Category: Curve

And so we reach the final part of this mini-series as after this, I don’t have any of Curve‘s later singles on vinyl.

Just over a year has passed since the remix of Horror Head, during which time Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday worked on writing songs for a new album.

The first of the new material appeared on 23 August 1993, consisting of a new single and four other tracks spread over 12″ vinyl and CD.   The release was called BlackerThreeTracker, and here was what was on the vinyl:-

mp3: Curve – Missing Link
mp3: Curve – On The Wheel
mp3: Curve – Triumph

Is it more of the same or is it different from what had come before?   My own take is that Curve had moved on from the more gothic nature of many of their earlier songs, but in doing so it feels as if they lost that special little hard-to-describe ingredient that made them so appealing.

Sadly, I don’t have any reviews from the weekly music papers to offer on this occasion to see if they agree with my take.  There are mixed reviews of their second album, Cuckoo, which was released a couple of weeks later and which included Missing Link as one of its ten tracks.  The new single did come in at #39 which was in keeping with many of the previous chart positions of EPs and singles, but the album only reached #23, which was twelve places lower than that of the debut.

It would all lead to a fair bit of disenchantment, and Curve broke up in early 1994, albeit they reformed a couple of years later, going on to release two further studio albums and a handful of singles, but they never managed to replicate the success of the initial era.

Here’s the promo video for Missing Link:-

JC

Curve’s debut album, Doppelgänger, may have come in at #11 but it was back outside the Top 75 within just three weeks.  It was actually the same for all the EPs and singles, with each of them entering at their highest position after the first week of release, and then dropping out of sight.

A similar pattern was experienced with the next single, a remix of one of the most popular and acclaimed tracks on the debut album.

mp3: Curve – Horror Head (remix)

The week prior to its release on 6 July 1992,  saw one of the NME staff writers, David Quantick, liaise with Mark E Smith to pen the pages that made up the Singles Review.  Here’s their take:-

DQ: It’s the Goth Eurythmics, with their patent phased whoosh of melody, mystery and more-money-than-Lush type production. Awesome but somewhat unengaging.

MES : Great bass. Are these the ones who gave us Single Of The Week for ‘Free Range’? That Curve… I saw them in a hotel in Birmingham. Didn’t talk to them. I wouldn’t have thought they’d sound like this. Good though. Bass is brilliant, innit? The vocals are over-produced. It is really 4AD, though, that innit? Good though.

Despite MES’s unexpected enthusiasm, Horror Head came in at #31 and then dropped to #69.

There were three new songs made available on the 12″ and CD releases:-

mp3: Curve – Falling Free
mp3: Curve – Mission From God
mp3: Curve – Today Is Not The Day

Falling Free is good fun….the sort of thing that would go down really well in the indie-goth disco.   Mission From God is more mid-paced, while Today Is Not The Day is almost a ballad and comes very close at times to Cocteau Twins territory.

Here’s the promo video:-

JC

The first sighting of Curve in 1992 came on 24 February with the new single, Faît Accompli.

Unlike the four earlier releases, this wasn’t an EP, containing just the three tracks on 12″ vinyl, and likewise the CD version.  There was no 7″ issued, but there was a second 12″ which came with an extended version of Faît Accompli, backed with two tracks recorded live at gigs in Manchester and London the previous year.

Here’s the review, lifted from Melody Maker:-

I HATE to be so predictable, but…

One of the more immediate tracks from the forthcoming “Doppelgänger” LP, “Faît Accompli” forsakes Curve’s usual sweet violence for a slinky radiance which sits well on them. It’s relaxed, playful almost – you can fair see the glint in Toni’s eye as she breathes, “I’ve come to crush your bones, I’ve come to make you feel good, I’ve come to mess with your head…” Oh well, if you must.

The business is developing a penchant for releasing singles in two completely different formats, and we’re likely in coming months to see some bogus examples of this. In the case of “Faît Accompli”, however, the approach is justified. The standard 12-inch version includes two new tunes on the B-side, “Arms Out” and “Sigh”, and this last is to Curve what “Justify My Love” was to Madonna: minimalistic, angular and something of a departure. Then there’s a second 12-inch, featuring a fractured, extended “dance mix” (interesting, though not necessarily essential) with live renditions of “Coast Is Clear” and “Die Like A Dog” on the flip (utterly, undeniably crucial).

“Faît Accompli” represents the first tangible sign of Curve being prepared to open out, live up to their name and get a bit elliptical. We still have much to look forward to from them, I suspect.

It was made single of the week, and while I don’t what else was reviewed that week, I’m happy enough to give this review three cheers, as Faît Accompli has long been my favourite track of theirs.

mp3: Curve – Faît Accompli
mp3: Curve – Arms Out
mp3: Curve – Sigh

This one went all the way to #22 in the charts, and proved to be the biggest hit that Curve would enjoy.  It also paved the way for debut album, Doppelgänger, to enter the charts at #11 just three weeks later.

While I don’t have a copy of the other 12″ single, I have picked up the extended version of Faît Accompli thanks to its inclusion on a later compilation CD.

mp3 : Curve – Faît Accompli (extended version)

Here’s the promo video:-

JC

The third Curve EP was Cherry, which came out on 28 October 1991.

