THE CURE - "fascination street" Tablature

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Subject: Fascination Street by The Cure


FASCINATION STREET
(words by Robert Smith, music by Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup, Boris
Williams, Laurence Tolhurst, Roger O-Donnel, and Robert Smith)


I am actually transcribing the extended version of Fascination Street that
appears on -Mixed Up-. Although I like the original version, I find this
version more fun to play around with. I have not put anything in order,
all I did was to transcribe the millions of riffs there are to this song.
I have not transcribed the solo, though. The chords are mainly Cm, Ab, Gm,
which is played during the verses by that clean guitar. Here are the riffs
though:

This is the riff that opens up the song and appears near the end of the
song:

E ------------------------------------
B -----4-------4------4------1---3----
G -2-3-----2-3----2-3----2-3--------3-
D ------------------------------------
A ------------------------------------
E ------------------------------------


After this riff is played three times, the keyboard riff that appears is:

E -------3--------3----------------------3--------3--6--6-6-6--4--3--
B -4--6-----4--6-----4--1--1--1--4-4--6-----4--6---------------------
G -------------------------------------------------------------------
D -------------------------------------------------------------------
A -------------------------------------------------------------------
E -------------------------------------------------------------------


This is played two times, then the drums come in and then a weird effect
appears, I think it is harmonics played like:

E -----------------------------------------
B --7-7--7--7-7--7-7---5--5-5--5--5--5-5-5- <--play the 5 repeatedly for
G ----------------------------------------- six times then play, on
D ----------------------------------------- the high E string a fifth
A ----------------------------------------- fret harmonic repeatedly.
E -----------------------------------------


This appear throughout the song, also with a staccato C note played on
the fifth fret of the G string, during the song.

The main part of the song, is mainly the bass riff which repeats itself
over and over again for eight minutes of the song. If you don~t know
alread s indicates a slide, p indicates a pull-off and ~ indicates
tremolo. Here is the bassline:

G ------------------------------------------------------
D ------------------------------------------------------
A -3-3--3-3--3-3--3-3-s-6-6-6--3-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-s-5-5-5-
E ------------------------------------------------------

G -----------------------------------------------------------
D -----------------------------------------------------------
A -----------------------------------------------------------
E -4-4--4-4--4-4--4-4-s-13-13-13--3-3--3-3--3-3--3-3-s-6-6-6-


Another riff that appears in the song comes after the bassline initially
plays two times, this riff is:

E -8---------
B ---10------
G ------8---- This riff is also played when the drum track kicks out
D --------10- for un momento.
A -----------
E -----------


After that play a C5 chord. The next riff is that almost -solo- type riff
but it~s not. This is it:

E --------------------------------------------------
B ----------4--3---------------------1-------6------
G -------5-------3-3--------------1-------3---------
D ----5--------------3-----3p1--1-------3-----------
A -3------------------------------------------------
E -----------------------------------------------3--


Now, before Smith comes in with his vocals, that guitar line is (I am not
sure if I play it an octave higher but here it is):

E -6~-----------6-6--4-4--3----4----1-
B ------------------------------------
G ------------------------------------
D ------------------------------------
A ------------------------------------
E ------------------------------------


After that a keyboard plays E --6--4--3-, then Smith starts singing.
While he is singing, there is that freaky guitar line, played with delay,
that goes like:

E -8--11--10--8--8--11--10--8-----11--10--8-----10--11--13-
B -----------------------------9-------------8-------------
G ---------------------------------------------------------
D ---------------------------------------------------------
A ---------------------------------------------------------
E ---------------------------------------------------------


This is played two times then that whole barrage of riffs come in, the
solo also appears but I have not transcribed that. These are the basic
riffs for the song. The lyrics are (and I am doing this from memory):


oh it~s opening time down on fascination street
so let~s cut the conversation
and get out for a bit
~cause i feel it all fading
and paling
and i~m begging to drag you down with me
to kick the last nail in
yeah, i like you in that
like i like you to scream
but if you open your mouth
then i can~t be responsible for
quite what goes in
or to care what comes out
so just pull on your hair
just pull on your pout
and let~s move to the beat like we know that it~s over
slip going under
going over my shoulder
so put on your face
just put on your fear
and let~s hit opening time down on fascination street

so put on your face
put on your pout
cut the conversation
just open your mouth
put on your face
put on your fear
and let~s hit opening time
down on fascination street
down on fascination street


And that, ladies and gentleman, is Fascination Street, the remix. I hope
you have enjoyed and I hope this have helped out a bit. Please send
comments to the email address above if you have any, if you do not,
ignore this sentence. Bye-bye...

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