Thursday, May 9, 2013

Reminder: Ross Robinson is an asshole

From Cracked: "Yes, Robinson will totally throw fire at you if he doesn't like what you're doing. Just ask the Cure, who Robinson completely snapped at after several lackluster takes. He went full R. Lee Ermey on their gothic asses, swearing at them, insulting their legacy, throwing about a hundred lit candles around the studio, and laughing maniacally at the keyboardist's tears and tantrums. As Robinson put it, "Sometimes musicians need to feel certain things to emote, and a lot of times, that thing will come out with a little coercing. So sometimes it comes in the form of an object being thrown at their head while they're tracking." (Thanks Pietro)
Posted by Craig at 1:40 PM

45 comments:

  1. Jeannie MariaMay 9, 2013 at 2:31 PM

    Ross Robinson was already on my black list, now he's the first!

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  2. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 2:38 PM

    Who cares ?

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    1. CraigMay 9, 2013 at 2:47 PM

      I do. It was one of the most interesting, and painful, chapters in recent Cure history.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 2:50 PM

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. CraigMay 9, 2013 at 2:53 PM

      Your opinion. In my opinion it was an awful record, and a real low point in the band's history. If you enjoy it, good for you.

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    4. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 2:56 PM

      You shouldn't. Maybe a painful experience but a very good record came out of it. Sorry if you don't like it but it is fucking brilliant. Can't hate it just because it was made with RR. Robert did it, entirely, not RR. But if they hadn't met, maybe The Cure wouldn't exist anymore.

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    5. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 3:03 PM

      Awful ?! With songs like 'Lost', 'Labyrinth', 'The Promise' ? Won't argue but lots of people condemned the album even before they had hear a single not of it, just because it was recorded by a guy coming from nu-metal. I don't like the way he acts, regarding form and behavior. But he touched what Robert felt several times in band's history : a lack of enthousiasm or involvment, complacency.

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    6. CraigMay 9, 2013 at 3:10 PM

      I actually gave it a good review when it came out. Not sure what was wrong with me back then.

      Oh well, at least we got Going Nowhere & This Morning out of those sessions. Fantastic songs. And I still love Before Three.

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    7. RandyMay 9, 2013 at 8:02 PM

      also, craig, you have to admit that if the album wasn't so TERRIBLY produced and mixed and you could hear the keyboard lines in 'lost' it would be a pretty good song. ;) but i concur, it's not a good album at all.

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    8. notherbobMay 10, 2013 at 7:11 PM

      I haven't really listened to any Cure album in full for a while to judge..
      But I thank Robert for Truth, Goodness and Beauty which came out of those sessions..
      I've said this a million times, I think Robert should have bought Fiction Records off Chris Parry when he had the chance. That way they could have been left to do whatever they want, which they have done anyway. At least they would have had a label too..

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    9. UnknownMay 12, 2013 at 3:50 PM

      I think it's a way better album than 4:13 Dream.

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    10. sofiaMay 15, 2013 at 12:54 PM

      nope. it's their absolute worst. scraping the bottom of the barrel. and if you think it wasn't ross robinson's fault then you don't understand what a producer does. of course it's also heavily robert's fault for letting rr do whatever the hell it is he does.

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    11. Sean FludeMay 15, 2013 at 2:54 PM

      I agree that the self titled effort is a pig but I applaud the effort of trying to go somewhere new with their music. I imagine that with the addition of reeves I really think the cure will return to their impression of thin lizzy. I can't see where else it can go ?? Reeves is a wonderful musician but one dimensiional in his playing with a solid blues sound . Thats how it looks to me anyway. Whatever comes out . I will be listening. The cure are still my fave band. Although it doesn't hurt to reasses these things from time to time ...

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  3. XuanMay 9, 2013 at 2:52 PM

    It makes me wonder what the makeup of the band would be like if Robinson was not there and how the album would have sounded like. Would Roger stayed with The Cure for 4:13 Dream album and tour with Porl? Would have Perry stayed or been fired still? We will never know.

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    1. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 3:07 PM

      Some decisions were clearly linked with "RR chapter". But some have nothing to do with it. But it's only Robert's business and he wants to keep these things for himself.

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  4. MorrisMay 9, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    I kind of look at it as Ross got some good results by being very confrontational and violent early in his career with high energy bands. (they talk about him acting like that in Dave Grohl's flick Sound City) --- and it seems to be the only tool in his limited bag of "tricks".

