Sunday, March 22, 2020

Lazy Sunday recommendation amidst impending doom!

note: misanthropaganda is so much more fun when you view it on your desktop or laptop. Your tablet is fine I guess, as is your phone, but for full enjoyment and understanding of the artist's (ha ha) vision, take my suggestion. It gives the posts a look that's a bit more reminiscent of an old 90's fanzine layout, which is the whole point of this bullshit blog...

tell me to take my recommendation and stick it straight up my ass by emailing me at misanthropaganda@yahoo.com



Since really there isn't much to do amidst COVID quarantine but wait for the avenging angel to knock at your front door and sneeze on you, I've got a suggestion for some dope entertainment on a lazy, pre-apocalyptic Sunday. This is definitely one for the Smart TV crowd as I'm afraid that the miniscule screen of your phone or tablet won't do this stunning concert film justice.

Notice the use of the term 'concert film'. To dismiss The Cure In Orange with a term as pedestrian as 'concert footage' would be a huge mischaracterization, if not a total disrespect. This flawless marriage of music and cinematography was filmed over the course of a three night stint in August of 1986 at Theatre antique d'Orange. This is a Roman amphitheatre built in the first century AD in the French countryside of Orange, Vaucluse. (The Romans occupied what was known as Gaul, which you today know as France, you dummy!) Between the atmosphere implied by that magnificent ancient structure, the impeccable natural lighting of the setting sun as the show kicked off and director Tim Pope's gifted eye, this film is a perfect storm for this band to be showcased. It brings The Cure to life -a band whose work speaks for itself, but isn't exactly known for or presumed to not have a dynamic live performance. Meanwhile, if you're looking for dynamic performance, just look at the crowd slamming around and going bonkers to the masters of melancholy all throughout their set. You really can't take your eyes off of the screen for a moment's time, it's that compelling.

There should not be a single fan of The Cure, old or new, that has not seen this. The boys do material spanning up until The Head On The Door, which was completed and released in 1985, a year prior to the filming of this. The recording is lush, clear, and differs only from the studio versions in tempo which seemed a tad bit suped up that night compared to how the cuts sound originally. Also, Lol Tolhurst's keyboards were mixed a bit louder than previously heard on record, which actually makes for fantastic versions of "Play For Today" and "Primary", two songs which I otherwise don't really care for that much. It's so odd that this was never released in audio format as it would probably rank amongst the greatest live albums ever. 

So snuggle up on your couch with a drink, a joint, a hypodermic, whatever, and relax to this. This won't necessarily convert the uninitiated (the Pornography album should undoubtedly take care of that), but if you're already a fan this will cast your appreciation for The Cure in stone...

Here are the links so that you smelly little pinks can viddy well...





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