The Cure Bass Player

[spongebob]

Sadly, I've never liked The Cure....even the earlier stuff, which was suggested to me as I like me some bass-driven post-punk. Just never clicked with me, just didn't have the impact of their contrmparies. We all hear things differently!

 

Biggest shock for me was reading Glenn Hughes' autobiography,  in which he discusses his being great mates with the aforementioned Lol Tolhurst! Both live in LA. How does this happen?!

 

Either way, always sad when a long-serving member leaves a long-standing band. How many times have we seen it, when it's only the 'main' man left?

Edited August 16, 2021 by spongebob

[ubit]

31 minutes ago, spongebob said:

Biggest shock for me was reading Glenn Hughes' autobiography,  in which he discusses his being great mates with the aforementioned Lol Tolhurst! Both live in LA. How does this happen?!

Same for me when I heard that Glenn Hughes was joining The Dead Daisies instead of Mendoza and Corabi. I can't stand his wailing

[Musicman666]

1 hour ago, ubit said:

Same for me when I heard that Glenn Hughes was joining The Dead Daisies instead of Mendoza and Corabi. I can't stand 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Musicman666

[Musicman666]

2 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

I've got around half a dozen Cure albums but their total output has been pretty inconsistent and can understand why people might not enjoy them and same goes for Joy Division and other post punk 'miserablists'. There are some gems among the Cure's albums but also some real duds. I'd put Disintegration at around #3 or 4 and but definitely place 17 Seconds at #1.

Miserabilists..lol

[Piers_Williamson]

OK, I have found this interesting.  I take it the bloke I took a picture of a long time ago was Michael Dempsey:

 

[Downunderwonder]

8 hours ago, ubit said:

Is this bass driven enough for you? 😉

 

 

I never said Cure doesn't have driving basslines. I said that other tune was not one.

[Maude]

If we're talking bass driven Cure tracks then this has to be the winner, Shirley?

 

 

The Cure have been a massive part of my life since first hearing Charlotte Sometimes, and they still are to this day. 

[paul_5]

as far as bass-driven Cure tracks go I respectfully submit this beauty:

 

https://youtu.be/7ZsQdLlvuk4

Edited August 16, 2021 by paul_5

[Musicman666]

Bass driven cure tracks …there are so many that it’s hard to choose.

 

 

12 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

OK, I have found this interesting.  I take it the bloke I took a picture of a long time ago was Michael Dempsey:

 

Quite surprising how much Gallup looks like Dempsey… at least I think so.

[ezbass]

The Cure & Steel Panther find themselves sans bassist - Basschat membership, “Hold my beer, I have auditions to attend.”*

 

 

 

 

*Or at least you’d hope a few might.

[ubit]

14 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

I never said Cure doesn't have driving basslines. I said that other tune was not one.

I'm sorry but I think you are picking hairs. When I first heard Close To You as a teenager the first thing that jumped out to me was the bass. I thought it was so prominent. Obviously there are other instruments alongside it but it was the constant bass that spoke to me. A simple but so effective bass line. I love it to this day. I think we are just going to disagree about this being a bass driven song. I respect your opinion but I have a different one.

[ubit]

I have always liked the Cure but  the Prevention are better!

[Downunderwonder]

1 minute ago, ubit said:

I'm sorry but I think you are picking hairs. When I first heard Close To You as a teenager the first thing that jumped out to me was the bass. I thought it was so prominent. Obviously there are other instruments alongside it but it was the constant bass that spoke to me. A simple but so effective bass line. I love it to this day. I think we are just going to disagree about this being a bass driven song. I respect your opinion but I have a different one.

You probably had the ''loudness'' button toggled on. I was playing violin at the time so the twiddly keyboard part caught my ear. Listening to it again, for the first time in I don't know how many years, the other day I was struck by the classical harmony nature of the whole.

 

To me a driving bassline is one where the bass asserts the 1 dead on and doesn't often stray far from the other beats while whatever goes, goes for the rest of the band. None of that going on with that tune.

[Sarlscharisma]

One of my bass heroes.  Ever since I heard A Forest I was hooked.  I'm glad I saw their penultimate UK gig with him still in the band in Hyde Park.

 

The Cure are approaching their end anyway so maybe a good time to bow out.

[Piers_Williamson]

15 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

OK, I have found this interesting.  I take it the bloke I took a picture of a long time ago was Michael Dempsey:

 

Answering my own question....no its not, the symbol on the Precision really gives it away.  This was c 1982

[shoulderpet]

On 16/08/2021 at 11:12, Newfoundfreedom said:

Weirdly it's just this second finished playing. I'm currently listening to their best songs playlist on YouTube to see what else I've missed. 

If you don't like Disintegration then the Cure is not for you, by far their best album

[Musicman666]

1 minute ago, shoulderpet said:

If you don't like Disintegration then the Cure is not for you, by far their best album

generally with the cure the older the album the better but you cant go wrong with the trilogy ie pornorgaphy/disintegration /bloodflowers.

