Various Artists - 100 Tears: A Tribute to the Cure

Released
1997

Label
Cleopatra

Reviewed by
Andy Grose

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Last Edit/Update
04 February, 1998

Various Artists

100 TEARS:
A TRIBUTE TO THE CURE

Track Listing

1. Nosferatu - 100 Years
2. Electric Hellfire Club - Killing An Arab
3. Leather Strip - Lullaby
4. Kill Switch Klick - Jumping Someone Else's Train
5. The Shroud - Sinking
6. Fahrenheit 451 - The Blood
7. Crocodile Shop - Let's Go To Bed
8. Ex-Voto - Shake Dog Shake
9. Wreckage - Pornography
10. Razed In Black - Disintegration
11. Test Infection - A Night Like This
12. Death Lies Bleeding - A Forest
13. Bell, Book & Candle - Primary

          Nosferatu's version of "100 Years" is as haunting and dark as the original. The only thing I question about this remake is that a few of the later verses were omitted, which are possibly the most intense lyrics of the entire song. This may have been done for time purposes, since the original approaches 7 minutes in length.
          Electric Hellfire Club's "Killing an Arab" is an excellent cover. More heavy and musically involved than the original. I just discovered some Jerky Boys samples in there. I can't remember which particular Jerky Boys track it is, but it's the one where one of them calls to say that his family got food poisoning from a restaurant he ordered food from. The sample fits nicely into the song, with the ranting and raving Arab saying "I kill you!! I kill you!!!" in the background of the song.
          Leather Strip's "Lullaby" is a decent cover. Not my favorite on the album, although it manages to conjure up images of Robert being eaten by a giant spider in the original video.
          Kill Switch Klick's "Jumping Someone Else's Train" is another excellent cover. It keeps the same frantic pace and style as the original. I found it easier to understand the lyrics by listening to this version as opposed to the original.
          The Shroud's cover of "Sinking" is absolutely beautiful. It is probably the closest to the original of any song on the album, with an intriguing twist: female vocals.
          My personal favorite on this album is Fahrenheit 451's "The Blood." An entrancing remake of an already excellent song. There are some great harmonizing vocals throughout the song.
          Crocodile Shop's "Let's Go to Bed" is quite unlike the original, but manages to keep the same light-hearted playfulness. I really enjoy this version because it was done very well for an original that I can't say was even near the top of my favorite Cure songs.
          Ex-Voto's "Shake Dog Shake" is quite frankly an extreme disappointment for me, most likely because it strays quite far from the original which is one of my personal favorite Cure songs. Another reason may be because of the short, choppy vocals. This version just doesn't have the same intensity as the original.
          Another song that was a little disappointing was Wreckage's "Pornography." It doesn't have the same feeling of desperation and despair that the entire Pornography album had. The "100 Years" cover captures the feeling of that album much better.
          My initial reaction to Razed in Black's cover of "Disintegration" was that it was simply just a techno remake that was related to the original in lyrics only. But it slowly began to grow on me, especially when I listened to the second half of the song. I really didn't like how distant it was from the original, then I started to get the same feelings I had when I first heard the original song.
          Test Infection's "A Night Like This" is a decent cover, but it doesn't have the same magic for me as the original. This may be attributable to the tempo of the song. This version is rather brisk compared to the slow, driving original.
          Death Lies Bleeding's cover of "A Forest" is an interesting version of the song; mysterious and haunting. This is really a unique perspective of The Cure's usual concert finale.
          Bell, Book & Candle's "Primary" is an enjoyable cover. There are some early 80's-esque guitar sounds used. It is light and playful like the original, probably the most light-hearted of all the covers.

Overall I am very satisfied with the album. I couldn't have asked for a better selection of songs to be covered or bands of a better genre of music to cover them. Almost all of them carry the same dark and brooding mood The Cure brings out in their music. It might not be fair for me to judge all of these versions against their originals, it's just that I got so attached to some of the songs that it is hard to hear versions which stray rather far from the original. Over time, I'm sure that I will learn to appreciate each and every cover on this album, especially since they all praise such a terrific band.

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