Boris Williams
Encyclopedia
Boris Peter Bransby-Williams (born 24 April 1952 in Versailles
, France
) is an English
drummer best known for his extensive work with The Cure
(1984–1993). He had previously worked with various artists, including Thompson Twins
, Kim Wilde
, Strawberry Switchblade
and Tomato City. Williams is one of seven children; he has two brothers - Michael and Morgan - and four sisters - Juliet, Caroline, Mira, and Sarah. Williams dated Caroline Crawley, lead singer of Shelleyan Orphan
.
in 1984 (first gig on November 7 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA), replacing Andy Anderson, who was fired for destroying a hotel room. During his tenure, Williams helped The Cure
reach their critical and commercial peak recording the studio albums The Head on the Door
, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
, Disintegration, and Wish. He also appeared on the live albums Entreat
, Paris, and Show as well as the videos for Staring at the Sea, The Cure in Orange
, Picture Show, Galore and Greatest Hits. He also helped record the re-remixes album Mixed Up.
Boris Williams drumming style is often referred to by drummers as 'Linear' as it follows regular cycles with repetitive rhythmic themes, patterns and fills which creates a very solid and dependable foundation around which the music is structured and which are in fact compositions in their own right. Current Cure drummer Jason Cooper also commented on this in the live Cure DVD "Trilogy" recorded in Berlin. Cooper recreates all of the classic Williams drum parts for the songs just as they were written for this very reason.
Williams, like all other Cure drummers, also very rarely if ever used or played a ride cymbal in his work with the band which is most unusual for a modern drum kit player. A second pair of hi-hats was instead used in the usual ride cymbal position so that open handed/un-crossed arm playing was possible which also made for interesting pattern variations a crossed-handed player would normally find very difficult and sometimes even impossible to play.
His use of electronic percussion triggers, pads and samplers played live from the kit was also a fundamental part of his sound as he triggered many different analog snares, clap sounds, glass smashes ("Disintegration"), Chimes ("Plainsong") in order to re-create albums live. See The Cure in Orange
concert for some good shots and application of his trigger pad and sampler usage for "Play For Today" among other tracks.
Some of his most innovative drumming can be heard on the songs "Six Different Ways" and "Sinking" from The Head on the Door
, "Icing Sugar", "The Kiss", "Torture" and "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
, "Closedown", "Fascination Street", "Prayers for Rain" and "Last Dance" from Disintegration, "Open" "Cut" and "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" from Wish.
Notable Williams fills that are instantly identifiable and setup the rhythmic theme for the song can be easily heard in the reoccurring fills in "Inbetween Days" from The Head on the Door
, "Just Like Heaven" from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Williams left the band in 1993. His last concert was on 13 June in Finsbury Park
at a benefit concert for London's XFM
radio station. Williams then started another band called Babacar
with his then girlfriend Caroline Crawley. He briefly reunited with The Cure
for the acoustic recording of their Greatest Hits compilation in 2001, but he did not rejoin them officially. He was also present at some of the sessions for the Cure's 2004 album, simply titled The Cure.
Thompson Twins
Strawberry Switchblade
Ian McCulloch
Drums on "The White Hotel" and "Proud to Fall"
Shelleyan Orphan
Babacar
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
drummer best known for his extensive work with The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
(1984–1993). He had previously worked with various artists, including Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins
The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
, Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, Strawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade was a female pop rock band formed in Scotland in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" in 1985.-Before being signed:...
and Tomato City. Williams is one of seven children; he has two brothers - Michael and Morgan - and four sisters - Juliet, Caroline, Mira, and Sarah. Williams dated Caroline Crawley, lead singer of Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan is a British alternative music group, that peaked during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:In 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle met in Bournemouth, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley...
.
Involvement with The Cure
Williams first joined The CureThe Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
in 1984 (first gig on November 7 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA), replacing Andy Anderson, who was fired for destroying a hotel room. During his tenure, Williams helped The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
reach their critical and commercial peak recording the studio albums The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1985. The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams, it also features the return of Simon Gallup and is Porl Thompson's first album as an official member....
, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure. Released in 1987, this album helped put The Cure into the American mainstream, becoming their first album to reach the Billboard Top 40.-History:...
, Disintegration, and Wish. He also appeared on the live albums Entreat
Entreat
Entreat is a live album by The Cure, recorded at London's Wembley Arena in July 1989. It consists entirely of songs performed from the band's 1989 record Disintegration; while they were on their international Prayer Tour. Entreat was distributed exclusively in France as a promotional tool...
, Paris, and Show as well as the videos for Staring at the Sea, The Cure in Orange
The Cure in Orange
The Cure in Orange is a concert film by British rock group The Cure. It is viewed as being as an essential document of the Cure at their mid-late 1980's peak by fans of the group.-Plot Description:...
, Picture Show, Galore and Greatest Hits. He also helped record the re-remixes album Mixed Up.
Boris Williams drumming style is often referred to by drummers as 'Linear' as it follows regular cycles with repetitive rhythmic themes, patterns and fills which creates a very solid and dependable foundation around which the music is structured and which are in fact compositions in their own right. Current Cure drummer Jason Cooper also commented on this in the live Cure DVD "Trilogy" recorded in Berlin. Cooper recreates all of the classic Williams drum parts for the songs just as they were written for this very reason.
