easycure

Oh right, but you weren't asking me for something original in absolute terms, but original in relation to pornography... well, I’ll start from what I've already told you: let's go to bed is a joke, and as such it already adopts a detached point of view, so on its own... the entire pornography seems to say absolutely nothing new compared to what dozens of other groups were saying or had already said. The vocal interpretations, for instance, are a fitting example: throughout The Top (or the previous singles), Robert Smith wanders flamboyantly among various more or less grotesque interpretations; he is eclectic and dazed, unique, unmistakable. In pornography it’s all a monolithic lament (except for 100 years, which contains an interpretation that's quite ridiculous for Smith's voice), there’s nothing personal in it, it’s the usual refrain repeated endlessly that only has a biological matter of timbre to make it unique. Pornography is an album "like so many others" from that time. The Top is a totally standalone album, certainly less ambitious, but from my point of view enormously richer, more colorful, communicative (even narrative at times), eclectic, in a word: creative.

In the end, we understand creativity in the same way... we just say that I don't make the distinction you made earlier, but I blend everything into one big pot because for me, form and content are inconceivable to separate... and indeed, any possible evolutions of form alone can be pointless. And here I return to the discussion of expressiveness, which for me is nothing more than communicating something unique, thus original. In the end, we come back to that.

mmm, nothing original from the famous "formal" point of view, for sure… however, the way it reworks many of the canons of rock from that period in a completely lighthearted way (or rather, I'd say almost mocking) is certainly very personal. And if something is personal, then by definition, even if only in a minimal part, it is original (I think of the unmistakable vocal interpretation, for example)… let’s say that its very nature of being a total spoof is, for me, quite a clear example of how pornography perhaps shouldn't be taken too seriously, at least not so much on the "personal" level (personal for Smith, I mean)… can you imagine the face of those who experienced this "turn" live, ehehehahaha :-D

great review!

mmm, I think you got it wrong then :-D ..I don't see anything expressive in Gigi D'Alessio and a lot in Neu! (at least in their earlier works) hehehe I don't quite understand the term "musical creativity"? what does it mean and especially how is it different from expressive creativity? because in the end, it is under the banner of creativity that originality is meant, not under that of "expressive". I believe that originality is the essential concept.

Yes, excellent point indeed!

Mmmmmm.. I know Cabaret Voltaire, but I don't see much innovation apart from the aforementioned kraut references.. you're right about Throbbing Gristle: I completely overlooked them, and from what I've read, they really are among the forerunners as well.. listening to them, though, I don't see how they undermine my reasoning about The Cure, even if they downplay the USA-UK rivalries (one swallow doesn’t make a spring, after all ahah) :-D

hahahaha this is good.. especially the "will go down in history"

"the PIL, they are nice originals but their music isn't that great and their talent is questionable" well, well... let's say that compared to the usual faces who still today (or back then) fill the arenas, the PIL were true experimenters and much, much less exhibitionistically inclined to cater to a certain audience (at least until '80)... anyway, you're purely putting it on personal taste; which, of course, is never up for debate and should always be respected.

X Mike: the "handful" of records I mentioned won't solve the whole issue, that's obvious: what I do believe is that those records are definitely "unreachable"... and even to try to compare them to much more mediocre stuff is quite a "reduction," from my perspective, much worse. Industrial music can hardly be said to have originated in the '70s... and even then, Einstürzende Neubauten are difficult to compare to anything from that time... perhaps there’s some incredible English band from before that I’m not aware of... I don’t know... bye!