THE CURE 'MADNESS' LIVE 1986 RAH LONDON 2 LP RARE TMOQ LIMITED PRESSING of 500

$

103

THE CURE 'MADNESS' LIVE LONDON 1986 RARE TMOQ PRESSING
THE CURE TITLE: 'MADNESS' LABEL: TMOQ TRADE MARK OF QUALITY 72129 MATRIX: 72129-A/B RELEASED: 1986 PRESSING ~  LIMITED TO 500 COPIES CONDITION: VINYL VG++ to EX-  JACKET: VG to VG+ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection this summer and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 40 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this great 2-LP live 'Collector' record by the Cure from their fantastic 1986 World Tour. This album was recorded Live at The Royal Albert Hall in London on April 25, 1986. This 'Collector' record was released in 1986, when the concert was still 'fresh'.
It was released on the famous TMOQ Trademark of Quality label, which has a long history of releasing great quality 'Collector' albums going back to the early 1970s.
Supposedly this was a special limited pressing and there were only 500 copies released. I purchased it at a Manhattan Record Show back around 1987 and, despite it's worn jacket, I knew I'd never see another copy. The vinyl looked great, so I took it home.
The record jacket emphasizes the TMOQ label, knowing that the legendary label would help sell the record. If you only have a few 'Collector' records in your collection, a TMOQ record is a great one to own. The collectability and value of these continues to rise as time goes by.
This copy was released with a TMOQ catalog sheet inside, but this copy does  NOT come with the insert. Both discs are in a single sleeve and they are in vintage Poly-lined sleeves.
~~~~~~~ By the 1986 Tour, the Cure had been a band 10 years, and were a tight knit group. Their performances on that tour were fantastic. By that time they had played together for years, knew the classic songs well and were able to feed off each other in concert.
By 1986, they had six studio albums and more than a dozen singles to their credit, and they had a lot of material to work with on stage.
This 1986 show was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in London at the start of their World Tour. The Tour was in support of the 'Head on the Door' album, but featured material from their entire history.
Their latest album, 'The Head on the Door' was a little less dark and Goth and they shifted to a more pop-oriented sound. The hit single "In Between Days" was a good example of that new sound, It's on this record.
The setlist on this double LP live 'Collector' record is exceptional, not skimping on old fan favorites. ~~~~~~~~~ The songs featured on this 2-LP set include:
Play For Today The Kyoto Song Other Voices Primary A Strange Day In Between Days The Walk A Night Like This Push 100 Years A Forest Sinking Let´s Go To Bed Close To Me Charlotte Sometimes Boys Don´t Cry Faith Pornography
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
VINYL: The vinyl loks terrific. Clean, bright and shiny. There are a few minor hairlines, but overall it looks great. I tried to show some views of the vinyl in my pictures. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'm calling it VG+ to keep everyone happy, but you can see, it's much better than that.
LABELS: This record has the classic TMOQ Pig labels on all 4 sides. One record has the old 70s style label and the other has a more modern 80s style. Labels are clean and bright with no marks or damage. The spindle holes are crisp and clean, suggesting minimal playing.
JACKET: The jacket, unfortunately, has a lot of wear. It was made of cheaper cardboard, typical of these 'Collector' records. The all-black cover shows every ding and nick and there is ringwear, from putting 2 thick discs in a single sleeve. The corners are bumped and there is some corner creasing. That being said, it's still acceptable, no splits, just looks like it's been well-loved.
You would think, looking at the jacket, that the records are also trashed, but the vinyl is terrific. That's why I purchased it at a NYC record show 35 years ago. It was relatively inexpensive due to the jacket, but the vinyl looked fine. Plus I knew that it was a limited release of 500 copies and I'd never see one again.
~~~~ ** This 'collector' record is being sold "As Is" and with 'No Returns" I'm sure you'll be happy with it as I have for 35 Years.
~~~~~~~~~~  BRIEF HISTORY OF 'THE CURE' UP TO 1986
The Cure started out way back in 1976, during the roots of Punk in Southern England. They called themselves 'The Easy Cure' and the early line-up included Robert Smith (guitar & vocals), schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), and Lol Tolhurst (drums), plus a locally well known guitarist Porl Thompson.  Unlike many local bands who were 'cover' bands, The Cure began writing and demoing their own songs, playing London gigs and attracting a bunch of loyal fans.
By 1978 they were popular enough to trim their name to 'The Cure', dump Porl Thompson and tighten up their performances as a trio. They turned down several record offers, insisting on doing things their way, and eventually signed with the brand new 'Fiction' label run by Chris Parry.
