An eclectic, sparkling, colorful album, but at the same time melancholic, rarefied, mysterious...
Recorded in 1984, at first listen, it might seem like an obvious and commercial Greatest Hits of the earlier and more famous songs by Robert Smith's band; instead, it gives us unmissable gems... the harrowing and anguished “One Hundred Years”, a true Cure anthem, the hypnotic and resigned "10:15 Saturday Night", or the magical and danceable stride of “The Walk”…!!!
Other excellent choices like “Shake Dog Shake” and “Give Me It”, from the unfairly underrated "The Top", “The Hanging Garden”, “Primary”, all stunning songs, immense examples of simplicity, immediacy, creative skill.
For those who prefer to be carried away by melancholic lyrics, enveloping melodies, dark keyboards, here is “Charlotte Sometimes” with one of the most beautiful lyrics ever written by Smith.
The oriental-flavored “Killing An Arab” cannot be missed…with its full 1979 punctuating rhythm, sharp guitar, frenzied bass, provocative lyrics!
But the apotheosis of this live performance is reached with track number 8…here comes the keyboard in the background…rarefied atmosphere…guitar painting a simple riff in A…everything seems to fade…yet…the drums come in TUN TA TUN TA…the guitar returns…and starts the most famous bass line in all of Cure's production…yes, it's her “A Forest”, the perfect example of Dark-Wave, inimitable, unattainable, exciting.
A live performance not only for the die-hard fans but an excellent example of what this crazy band managed to create during their concerts in their early years…
At the time, they were staging the dehydrated and dried-out carcass of punk, painting a fiery and arid canvas with noisy shades.
Gothic rock travels between ethereal psychedelia and the scorching, living reality of a genre condemned to darkness.