The Cure (Michael Dempsey, Simon Gallup, Phil Thornally)

[boristhespider7]

Full on bass

V cool...2 basses, although it always helps if you plug them in
Seriously though, great track

 

[robbroncs]

The Cure - yes! This here was my first proper bass line:

T

ha! same here. i think this was the first thing i ever learned to played on a bass.

 

[robbroncs]

I saw them a few times in that era (late 80's). The last concert I saw was during the Disintegration tour. (I don't care much for what they recorded after...)
They were great concerts. This said, I wish I could have seen them in a more intimist setting than in a mega venue where people scream at the top of their lungs the whole time...

i've seen them 9 times since the wish tour. and i can honestly say this past tour was the best i've ever seen them perform. one new song and the rest were hits and rarities. It's a must to see them now. they are in some seriously polished state & top form

 

[Raman]

i've seen them 9 times since the wish tour. and i can honestly say this past tour was the best i've ever seen them perform. one new song and the rest were hits and rarities. It's a must to see them now. they are in some seriously polished state & top form

They were here this year and I passed. Maybe I'll consider it next time.
There's another reason why I'm reluctant to see them, or any such band, live. In my experience, the crowds that go to big shows from popular bands mostly want to have a good time and yell at the top of their lungs. In the end, what you get to hear is 50% the music and 50% the crowd going frantic or people around you trying to chat together by screaming over the music. It's pretty much been my experience the last times. Oppositely, I like to contemplatively immerse myself in the music. So I end up being frustrated more than anything else. For this reason, I tend to only go at shows from lesser known bands that attract real music aficionados.

 

[Raman]

Probably the most basscentric rock piece ever.
Nothing in this piece of music can be conceived without the bass.
This has nothing to do with Joy Division or any other post-punk band.
The bass is structural. It's the founding and ultimate pillar.

 

[freedomryder]

HUGE Cure fan here!
I saw Lol Tolhurst last week at a book signing event in Seattle. He told a few stories and read a little from his book that just came out. Really fun event. I can't wait to read his book!
"The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys"
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[Lepparda]

I believe I read somewhere that at one time Robert Smith covered guitar for a Siouxsie and the Banshees tour once.?

He certainly did. It was on the 'Join Hands' Tour in 1979. I saw this tour and he played with The Cure as the support band and then came back on with The Banshees. The latter were just hitting their straps a this time with Budgie on drums and Steve Severin on bass.

 

[ERIC31]

He joined the Banshees again in 1983-84 on the LP Hyaena and can be heard and seen on the Nocturne cd-dbl LP and live video easily found on YouTube.

 

[Strachan]

Ressurecting this ancient thread.
The Cure were a huge influence on me as well and latterly as I crash towards 50 in February, I've been playing a lot more Cure on my bass.
Ive pretry much nailed the Gallup sound especially around the mid 80s ..cheating using my Zoom B1xfour emulating the Boss pedals and Ampeg SVT Gallup uses to get the tone.
Guitar wise I've used both my Nanyo SB300 which now has a Glockenklang pre amp on board and my wee Ibanez Mikro bass which actually does a great job of Gallup compositions because tje small neck makes sliding a doddle. It also plays a lot better with a pick than fingers.

So question..
How to emulate Michael on the Album 3 Imaginary Boys. Listen to Object (IMHO one of the best Cure songs of any period and especially the punk phase). The bass line pops wonderfully with that stark.tone of the whole album.
What's he using? P bass dialled down on the tone?
Any pedals?
What do you guys think
Heres a link to the Spotify

 

[BassVibes]

Ressurecting this ancient thread.
The Cure were a huge influence on me as well and latterly as I crash towards 50 in February, I've been playing a lot more Cure on my bass.
Ive pretry much nailed the Gallup sound especially around the mid 80s ..cheating using my Zoom B1xfour emulating the Boss pedals and Ampeg SVT Gallup uses to get the tone.
Guitar wise I've used both my Nanyo SB300 which now has a Glockenklang pre amp on board and my wee Ibanez Mikro bass which actually does a great job of Gallup compositions because tje small neck makes sliding a doddle. It also plays a lot better with a pick than fingers.

So question..
How to emulate Michael on the Album 3 Imaginary Boys. Listen to Object (IMHO one of the best Cure songs of any period and especially the punk phase). The bass line pops wonderfully with that stark.tone of the whole album.
What's he using? P bass dialled down on the tone?
Any pedals?
What do you guys think
Heres a link to the Spotify

On stage he used a Guild B301. So could well be that in the studio. He used the Guild later on with the Associates. It's a pretty simple tone the album to me with very few effects. Great baselines throughout his cure period.

 

[Strachan]

Great, thanks for that tip - it's a starting point - I will see what I can find as an emulation for the 301