Search - Glove :: Blue Sunshine (Dlx)

Cure & Souxsie Fans

cubik dervish | 06/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Is perhaps one of the best overlooked works by Robert Smith. In this LP he collaborates with Steven Serevin of Siouxsie and the Banshees they recruit a female vocalist for most of the tracks althought Rob still sings on some. This seems to marry the sounds of Head on the Door and Tinderbox."

Rare, if flawed, gem

cubik dervish | burque, usa | 10/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is an overlooked gem from Robert Smith (Cure) and Steven Severin (Banshees). Most of the songs were recorded between 81-83 but they sound akin to what was compiled as "Japanese Whispers" and "The Top" by the Cure. The instrumentation and arrangements are fun. The lyrics are as good as the best of the era, and any other for that manner, such as "Flowers of Romance" era PIL, "Tall Tales" and "Bird Cage Box" era Legendary Wolfgang Press, "The Top" era Cure. The lyrics were written by Smith and mostly sung by Jeannette Landray, then girlfriend of Banshees drummer Budgie, before Siouxsie and him hooked up. If you are familiar with any of the lyrics of the albums I mentioned, you realize that the lyrics on them are far from conventional and sense-making in the traditional manner. The music on some of those albums is just as refreshingly odd and while it could be argued that the artist were following the teachings of Mr Weird himself, Capt Beefheart and putting them in a pop tune format, their efforts are just as deserving as those of Beefheart himslef. Hence, the only reason I don't give it five stars is because of the too-glossy pop-song format some of the tunes carry."

More than just a curiosity

Alastair McLean | Wellington, New Zealand | 12/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Everyone knows the story of the punk explosion and subsequent post punk expansion. This was a vital time and produced some of the best music heard anywhere. I remember I couldn't wait for the next issue of my favourite music mags to come out so I could go and check out the new releases. Unfortunately, by the end of 1982 there were a few warning signs - particularly the adoption of the synthesizer as the main musical weapon of choice. There were casualties. It was dissappointing watching another one go down, but the quality of those left standing was more obvious as a result.



At this point two of the strongest survivors were the Banshees and The Cure. The still had "it". They looked, sounded and indeed were good. When Robert Smith joined the Banshees as guitarist it was a great thing. When news arrived that he and Severin were doing a solo project it became the holy grail of albums to obtain just to see what wickedness they could conjure up together. I expected something dark and twisted, so it was a let down when it came out as an effervescent pop experience instead. The biggest problem was the fact that Smith wasn't the vocalist - some unknown woman with an operatic voice was instead. And where was the man's guitar?



This deluxe version of The Glove's sole album is something of a revelation. In addition to the bonus tracks standard with CD re-issues you get a whole different version of the entire album thrown in which adds a completely different perspective to the affair. It turns out the explanation for Smith's absence from the mic was a contractural one. His record company insisted Smith could only sing on Cure albums. The bonus disc provides the demo album with Smith singing and gives a great "what might have been" view of it all.



With this new understanding I appreciate the original better. Maybe it's aged well, who knows. It does use synthesizers better than most releases of the time. They don't intrude, but add textures instead. It certainly doesn't sound as dated as some albums of the period do now (Kissing the Pink anyone?). The writing is great (both Smith and Severin are brilliant lyricists) and the occasional break out of harshness raises it above it's bubbling bottom line nicely. I actually prefer it to The Cure's The Top album, which was basically a continuation of this, except without the fun.



It's a flawed work, but scores 4 stars easily."