Thought this was worth its own thread as there is so much there
Does anyone remember The Tube back in the 80's on channel 4 in the UK? I found a YT channel that is gradually uploading the whole lot (albeit with some copyrighted stuff removed). You need to check the descriptions under each episode to see who's on them, but there are some brilliant live performances tucked away in that lot. Such a shame there's nothing like that on TV these days. It was a superb platform for emerging acts at the time.
I remember The Tube perfectly. I used to have bootleg VHS tapes brought from London by some of my friends with the bands we liked at the time, in the mid eighties. U2, Police and the like...
The uploads are still going from this guy & they seem to be from master reels/ tapes from the studio with the countdown clock at the start & after each commercial break. But, perhaps more interesting than anything else, the live sets aren't faded out when the closing credits roll. That's to say, when originally broadcast, the credits would roll & whoever was performing at the time would be faded out until the Tyne Tees TV logo appeared. I just watched s02e24 with The Cure's first appearance which finished with The Top & there's about 3 or 3 minutes of the song ending that was never broadcast originally. One of the earlier episodes with The Cult has them playing half a dozen songs. Bands only ever used to play 3 on the broadcast before being faded out.
Wind to the 1 hour 12minute mark & be blown away by The Mish
Extended Shelter From The Storm, Tomorrow Never Knows, Serpents Kiss, & Like A Hurricane that were never broadcast originally. You can see the credits roll & that's when channel 4 faded it out back in 87. I knew a load of the Eskimos. Went on tours with a load of them &, yes, I tore up tons of paper to throw around at the shows.
Few years ago, most of the Tube episodes were uploaded in a tracker. I have a lot of them but still I haven't watched or checked (no tracklist), but they probably are the same as the youtube channel.
I have too, some episodes from Japanese TV show named Must Be UKTV, which broadcasted performance from The Tube archives with a high resolution. The first episode has two Cure performances: This is the tracklist:
TV (JP) - Must Be UKTV #01 The Alarm - Marching On [The Tube, 1984.01.20] The Alarm - Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? [The Tube, 1984.01.20] Echo & The Bunnymen - Nocturnal Me [The Tube, 1982.11.05] Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain [The Tube, 1982.11.05] Level 42 - The Chant Has Begun [The Tube, 1984.10.12] Level 42 - Hot Water [The Tube, 1984.10.12] Heaven 17 - Contenders [The Tube, 1986.11.14] Heaven 17 - Trouble [The Tube, 1986.11.14] China Crisis - Working With Fire And Steel [The Tube, 1984.02.24] China Crisis - Hanna Hanna [The Tube, 1984.02.24] Fiction Factory - (Feels Like) Heaven [The Tube, 1984.02.17] Fiction Factory - Ghost Of Love [The Tube, 1984.02.17] The Cure - Bananafishbones [The Tube, 1984.04.06] The Cure - Piggy In The Mirror [The Tube, 1984.04.06]
Looks like a neglected corner of TheCureCommunity. Thought I'd add a post.
This final episode of The Tube (1982-1987) came up on my interests. It features the Cure playing live just before the release of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Not lip synched!
The Cure even plays the closing numbers. Roger O'Donnell is doing the main keyboard work, and they found a spot for Lol to hang out on another keyboard.
Also a nice duet between Aretha Franklin and Boy George, and Duran Duran playing their more mature late eighties sound.
Looks like a neglected corner of TheCureCommunity. Thought I'd add a post.
This final episode of The Tube (1982-1987) came up on my interests. It features the Cure playing live just before the release of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Not lip synched!
You should have a look at the 1984 episode when they first played a live set. When it was broadcast, they got faded out after the end credits. On the lol Z upload on YT you get the whole of The Top & it's glorious. I'd subscribe to his channel & watch the whole lot. There are some cracking live sets.
I'd glad their uploads found a home here. It was late Friday night music videos on NBC in 1987 that made me aware of The Cure. I would never have heard The Caterpillar or Close to Me, otherwise.