1980 is technically still the 70s. This song was made in the 70s. In the 80s songs like this disappeared because they werent commercial enough. You folks often attribute to the 80s things that were from the 70s or 90s. Everything you complain about today began and were implemented in force in the 80s. Foday the record companies just repeat what was common practice in the 80s. The misguided nostalgia for the 80s is the strangest thing that exists today. It's so weong it is not even wrong, it is worse than wrong.
Big 80s Cure fan here- yes I actually can- "She Past Away" gets very close (whether by coincidence are explicitely trying I don't know) as does Placebo from the 90s (still active today). See She Past Away - Rituel (Wednesday dance) or "EXIT 2022 | She Past Away Live at Visa Fusion Stage FULL SHOW".
So envious. They only came to Australia twice in the 80s, once in 1980 (I was a bit young) and 1984 (I was in hospital a lot that year) Gutted I never saw them tbh
@@nihilistlivesmatter You obviously misunderstood what I meant by that. And no, It is not my favourite band. But I do appreciate quality music when I hear it.
The Cure didn't become bouncy and radio-friendly until about their fourth album. Their early albums are a really rich gloom-laden goth trip, and IMO far better than their later work. Coincidentally, today I attended the funeral of Martin Phillipps, the lead singer and songwriter of one of New Zealand's top bands, The Chills (61 - far too young). Their first hit, "Pink Frost" is often compared to "A Forest" - simpler bass, but the song is propelled in a very similar way.
Oh I listened to Pink Frost recently via a reaction, in tribute to Martin. Also did u know The Cure has grouped Pornography with Disintegration and Bloodflowers? That could be a good intro to their later stuff. My fav Cure albums are Head On The Door, Kiss Me (x3), Pornography but I do like most of their stuff. First song I heard was Let's Go To Bed
@@jamesdignanmusic2765 True, from then on, they balanced the pop with the gloom much more evenly than the very dark Faith, Pornography, and Seventeen Seconds.
@@mightyV444 I always had a joke "Simon Gallup is one of my favourite bass players... but he isn't even The Cure's best bass player" 😉 (Listen to the bass on The Associates 'Party Fears Two'). However, the live version of Jumping Someone Else's Train which segued into Another Journey By Train which Simon did play on was always a favourite of mine. Live 'A Forest' used to morph into 'Three' and back again. The morphed version of 'Three' eventually became known as the live song 'Forever'.
The Cure is fantastic live. They were my first concert when I saw them on their Wish tour. I've seen them several times since, and they always dig deep into their older music, especially as they come out for encore after encore. They perform so spot on and put together, and the whole show is just one big feel.
You are witnessing the birth of gothic music. The following two albums are the pinnacle of that for me. It’s all I listened to during my teens, along with Siouxsie, Bauhaus and Sisters.
And you’re right: it takes way more than a couple of songs to get this band. Their pallette is broooaaad! All their 1980’s albums sound like a different, expanding take on Robert Smith’s songwriting and production ideas. Yes, he’s produced most of their albums himself on his own budget, and you can hear it expanding from the bare bones minimalism of their first two albums to the grandiose, multi-layered sound of Kiss Me (1987) and Disintegration (1989). There’s nothing like them really. You’re in for a real treat exploring The Cure. Enjoy 😊
@@not12listen yea those ‘acid’ albums can be pretty heavy for an unprepared ear. One never forgets hearing them, though. I was genuinely frightened first time I heard the Pornography album. It quickly grew to be one of my favorites, not just from the Cure but in the whole canon of Rock Music™️. The Top is good too, but quite deranged. Sonds like a new band for each song (fun fact: except for the drums, the whole album is played and sung by Robert Smith alone with just an engineer recording). I think drugs had a lot to do with it.
@@peroskarstorholm4196 I know what you mean - frightened was exactly how I felt - especially hearing the title track in the dark. The Top is interesting because (as you mentioned) Robert played all the bass lines on that album - it's interesting contrasting his style with Simon. He had some really good bass lines on there. I also love Roberts bass playing on Lets go To Bed - it's really different to anything else the Cure has done. :)
@@zoeherriot Andy Anderson’s drumming should not be overlooked there. He bangs the drums really hard and tight on both The Top and the ‘Concert’ live album from the tour that followed it. Quite a different feel in the rythm section both before and after it with Phil Thornalley (co-producer on Pornography) on bass too. Much more rigid, but also really powerful. They were both session guys, but session guys do tend to do their job well. Simon Gallup is the definitive bassist in The Cure, though. His feel for both melody and groove is quite unique and crucial to their sound. It’s definitely not the same band without him.
