"The instrument that Porl is playing in SIRENSONG is a GIBSON Electric LAP STEEL GUITAR BR-9 and the last one was manufactured in 1959... Porl's is missing the original knobs; He is using a stand similar to a Keyboard stand that is why maybe some folks in the crowd believed he was playing the Keyboard when in fact he was playing an Electric Lap Steel Guitar. A couple of links with more info about the BR-9: National Music Museum / Guitar Center" (Thanks Daniel)
Huh.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Daniel, for some great information! And thanks as always, Craig, for giving us all a venue to learn these things. Your site is indispensable.
Cool. I think this is the kind of thing U2 used to use on "The Unforgettable Fire" album and its producer Daniel Lanois uses it.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to read about The Cure branching out.
For the last three years I've been thinking:
ReplyDeleteYeah! Porl is back!
I love PORL! :)~
ReplyDeleteIf only tonight we could sleep....
ReplyDeleteA rejuvenated Porl is at his creative peak and, as such, deserves a place above any other guitarist that you care to cherish.
....in this chain made of flowers.
dear all, sorry to be off topic, but can anyone tell me more about the song 'forever', with which 'the scream' is being compared. is there a studio version? thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat info, thanks Daniel! I wonder about that thing every time I hear Sirensong.
ReplyDeleteI am drooling everywhere.
ReplyDeleteSirensong sounds so inspired by classic country/Americana...
I am so glad The Cure is embracing rootsy music. I wonder if RSX's affinity for Bright Eyes has anything to do with it?
That steel guitar is awesome. And the last one manufactured in 1959? Amazing. That era makes me think of Johnny Cash.*
Let me just say that every song on 4:13 Dream sounds in-fucking-credible. Maybe my hyperbole will die down after a while, but this album sounds fresh and inspired. There are a mixture of styles, and of old and new Cure sounds....
Early faves are TGH, SS, The Scream!!!!!!!, and This. Here and Now. With You
*On the left side of my car, I have a Cure sticker; on the right side, a Cash one. These musicians represent not-wholly-polarized worlds to me. The Cure being more ethereal, and Cash being more terrestial... and yet sharing affinities as far as making music that resonates deeply...
swifty, i agree with you. porl is AMAZING and definitely at his creative zenith... he has brought more shape and nuance to the band...
ReplyDeletethis album is gonna blow the nipples off of everyone. you have been forewarned.
Cat, Ouch!! ...but as long as the crown jewels are still intact!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is very cool!
ReplyDelete*waves at Cat and Kate!*
ReplyDeleteBeen bouncing on clouds for the last two days and at the same time cuddling with the amazing sounds of the new songs!
My fav so far is Sirensong although the lyrics of THG give me the chills; TRSW is still growing on me...
This album is looking absolutely addictive!
And I'm liking it!
(Attention Cat: "liking", not "licking"!)
;)
Toolish - "Forever" is an old song they have only played live. They used it to play quite a lot in the early years (80-84). The lyrics are different every time!
ReplyDeleteCheck this:
http://foreverprojekt.blogspot.com/
and this:
http://www.foreverdrowning.net/archive.php?tri=1&id=80
Lap steel is great but pedal steel (which Lanois probably used) is even nicer if you wanna play more complicated things. As if lap steel is easy...there´s a variety of tuning (Like C6, E6 blabla) so the musically talented lap steel player who reads this and knows what tuning Porl used and the tab to what he´s playing...let me know, pleeeeease!
ReplyDelete*waves furiously to minty leaf*
ReplyDeleteyou can lick the songs too - i am sure they are verrrrrrrrrrrrry tasty -
hot damn! i never thought i'd see the day that curey did country
of course they did weedy burton and that mock home on the range...
and the FIIL country version...
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm cure country! yummables!
Thanks for the info Daniel! It's cool to learn some history on the Steel Guitar Porl is using in Sirensong!
ReplyDeleteI love The Cure country sound in this song too! Makes me want to get my cowboy hat & boots on. No it's not quite the country sounding but I do like the country feel. Quite a different approach, & it's interesting to see The Cure expanding their music.
I always liked the Cure songs where the band did something out of the ordinary using instruments beyond the standard 2 guitars, bass & drums.
And Cat JC rules too!!!
I've listened to the others, but Sirensong... I can't explain why exactly, but that song TOUCHED me right away, I can't stop listening to it. I think I could have an out of body experience if I focused and listened to it long enough. :pp
ReplyDeleteI identify with the lyrics the more I hear them. There's something about the melody, there's an unearthly, delicate ebb and flow to it... The slide guitar totally "carries" the song! It definitely casts a transcendental atmosphere over it. The instrument helps to create that longing, wistful quality that I'm so fond of in my Cure music.
I know they've experimented with quite a few different instruments over the years, that's one of the things that defines them and has set them apart. They're not afraid to use "peculiar" sonances or "unusual/atypical" instruments. It may not always work, but when it does, they manifest something really magical and distinctive.
It sounds to me like they've evolved into just the right blend of old and new... They're so inspiring. I can't wait to hear the album versions. *warm fuzzy feelings!* <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
ck: jc all kindsa rulz. RIP man in black. rip June Carter as well.
ReplyDeletehelsa: can we make babies together?
seriously, write a review of 4:13 dream for me when it comes out. i bask in your glittering words...
A man is standing in a hotel lobby. He suddenly wants to ask the clerk a question. As he turns to go to the front desk, he accidentally bumps into a woman beside him and as he does, his elbow goes into her breast. They are both quite startled.
ReplyDeleteThe man turns to her and says,"Ma'am, if your heart is as soft as your breast, I know you'll forgive me."
