Cuckoo (album)

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Cuckoo
Cuckoo Curve AlbumCover.jpg
Studio album by
Curve
Released13 September 1993 (1993-09-13)
RecordedDecember 1992 – March 1993
StudioTodal (London)
GenreShoegaze[1]
Length45:46
Label
Producer
Curve chronology
Radio Sessions
(1993) 		Cuckoo
(1993) 		Come Clean
(1998)
Singles from Cuckoo
  1. "Blackerthreetracker"
    Released: 23 August 1993
  2. "Superblaster"
    Released: 8 November 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[2]
Chicago Tribune3/4 stars[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles Times3/4 stars[5]
NME5/10[6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer3/4 stars[7]
Q3/5 stars[8]
Select5/5[9]
Vox6/10[10]

Cuckoo is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Curve. It was released on 13 September 1993 and was issued by Anxious Records and Charisma Records. A musically more varied but significantly darker release than Curve's 1992 debut album Doppelgänger, Cuckoo was less commercially successful than the band's previous releases.

Release[]

Cuckoo was released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 1993 by Anxious Records,[11][12] and in the United States on 21 September 1993 by Anxious and Charisma Records.[11][13] Two singles were issued from the album: "Blackerthreetracker" (which featured the Cuckoo song "Missing Link" as its lead track)[11] on 23 August 1993,[14] and "Superblaster" on 8 November 1993.[15] In the UK, Cuckoo underperformed commercially compared to previous Curve releases,[16] peaking at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart.[17] Several months after the album's release, Curve disbanded, though they would reform in 1996.[16]

In the August 1996 issue of Select magazine, Curve frontwoman Toni Halliday said: "I still think our second album was our best. It got to the point where Dean didn't want to tour. We did reach that point of hedonistic head-fuckery, glugging JD, hollering 'Where's the schnozz?' You finally get that out of your system and think, 'This is sad.' We couldn't have gone on like that."[18]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday.

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Missing Link"
4:59
2."Crystal"
  • Curve
  • Flood
4:02
3."Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus"
  • Curve
  • Flood
4:36
4."All of One"
  • Curve
  • Flood
4:19
5."Unreadable Communication"
5:51
6."Turkey Crossing"
  • Curve
  • Osborne
4:53
7."Superblaster"
  • Curve
  • Flood
4:01
8."Left of Mother"
  • Curve
  • Flood
4:10
9."Sweetest Pie"
  • Curve
  • Flood
3:59
10."Cuckoo"
  • Curve
  • Osborne
4:56
Total length:45:46

Personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19]

Curve

Additional musicians

  • Flood – electronics
  • Sally Herbert – violin on "Superblaster" and "Left of Mother"
  • Alex Mitchell – guitar
  • Steve Monti – drums on "Crystal", "Superblaster" and "Sweetest Pie"
  • Alan Moulder – guitar
  • Steve Osborne – guitar
  • Debbie Smith – guitar

Production

  • Darren Allison – mixing (assistant)
  • Curve – production
  • Flood – production
  • Alan Moulder – mixing
  • Steve Osborne – production on "Unreadable Communication", "Turkey Crossing" and "Cuckoo"

Design

  • Andrew Catlin – band photography
  • Flat Earth – sleeve design, cover photography
  • Vaughan Matthews – cover photography

Charts[]

Chart (1993) Peak
position
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[20] 77
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 23
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] 2
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 18

References[]

  1. ^ Halligan, Benjamin (2013). "Shoegaze as the Third Wave: Affective Psychedelic Noise, 1965–91". In Goddard, Michael; Halligan, Benjamin; Spelman, Nicola (eds.). Resonances: Noise and Contemporary Music. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4411-1054-1.
  2. ^ Simpson, Paul. "Cuckoo – Curve". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  3. ^ Webber, Brad (11 November 1993). "Curve: Cuckoo (Virgin)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Curve: Cuckoo". Entertainment Weekly. No. 194. 29 October 1993. p. 65.
  5. ^ Hochman, Steve (21 November 1993). "Curve, 'Cuckoo,' Anxious/Charisma". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  6. ^ Dalton, Stephen (11 September 1993). "Revolting Clocks". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  7. ^ Wood, Sam (14 December 1993). "Curve: Cuckoo (Anxious/Charisma)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  8. ^ Aston, Martin (October 1993). "Curve: Cuckoo". Q. No. 85. p. 105. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  9. ^ Collins, Andrew (September 1993). "The Lunatic Fringe". Select. No. 39. pp. 86–87. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (October 1993). "Sand Blasted". Vox. No. 37. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sexton, Paul (9 October 1993). "Virgin Execs See Straight Path to Success for Curve" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105 no. 41. pp. 1, 119. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Ad Focus" (PDF). Music Week. 11 September 1993. p. 10. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  13. ^ Cuckoo (liner notes). Curve. Anxious Records / Charisma Records. 1993. 7243 8 39061 2 3.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 21 August 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  15. ^ Curve. "Superblaster single". Bandcamp. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Curve". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  18. ^ Male, Andrew (August 1996). "Didn't We Used to Be Famous?". Select. No. 74. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  19. ^ Cuckoo (liner notes). Curve. Anxious Records. 1993. ANXCD 81.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 40. 2 October 1993. p. 12. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Independent Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 2 October 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. 9 October 1993. Retrieved 3 May 2021.

External links[]

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