The Cure ‘Concert 1984’ review of certified producer

Introduction
This album even in moment of its release was not predicted to be opus magnum for The Cure. ‘Concert’ is rather a sonic postcard, which tries to prove to everyone around: look people, we still exist. We are not just a 2-piece studio project. We are the Band and we can play proper gigs even with ‘session musicians’, without some of the musically important members from the past.

Unfortunately, this release has no chance to be great with this compromising line-up. Phil Thornalley can learn songs and play them without mistakes, but nothing more than that. He will not make out of it anything remarkable.

Andy Anderson is a good drummer. He may play unforgettable parts but not in songs from ‘dark trilogy’. Once he plays too fast, once a bit too slow. He does his best to do the job but that is not enough. Such music is not his preferred style.
On the keyboards, we have ‘easily replaceable’ Lol Tolhurst, because there was no place behind other instruments.

Aha. Also we have rising star: Porl Thompson. Apart from saving Lol on keyboard, he plays saxophone. We can barely hear his characteristic guitar, but that will come later.

1) ‘Shake Dog Shake’
Album starts from short ‘hello’. Then comes known from ‘The Top’ drum intro on toms. Never liked this song. Pseudogothic. Properly played and this is it.

2) ‘Primary’ is ok, but more fire we can feel in version from ‘In Orange’, but especially on ‘Show’. Lively tempo, drums are ok, but guitar should do a bit more effort in this piece.

3) ‘Charlotte Sometimes’
80’s sounding version, nothing can beat ‘Paris ’93’. Keyboard riff, probably played by Porl, because Lol would not be able do that on his own.

4) ‘Hanging Garden’
Lol plays here single notes. Nothing more would fit in here. Let him play those powerful accents. The rest of the band is fine.

5) ‘Give Me It’
Finally mad Porl on saxophone ! Thornalley bass is playing safe, ordinary notes. There is no place for this beautiful punch, which we can hear in Simon Gallup’s versions of this tune.

6) ‘The Walk’
Keyboard parts sound here like played by guitar. No, this is not guitar, but that would be very interesting.

7) ‘One Hundred Years’
Drums are too fast, so the atmosphere and weight of the whole softens. There were many better versions of this one.

8) ‘A Forest’
Just like ‘100 Years’. Well played, but not well performed.

9) ’10:15 Saturday Night’
Thornalley was a ‘good student’. He has learned a ‘moving wardrobe doors’ bass solo, instead developing something even better than that.

10) ‘Killing An Arab’
And the last song. Still played as ‘Arab’ not politically correct ‘another’.

Conclusions
Being myself a musician and leading a band, I can understand Robert’s  struggle when searching for not just good but also passionate players. It is not easy to find, even if you have worldwide access to the instrumentalists.

Talent, character, charisma is not something you can learn. But even though, this album should be longer and contain the entire concert, with its strong points and weak moments. On the bootlegs from that period, I have heard quite good versions of songs not released officially, like ‘The Top’ (gloomy and wise song with great message- ‘top is the place where nobody goes’) played next to ‘A Forest’.
Also Andy Anderson as a drummer performed much better new songs which were not ‘rock obvious 4/4’, like all those swings and jazzy tunes: ‘The Lovecats’, ‘The Caterpillar’ or ‘Bananafishbones’.
Cassette version of ‘Concert: The Cure Live’, at least compensates that feeling of insatiability with some interesting recordings from early Gallup era plus ‘Forever’ messy jam.

Overall, this album sounds correct but too safe. Well-learned album parts and nothing beyond that. Play a gig, collect the money and go home. For such band like The Cure, there is a demand for different members. People who are a bit mental, not daddies and this can be heard here.