Sunshine woman Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Hey guys,The Cure is my favourite band (I love them even more than Zepp????) and so imagine my suprise when I was made aware of the fact that Porl left The Cure to play with Page and Plant in 1994. I've heard most of the youtube videos available, but I was just wondering what everyone thought about Porl?I've seen some snarky comments of Porl apparently being the better guitar player out of him and Jimmy. Unfortunately, I only know enough music theory to know that I never want to learn music theory. What do you guys think?And better yet, what do you think of Percy's rendition of Lullaby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Porl did participate in the MTV Unledded project, adding further depth to the songs he performed on. When the world tour was arranged he was brought in to continue his role. Jimmy didn't quite have his chops back when the tour began, so Porl proved indispensible in covering for him. Porl was on the tour from Feb-Oct 1995. He did not continue to Australia and Japan because his wife was expecting their baby. Jimmy & Robert presented him with roses & bellydancers onstage at the last North American gig (Madison Square Garden in NY on 10/27/95). I have a video recording and some photos from it I'll try to post here sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 I was at the soundcheck for the April 27 show in Rosemont, Illinois. Page and Plant were nowhere to be found and Porl Thompson pretty much ran the whole thing. He knew all of Jimmy's parts and had Page's sound dialed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstork Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Hey guys,The Cure is my favourite band (I love them even more than Zepp????) and so imagine my suprise when I was made aware of the fact that Porl left The Cure to play with Page and Plant in 1994. I've heard most of the youtube videos available, but I was just wondering what everyone thought about Porl?I've seen some snarky comments of Porl apparently being the better guitar player out of him and Jimmy. Unfortunately, I only know enough music theory to know that I never want to learn music theory. What do you guys think?And better yet, what do you think of Percy's rendition of Lullaby? Can't say I've ever heard anyone dare say Porl is in the same league as Jimmy, let alone better. Having said that I like The Cure too and I like Porl. I saw two shows in '95 and thought he was a bit superfluous at times. When he took the solos in The Song Remains the Same a lot of us were a little deflated to be honest. But as Steve said, he was there to help out while Jimmy regained his footing and as such did a solid job. And I really really like the Page/Plant/Porl take on Lullaby, thought it was great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyingzepp Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 I thought Porl was great during the 95 shows. Lullaby is awesome. I've never ever seen snarky comments about him being 'better', don't think it's possible. I saw Page/Plant at the tacoma dome May 25th that year, so the whole thing was really great, Porl was a great addition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Loved the Cure and so I loved the news that Porl was going to play on the Un-Ledded tour. Never heard any snarky comments one way or another, but then, I wasn't on the internet in 1994-95. I thought it was interesting hearing a second guitar with Jimmy for a change...on "The Song Remains the Same", they could actually play the studio arrangement of the song for the first time with the added guitar. Porl took the solos in the first half and Jimmy played the solos in the second half. As for "Lullaby", I liked it immensely...very atmospheric. But there were other Cure songs I wished they had done instead. Having seen the Cure dozens of times in the 80s and as recently as 1992 on the "Wish" tour, the biggest shock to me seeing Porl with Robert and Jimmy was how much he had changed physically...he was bald and had gained quite a bit of weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine woman Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 Thanks so much for your opinions; here I thought I knew what I was talking about!Judging by all your info, it's pretty safe to say that Porl is not as good as Jimmy but almost ran the guitar on the Page and Plant tour?I can't say that I liked Plant singing Lullaby. I'm glad I heard it and I'm glad he did it, but it was an intensely strange experience for me because The Cure and Led Zeppelin are just so different. Freaks me out to know that apparently Lol and him used to jam and play songs like IMTOD when Smith wasn't around because Smith hated Led Zepp.And yes, Porl is freaking strange looking now. Actually kind of scary. Completely bald and tattooed and wears insane eye makeup. I saw The Cure in 2011, but Porl was notably and sadly not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarius Rising Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I went to both the 95' and 98' Page/Plant tours and to be honest I much preferred the 98' version. It is true Porl really helped fill out the sound and helped Jimmy out quite a bit. I have always appreciated Porl's guitar work and thought he was awesome, unfortunately Page was a bit restrained on the 95' tour leaving a big part to Porl. In 98' when it became a four piece they really shined. Jimmy IMO has not played as good as he did in 98' - 2000', that era was probably his best playing of any era. He was fluid, fast (when he wanted to be), technically his peak, and just damn awesome. It was like he went to the Jeff Beck school of guitar and learned to focus on phrasing over anything else, as a result he was in another universe!