Monday, February 28, 2011
The Cure - Away (Cut) live at T&C 2 in 1991
Posting this because I've just been reminded of how much I love this early version of 'Cut'. Those early versions of the 'Wish' songs were fantastic. If for some reason you've never seen/heard them, also check out 'Wendy Time' and 'The Big Hand'.
(Thanks again for the reminders, Fred and melt05)
Update: And how about this fantastic demo version of 'Wendy Time'? A taste of what we might get on the 'Wish' remastered set. (Thanks JC, Brian, Ben)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I remember MTV's '120 Minutes' airing Pictures of You, The Big Hand, and Away(Cut) from the T&C 2 show. I thought the early version of Cut was fantastic. Years and years later, when the Pornography Deluxe edition was released, and heard the alternate version of 'The Hanging Garden', it was very much a similar deja vu, what a fantastic alternate version of a Cure song.
ReplyDeleteI have a lovely bootleg of this show around here somewhere. These vids are on Play Out, aren't they? Been years since I watched it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Craig!
ReplyDeleteYeah, when I first heard these tracks, I thought that Wish was going to be better than Disintegration. It some ways, it is, but the early versions of Cut and The Big Hand blow the official versions away. I hope that the potential Wish reissue CD has early versions of these songs with vocals as the original lyrics for The Big Hand were much better than the amended, released lyrics.
ReplyDeleteDexter, spot on.....
ReplyDeleteAnother fantastic version is this one, hope it features on the Remasters, whenever it comes out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0akIgJxehSI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I had the same feeling as Vagabond Sun : I thought that "Wish" was going to be better than "Disintegration", thus "Wish" was a disappointment eventually. I particularly loved the early version of "Wendy time", so much better than the crappy studio version.
ReplyDeleteGotta love "Playout"
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved these songs when I first heard the T&C2 show. I would have to say that Away/Cut and Wendy Time at that show are two of my favorite Cure songs of all time. The album versions certainly aren't though. I loved the sound Robert was getting out of that National he was playing at the time. I can't believe it's been twenty years since that show. Wild!
ReplyDeleteThe big hand is one of my favorite cure song....
ReplyDeleteThank you, Craig!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching "Play Out" on and on, mainly because of this early Wish songs. Looks like I got addicted again. Thanks YouTube. But I think its time to release it on DVD (with the whole T+C Club-show).
Thank you thank you thank you!
ReplyDeleteThese early versions sound more like the classic, minimalist Cure. When Wish came out, the Cure went for a more bloated sound that they've stuck with ever since. Shame really.
ReplyDelete100% agree obviously with melt05, I want the T&C2 concert released in full!!
ReplyDeletemy fave of these four early versions is 'wendy time', the intro and slower approach make it sound better to my ears.
You can't but agree with what's being said...the early versions are way skinnier and way better than the released ones, having said that i love the layers on songs such as Open and End...
ReplyDeleteFolks, I have to disagree, respectfully, of course. This early version of "Cut" is very "demo-ish" and boring. Sounds like a B side. It's too slow; it plods. It's not beautifully slow in the way that "Untitled" is; it's just slowwwwwwww. The keyboards stand out too much; they sound amateurish. Letting Porl cut loose on the studio version was a great idea and really gave the song life. And...The deficiencies of the lyrics are too evident in the slow version. "Cut" is not one of my favorite Cure songs, but I do love it live. If I had to watch this boring version in concert I would be upset. I want to see the passionate Porl of 1992 on the "Show" release. Sorry guys...don't flame me! Musical taste is subjective, right?
ReplyDeleteBTW - I also like Wendy Time, the studio version. Great song. In fact, I like every song on Wish. Every single one. And every single song on Disintegration. The only other Cure Album I can ALMOST say that about is HOTD...
Always loved this version of what was to become Cut on Wish. I was so disappointed when I realised that it wasn't on Wish and that in it's place was a sped up, noisier version of it.
ReplyDeleteThe original was gorgeous...Cut is just a mess.
I'm standing in the corner of BTS. That version of Cut sounds like it's had its balls removed, like an out take from Bloodflowers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the earlier versions are largely better than the studio versions (especially The Big Hand). I'll also add the Unplugged version of A Letter to Elise. I sobbed when I first heard that version, and was incredibly disappointed when Wish was released. I love Wish, but a lot of the life of these songs was sucked out of them in the studio.
