Thursday, September 18, 2014

Andy Vella's 'Obscure' released on Sept. 18th

Fleeting moments… altered faces… unexpected spaces. By turns dreadfully funny, terribly honest, strangely melancholic.  – Robert Smith, 2014

Andy Vella has been observing The Cure since 1981. Foruli Codex (@foruli) is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of 'Obscure', Vella's book of rare and unseen photographs of the band. 33 years in the making, 'Obscure' will be published worldwide in September 2014. This visually stunning and beautifully designed volume has been compiled with the full input of Robert Smith, who has also written the foreword. 

Update (08/12/14): Limited edition print now available. Please note that this print does NOT include a copy of the book. 

Update (08/13/14): Press release and some preview photos have been posted here. Confirms a release date of Sept. 18th and a price of £30/$50.

Update (08/15/14): UK preordering now available. Also, another print (Silhouettes) from Andy is available.

Update (08/19/14): US preordering now available. Here's the direct link to it on Amazon.

Update (08/22/14): And the books are starting to arrive for those who ordered early from Amazon US. Autumn and Scott already have theirs. Autumn seems slightly pleased with it. :)

Update (09/18/14): The book is officially released today. Some preview articles at The Telegraph, Q and XFM. (Thanks Benj, @guillaume_g_z and @object29)

37 comments:

  1. To coincide with 4:14 Scream!!!!! ?

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  2. Cool! Nice birthday present (if my wife is reading this)!

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  3. Nice! Total surprise for me, I didn't know RS was involved in anything 'official' regarding The Cure. So good news!

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  4. THIS would be worth every penny! Can't wait!!

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  5. :D !!
    1/2 parched cure photo book? Yes please.

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  6. boom! added to my birthday list ;)

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  7. Can't wait this is going to be the best cure book. I wish he would put out a book of all of his artwork for the cure. Fingery crossed a lot is in there.

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  8. I was expecting such a glossy picture print for the limited edition, but I thought it would be an additionnal bonus coming with the book with low/no additionnal cost. At such a price, I will go for the normal commercial book only unfortunatly.

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  9. $167 is crazy for a 10"x12" print even if it is signed. I have been a Cure fan/collector for 32 years and I've made my fair share of outlandish purchases in the name of Cure, but I'm going to have to pass on the print and just buy the book. I also don't like the vague language they use on their web site. It almost seems like they are hoping that people order the print thinking it includes the book. Oh well, I hope the book is good, as well as affordable.

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    1. A few of us ordered and then cancelled our purchase exactly because of the misleading wording on their website. They have now updated to include that the book is not part of the purchase.

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    2. Glad you were able to cancel! That's too rich for my blood, for sure. Makes me a little worried on what the book price is going to be, based on how out to lunch they are on a small print :|

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    3. Good news! Book will only be £30/$50. Well worth it, from the looks of the preview photos.

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    4. Sweet, I can swing that :) Thanks for the update, Craig!

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  10. Which is exactly what i did earlier on today, antzona, until it was pointed out to me it is JUST a print, WITHOUT the book...feeling annoyed and slightly cheated (but only have myself to blame) that i didn't fully understand the sale wording...as you say, vague language...oh well...also not sure what "the price will rise soon" mean???

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    1. As with concert tickets or 7" from record store day, once officially sold out, it will reappear on ebay for £300...

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  11. Oops! I made the same mistake. I bought it when I was half asleep this morning, and I thought I was buying the book and the print.

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  12. Cool. I will buy this.

    Probably the closest we'll ever get to the non materialising follow up to 10 Imaginary Years .....

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  13. I just got an email from Amazon (U.S.) that my copy of the book has shipped. I guess they didn't get the memo about the September release date! It will arrive on Friday.

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  14. So me and Parallelextinction are receiving this tomorrow, 8/22/14? Anyone ordering from Amazon US already have it shipped?

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  15. The Amazon page now shows the option to Pre-Order and says the title is not yet released. But before, it said in stock and ready to ship in 1-2 days. Mine is being delivered today. Maybe Amazon messed up and I'm getting an early copy! :)

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    1. I think that's exactly what happened. Amazon got their copies in, didn't realize the release date was in Sept, so just shipped them out to those who placed an early order. Congratulations! :)

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  16. I also ordered from Amazon and the expected delivery date was today. However, upon checking the UPS tracking number the new expected delivery date is Monday 8/25. The book itself has been shipped but is currently at a UPS facility in Kentucky. Looking forward to Monday!

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  17. I HAVE IT.. My book arrived!!!!

    I am a very lucky girl and ordered it as soon as it was up on Amazon.US. It is breathtakingly beautiful. So many RARE and never seen before shots of. Andy Vella is so very talented....

    Cure friends please make sure to BUY a copy! You will enjoy it I PROMISE..

    xoxo

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    1. Pre-ordering next week! Glad to hear it turned out so good - congrats on getting an early copy!

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  18. Got mine too! The book is small but very pretty and it feels nice to the touch. Not sure how they made the book feel furry....but it's nice in a strange way. The photos are excellent--lots to look at but I might need a magnifying glass for some of them.... ;)

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  19. You will not be disappointed. I enjoyed every minute of looking through mine. I can't believe that recent shots are included as well. He's got photos from the Royal Albert Hall shows this year for TCT.

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  20. Mine arrived in the mail today via Amazon US, ordered it on Tuesday! Beautiful book and some truly great photos!

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  21. I think Amazon US is back to shipping it early.

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  22. I'm in Spain and ordered it on amazon uk, but have not still received it. Has anyone in europe?

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  23. I finally have it. The photos are really beautiful. If only there were more from the early years...

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  24. i just received mine. i can say i'm definetly disappointed. it tries too hard to be an art book (full of huge out of focus pictures) and it actually forgets to show us The Cure. really, where are the project for the album covers? only Faith is shown. and so many few pictures from the early years. and way too many pictures from the very last years. all in all, i think (cover apart) that i liked ONE picture of the band (JLH video) that i haven't seen before, one in the whole book. so disappointed. can't believe fans are actually happy about this book. a huge waste of money IMO, and a great lost opportunity.

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    1. Maybe you should put it on a shelf and return to it when you are an adult.

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