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Porl complimented Jimmy's playing, but there was never any question Jimmy was the guitar hero. Judging by all your info, it's pretty safe to say that Porl is not as good as Jimmy but almost ran the guitar on the Page and Plant tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstork Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 I went to both the 95' and 98' Page/Plant tours and to be honest I much preferred the 98' version. It is true Porl really helped fill out the sound and helped Jimmy out quite a bit. I have always appreciated Porl's guitar work and thought he was awesome, unfortunately Page was a bit restrained on the 95' tour leaving a big part to Porl. In 98' when it became a four piece they really shined. Jimmy IMO has not played as good as he did in 98' - 2000', that era was probably his best playing of any era. He was fluid, fast (when he wanted to be), technically his peak, and just damn awesome. It was like he went to the Jeff Beck school of guitar and learned to focus on phrasing over anything else, as a result he was in another universe!!! Great post, I recently posted a '98 version of No Quarter on the live "best versions of No Quarter" thread that represents everything you're saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Great post, I recently posted a '98 version of No Quarter on the live "best versions of No Quarter" thread that represents everything you're saying... I'm convinced Jimmy's No Quarter solo in Pittsburgh (July 1st 1998) has cost me at least 2 decibels of hearing loss, but it was so worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Loved the Cure and so I loved the news that Porl was going to play on the Un-Ledded tour. Never heard any snarky comments one way or another, but then, I wasn't on the internet in 1994-95. I thought it was interesting hearing a second guitar with Jimmy for a change...on "The Song Remains the Same", they could actually play the studio arrangement of the song for the first time with the added guitar. Porl took the solos in the first half and Jimmy played the solos in the second half. As for "Lullaby", I liked it immensely...very atmospheric. But there were other Cure songs I wished they had done instead. When I first saw Page/Plant in '95 in Orlando, I was surprised to see another guitaritst on stage with Jimmy. But when they played "The Song Remains The Same", I couldn't believe how close to the original it sounded with the two guitars going at it - definitely surprised to see Porl take the first lead too. I actually didn't know who he was and my wife, who unlike me is a fan of The Cure, knew who he was before they played "Lullaby". I didn't care for the song much, but when we saw them again in Chicago I thought the song sounded great. To get off the subject a little, Pagey in '98 stole the show! His playing had improved so much by then. "No Quarter" '98 was certainly a highlight of that show and a huge surprise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstork Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I'm convinced Jimmy's No Quarter solo in Pittsburgh (July 1st 1998) has cost me at least 2 decibels of hearing loss, but it was so worth it! Ah, I'll have to check that one out. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyOnMyBack Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 I was at that Orlando show too.. and am pleased to see relics of it available on YouTube. Thought they sounded so much better that night than the Unledded Special and No Quarter album, where I thought Robert's voice was so fried on the live songs. When I first saw Page/Plant in '95 in Orlando, I was surprised to see another guitaritst on stage with Jimmy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Death Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Jimmy IMO has not played as good as he did in 98' - 2000', that era was probably his best playing of any era. I would disagree to a slight degree - have you heard/seen Jimmy on the Coverdale/Page tour??? Only 7 shows... but Jimmy was on FIRE!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecongo Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I don't buy the "Jimmy needed help" theory. Jimmy was in MUCH better shape than he was during let's say during the Firm era. Page was just coming off the C/P project, and had been playing actively. He wasn't rusty. Porl is a fine guitar player, but I thought he was an unnecessary addition to the lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanelectroGod Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I thought his role was done at great respect. Saw four dates on that tour, and never felt like he was the Jimmy safety net. That being said, I preferred the '98 tour. But both tours had such different textures. Porl played some nice banjo too. And didn't he play on Dreamland as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bong-Man Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Saw the '95 tour on two occasions, 6 months apart, and I didn't notice any difference in Jimmy's playing. If you're going to end up with 20 extra musicians on stage, no reason one can't be a guitar player. Really enjoyed "Lullaby"....much more suited to Plantie than "Shake My Tree" was. Not really sure what was going on with Jimmy's weight in '98, but wearing that stretched-out black t-shirt every night didn't help much. He would have looked like '77 Elvis if he donned the dragon suit and sunglasses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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