ReplyDeleteI watched my Play Out tape to death all those years ago. I was so disappointed that these versions did not make it onto the album. And quite why The Big Hand got left out as a b-side and not included on the actual album is one of life's mysteries.
ReplyDeleteThey really forced the guitars on the final released versions of Wendy Time and cut. Should have kept the keyboards, it made the guitars sound better. I dare anyone to try and make sense of the guitar tracks on the final versions of these two sings. Porl's guitar sound on Wendy Time at T&C2 is heaven and stills gets the hairs on the back of the neck to stand.
ReplyDeleteOh man I wish the boys would perform these songs this way live again. Love it!
ReplyDeleteSmooches,
pussycat
http://www.cureconnections.com
Ahh, is it 1991 again? :) I remember getting this on pay per view and being so excited by the announcement at the end that they'd be doing a world tour in 1992 (with my city included). Wish (hah) I could go back and do it all again. :')
ReplyDeleteV - That's exactly how I saw Play Out for the 1st time, though I guess that version was called Onstage, Offstage, and More. Lame title, fantastic PPV! Loved every second off it, and probably watched it at least 5 or 6 times, that first week it aired.
ReplyDeleteI actually had to order it twice, since the initial airing here only included the announcement of the tour, but didn't include the dates.
I used a certain method that I've told you about before, that I would use to see more questionable material on cable : P, to watch one of the subsequent airings. I was able to see that the dates were included this time, but that part was all distorted and scrambled, so I decided to buy it again, just so I could get those first tour dates.
I've always been an idiot. : )
I never actually owned the Play Out video, just my recording of the PPV. But I did eventually get it on Laserdisc. Still have it, but no longer have a LD player.
And, yes, I'm firing up the TARDIS and taking us back 20 years ago to 1991, and the excitement that was still building for the release of Wish. : )
Craig: I never actually owned Play Out, on any format...I just had what I referred to as "the pay per view special" because the real title was ridiculous. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to laugh at that part of the interview during the "Wendy Time" clip where RS is asked about letting his hair down.
This was recorded for Snub TV on the BBC originally ... a great series if anyone remembers it.
ReplyDeletehttp://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=the+cure+play+out&_sacat=See-All-Categories
ReplyDeleteV: Hahaha...so did I. And still do. Your mom was/is awesome. : )
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing these clips on Snub & getting very excired. We wore the video tape out with repeated viewings. I still want one of those shirts.
ReplyDeleteaugh. everything about play out is perfection, really. give us a dvd, robbut! i remember watching the big hand and just crying my eyes out at the, well, BIGNESS of it. it seemed so epic. to be in that tiny room when it happened...
ReplyDeletei do love wish. so so much. i can't wait to hear what the remaster has in store for us! :)
I like all versions of these songs. I think how the album came out was best though because that's the feel they were going for, more like a KMKMKM album. Not a Disintegration #2.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder if things were opposite if we still wouldn't be saying the same thing. If these slower versions were on the album and this rare version comes out where they were a little edgier people wouldn't be questioning them why didn't they use the edgier version. I think as Cure fans we tend to be drawn to the unreleased songs, the rare songs, the B-sides, and alternate versions. Maybe it's just a feeling that these are more special because they aren't as well known and it's a sign of being a more hardcore fan and we know about it.
Either way I think that having both is what makes the cure special. The dark makes the light seem that much brighter, and the light makes the dark seem that much darker. You need both to be able to fully appreciate either if that makes sense. If every album sounded like Disintegration then we probably wouldn't appreciate that album so much.
Luckily Robert seems to try to appease everyone and release these alt versions and rare performances as well as previously unreleased songs. It's very hard to please everyone and I'm surprised that after all these years he seems to genuinely care and continue to give to us. Most artists are way to selfish to do half the stuff the cure have done.
I think the best demo in that show was A Letter to Elise, shame there is no video.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with BTS...the demo just plods along. The album version of Cut rips like few Cure songs do, and provides an edge, a different dynamic that the album really benefits from. Wish is such a great album, despite the fact they left off The Big Hand. I WISH more Cure fans would appreciate it as much as I do.
ReplyDeleteYeah, 1991 was The Cure at their very best, only to be rivaled by the 1980-1984 period...but that band at that time with Robert, Simon, Porl, Boris and Perry was fucking great. It was a golden era to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI like Wish very much, but these slow, melancholy, psychedelic versions of these songs are too impressive for words. Once again, if only the album was recorded right after the T&C shows...
I would give one of my arms to have a high quality re-release of this entire performance.
@Rob
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it better.