Search - Cure :: In Orange

The best Cure performance on screen. VCD format sux

EerieVonEvil | The Rabbit Hole | 06/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this performance, as they play all their best old songs over the course of almost two hours! I had the tape for years but wanted something more permanent, so I got the VCD which, as advertised, is supposed to play on dvd players. Wrong! It doesnt play on new or old ones. I can only watch it on my computer with a movie player program. Thats fine, but now I have to park my ass in front of the computer instead of relaxing in front of my Tele. For that reason alone I give the VCD only 4 stars. The Cure's performance in Orange to this day is simply, Amazing, Haunting, and Stellar. Forever immortalized on screen."

Classic live cure...and a crewcut

Herve Boisde | New Brunswick, NJ United States | 11/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've only seen the original '80's video release of this live "film" directed by perenial Cure video director, Tim Pope. The setting is dramatic, shot in an ancient Roman amphitheatre in the town of Orange, France. Hence the title. When the band make their entrance a trippy soundtrack is playing and leader Robert Smith shuffles onto the stage with his trademark manic hair still intact. Seconds later he is seen throwing a wig into the audience and reveals a surprising crewcut.
The songs are all vintage early and middle years Cure, the opener, "Shake Dog Shake" howls and rocks with sleazy urgency. The live sound is big and anthemic, recalling Pink Floyd drama and spectacle. It's a rare live document of the band in their prime and when "A Forest" winds down after an extended and inspired hypnotic jam, it shows that the Cure were a trully capable live group."

VCD = bad

lostflower4 | USA | 01/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I'm giving this 5 stars because this concert is superb if purchased in the correct format.



But the point of my review is to comment on the Video CD (VCD) version. When I first heard of this, I (foolishly) got excited about this because it boasted digital sound and picture. Well, this is meaningless considering the format only allows 1.3 gigs to work with in a double CD format, whereas DVD's give at least 4.7 gigs to work with.



The video is so compressed that it is not clear at all - very grainy. And the sound, what a joke! First, it is terribly thinned out. The bass and drums are almost non-existent. The percussion triggers are not there, and the effects on Robert's voice are also completely gone. Possibly worst of all, the sound is sped up a bit, and this just makes it sound extra terrible. Whoever produced this release must have been a complete nitwit. I'm convinced The Cure didn't have any oversight of this horrendous release at all.



On the other hand, the Galore VCD is better. The picture is still a bit lacking, but the sound is at least "correct." The mix and speed is right; it just sounds a little thin. Anyway, my final point is don't let the word "digital" fool you. A VHS tape beats any VCD hands down any day.



If you're still not satisfied with VHS, there is a laserdisc of In Orange, but it is not without its own flaws. Although the picture quality is great, the drums are a bit distorted when compared to the VHS, and the audio/video sync is quite off in parts. In this case, it really seems that VHS is the way to go.

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