She replies,"If your **** is as hard as your elbow, I'm in room 436."
LOL!!!! "make babies"??
ReplyDeleteI hurt my ribcage and teared up a little. And as much as I love you, I'm afraid I've decided to remain celibate.
They're awesomeness just provokes all these thoughts and feelings in me... can't help it.
swifty- I really enjoyed the Investment Tips one!
ReplyDelete"Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace."!
Someone, somewhere should be paying you...
They're = Their
ReplyDeleteaah, sleep deprivation...
Off topic:
ReplyDelete4:13 Dream has an Amazon.com sales rank in Music of #116. And it's not out for two weeks yet!
Swifty: You are the COF Court Jester. LMAO.
ReplyDeleteHelsa: Fine, we don't have to MAKE babies; I respect your wishes to remain abstinent.
But can we at least adopt a child together? That way, the kid will be infused with your glorious intellect.
I agree; these songs and the Cure's existence provoke sublime feelings.
When the Cure die, I die with them.
Hillary Clinton died and went to heaven. St Peter approached her and says,"Hillary, I know you're 'somebody' down on earth. but up here, you're just another person. And, I'm swamped right now, so have a seat, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
ReplyDeleteSo Hillary sits down and begins looking at her surroundings. She notices a wall that extends as far as the eye can see. And on that wall there are millions and millions of clocks. She can't help notice that on occasion some of the clocks jump ahead 15 minutes.
When St Peter returns she asks,"Whats the deal with the clocks?"
St Peter replies, "There is a clock on the wall for every married man on earth."
Hillary asks,"Well what does it mean when the clock skips ahead 15 minutes?"
St Peter responds,"That means that the man that belongs to the clock has just committed adultery."
Hillary asks,"Well, is my husbands clock on the wall?"
St Peter replies, "Of course not. God has it in his office and is using it for an electric fan."
ROFL
ReplyDeleteWe should have a separate thread reserved exclusively for swifty jokes
Somewhat brutally offtopic but I just saw that CDon.se (swedish webshop) has Trilogy listed for release on Blue-Ray in january.
ReplyDeleteLMAO @ swifty!! The best part is that most of his jokes are political and it's about the only politics I wanna hear about these days.
ReplyDeleteHelsa - I feel exactly the same way about Sirensong. It is a close tie between that one and The Hungry Ghost as my favorite of the newly heard stuff. Decisions decisions.
I had written a longer comment but Blogger failed when I sent it...
ReplyDeleteOff topic: there is a studio version of Forever. It's not as powerful as most of the live versions though.
About U2: in JT they credited it as "infinite guitar", but I think it was the sound of an e-Bow (a guitar device that gives infinite sustain - sort of) mixed with synths and not exactly a slide/steel guitar all the time. Porl used one of these during Wailing Wall.
perhaps porl used this lap steel on the big hand? i know robert uses slide on guitar, but not as articulately as the slide on the big hand was, and for whatever reason i always assumed that porl played it. who knows... just idle conjecture.
ReplyDeleteA man goes to the doctors.
ReplyDeleteDocter - "What seems to be the problem?"
Man - "There's something wrong with my ears. I can't hear properly."
Docter - "Can you describe the symptoms?"
Man - "Sure. One is stupid, fat and lazy...and the other has got blue hair."
@swifty:LOL!
ReplyDeleteLast week was my 40th birthday and I really didn't feel like waking up that morning. I headed downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say 'Happy Birthday' and maybe have a small present for me. However, she barely said hello. I thought "Well, that's marriage for you."
ReplyDeleteThen my kids came trampling downstairs...they would remember. They ate breakfast and didn't say a word. I felt pretty despondent heading off for work.
Arriving at the office, my secretary Joanne said,"Good morning and Happy Birthday boss!" It felt better knowing someone remembered. I worked like a zombie until about 1 o'clock, when Joanne knocked on the door and said,"It's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your birthday, why don't we go for lunch, just you and me". I said, "Thanks Joanne, thats the best thing I've heard all day. Lets go!"
We went to lunch but not where we would normally go. Instead she took me to a quiet bistro with a private table. We had a couple of mixed drinks and enjoyed the meal tremendously.
On the way back to the office, Joanne said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day...We don't have to go straight back to the office, do we?". I replied,"I suppose not, what did you have in mind?". She said,"Let's go to my apartment, it's just around the corner".
After arriving at her apartment, Joanne turned to me and said,"Boss, if you don't mind, I'm gonna step into the bedroom for just a moment. I'll be right back". "OK" I replied nervously. She went into the bedroom and came out, a few minutes later, carrying a huge birthday cake...
Followed by my wife, my kids, a dozen of my friends and co-workers, all singing 'Happy Birthday'.
And I just sat there... On the couch... Naked.
Is Porl talented or what?
ReplyDeleteNot only can he play the guitar but he can also
- paint
- play saxaphone (Cure in Orange)
- play keyboards
- play the BR-9 slide guitar
Is there anything he can't do?
Just how talented do you have to be to get in the band?
I love siren song, the 1st time I heard it I knew it was a stand out track.
Even the ending is cool i.e. abruptly.
I can't wait for the official album release.
Last one...
ReplyDeleteThere was an old woman who liked a song called "Two Lips and Seven Kisses". After hearing the song on the radio, she called up the station to get the name of the record company. In dialling incorrectly, she called up a gas station and asked,"Do you have "Two Lips and Seven Kisses?"
The gas station attendant who answered the phone said, "No, but I have two nuts and seven inches!"
So the woman asked,"Is that a record?"
To which the man replied,"No, it's average!"
...Goodnight and 4:13 Dreams!
Swifty you made me lmfao! That was purdy funny! :)
ReplyDelete