Happy Anniversary: The Cure, PARIS

24 years ago today, The Cure released their second live album of 1993, but this time they went in a darker direction with the set list, gearing its contents more toward the diehard fans than those who might know the band strictly for their radio-friendly material.

Recorded during The Cure’s three-night stint at the Le Zenith de Paris, PARIS – that’s right: it isn’t just a clever title, it’s where the performances actually took place – arrived just slightly more than a month after the release of SHOW. For those who know the band’s back catalog, it’s evident from the very beginning that PARIS is a completely different animal than its predecessor, kicking off with two tracks from PORNOGRAPHY and following those songs with two selections from SEVENTEEN SECONDS. If you’re not well-versed in The Cure’s catalog, allow us to assure you that those two albums weren’t – and still aren’t – on most people’s lists of their favorite feel-good albums.

But just because darkness falls across the album doesn’t mean that there aren’t some decidedly popular tracks in the mix: you can actually find several hit singles spread across the set, including “Lovesong,” “Close to Me,” “A Letter to Elise,” “Catch,” and “Charlotte Sometimes.” Okay, so maybe they weren’t all hits in America, but if you’ve listened to alt-rock radio for any significant length of time over the years, then you’ve most likely heard all of them at some point or other.

When PARIS was released, it didn’t sell as well as SHOW, which means that not as many people have heard it, but if you want something approximating the full Cure live experience, you’d better own them both.