A cover of The Kinks’ You Really Got Me by The Cure has been praised as an “adorable” version by fans.
The Robert Smith-fronted group has tackled The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience both in the studio and on stage, but their cover of The Kinks‘ classic has been hailed as one of their best pieces of work. The Cure would feature You Really Got Me occasionally during their live shows in the mid-1990s, and a soundcheck recording of the song from a performance in Birmingham, England, has been praised by fans. An upload of the performance to YouTube saw people highlight the strength Smith and the band brought to the song, with many considering the soundcheck a brilliant example of The Cure cutting loose on stage. Soundcheck performances from the band were apparently open to the public, according to the person who uploaded the video.
They wrote: “In 1996, many soundchecks were opened for fans. Next to me, there were about thirty other Cure fans. However, the gig as such was strange: the last of the Swing tour with very poor attendance. The England 1996 tour was a disaster for the band. Not to compare with Germany or France.”
Another fan who attended the doomed 1996 tour agreed that the shows were poorly attended. They wrote: “You’re lucky to have been there. I still think Wild Mood Swings was a fine album – nowhere near as bad as people say it is (I really liked 4:13 Dream too).
“There were poorly attended shows in France as well – during the Swings tour and the Dream Tour. I’ve heard that the Toulouse show had something like a nine-hundred-person crowd. I just don’t get it – why The Cure had to go through a low point in their career when they were still a phenomenal live band, playing three-hour sets with rarities.”
Irrespective of attendance, fans believed there was much to love about The Cure’s cover of You Really Got Me. One person wrote: “It’s a soundcheck, it’s a bit of fun, it’s adorable, but still some people have to criticise.” Another added: “This is so rad!”
Other comments had been critical of the performance, despite it being a soundcheck. One person wrote: “This is the worst version of this song I have ever heard! But I love their try at it. Thanks for the video, it was great to see them, fluffy jumpers and all!”
Another listener added: “Wow, I must say, terrible. For being professional players, this is bad. You Really Got Me is about the easiest song you can do and they butchered it. Sad.” Praise did come however for The Cure and James McCartney’s cover of Hello Goodbye. A cover of The Kinks You Really Got Me by The Cure can be found below.
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