The Cure: Trilogy - Live In Berlin [Blu-ray]

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late `70s, The Cure was one of the most enduring and popular. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith, the band became notorious for their slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance. But the public image often hid the diversity of the Cure'smusic.This Blu-ray is a Trilogy of Cure albums, Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers, that were performed in three successive night in 2002. All tracks reflect the original release. Now CURE Fans can experience, what not to long ago was just heard and imagined, the full Cure.
An ambitious yet practical idea, Trilogy underscores the tonal and lyrical connections between three of the Cure's darkest albums in the last 20 years. The restless, ever-changing band, fronted by goth-gloomster Robert Smith, took up residence at the Tempodrom Berlin for a couple of nights in late 2002 for the express purpose of playing the group's 1982 Pornography, 1989's Disintegration, and 2000's Bloodflowers live and in their entirety. Whether it was a good idea or not depends on one's point of view. All three sets are long on droning, funereal rhythm sections, thick guitar lines that carry good pop melodies to overstylized destruction, and Smith's own cracked, morose vocals. On the other hand, fine distinctions emerge: The Disintegration portion of the show is lightest on its feet, with lush orchestration on "Plainsong," a hint of swing on "Lovesong," and cinematic tendencies in the stirring "The Same Deep Water as You." The rest of the concert is numbing. --Tom Keogh