go To Bed which was actually pretty good.  The "do doo do doo" parts were played with the guitar.  I think Chris also wears a Cure shirt in a video they shot for their song
Beautiful."

(Thanks Carlos)

"Mr Alphabet has a version of The Cure's Halo up at http://www.myspace.com/mralphabet"
 
(Thanks Tina)



"Surely this is just more hype from the film "Just Like Heaven," but The Cure gets a mention in the Feb. 20 issue of People Magazine.

"Nothing says I love you like a mushy mix CD. With V-Day right around the corner, here are our picks guaranteed to get your honey all gooey." The
11-song list includes Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, James Blunt, Prince, John Legend, Outkast, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris, Luther
Vandross and The Cure. People's blurb on JLH states: "Skipping along on a cloud of joy, this is what love should feel like."

(Thanks Steve)


"Here is my translation of a Katie Melua Phone-Interview by Micc Brunner (25th January 2006) for the Austrian Cinema Magazine "M":

Q: How did it come that you sang the title song for the blockbuster movie "Just like heaven"?

Melua: The director of the film has heard my album and as the film is called "Just like heaven" they wanted an alternative smoother version of this song which I was asked to sing.

Q: What did Cure-Chief Robert Smith say about your cover?

Melua: I didnt have any personal contact, but what Ive heard is that he pretty much liked my version which makes me happy. I am a Cure Fan from the "very beginning" (My comment: What? She is only 21 * I guess just a bad translation by the interviewer or does she mean from the very beginning of her own life?). Together with Jamie Cullum Ive performed a cover version of "Love cats" at the Brit Awards in honour of Robert.

Q: What makes a good cover version?

Melua: There is no formula. It is important to treat the song with respect. In the best case you take a song you always liked and perform that in your own way. I think that worked out well with "Just like heaven". The most important thing is not to clench. If you dont find a way to a song better leave it otherwise you fail.

(Thanks Gerald)

Feb. 10th

(Thanks Sara)



"I noticed today that VOOM Network's RAVE channel is going to be showing Trilogy in High Definition on Feb. 18, 2006 at 8pm.  The channel is currently only carried by Dish Network in the US.  Not sure if this is going to just be an upconvert of the DVD or if RAVE got access to the actual digital tape and did a real HD conversion. http://www.voom.com/vhdo/rave/index.jsp"

(Thanks Kelley)



Enough Sure Ain’t Enough

The soap-opera saga behind one of England’s most enduring bands is committed to hard cover with “Never Enough”.
By Kelsey Munro

Former “Rolling Stone” Music Editor Jeff Apter's latest book, Never Enough, is the first comprehensive biography to be written about legendary British band the Cure. Apter talks to Rolling Stone about his search for the Cure’s elusive, enigmatic frontman, Robert Smith.

Were you a Cure fan growing up? When did you first hear them?

I remember first hearing “Boys Don't Cry” on what was then Double J [Triple J]. Although it was a fairly trad pop song, with a real 1960s flavour, there was an otherworldly quality to Smith's vocals that drew me in. I was, after all, an impressionable teenager. I remember buying what was known [in Australia] as the “Boys Don't Cry” album – the local version of their Three Imaginary Boys debut – at an import store and feeling like I was the member of some exclusive club. Over the years, of course, several million others have joined me.

What was it that then attracted you to writing a book about the Cure?

I'm drawn to any story that has the same kind of dramatic arc as a great film – several acts, various highs and lows, and maybe even a death or two. In this case it was almost 30 years of incredible peaks, drink-and-drug-sodden troughs and enough ex-band members to fill a football team. It was quite the soap opera.

What was the most surprising thing you learnt about the band in researching your book?

The Cure were something of a joke over their first few albums; while they were always respected in Europe, it took many years and several albums before anyone in the U.K. regarded them seriously. Then they simply took their peculiar pop songs to the U.S. and, in a handy piece of timing
with the rise of MTV, found the right video director in Tim Pope, and subsequently became huge. By then, the British press – begrudgingly
– had started to rate the band.

Everyone seems to have their favourite Cure release. In your opinion, what's the best album they made, and why?

I'm a big fan of such early moodpieces as Seventeen Seconds and Faith, because they maintain a single mood – albeit a pretty damned miserable one – and build an entire album around that. But as far as their full range is concerned, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me has everything you'd need from the
Cure: cheesy pop songs, heavy psychodramas, hits, misses, weirdness – the works.

You wrote “Never Enough” without access to the frontman at the centre of it all, Robert Smith. Was it difficult to write a book without access to
its lead character?

Not at all. Firstly, his life and thoughts are thoroughly documented and readily available, so that wasn't a problem. And there were enough people also involved in the Cure story, especially co-founder Lol Tolhurst, who were willing to speak. Any gaps left by Smith's absence were thoroughly plugged. Smith may be the Cure now, but it wasn't always that way. Interestingly, after several failed attempts to reach him, and with the book just about to go to the printer, an email suddenly appeared from Smith, asking about the book. By then, sadly, it was too late. Bloody typical.

(Thanks Jeff)



"I have one cover of the song "Boys Don´t Cry" cover by the Mexican band called "Belanova", this is one file in Audio and one file in Video,   i´ts in the section of DOWNLOADS @ http://www.theendoftheworld.fr.st."
 
