Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75246 in Digital Music Album
• Published on: 2008-06-10
• Released on: 2008-06-10
• Running time: 0 seconds

Customer Reviews

Easily fits in with The Cure's other hits....sort of
After giving us a dose of familiar, lush Cure-pop with 'The Only One' last month, The Cure head into a more danceable and rhythmic direction with 'Freakshow'. All 2:32 long of this song are packed with energy and drive as opposed to the laconic and wistful singles of yesteryear (and yestermonth, actually). To a point one could almost say 'Freakshow' has a definite jazzy, R&B vibe to it without having to sound like either genre directly. The rhythm section (long-time bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Jason Cooper) keep a groove-heavy, stop-start beat while Porl Thompson's wah-wah treated lead guitar nimbly weaves in and out of the mix. Smith's vocals are the icing on the cake; as frenetic and herky-jerky as the rhythm. The b-side, 'All Kinds Of Stuff' is an upbeat rocker, that while not quite as frantic as say 'Shiver And Shake' is a close cousin to 'Cut' from the 'Wish' album. The b-side explores more angsty territory ("So maybe I took too much/ Maybe I lost my touch/ Maybe I'm all kinds of stuff/ Maybe...") and backs it up with a fast tempo and more fierce guitar playing.

'Freakshow' is now appearing in The Cure's current tour as an encore, usually played with older classics like 'Why Can't I Be You?' and 'Close To Me' to favorable, but still mixed reactions by the fans. Smith seems to be making the statement that this single easily stands up to his best dance hits, which it does.

How do you think fans who bought 'Pornography' felt when they heard 'Lets Go To Bed' about six months later? How did fans react to 'The 13th' after a four-year hiatus from recording new material? 'Freakshow' shows that this aging group of alternative rockers still have a few pleasant surprises and are more than willing to throw us a curveball every now and then.

Expanding the comfort zone
After hearing "The Only One," a pleasant enough song that's a clear rehash of other Cure singles, "Freakshow" really surprised me. It's a very adventurous, unique single that works within the Cure's sound but with a welcome new energy. It's most similar to "The Man Inside My Mouth" or other goofier mid-80's Cure songs, but it mostly sounds unlike anything they've done. A great, catchy song!

The B-side is well-matched, and it's also a great song. I'd given up on Cure B-sides, which haven't been exciting since Wild Mood Swings, and reached a low with the crap that backed their self-titled album. But "All Kinds of Stuff" actually has a tune! Good times.

At last a very "Cure" song after almost 25 years.
This is a great song like in the past 84-86's.... with great wha-wha guitars and great drumming lines.... very good style-sounding song....