    Competency doesn't equal complacency...

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  5. MarcoMay 9, 2013 at 4:43 PM

    The first half of "the cure", with the excepition of my most hated cure song "the end of the world" is really impressive: lost, labirinth, before 3, anniversary...on the second half we have the promise e going nowhere. As for WMS the big mistake is the tracklist...some bsides are far better than the songs that we have on the record.

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  6. JamesMay 9, 2013 at 5:33 PM

    I love some songs on The Cure, I dislike others. However, all the live shows I saw before that album were great, and all the lives shows I saw from that album onwards were dreadful, only being restored to former glory (and possibly moved on a step) with the introduction of Reeves Gabrels. Whether or not this is because of line-up changes resulting from tensions caused by those Ross Robinson sessions, we'll never know, unless the band tell us. I would really love a new album now though. And a Wish deluxe edition. And a Reflections DVD. And the LatAm tour on Blu-Ray...

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  7. después del accidenteMay 9, 2013 at 7:43 PM

    lol The Promise sucks, I hate that song, stretched music with no idea and pathetic lyrics. I think they pretended to do a new Watching me fall and they failed.
    But I don't think is a bad album, like a lot Lost, Before three, Taking off, Going nowhere and maybe Anniversay.
    But I just think The Promise sucks.

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  8. perfect.murderMay 10, 2013 at 2:11 AM

    A patchy album that i revisited recently..There are some great songs on it (Lost, Labyrinth, Going Nowhere), but it also has, in my opinion, the worst Cure song ever (Never)....and some of the best b-sides(or double a-sides as always...This morning/Fake)....Could have been great but doesn't hold up as a whole album. Ross who?????

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  9. curesunshineMay 10, 2013 at 3:03 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. curesunshineMay 10, 2013 at 3:08 AM

    i liked that album. at least to me it was better than 4:13 dream. that to me is the cures worst album. i hope next album doesnt sound poorly produced and lazy. thats just me. and yes ross robinson is known for being like that. a bit too much i think.

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  11. GCS1May 10, 2013 at 7:15 AM

    those were the days where we could discuss about the quality of an album. now we can only dream of a new album. this makes me really sad and angry from time to time;-(

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  12. AnonymousMay 10, 2013 at 8:45 AM

    guess thats why the record he produced for them was pure shite ~ their worst ever, imo

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  13. AndrewV127May 10, 2013 at 9:02 AM

    It's an interesting chapter in The Cure's history. We often think of Trilogies in relation to similar Cure albums and I think the self titled album, along with Wish and 4:13 Dream form The Cure's Rock trilogy.

    I like the album much better than Bloodflowers which I find to be flat and more than a little dull. The self titled sounds like The Cure, beaten up, drunk and screaming at 4am and that's why I like it and others hate it. It's different.

    It's just a shame almost all of the best songs to come from those sessions were either never released or put out as B-sides. Please Come Home, Strum, A Boy I Never Knew, Truth Goodness and Beauty. If you add those to Lost, Before Three, Going Nowhere and you have a stunning album.

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  14. Christian LeBlancMay 10, 2013 at 9:12 AM

    I find that I really like this album a lot more now, than when it came out. Seeing them during Curiosa helps a lot, as it means I got to see them play a bunch of songs live that they'll never play again (for better or worse).

    But to be honest, 4:13 Dream is what made me appreciate the self-titled better :P

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  15. ScottMay 10, 2013 at 9:22 AM

    From a recording musician's standpoint, there is NEVER a good reason to coerce a perfomer with nasty behavior. It's childish in the least and barbaric and cruel at most. I love this album a lot. I agree, Never is their worst song (maybe next to cut here), but the worst part is the production. HORRIBLE producer RR was. Unbalanced stereo mix, muddy then thinned out keyboards, vocal is too loud and he has Robert using his live vocal style for almost all the tracks. I found the production to be completely unimaginative. Now not only that, I know he's an @sshole for attacking Roger. Fulfilling the typical stereotype of a metal/rock person that thinks keyboards are not important...

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  16. MRXMay 10, 2013 at 10:36 AM

    I blame him for the result of The cures worst album. The sound is just wrong. Just take "Before three" as an example and compare it with the live version. i´m sry but it sounds so much better live.

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    1. ShawnMay 10, 2013 at 6:26 PM

      Everything from the self-titled album sounds better live.