(Thanks Jose)

"Hmm... listening to Greasy Kid Stuff over at WFMU.org and they played a song by Vinnie & The Stardusters called Bake My Pie which is a cover of Boys Don't Cry but with the lyrics changed to be about pie baking, obviously...the MP3 is here:
http://media-server.amazon.com/media/B00000I9R7001008/Vinnie%20%20The%20Stardusters-Bake%20My%20Pie.mp3"

(Thanks David)



"If you happen to be in Glastonbury U.K. this Saturday 11th February. ThinMan (http://www.fractalsoup.org) will be performing a 45 minute set and the final song will be "A Forest" featuring a remix with sampled strings and minimoog V set to photos of the cure from the summer 2005 tour as well as coveted footage from the unplugged version of this song. This event is a charity event (Party) and features live Bands as well as DJ Music."

(Thanks ThinMan)

"there are a few Cure mentions in the March edition of Q Magazine in the UK.  The first is from a list of albums entitled "Heart of Darkness."  The
other is a Scrapbook of Siouxsie Sioux. "

(Thanks Kallie)


"On today's Metro (free newspaper on London Underground) there's a tube map that instead of station names has bands and artists. Each tube line
is a type of music...Circle line is 'pop', Central is ' Reggae',  Distric line is 'Rock'. The Cure are in fact on the latter, at the position occupied in regular tube map by Temple, if I am not mistaken, and wedged between Blur and Outkast. Apparently the map is available to buy on www.ltmuseum.co.uk.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=681"

(Thanks Fede and Axel)

"Again a sample of Close To Me is (ab-)used: a commercial spot on icelandic TV for the icelandic "skyr" which is a kind of "traditional" joghurt-cheese dessert with Aspartam as an ingredient (great). it sounds a little transformed than of the original sample."

(Thanks Thomas)

"i was up in portsmouth, nh last weekend at the very cool british pub, the coat of arms. on the stairway wall some local woman has painted a mural of a bunch of british stuff, princess di, the spice girls, etc. but the coolest one is the painting of fat bob from the boy's don't cry 12". didn't have a camera on me, but if anyone in that area wants to get a photo..."

(Thanks Brian)



"The popular 80's magazine where for example The Cure were on the cover many times has finally been killed off: Quote from a fan: "Smash Hits was one of the only magazines where you could read about Five Star, Bananarama, The Cure and Iron Maiden in the same edition. The writers (in the 80s) were hilarious and some of the interview questions were classics. A sad farewell to Reg "Reg" Snipton." Mandi, Bristol

Here's the full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4673136.stm

And some more on the demise of Smash Hits Magazine and even mentions the Cure...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4673850.stm"

Update: "And if anyone would like to read some of those Smash Hits articles, you can view them at:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/warren.swaine/cure.htm. Beware, they are .jpgs and some are quite large."

(Thanks Steven and Warren)

Feb. 1st

"Look at this http://www.rtl2.fr/diapo.asp?dicid=53222&absoluteposition=5
 It's an excerpt from a book that will be out in France very soon. The pictures have been taken at L'Olympia in Paris two years ago."
 
(Thanks to Toberr @ A Pink Dream)



"I'm still in touch with The Cure. They've had a new line up for a few months. They asked me to take a few shots. The Cure isn't as hot as they used to be. In spite of that I'm still pleased with the friendship we share. Robert and I swap e-mails and chat a lot. His health problems have had a terrible impact. He fattens, when others lose their hair...the way he looks makes me sad."
 
And this comes from a friend! Mr. Bellia has taken some criticisms from French fans and has responded:

"On the Cure dedicated French forum 'Pink Dream', many Cure fans didn't like what they had read in the 'Rock and Folk' magazine and actually
criticised Richard Bellia's attitude as regards his 'friend' Robert. Well tonight Richard Bellia sent a mail to the site webmaster. Here is -it seems to me at least- the most interesting part of his mail:
 
"To conclude, I would like to tell you about my Cure experiences. It is now 25 years since I first took photos of The Cure. You know, shooting dull and unattractive people is a bit hell. Robert Smith is just the opposite, he is absolutely fascinating. I always thought that his face and expression in his eyes conveyed Cure's inner soul. Remember this: when their first album was released, people knew the music, but no one had any idea about how they looked. Can you imagine what a shock it was when you looked at Robert in the eyes for the first time? All the portraits you shot then were fabulous. As time went by, Robert changed, like any of us. And today, entire sessions have to be left aside because he doesn't look well. That's a fact. And that makes me sad."

(Thanks Cat in Docs)



"You can download the full EPK video of Depeche Mode's tribute album "For the masses". This EPK shows an interview of Robert Smith.
http://archives.depechemode.com/video/epk/forthemasses.html"

(Thanks to Jerome @ Plainsong)



"German magazine SPEX celebrates its 25th anniversary with a jubilee edition that includes a dvd + on the dvd one can find the clip for 'Lovecats'."

(Thanks Dennis)



"I want to tell you that the first Cure party for 2006 in Bulgaria will be on 06 february.

THE PURE CURE RETROSPECTIVE LOVESONGS SESSION
DARK WAVE PARTY Played By: MO.
06.02.2006 (Monday night)
Club ALCOHOL, Sofia, Bulgaria
Start: 20h, Enter: 3lv

for more info please visit www.mintcure.hit.bg "

(Thanks Mintcure)

"Just found this in January issue of Wired magazine."