@@peroskarstorholm4196 Andy's drumming was amazing. I remember the first time hearing Shake Dog Shake, it was like gun fire. Such a contrast to the simple rhythms that had come before. There is a great live show - Live in Tokyo - on RU-vid, and he nails it there. So yeah - Simon is definitely THE bassist for The Cure. But you can see why Robert hired him. They have a similar sensibility when it comes to bass. I mean, Robert writes some of Simon's baselines (at least a rough sketch from what we hear in the home demo's) and Simon just elevates them. Then there are the Simon compositions - which are - quintessential Cure. I'm so glad he didn't end up leaving the band. Honestly - one of the most epic sounds I have ever heard, was seeing the Wish Tour - when they played End. It opens with that drop D bass riff. You can kinda get a sense of it on RU-vid listening to the version from the Show video. But holy hell, in person that shook my soul.
15 years old.... 11.00 pm...john peel show on my ghetto blaster... through headphones ... on a school night and this track came on!!! Nearly 60 now & I've never got bored with it! A totally eerie, hauntingly atmospheric piece of music 🎶 👌
@@twoturntables9153 Wouldn't say 'downhill', just lighter, more poppy & a lot less feeling of focus. Up through Disintegration their albums all seemed to be a single continuous vibe, def moody. I think the history is that since then Robert Smith just got generally happier in life & less dark which might be why all their more recent stuff just seems all over the place.
Glad you tapped into this as it is a baseline that has absolutely never lost its vibe in the 40 years I’ve been listening to it, but it is a bit simple for your type of breakdown. Now, Primary on the other hand. That’s a track you should give a listen to. Double bass line absolute punk rock punch!
I was thinking about how I’m always saying there are songs with baselines you should try (and I’ve got a few more to suggest) but I wanted to make sure you understood how much I appreciate that you’re doing this series. It is really a pleasure to watch and your enthusiasm and interpretation is refreshing and entertaining! Here’s to you achieving a gold play button someday soon!
The Cure has a huge range, and outside the radio format they are well known for their deep, despairing songs and goth rock cred. The pop songs are more an anomaly, albeit one that pays the bills. They tend to pop up on albums as a bit of bittersweet sunshine between the rainstorms.
There's a couple of tracks that use two bass VI's and a 4 string bass. High and Letter To Elise being two - but I think even Friday I'm in Love has three basses in it.
9:55 It does serve as an excellent driving song. Imagine you're in college in the mid 90's in the US PNW. You've spent the weekend partying in Bellevue and you're on your way back to school in Idaho. You're doing 90mph down a rural WA highway in a Datsun station wagon at astronomical dusk. You're eating, smoking and shifting with your right hand, steering with your left... and completely lost in another place. Thank you, Robert Smith.
This song was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years - not certain you'll ever get it if you didn't discover it at the time - but for those of us that were there its one of the best.
The Cure's catalogue has a HUGE amount of deep cuts. Sure, their most well known songs are Lovesong, Friday I'm in Love, Lullaby, Lovecats etc...and those are GREAT songs...but I think you'll get a real kick out of diving in to their entire catalogue. It spans a huge spectrum of "genres" and vibes. The box set "Connecting the Dots" contains a wonderful selection of B sides and one offs too.
one of my all time favourite songs by anyone, especially live where they speed up and slow down and mix up the intensity of the music for up to 15 minutes. I often feel tearful from the tension between the layers of sound and the 'running in the forest' vibe and the vocals. It feels like a physical experience, ending with a solo heartbeat out of the maelstrom. thanks for your breakdown,
When I was in college I worked at a rock store at the local mall and one of my coworkers was a huge Cure fan… She was so beautiful and she would just stand at the register and dance to this song… To this day I think I still crush on her, and it’s been 20 years!
The end bass resides in my soul. So comforting to hear that absolute delivery. So personal. Cant stand to listen anymore cause its too depressing. Saw them at Wembley in 1988.
So many great bass lines in The Cure’s catalog! Close To Me or Fascination Street would be great ones to check out too. Also, young Robert Smith is tripping me out 😂
There is a live version of the song from 84 or something where they play a ten minute version of it with improvised lyrics. They have been told it‘s their last song after 15 minutes and they are pissed. Robert Palmer is up next. Legend has it that Palmer‘s roadies threw their stuff offstage afterwards. I mean they ended with „fuck Robert Palmer, fuck rock‘n roll!“ 😂
Yup - that's a legendary concert - I think that's the Werchter festival 1981. I saw them live in 1992 and it was one of the best versions of a forest, around 14 minutes? It's on RU-vid - from the Show video / Wish Tour.
