Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

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shoule79
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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by shoule79 » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:32 am

Gonna rep the Smiths. Way bigger influence on me musically, specifically guitar playing wise. Them, Fugazi, Dinosaur Jr and early Smashing Pumpkins are what I learned to play guitar to after getting past 3 chord punk.

Morrissey cringe aside, I still listen to the Smith's and some Morrissey till the mid-90's on a regular basis. I can disassociate Morrissey from what he was and became, although he was always arguably a twit.

I am now, and always have been more into Marr's playing in the Smiths, and liked Boz and Alain Whyte. I was meh on a lot of Marr's post Smiths work until the Modest Mouse album, and since then he seems more energized and i'm liking most of his newer stuff. Great live, and does Smiths songs arguably better than when the Smiths were together.

Onto The Cure, one of the first alt acts I got into in the late 80's. Kind of always liked, but it was the Kiss Me - Wish era stuff on the radio that I really got into first, and didn't really go too deep beyond that. About 10 years ago I started giving them more of a listen after wearing out most of the other 80's UK mope stuff. I discovered that I like the early period, love the Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography stuff, can't do the mid 80's pop, love Disintegration/Wish, then can do without anything since.

Its easy to go deep on the Cure, and there is a lot on their albums that deserve close listen, especially Disintegration/Wish. Those two albums are all killer front to back. Some of its painful though, and I find with the Smiths it was all good. I can live without the Cure in their entirety from late 83-87. I agree with others who have said that they could have just stopped after Wish too.

If the Cure were curated down to the same number of albums as the Smiths with their best albums put forward only, I may feel different.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by jorri » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:52 am

probably a controversial opinion. I like both bands' music quite a lot. I gravitate more to the Cure for its goth/darkwave appeal a lot more...
...but both singers have grating moments for me; and a lot of them; and maybe that's more apparent on later work but each voice is reasonable unusual and i feel its good *despite* that quality- and i usually love the unusual. Smith is kind of harsh/strained contrast to the guitar that too easily gives me a headache like their 2004 eponymous album, Morrisey has a weird back of throat thing that's too easy to parody.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by blacktiger » Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:07 am

Love them both, but if I have to choose, I‘ll take The Smiths. That Beatles and Stones analogy is apt; the Smiths were together for a few years, and pretty much everything they released was great. The Cure hung around way too long, and their catalog is a lot more spotty. They both have about the same number of perfect albums, but The Cure also have a bunch of less than perfect albums.
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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by timiscott » Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:22 am

If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure that, after the first album, The Cure were viewed as Joy Division wannabes. I hated the Smiths after 'What Difference' but came back to them later and really like them now (if I ignore the fat Nazi). Johnny Marr is great live and his last record is seriously good.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by timtam » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:00 am

timiscott wrote:
Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:22 am
If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure that, after the first album, The Cure were viewed as Joy Division wannabes.
I recall zero sense of that at the time. Or course our little post-punk scene in Melbourne (Birthday Party et al.) was 17,000 km from England. But we read NME, even if it sometimes took several months to get to us. If by 'after' you mean Seventeen Seconds and onwards, I guess that was dark, and they got much darker. But there were lots of dark bands at that time. Sonically they were very different from Joy Division. Conversely, if you read some of what the members of Joy Division have said about that time, they didn't take Curtis' dark lyrics too seriously. Until after ... well, you know.

One curious thing is how goth kind of co-opted both the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees later. Goth didn't even exist when they were first big. Except for maybe Bauhaus, who kicked it off. I've heard a few people link Joy Division to goth, but that's fanciful.
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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by budda12ax7 » Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:11 pm

The Cure,,,,you would have a long career.

The Smiths,,,,,you would be signing autographs at Smith’s conventions for money.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by budda12ax7 » Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:21 pm

Well,,,,who has aged better?

Smith looks like the insane grandma next door...he is really chunky and please stop with the lipstick and hair bob!

Morrsey looks like a 1970’s yoga instructor at 24 hour fitness.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by daemon » Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:14 am

Funny (and sad) to see all the comments about Morrissey as I've had very conflicted feelings about him as well. I can still listen to The Smiths and get that same rush I did at 16, but there's always that lingering feeling that some day this guy will be, well, what he is now. And I was just telling someone yesterday that Bob needs to get a new look, it's just getting ridiculous! :derp:

As far as the music goes, I've been a fan of both since the mid-80s, but find myself going back to the Cure way more often. There's just a lot of interesting things to be mined in those soundscapes. Lyrically, The Smiths seem to stand out, because it felt like there was a lot going on there that I should know about, but didn't (I mean who knew Joan of Arc had a walkman?). Robert's were more visual, visceral, surreal and sometimes silly, but they fit the music well.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by Singlebladepickup » Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:24 pm

Speaking of silly, that's part of what I love about the Smiths. Morrissey may be a dick, but Smiths' humorous stuff is a big part of why I like them.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:28 pm

No doubt, but modern day depressing Morrissey is really killing the humor there.
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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:27 am

I actually admire Fat Bob for sticking with his personal aesthetic doggedly. Only a pop star could get away with it, but as he is one, why change a winning formula?

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by MechaBulletBill » Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:55 am

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:27 am
I actually admire Fat Bob for sticking with his personal aesthetic doggedly. Only a pop star could get away with it, but as he is one, why change a winning formula?
he went to the same school as my gf's uncles (a catholic boys school in crawley i think) and apparently, he was like that even back then

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by SignoftheDragon » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:15 am

Jeez. Why do I have to pick?

First thoughts- I can't choose. Both such a part of my GenX formative years.

Second thoughts- Cure. But not by much.

Third thoughts- Cure.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by SignoftheDragon » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:21 am

My kids definitely gravitated towards Smiths though- Couldn't get enough of Girlfriend in Tacoma there for a solid few years.

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Re: Gloomy 80s Britrock showdown: The Cure vs. The Smiths

Post by burpgun » Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:43 pm

You know, we get older, it's hard to stay nice and trim, so I don't begrudge Robert Smith any deterioration on that front. He may even been in good shape considering his drink and drug intake. But his hair these days, what the hell is going on there? It genuinely looks like a rat's nest. I can't tell if he's lost hair or gone bald and is exploring some sort of goth combover. If you see a shot from the back it's even more frightening.

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