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  17. parallelextinctionMay 10, 2013 at 10:15 PM

    Is there any way to get a copy of Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the U.S.? I haven't been able to find it.

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    1. parallelextinctionMay 10, 2013 at 10:17 PM

      Or these: Please Come Home, Strum, A Boy I Never Knew

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    2. AndrewV127May 10, 2013 at 11:18 PM

      Those three were never officially released. They can be found on youtube and I'm sure a few guys on here have download links to them (If not, send me an email and I'll send them to you).

      A Boy I Never Knew was re-recorded during the 4:13 Dream sessions but not released again, saved for the 'dark' album. A new version of Please Come Home was also rumored to on that album.

      Such a shame as now at seems they will never see an official release.

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    3. parallelextinctionMay 11, 2013 at 7:40 AM

      Cool. How do I send you an email?

      Delete
    4. UnknownMay 11, 2013 at 6:41 PM

      Here is a dropbox link to the songs. Any objections to me posting this link please delete this post.

      https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qnnaoujs3cwi3ex/q8GyBGxGF0

      Delete
    5. parallelextinctionMay 11, 2013 at 7:15 PM

      Thanks, that is super nice of you! Any chance you also have "Going Nowhere"? I can't buy that in the U.S. either.

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    6. DetlefMay 12, 2013 at 1:44 AM

      Thank you!

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    7. AndrewV127May 12, 2013 at 10:52 AM

      Going Nowhere is a little bit of a grey area for me as that song is available to buy in certain territories, so posting it would be illegal. The other songs were never released and many would argue are nothing but bootlegs.

      Delete
    8. parallelextinctionMay 12, 2013 at 12:34 PM

      That's OK. I will figure out how to buy it someday! Thanks!

      Delete
    9. notherbobMay 17, 2013 at 3:12 AM

      It's come to my attention after listening to the above Dropbox tracks (two of which I hadn't heard before) that from WMS onward, the B sides to album singles have generally been better/stronger songs than tracks that have made the cut of the album and I strongly believe the whiole dynamics of those albums would have improved greatly with the inclusion of those tracks..
      Sure I know most albums consist of about 30 odd songs and are whittled down from there.. I would just love to know who makes those final decisions, especially when it came to self titled/ 4:13 albums..
      With the earlier albums I understand Robert was loathe to have those B sides as album tracks as he was either not comfortable with how the lyrics worked or didn't quite fit with the rest of the collection of songs (Too Late springs to mind for Disintegration haha!) but the most recent B sides are so powerful and "together"

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  18. TheCure-CollectorMay 11, 2013 at 3:57 AM

    I like 'Labyrinth', 'Anniversary', 'Us or them', 'Fake', 'This morning', 'A boy I never knew', 'Please come home' and 'Strum' from this session.
    Robinson's idea was that the band members play their instruments at the same time with minimal (multitrack) overdubs. This recording method similar their first album (TIB) recording session. The selftitled album was a new beginning in the band's life (after their FICTION era).
    The reason of the 'poor' sound quality of this album was Robert's idea: he liked how the 'rough mixes' sounded. It remained the final mix.

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  19. the Big GingeMay 11, 2013 at 4:18 AM

    i've listened to this album so much trying to like it - i agree the first half has better songs than the 2nd - IDKWGO could have been a great Cure single but the instruments are just a muddy mush. on the DVD Ross appears to spend much of his time stood in front of the drum kit fantasizing about being a drummer. I'm surprised anyone will hire him after this album.

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  20. AnonymousMay 12, 2013 at 1:00 AM

    I give a 8/10.

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  21. MRXMay 13, 2013 at 12:56 PM

    Even if dislike WMS , and consider it being the worst cure album. It still has my respect for being a cure album. then take into account that i don´t have the album "the cure". on my list as being The Cure. It doesnt even sound like The Cure for me.

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  22. Ryan.NMay 15, 2013 at 12:27 PM

    yeah I've heard this before. I heard atleast Robert was quite pleased with him though. although I can't imagine yelling at someone and throwing things can invoke deep personal emotions but simply just annoy...

    as for me I like the cure album better than 4:13. probably cuz it's more of a rock album and I'm more inclined to rock music then most synth pop...

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  23. JrockMay 16, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    I think it's time for Robert and the boys to redeem themselves for the last two so-so albums by releasing the infamous "Dark" album and/or by putting together some new material with Reeves. It's obvious to me that they still have the passion as evidenced by their recent tours, even if they were mostly fesivals.

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