The OG trinity of the cure is the three albums 17 seconds, Faith and Pornography. Absolutely dark haunting as you will get for a pop band from the 80s truly a must listen and a gate way into those albums often begins for many is the song A Forest great work. Also a nugget I believe one of the guitarist ended up playing for Ultra Vox which made a nice dent in alternative 80s pop as well
This band is emotionally complex! Simon is a big part of their sound a lot of the time (that's something that I like about this band...something different). This whole record is amazing. It's atmospheric in a way that I've never heard anywhere else. It's such an eerie, cold atmosphere; I love it. Very cool record.
Robert plays baritone guitar??? I never knew that existed until I borrowed one for guitar lessons at the music shop one day. Let’s just say, I broke the top string just as my teacher realized what I had in my hand while trying to tune it.
Great analysis! If you have time, check out the live versions of A Forest, there are a few legendary ones, like the Werchter Festival version from 1981, or the Show version from 1992, or even a proto-version from the Paris show in 1979, where it still was called At Night had different lyrics and a much faster tempo, but to see them perform this song live is a delight.
This song was actually their biggest hit till they adopted a poppier sound in 83. I was in high school when this came out, and judging by our reaction, it was very popular with the teens! Definitely an early new-wave classic.
If I’m not mistaken in Primary Robert plays a Fender VI and Simon a PBass as he always did until 1982 where he switched to a Rickenbacker 4001 for the Pornography album.
You are the third reviewer of The Cure that I have seen today mentioning how they set a musical mood that supports Robert's words. They do that SO well.
The Cure are so much about the base. And the sound. Robert Smith is such an extraordinary guitarist. I love so many of their songs. I've seen them live twice.
The Cure are one of those bands that I haven't ever gone out of my way to listen to, but when I hear them I enjoy their stuff. You talked about kind of a melancholy feeling in this song, and made me think of the band Interpol and some of their songs. You should check them out, preferably their older stuff when Carlos Dengler was their bass player. The song "The New" has always been one of my favorites from him.
Dude you are nailing this - so interesting to hear a breakdown of what is going on. I've always been mesmerized by this song since the 80s-90s. The Cure are amazing. Love your open take on all these bands and great songs! BTW you should check out the live version of this from the concert film The Cure in Orange, it's even cooler.
Love that you love it. You are a geniun music lover and musician. Ive seen lots of your videos and this one was special. Keep on rocking with the channel and lets us join you. Thank you!
the 1st time I listened to that song I hallucinated and I immediately knew the guitar would be my forever instrument, I have listened to that song as no any other I never repeated a song to many times, this is my favorite song of all times
The best bands, especially those that are in the Hall of Fame, can produce both styles of music. The Forrest is deep and entrancing, while their mainstream songs are more peppy and catchy while still providing abundant quality and skill that reveals how good they are within their musical spectrum. The Cure has an outstanding spectrum for which they traverse back and forth. They are that good! You’re right deep subtleties.
I had the great privilege of playing my chosen sport to a good level about 40 years ago. I had a walkman with a repeat cycle of 'A Forest' the cure, 'Totally wired' the fall and 'Transmission' joy division to prepare me for a match. This got me mentally prepared. These songs still have that effect!
Every time I hear someone say they never really got into the cure it’s usually because they only have heard their radio songs which I’ve never been a huge fan of. Their early darker stuff is what everyone should listen to to get the real cure sound
Greg vid brother. This is one of my favorite cure songs. Not a huge fan of theirs overall, but damn they have some bangers and were certainly a huge part of the musical landscape as I was coming up.
I've loved them since the early 80's, mainly for what you're pointing out - the mustic is non-formulaic and doesn't go where you think it would. A trip. Refreshing. Art.
This is from 1980 and they were 20-21 yrs old here and they had just started to achieve their own sound. Only one guitar, no baritone yet, just much more minimal. Bear in mind that you’re seeing Gallup mime for this video and the sound doesn’t necessarily have so much with what you’re seeing. He usually plays with a pick. In fact this is the only video I’ve seen him playing with his fingers and his finger technique is obviously much sloppier than what you hear on the recording.
