Cuckoo (album) explained

Cuckoo
Type:studio
Artist:Curve
Cover:Cuckoo Curve AlbumCover.jpg
Border:yes
Recorded:December 1992 – March 1993
Studio:Todal (London)
Genre:Shoegaze[1]
Prev Title:Radio Sessions
Prev Year:1993
Next Title:Come Clean
Next Year:1998

Cuckoo is the second studio album to be released by the British alternative rock band Curve. It was released on 13 September 1993 and was issued by Anxious Records and Charisma Records. It 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,[2] [3] and in the United States on 21 September 1993 by Anxious and Charisma Records.[2] [4] Two singles were issued from the album: "Blackerthreetracker" (which featured the Cuckoo song "Missing Link" as its lead track)[2] on 23 August 1993,[5] and "Superblaster" on 8 November 1993.[6] In the UK, Cuckoo underperformed commercially compared to previous Curve releases,[7] peaking at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart. Several months after the album's release, Curve disbanded, though they would reform in 1996.[7]

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."[8]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]

Curve

Additional musicians

Production

Design

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[10] 77
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] 2

Notes and References

  1. Book: Halligan, Benjamin. Goddard. Michael. Halligan. Benjamin. Spelman. Nicola. Shoegaze as the Third Wave: Affective Psychedelic Noise, 1965–91. Resonances: Noise and Contemporary Music. Bloomsbury Academic. 2013. 978-1-4411-1054-1. 57.
  2. Sexton. Paul. Virgin Execs See Straight Path to Success for Curve. Billboard. 105. 41. 9 October 1993. 3 May 2021. 1, 119.
  3. Ad Focus. Music Week. 11 September 1993. 3 May 2021. 10.
  4. Cuckoo. Curve. Anxious Records / Charisma Records. 1993. 7243 8 39061 2 3. liner notes.
  5. Single Releases. Music Week. 21 August 1993. 3 May 2021. 23.
  6. Web site: Curve. Curve (band). Superblaster single. Bandcamp. 3 May 2021.
  7. Web site: Erlewine. Stephen Thomas. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Curve. AllMusic. 3 May 2021.
  8. Male. Andrew. Didn't We Used to Be Famous?. Select. 74. August 1996. 3 May 2021.
  9. Cuckoo. Curve. Anxious Records. 1993. ANXCD 81. liner notes.
  10. European Top 100 Albums. Music & Media. 10. 40. 2 October 1993. 28 May 2021. 12.
  11. Independent Albums. Music Week. 2 October 1993. 28 May 2021. 20.