[Cat Burrito]

Just some random bass facts the casual listener might not know (& I am sure a few of you DO know this) - 

 

Michael Dempsey played on the first album. (Personal view) The bass playing on that album is great, much busier than Gallop's BUT Robert Smith wanted much simpler parts. That album sounds more like somewhere between Buzzcocks and Elvis Costello! Incidentally, the playing being too fussy was the same reason why they lost the keyboard player (Matthieu Hartley) on the second album, Seventeen Seconds. He was too jazzy, apparently.

 

When Gallop first left he was replaced by Phil Thornalley. Phil was actually a producer more than a bassist. He played the upright bass on Lovecats, something he'd never done. If you look closely at the footage you can see the tape on the neck to let him know where the notes are.

 

The Cure have had a few stand in bass players for the odd show, TV appearance and tour - these include Steve Severin (Siouxsie and The Banshees) and Gallop's own son. 

 

The song Primary is performed exclusively on basses with just the drum kit and the vocal for accompaniment. Robert Smith uses a lot of six string bass all over the albums too. 

 

And just as an aside - as mentioned, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th albums are the gloomy period. A lot of it is really quite pop (Inbetween Days, Lovecats, Just Like Heaven). I appreciate a lot of people are commenting on how they either don't like or struggle with the band (hey, no band is for everyone!). Personally I spent most of Lockdown revisiting them and really rediscovered the bass. 

[Nail Soup]

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

The Cure & Steel Panther find themselves sans bassist - Basschat membership, “Hold my beer, I have auditions to attend.”*

 

Coincidence? I reckon Gallop has gone to his dream gig of  Steel Panther.

 

[Musicman666]

1 minute ago, Cat Burrito said:

Just some random bass facts the casual listener might not know (& I am sure a few of you DO know this) - 

 

Michael Dempsey played on the first album. (Personal view) The bass playing on that album is great, much busier than Gallop's BUT Robert Smith wanted much simpler parts. That album sounds more like somewhere between Buzzcocks and Elvis Costello! Incidentally, the playing being too fussy was the same reason why they lost the keyboard player (Matthieu Hartley) on the second album, Seventeen Seconds. He was too jazzy, apparently.

 

When Gallop first left he was replaced by Phil Thornalley. Phil was actually a producer more than a bassist. He played the upright bass on Lovecats, something he'd never done. If you look closely at the footage you can see the tape on the neck to let him know where the notes are.

 

The Cure have had a few stand in bass players for the odd show, TV appearance and tour - these include Steve Severin (Siouxsie and The Banshees) and Gallop's own son. 

 

The song Primary is performed exclusively on basses with just the drum kit and the vocal for accompaniment. Robert Smith uses a lot of six string bass all over the albums too. 

 

And just as an aside - as mentioned, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th albums are the gloomy period. A lot of it is really quite pop (Inbetween Days, Lovecats, Just Like Heaven). I appreciate a lot of people are commenting on how they either don't like or struggle with the band (hey, no band is for everyone!). Personally I spent most of Lockdown revisiting them and really rediscovered the bass. 

they initially wanted to use two basses on primary but ended up using one four string and the bass vi for sonic reasons...and thornalley specifically was the producer of pornography and filled in on that tour.

[Nail Soup]

7 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

When Gallop first left he was replaced by Phil Thornalley.

Thornalley went on to join Johnny Hates Jazz!

[Sarlscharisma]

Certainly agree that their output has gone steadily downhill over the years.  For albums Pornography was the height of their powers and after Disintegration they went downhill.  The bass sound largely followed that pattern, great on Pornography, but pretty bad after Disintegration with his move to Thunderbirds and similar basses - far too much emphasis on effects as well!

 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

25 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

If you don't like Disintegration then the Cure is not for you, by far their best album

Yup. I've come to the same conclusion. 

 

There were a couple of OK tracks on the greatest hits playlist I went through, but nothing I'd buy or go out of my way to listen to again. 

 

They just don't do it for me I'm afraid. 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

The song Primary is performed exclusively on basses with just the drum kit and the vocal for accompaniment. Robert Smith uses a lot of six string bass all over the albums too

 

Something I enjoyed about the live performances from the 80s was how the early ish songs could take a significant amount of rearranging without losing their quality.

 

Here's Primary from when they had an extended line up.

 

 

PS when I was eighteen and having to get from Milan to Florence, I took a detour to the Rhone valley in France, just so I could visit the roman amphitheatre where the Cure had recorded their Live In Orange video 😁

Edited August 17, 2021 by Ricky Rioli

[ADAM ROBERTS]

8 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

Answering my own question....no its not, the symbol on the Precision really gives it away.  This was c 1982

Was about to say, that's not Michael