Great reaction!! I absolutely love the bass - for me it's what draws me in to the rhythm of the song, so The Cure is a perfect group to find this! Simon Gallup is a tremendous player. I highly recommend listening (and maybe reacting to) their track Fascination Street - the bassline in that is stellar. Cheers!
This great song is one from their beginning and exists in many versions. My favourite is the Tree-Mix from the "mixed-up" album that brought some silly disco-style remixes. But THE FOREST remix is awesome.
I love how you applied the repetitive nature of the music (and that it doesn't "go anywhere") to the lyrics. It's a statement piece from the band for sure.
You really need to hear it live. The song has evolved, since 17 seconds. The message is the search for beauty in the darkness. its fundamental in nialism. Mr Smith was reading alot of phylosophy then. Great video 🖤
I think a The Cure song to check out from that same time period would be Primary. Which is, if I'm not mistaken, just two duelling basses with flange pedals and a drummer.
This song inspired me to try to play music. I got out my dad’s old Spanish nylon string guitar and started trying to figure out the bass notes. I was amazed when I could actually play the part (sort of). That led me to play bass for a few years and then I switch to guitar but Robert Smith was a huge inspiration
I love the whole album "starring at the sea". We heard it in our youth at the beach drinking beer and smoking cherry flavoured pipe. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful time it was...
Yeah, I always took the bass throughout to be like a heartbeat of someone running through a dark forest, chasing someone or something, that stutters when the runner stops.
I have seen them play this song live a few times all back in the 80's and 90's, some versions felt like about 12 o r13 minutes long and where among the best live music moments I ever experienced.
I was so happy to see this one arrive. I dyed my hair black on the back of buying the Standing on a Beach LP which, I discovered, was something I should have discussed with my dear old Mum & Dad. The next time, I dyed it blue ... on the basis that it wasn't black. Teenager logic.
Robert smith frequented a pub up the road from me in udimore, East Sussex, which makes the cover of standing on a beach make sense, a fisherman on Hastings beach .
Hey Mark! First of all, thank you so much for doing these videos and deconstructing some of my favorite music. I find it's much easier for me to learn music theory if it's applied to actual music examples. These videos feel like a cool bass hang session with some fun learning thrown in. Please keep up the great work! Please do an analysis of "The Hanging Garden" by the Cure
Despair… there ya go! You are getting it. There is a reason The Cure is a touchstone of Goth culture. This is the dark baby. Loss, pain, solitude, despair, etc. I would suggest you listen to the entirety of the album Disintegration. Smoke a joint, listen to the album in a dark room. And then with enough listens….. you will get it.
If you truly want to see the depths of The Cure and their melancholy/depression vibe, I strongly suggest checking out the album Pornography from 1982. To me, it is their greatest album, but it is absolutely not their most popular. If you want to experience the 'mat hattery' of exploration, check out the album The Top from 1984. It's a wild trip!
Their first live album (Concert: The Cure Live) is a great recording of their 1984 gigs. The cassette (Google it if necessary younger folks) came with a double B-side of rarities from the 70's called Anomalies and Curiousities. Their 70's and 80's stuff was gloomy, dark, catchy in a slow way and thoroughly excellent music. Joy Division had a similarly dark but musically excellent sound.
Simon Gallup is a pick player - This video clip has been the only occasion EVER on which I've seen him play fingerstyle! You can also clearly hear that the bass was recorded with a pick. Interestingly, in a second clip they'd filmed on the same day, just with the lights on ('Play For Today'), he does use a pick, as usual. He's one of my favourite bassists and had been a big influence on me when I'd started playing, now 40 years ago 🙂
@@zoeherriot - You have good memory! 😀 He does, and one can see it for only a short moment 🙂 And playing fingerstyle simply isn't everyone's cuppa, I guess; I use a pick 80% of the time myself, as it feels much more natural to me 🙂
@@mightyV444 I have been watching Cure videos for over 35 years now - it's less of a good memory and more of a bad habit. ;) But I'm the same. I was in a Cure cover band for a few years, and I usually played bass. And those bass lines feel most natural played with the pick. But I always played Lovesong with fingers. Helped with the string skipping. ;) Interesting fact about Lovesong - it was apparently inspired heavily by The Church's Under The Milky Way. And if you listen to The Church's album Priest=Aura - it has some really interesting bass lines - and all of them are played on the Bass VI.
@@zoeherriot - Interesting! I'd always thought it was the other way around and 'Under The Milky Way Tonight' had been inspired by 'Lovesong'! 😀 I'm glad Robert omitted any bagpipe sounds in the latter! 😅