Williams, like all other Cure drummers, also very rarely if ever used or played a ride cymbal in his work with the band which is most unusual for a modern drum kit player. A second pair of hi-hats was instead used in the usual ride cymbal position so that open handed/un-crossed arm playing was possible which also made for interesting pattern variations a crossed-handed player would normally find very difficult and sometimes even impossible to play.
His use of electronic percussion triggers, pads and samplers played live from the kit was also a fundamental part of his sound as he triggered many different analog snares, clap sounds, glass smashes ("Disintegration"), Chimes ("Plainsong") in order to re-create albums live. See The Cure in Orange
The Cure in Orange
The Cure in Orange is a concert film by British rock group The Cure. It is viewed as being as an essential document of the Cure at their mid-late 1980's peak by fans of the group.-Plot Description:...
concert for some good shots and application of his trigger pad and sampler usage for "Play For Today" among other tracks.
Some of his most innovative drumming can be heard on the songs "Six Different Ways" and "Sinking" from The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1985. The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams, it also features the return of Simon Gallup and is Porl Thompson's first album as an official member....
, "Icing Sugar", "The Kiss", "Torture" and "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure. Released in 1987, this album helped put The Cure into the American mainstream, becoming their first album to reach the Billboard Top 40.-History:...
, "Closedown", "Fascination Street", "Prayers for Rain" and "Last Dance" from Disintegration, "Open" "Cut" and "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" from Wish.
Notable Williams fills that are instantly identifiable and setup the rhythmic theme for the song can be easily heard in the reoccurring fills in "Inbetween Days" from The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door
The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1985. The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams, it also features the return of Simon Gallup and is Porl Thompson's first album as an official member....
, "Just Like Heaven" from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure. Released in 1987, this album helped put The Cure into the American mainstream, becoming their first album to reach the Billboard Top 40.-History:...
Williams left the band in 1993. His last concert was on 13 June in Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
at a benefit concert for London's XFM
Xfm London
Xfm London is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom owned by Global Radio and broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London, on digital radio via 30 DAB multiplexes across the country, Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media....
radio station. Williams then started another band called Babacar
Babacar
Babacar was a short-lived worldbeat supergroup formed in England, featuring former members of Shelleyan Orphan, The Cure, and Presence. The group released one album in their brief existence, their self-titled debut album in 1998, before the band dissolved when Shelleyan Orphan reunited in...
with his then girlfriend Caroline Crawley. He briefly reunited with The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
for the acoustic recording of their Greatest Hits compilation in 2001, but he did not rejoin them officially. He was also present at some of the sessions for the Cure's 2004 album, simply titled The Cure.
Discography
The Cure- The Head on the DoorThe Head on the DoorThe Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1985. The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams, it also features the return of Simon Gallup and is Porl Thompson's first album as an official member....
(1985) - The Cure In OrangeThe Cure in OrangeThe Cure in Orange is a concert film by British rock group The Cure. It is viewed as being as an essential document of the Cure at their mid-late 1980's peak by fans of the group.-Plot Description:...
(1986), VHS - Standing on a BeachStanding on a BeachStanding on a Beach is a singles compilation released by the British rock band The Cure in May, 1986, marking a decade since the band's founding in 1976...
(1986) - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure. Released in 1987, this album helped put The Cure into the American mainstream, becoming their first album to reach the Billboard Top 40.-History:...
(1987) - DisintegrationDisintegrationDisintegration is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock band The Cure, released on 1 May 1989 by Fiction Records. The record marks a return to the introspective and gloomy gothic rock style the band had established in the early 1980s...
(1989) - Mixed Up (1990)
- EntreatEntreatEntreat is a live album by The Cure, recorded at London's Wembley Arena in July 1989. It consists entirely of songs performed from the band's 1989 record Disintegration; while they were on their international Prayer Tour. Entreat was distributed exclusively in France as a promotional tool...
(1991) - Wish (1992)
- ParisParis (The Cure album)Paris is a live album recorded by The Cure at Le Zénith de Paris, in October 1992 during their Wish tour, but released in 1993.Paris was released at the same time as Show, which was recorded in the United States. The album features more cult classics like "The Figurehead" and "One Hundred Years"...
(1993) - Show (1993)
- Galore (1997)
- Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (The Cure album)Greatest Hits is a 2001 compilation album by The Cure. The band's relationship with longtime label Fiction Records came to a close, and The Cure were obliged to release one final album for the label. Robert Smith agreed to release a greatest hits album under the condition that he could choose the...
(2001)
Thompson Twins
- Quick Step and Side KickQuick Step and Side KickQuick Step and Side Kick is the third album by the British synthpop group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1983, and was their first album to be released as a trio...
(1983) - Into the GapInto the GapInto the Gap is the fourth album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1984 and reached no.1 on the UK Albums Chart, and no.10 on the U.S...
(1984)
Strawberry Switchblade
- Strawberry Switchblade (1985)
Ian McCulloch
- CandlelandCandlelandCandleland is the first solo album by Ian McCulloch, released 17 September 1989. This album marked McCulloch's departure from Echo & the Bunnymen in 1989. The album features a guest appearance by the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser on the title song, "Candleland"...
(1989)
Drums on "The White Hotel" and "Proud to Fall"
Shelleyan Orphan
- Humroot (1992)
Babacar
- BabacarBabacar (album)Babacar is the first album released by the British rock band Babacar in 1998. The album only received mediocre reviews and was a commercial failure...
(1998)