I actually don’t have a copy of the 12″ version, but instead have picked it up on 10″ which seems actually to have one additional track beyond those found on the 12″.

Again, there were also CD and 7″ versions, with the latter having just two tracks, and it was referred to as Clipped, after its A-side.

Here’s a review, lifted from the NME:-

Applying the dance angle and being indie are probably mutually exclusive in these days of the return to indie rock (“We never had a dance element in our music” is the new mantra) but you’ve got to admire Curve’s bloody-mindedness. Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia have surrendered to the heady groove on their third outing, while retaining some deranged guitar-consciousness. The savagely sensual ‘Clipped’, the wistful and insistent ‘Die Like a Dog’, the accusatory ‘Galaxy’, and the weirder-than-thou ‘Cherry’ show they haven’t been resting on their laurels, are still gripped by the need to explore, even if the end-result is less ‘instant’ than ‘Frozen’.

The review in Melody Maker, where if you recall the previous Frozen EP had been made single of the week, is a tad snippy, offering the opinion of Curve being technically hard to fault but equally hard to adore.

Three EPs in, and the usual critical backlash had begun, although it is hard to argue with the NME’s conclusion that these songs are less instant than earlier efforts, but trust me, they are more than decent.

mp3: Curve – Clipped
mp3: Curve – Die Like A Dog
mp3: Curve – Galaxy
mp3: Curve – Cherry

The record buying public weren’t prepared to accept that the backlash against Curve should begin with this release, taking it to #36 in the charts.

The 10″ version of the EP also offered up a fresh take on one of the songs that had been included on the debut Blindfold EP, with a contribution from the rapper JC 001.

mp3 : Curve – I Speak Your Every Word (with JC 001)

Here’s the promo video for the lead track:-

JC

I’ve previously featured, on more than one occasion, the Blindfold EP, the debut released by Curve in March 1991.  I was rummaging around the cupboard full of vinyl recently and pulled out the various other Curve EPs that I’ve picked up at various times, all of them thankfully before the second-hand vinyl market started to get really stupid. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to draw each of them to your attention.

The Frozen EP was issued on 13 May 1991.   The picture above is of the gatefold sleeve (which is the one I have a copy of).  It was also issued with a standard 12″ sleeve, as well as on CD format and on 7″ vinyl.  The 7″ had just two tracks on it, and was referred to as Coast Is Clear, after its A-side.

Here’s a review of the EP, lifted from Melody Maker, where it was made single of the week:-

YES, they really are that good. Oh, I had my doubts, believe me. I wasn’t convinced by their debut. In fact, I had a whole tirade worked out about age and beauty and opportunism and how people who once consorted with Eurythmics should on no account be allowed near our hallowed ground however good they sound, because pop is so much more than just noise and melody. But somehow I found myself swept away with the first rush of guitar, sucked under into this glorious whirlpool of sound.

I’m going to be tacky and blunt for one second. Forgive me. This is like Cocteau Twins, if they’d gone commercial, or Lush, if they’d ever made a record that lived up to their live promise. There’s a section on the second song, second side, where Toni sings “Why do you grow inside me?” and it’s either the sexiest or most disturbing thing I’ve ever heard. Both, probably.

It feels so dumb trying to explain Curve in green and blue and similes.

It reached #34, and took Curve into the higher end of the singles charts for the first time.

mp3: Curve – Coast Is Clear
mp3: Curve – The Colour Hurts
mp3: Curve – Frozen
mp3: Curve – Zoo

Four excellent pieces of music.   But kind of like the MM reviewer, the one that really hits home most, as far as I’m concerned, is The Colour Hurts.

Here’s the promo video for the lead track

JC

 

Held over from last week to allow the update from Germany.

From 30 December 2013.  This one doesn’t have any decent sort of back story, but given it was originally posted when traffic to the blog is traditionally low, then some folk might have missed it first time round.  It’s worth it today for the cover versions alone.

It took me a long while to write about Curve over at the old blog, and when I did, it was as part of an occasional series on cover versions. It was a post which attracted a fair number of comments, and it is fair to say that there’s a few folk out there who remember the band with much fondness and who have never got over their lust for lead singer Toni Halliday.

For the uninitiated, Curve, comprising said Ms Halliday and multi-instrumentalist Dean Garcia, came together in Manchester in 1991. At a time when the Madchester sound (Happy Mondays/Stone Roses/James etc) was very much in full flow, Curve were something a bit different. The first few releases were EPs. The music press loved them, and they were championed by John Peel.

And yet….they didn’t ever quite turn the critical praise into popular acclaim and really meaningful sales, albeit the debut LP in 1992, Doppelganger, reached Number 11, while the follow-up, Cuckoo, went Top 30.

I love an awful lot about Curve, but especially the sound of Toni Halliday’s voice. In many places it reminds me of Elizabeth Fraser, and there’s no doubt that Shirley Manson of Garbage owes a lot to Toni.

