The Cure
Fascination Street
Transcribed by: Winston Campbell
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):
Transcribed by: Rainier
This is the original version of Fascination Street. Its just a bunch of
riffs together throughout the song. You have to listen to the song for the
rythym.
Guitar intro:
E ------------------------------------------------- X3
B--11--11-----11--11-----11--11------------
G-------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------12--13
then right afer that:
E--------------------------------------------------
B--11--11-----11--11-----11--11---13-------
G---------------------------------------------------
repeat those two patterns 4 times, then it jumps right into this:
RIFF 1:
E-------------------------- X2 then pause then 2 more times
B--13---------------------
G------12-----------------
D------------13------------
A------------------15-----
E---------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------1----- X2
B--------------------------------------------------------------------
G------5----8----7---------------------------5--------3-----------
D---5-------------------3----1--1--1----5--------3---------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------------
then the keyboard part for guitar is:
E--11--13--15---11--13--15---11--8--8--8---11--11--13--15--11--13--15--18--18-
-18---
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
E--18--16--15--11
B--------------------
then this riff:
E------------------------------------ X2
B--11----11--11--9--8--8--9--6
return to RIFF 1 when Robert starts singing and repeat that 4 times
then this: X2
E--8--8--11--8--10--8--10--8--|---------11-----10--------------10-----11--13
B-----------------------------------|--9--9-------9-------9--9--8--8------8---
------
repeat this twice.
thats basically it, 2 or three guitars playing at once, lots of overlapping.
oh and the "lead" of sorts:
E---15--15--15--13--13--13--13--11--11--11--11--10--10--10--10 X3
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
then:
E--8--8--8--8--6--6--6--6--4--4--4--4--3--3--3--3
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