Album: Staring At The Sea Artist: The Cure Released: 1986 Running Time: 62 mins
1986 was a strange year for The Cure, as it was the first year since 1979's debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" in which they released no new material. After the pop triumph of "The Head On The Door", the band took time out to take stock and to plan their next long-player. What 1986 did throw up though was an excellent collection of Cure singles and B-sides from 1978-1985; namely "Staring At The Sea."
The compilation starts with the quirky, bass-driven "Killing An Arab" - a skeletal post-punk track with eastern atmospherics. The first thing that strikes you about the band is their apparent contentment for huge gaps in the sound to exist. This brand of confidence and understated approach was not that unusual in 1978, but "Killing An Arab" is definitely left-field - particularly for a debut single. As a footnote, the title for this compilation - "Staring At The Sea" - comes from "Killing An Arab."
"10.15 Saturday Night", a 1979 B-side, is the second track on the album. Fans of Massive Attack will recognise the track for its crucial part in the writing/recording of "Man Next Door" from Mezzanine. "10.15..." is another skeletal, assured sounding number. There are elements of bedsit humdrum about the lyrics, Smith sings;
"Waiting for the telephone to ring And I'm wondering where she's been And I'm crying for yesterday And the tap drips Drip, drip, drip..."
Musically it is a fantastic track. Smith's raw guitar explodes over the top of a rudimentary bassline; whilst the drums are concise and drive the song along with some wonderful timing.
The pop side of the compilation
starts with the third track - "Boys Don't Cry." The version on the album is the original, failed-to-chart version, not the tarted-up remix version that fared quite well in the charts during 1986. The original is perfect pop, although Smith's monotone vocal (allied to some distribution blunders by the label) probably cost it any chance of piercing the Top 20. The songs vulnerability and un-punk lyrical musings were starkly at odds with the sort of new-wave material that was being churned out during 1979. Lyrically the song contains several gems, most notably;
"I would tell you That I loved you If I thought that you would stay But I know that's its no use As you've already gone away..."
"Jumping Someone Else's Train" slots in at number four. Another non-charting 1979 single, it attacks the multitude of musically similar acts that were getting record deals off of the back of knicking other people's sound. After that comes the majestically atmospheric "A Forest." Bizarrely, despite being downbeat, chorusless and five minutes long, this track was The Cure's first top forty single. From the eerie guitars, to the sinister basslines, to the horror-film keys, "A Forest" is a spooky proposition. It is nonetheless one of the most important records The Cure have released.
Two fast-paced new-wave offerings follow; namely, "Play For Today" (a 1980 B-side) and "Primary" (a decidely non-singley sounding single from 1981). By the time track 8 ("Other Voices") starts most listeners will have noticed a fairly pronounced musical progression. We've moved far away from the skeletal indie-pop of "Killing An Arab" and "Boys Don't Cry" and into more introspectively dark territory. "Other Voices" is far less rocky (as its parent album "Faith") than any of the releases from 1978-80. It's chunky basslines and shimmery effects, allied to its downbeat lyrical ideas show how much the band had moved on.
"Charlotte Sometimes" (a failed single from 1981) and "The Hanging Garden" (1982) further illustrate how much The Cure had evolved. Many critics felt the band had lost it by 1982, although a hardcore fan following and one or two writers stuck by the band, despite their decidely radio unfriendly sound at this time.
After the frenzied, almost manic "Hanging Garden" comes the most lightweight bit of pop fluff the band have ever released - "Let's Go To Bed." It is almost impossible to believe the two tracks were released in the same year, such is the stark difference in sound. "Let's Go To Bed" is early 80s electro-pop, with throwaway lyrics and some tacky effects. Smith's deadpan and mildly disconcerting vocal gives the track an element of character - as the singer and the song just don't match;
"Let me take your hands I'm shaking like milk Turning, turning blue All over the windows and the floors"
Track 12 is the equally daft pop of "The Walk" - possibly the weakest track on the compilation. despite charting at No.12. Released in 1983, the track is a pale version of New Order's "Blue Monday." What makes "The Walk" worse than the deliberately escapist "Let's Go To Bed" is that the former was supposed to be a cutting-edge electro release, whereas the latter (Let's Go To Bed), was at least supposed to be naff; it's naffness being in some ways its saving grace.
Track 13 is the band's real pop-breakthrough - the wonderfully imaginative "The Lovecats." From its jazzy drums and double-bass, to its brilliantly scatty piano, "Lovecats" is perfect pop. A brilliantly infectious chorus and a decent (yet still mildly disconcerting) vocal made the song a deserved top ten smash late in 1983.
Following on in a similar vein is the odd, yet beautifull "The Caterpillar" - a surprise No.14 single in April 1984. A barbed-wire lovesong, hidden behind a quirky folk mask, The Cure have never tried anything so far out, which remained accessible. Robert Smith's pained vocal is at odds with the summery, upbeat music. Like most material from 1984's "The Top", the song was written during a "chemical vacation"; however I think the lyrics are almost poetic;
"Dust my lemon lies With powder pink and sweet The day I stop is the day you change And fly away from me..."
1985's representatives on this collection are the singles "Inbetween Days" (No.15 in charts), "Close To Me - Remix" (No. 24 in charts) and the anthemic B-side, "A Night Like This." These last three tracks further explore the pop dynamic (with dark lyrical themes) and illustrate just how much The Cure's sound had evolved during the seven years since their debut single was released.
When examined as a whole, it is difficult to fault "Staring At The Sea." A wide variety of musical styles are to be found and some of the key pop moments of the early-mid 1980s are to be found on this compilation -"Lovecats", "Caterpillar", "Close To Me" and "Inbetween Days." The ever-changing band membership and the personal problems of Robert Smith in part explain the almost manic desire for change and musical re-invention; however the key factor is the band's vision and creativity. Smith and co never wanted to be pigeon-holed and didn't want to get tied in with any scene. Furthermore they wanted to record music that was progressive, original and true to their own ideals.
I would conclude by saying that "Staring At The Sea" is a great introduction to The Cure's early years. "Galore" ties up the years 1987-1997 in a similar way, although without the presence of B-sides. The cassette version of "Staring At The Sea" includes most of the band's previously unavailable B-sides and is therefore excellent value from a collector's point of view.
Anyone with a cursory interest in the band would struggle to find a better starting point for investigation of the imaginary boys. There is material on this compilation that not everyone will like (possibly "Charlotte Somtimes", "Hanging Garden" at the dark end of the spectrum and "Let's Go To Bed", "The Walk" at the light, cheesey polar opposite), but there is something for most pop-rock tastes on this wonderfully diverse collection of Singles and B-Sides. (*9)
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Another great review! Great album if you can't decide which Cure album to listen to. My fav tracks would be Lovecats (obviously), Catapillar (prefer version on 'Mixed Up' ) & Night Like This.....very atmospheric.
tracey_angel 05.02.2004 11:17
Now this takes me back, I have not listen to this for years. Mind you saying that it is on cassette and probs sounds different now. Will have to look it out. T :o)
Big and moody, Staring at the Sea compiles some hits and near-misses of these excavators ... more
of the dark soul. Beginning with their earliest hits--the sparse "Killing an Arab", the aptly tedious "10:15 Saturday Night" and the charming "Boys Don't Cry"--thi...
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