Cure - Pornography [Deluxe Edition]
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Free Music Notes for Pornography [Deluxe Edition]
Free Music Review: Finally. Done the right way
Hit: 5 Stars
If "Faith" is the sound of the Cure standing on the edge of a cliff, wondering what would be next if they jumped right into the darkness, "Pornography" is the soundtrack for the ascent into the abyss. Pornography has long been my absolute favourite Cure album, but the sound on the cd originally released by Elektra left much to be desired. It is muffled, muddy and heavily mid-range, with nary a high or low to be found in the sound mix. This remaster just blows me away. Propers to the folks at Rhino - you did it again. The sound is intense, rich and full. The bass drum in Siamese Twins rattles my ribs. The guitars in A Hundred Years tear out of the speakers. The strings in Cold wrap me in a warm blanket. Topping it off is the bonus disc. It is much better than I thought it would be. The demos are incredibly varied and the changes in the arrangements, the lyrics, and the overall sound are fascinating. The Hanging Garden, in particular, sounds nothing like the finished version, and the demo of what later became Let's Go to Bed makes me wish it had been recorded that way, instead of the lite funk it turned into. An amazing album. This is the way reissues should be done.Free Music Review: Go over the edge in better sound
Hit: 5 Stars
Another excellent and much-needed remastered Cure album appearing this year, Pornography is the last in a tremendous trilogy that includes Seventeen Seconds and Faith.
Like those rereleases, this is definitely worth it and a bonus for fans of the classic sink-into-despair album. The sound has the punch and new warmth of good remastereds, as opposed to the original AAD disc which was flatter and muddier. More liner notes, plenty of pictures, lyrics, and some brief history of the album and the period when the band was (obviously) miserable, doing the drugs, doing the booze, fighting, etc, etc. And once again in rock history, another band made a classic album while wanting to kill each other and possibly themselves.
While these sets are a little pricey, it's still a treat for the fan. The extras are nice as well. The live tracks are decent quality, audience, while the old demos and rough takes are interesting, too, they're totally different.
Certainly the darkest of that early trilogy, it's not to everyone's liking as the mopiness may wear on some, but it's an excellent, complete album from Smith and Co.
Free Music Review: Sounds much better
Hit: 5 Stars
"Pornography" may be the definitive Cure album. The group has had some serious missteps, several lineup changes, all the highs and lows that go with a thirty year history, but this one is on the mark from begining to end. Many fans cite the 1989 masterpiece "Disintergration" as the groups finest hour, and I'll stay out of the debate (personally, I am partial to "Faith", despite its obvious shortcomings)--but if there is such a thing as a Cure aesthetic, it finds some of its best exprression here. The sound is stipped down, ominous interlocking drums and bass. The lyrics are mostly superb. From the opening of the disc, "It doesn't matter if we all die" (can there be a better summation to the group's gestalt?), to the self-referential final lines of the work, there is real passion here. It flirts with solipsism--a characteristic that mars much of their other work--but never quite crosses over. Whether you're 14 and "screaming at the moon", or 40 and covering your face as the animals die, there is poetry enough here.Free Music Review: Pornographic Material.
Hit: 5 Stars
1982's "Ponography" is so distinct an album, that's it's hard to imagine how the Cure would sound in 2005 without it. Most likely, the band would have never reached the artistic heights of 1989's "Distintegration," which introduced the band to a whole legion of wannabe suburban goth teens. After three albums under their belt, Robert Smith was able to articulate despair in a manner that raises goose pimples on even the toughest skin. Wailing guitars, distorted synths, and rubbery bass created a musical landscape of dread on tracks like "A Hundred Years," the single "The Hanging Garden," and the chilling title track. Many albums recorded in 1982 sound like it, but "Pornography" sounds timeless and never dated. It's been wonderfully remastered with an extra disc carrying a bevy of demos and live tracks, and sound purists will approve of the sonic upgrade this CD richly deserves. "Pornography" is that rare disc that elevates mope to the level of art.Free Music Review: Spiralling... Spiralling... Spiralling
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is quite possibly the darkest album I've heard in a long time. Robert was spinning into drug-induced depression at the time, and the results were Pornography. Every song from 100 Years to the title track are pumped full of deep, black, depression. Even the first line of the cd, 'It doesn't matter if we all die', lets the listener know what he/she is in for. The guitar puts the icing on the cake. It laces all of the music with dysfunctional, screaching, spirals that one might hear on the path to insanity. The cold drum machine gives the darkness it's heartbeat, and Robert gives the music the 'losing hope' vocals. When Robert sings, you ALWAYS hear every bit of emotion that he intended to be put in the song. Buy this album along with Disintigration. You won't be disappointed. Also, check out Faith and Seventeen Seconds for more Cure darkness.