Many fans consider that they never surpassed Blindfold, which was their debut EP:-

mp3 : Curve (feat. JC001) – Ten Little Girls
mp3 : Curve – I Speak Your Every Word
mp3 : Curve – Blindfold
mp3 : Curve – No Escape From Heaven

It was an astonishing debut in so many ways and while I can understand some folk thinking they never quite hit those heights again I’m willing to stand by a number of their later releases and say that they were equally good – especially this track:-

mp3 : Curve – Fait Accompli

Going back to the March 2007 posting, here’s the two covers that were featured:-

mp3 : Curve – I Feel Love
mp3 : Curve feat. Ian Dury – What A Waste

• The first song originally appeared on the NME album Ruby Trax and is a quite fantastic cover of the disco classic written by Giorgio Moroder and sung by Donna Summer. Evidence, if any were needed, that dance music need not be mindless pap.

The second song was recorded with Ian Dury himself, as part of a project called Peace Together that raised money for young people in Northern Ireland.

Enjoy!!

JC

I wasn’t too sure about having this is the series as I did feature it back in December 2013. But it’s simply to good to ignore…..

As I said back then, Curve came to prominence in Manchester at the beginning of the 90s at a time when the Madchester sound was in full flow. Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia offered up something rather different and much more challenging to listen to. Looking back over press cuttings that reviewed the debut EP, Blindfold, you can see there was near unanimous acclaim. Stuart Maconie in NME describes the music as “comprising biker torch songs” while guest reviewer Julian Cope said the singing “reminded him of an indie Kate Bush.”

Melody Maker said the singer was “gifted with Deborah Harry’s bitchiness, Sinead O’Conner’s rage, Rose Carlotti’s perversity, Harriet Wheeler’s sensitivity and Liz Fraser’s timeless glow and that she was doubly fortunate that the rest of the band were able to do things with their guitars and beatboxes that ‘can set alight the skies then extinguish them at will.” Eight months later, the paper was still so enthused by Blindfold that it placed it at #5 in the Single of the Year rundown, headed only by Unfinished Symphony, Losing My Religion, Higher Than The Sun and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

It still sounds powerful and other-worldly some 27 years on and all four tracks could easily have passed off as being the lead track.

mp3 : Curve (feat JC001) – Ten Little Girls
mp3 : Curve – I Speak Your Every Word
mp3 : Curve – Blindfold
mp3 : Curve – No Escape From Heaven

I don’t think Curve bettered the overall quality of the debut EP with subsequent similar type releases, although individual tracks The Colour Hurts and Fait Accompli are the one I enjoy most of all these days.

This is another band I’ll likely turn my attention to at some point during the ICA series and qualify them for the 2020 World Cup, where I’ve no doubt they will draw The Cure in the first round and thus force men into untold agony. But then again, if anyone else out there, male or female, wants to wax lyrically about what Ms Garcia did to their nether regions while they listened to Curve, then please feel free to share your thoughts, graphic or otherwise.

JC

PS : Thinking of Toni Halliday…..I never need an excuse to post one of my all time favourite pieces of music:-

mp3 : Leftfield – Original

It took me a long while to write about Curve over at the old blog, and when I did it was as part of an occasional series on cover versions.  It was a post which attracted a fair number of comments and it is fair to say that there’s a few folk out there who remember the band with much fondness and who have never got over their lust for lead singer Toni Halliday.

For the uninitiated,  Curve, comprising said Ms Halliday and multi-instrumentalist Dean Garcia, came together in Manchester in 1991. At a time when the Madchester sound (Happy Mondays/Stone Roses/James etc) was very much in full flow, Curve were something a bit different. The first few releases were EPs. The music press loved them, and they were championed by John Peel.

And yet….they didn’t ever quite turn the critical praise into popular acclaim and really meaningful sales, albeit the debut LP in 1992, Doppelganger, reached Number 11, while the follow-up, Cuckoo, went Top 30.

I love an awful lot about Curve, but especially the sound of Toni Halliday’s voice. In many places it reminds me of Elizabeth Fraser, and there’s no doubt that Shirley Manson of Garbage owes a lot to Toni.

Many fans consider that they never surpassed Blindfold, which was their debut EP:-

mp3 : Curve (feat.  JC001) – Ten Little Girls
mp3 : Curve – I Speak Your Every Word
mp3 : Curve – Blindfold
mp3 : Curve – No Escape From Heaven

It was an astonishing debut in so many ways and while I can understand some folk thinking they never quite hit those heights again I’m willing to stand by a number of their later releases and say that they were equally as good – especially this track:-

mp3 : Curve – Fait Accompli

Going back to the March 2007 posting, here’s the two covers that were featured:-

mp3 : Curve – I Feel Love
mp3 : Curve feat. Ian Dury – What A Waste

The first song originally appeared on the NME album Ruby Trax (which got a mention as part of a recent piece on Inspiral Carpets), and is a quite fantastic cover of the disco classic written by Giorgio Moroder and sung by Donna Summer. Evidence, if any were needed that dance music need not be mindless pap.

The second song was recorded with Ian Dury himself, as part of a project called Peace Together that raised money for young people in Northern Ireland.

Enjoy!!