Their first album, 1979's 'Three Imaginary Boys' burst onto the scene with the hit singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train."
For their next album, they changed their sound slightly, adding Matthieu Hartley on keyboards, and started exploring the darker side of Robert's song writing. In one of their best management decisions, they dropped bassist Michael Dempsey and replaced him with Simon Gallup.
Gallup was an amazing bass player and he fit the band perfectly. His style was more melodic, but still deep and heavy. He could keep the rhythm, darkness, and melody of the songs, freeing up Robert Smith to be more theatric and concentrate on his vocals.
He was a great Lead guitarist, but a Bass lead guitarist, like other classic British bass players Jack Bruce, Bill Wyman, and John Entwhistle before him. Not many bands on the scene at that time had a Lead Bass player. His sound really made the difference in The Cure's music.
Their next album 'Seventeen Seconds' defined their somewhat minimalist, deep, gothic style. The hit 'The Forest' is a classic and many fans favorite song. There's a great version of it on this record.
After a grueling World Tour, keyboardist Matthieu Hartley left the band and they were back to a trio. 
Several more albums and large tours followed. They released 'Faith' in 1981 and 'Pornography' in 1982. In between albums, they released several great non-album singles including the very popular "Charlotte Sometimes", also on this record.
By the end of 1982, The Cure was getting more into Robert Smith's ugly fascination with despair & decay and really pushing the limits. They held onto a large fanbase, but the public started to lose interest in the group. Simon Gallup also lost interest and quit, for the first time, at the end of 1982.
Robert then pulled himself together, changed direction a bit, and wrote the upbeat catchy single "Let's Go To Bed." It was a big hit and the video was also popular. The song somewhat saved the band from obscurity, getting them back on the charts.
The band now went into a more electronic, groove, dance direction releasing the hits "The Walk," "Lovecats," and the Psychedelic "The Caterpillar." 
The band expanded in order to take these more complex songs on the road. It was now a 5-piece outfit with Andy Anderson (drums), Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of their old mate Porl Thompson (guitar). The Band did a massive World Tour which was well received and resulted in the great Live LP 'Concert'.
Simon Gallup liked the new direction and the new material and rejoined the band in 1985. The Cure had new blood, new drive and was writing great material. There was a real sense of 'something happening'... 
The great compilation 'Standing on a Beach' was released just before the 1986 tour, reminding older fans what a great singles band they were, and introducing newer fans to their fantastic rich history. That album, on cassette format, also included unreleased and rare B-sides which introduced many fans to their lesser known songs.
Before the start of this tour, they also released the 2 great upbeat singles, "In Between Days," & "Close To Me," and started to put together 1985's 'The Head On The Door' album. They were at the peak of their skills as well as the peak of their popularity and went on the massive 1986 World Tour.
That's where this 2-LP live 'Collectors' record comes in. It was recorded Live at The Royal Albert Hall in London on April 25, 1986, at the start of the tour.
During the 1986 tour, The Cure headlined the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, played many gigs and festivals, both big and small, and even made a live concert film near the end of the tour, "The Cure In Orange".
In 1987 The Cure brought out 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me', a double album full of different types and styles of music. They seemed almost lost again. 
They went on to do more tours, released more records, had more hit singles and are still going strong today.
Some fans feel that their 1990's work is amongst their best, but I still feel that the 1986 World Tour was their peak. Great songs, great band and great attitude.
This 2-LP Live 'Collectors' Record shows off the band at their best. It's a great record to add to any Cure or classic Rock collection.
It's a rare 'Collectors' album, on the famous and collectible 'TMOQ' label, and only 500 were pressed in 1986. It doesn't turn up for sale often and is a real gem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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As you well know, packing and shipping rare records requires special care and attention, therefore, shipping cost within the lower 48 states is $6.00 on this 2-LP set. If you would like insurance, or anything faster than Media/Economy Mail, please let me know and I can arrange it for you. I’ll work with you to make sure you’re happy!
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far. Have a very Merry Christmas and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with friends and family enjoying what you do celebrate.  -- JOHN