the cure

"if only tonight we could sleep in a bed made of flowers..."
goth & gloom, pop, new wave, punk...choose your pick depending on your mood...the cure IS robert smith
fav albums - pornography, faith, 17 seconds, wish, staring at the sea, disintegration, 3 imaginary boys


www.thecure.com


biography from http://ubl.artistdirect.com


Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late '70s, the cure was one of the most enduring and popular. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith (b. April 21, 1959), the band became notorious for their slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance. But the public image often hid the diversity of the Cure's music. At the outset, they played jagged, edgy pop songs and they slowly evolved into a more textured outfit. As one of the bands that laid the seeds for goth rock, the group created towering layers of guitars and synthesizers, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-'80s, the Cure had moved away from the genre. By the end of the '80s, the Cure had crossed over into the
mainstream not only in their native England, but also in the United States and in various parts of Europe.

Originally called the Easy Cure, the band was formed in 1976 by schoolmates Robert Smith (vocals, guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass), and Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums). Initially, the group was playing dark, nervy guitar pop with pseudo-literary lyrics, as evidenced by the Albert Camus-inspired "Killing an Arab." A demo tape, featuring "Killing an Arab," arrived in the hands of Chris Parry, an A&R representative at Polydor Records; by the time he received the tape, the band's name had been truncated to the Cure. Parry was impressed with the song and arranged for its release on the independent label Small Wonder in December 1978. Early in 1979, Parry left Polydor to form his own record label, Fiction, and the Cure was one of the first bands he signed to the label. "Killing an Arab" was re-released in February of 1979, and the Cure set out on their first tour of England. The Cure's debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, was released in May 1979 to good reviews in the British music press. Later that year, the group released the non-LP singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train." That same year, the Cure embarked on a major tour with Siouxsie & the Banshees. During the tour, the Banshees' guitarist John McKay left the group and Robert Smith stepped in for the missing musician; for the next decade or so, Smith would frequently collaborate with members of the Banshees.

At the end of 1979, the Cure released a single, "I'm a Cult Hero," under the name the Cult Heroes. Following the release of the single, Dempsey left the band to join the Associates. Dempsey was replaced by Simon Gallup at the beginning of 1980. At the same time, the Cure added a keyboardist, Matthieu Hartley, to their lineup. The band's second album, Seventeen Seconds, was released in the spring of 1980. The addition of a keyboardist expanded the group's sound; it was now more experimental, and frequently they would immerse themselves in slow, gloomy dirges. Nevertheless, the band still wrote pop hooks, as demonstrated by the group's first U.K. hit single, "A Forest," which peaked at number 31. After the release of Seventeen Seconds, the Cure began their first world tour. Following the Australian leg of the tour, Matthieu Hartley left the band and the group chose to continue without him. In 1981, they released their third album, Faith, which peaked at number 14 in the charts and spawned the minor hit single "Primary." The Cure's fourth album, the doom-laden, introspective Pornography, was released in 1982. Pornography expanded their cult audience even further and it cracked the U.K. Top Ten. After the Pornography tour was completed, Simon Gallup quit the band and Lol Tolhurst moved from drums to keyboards. At the end of 1982, the Cure released a new single, the dance-tinged "Let's Go to Bed."

Robert Smith devoted most of the beginning of 1983 to Siouxsie & the Banshees, recording the Hyaena album with the group and appearing as the band's guitarist on the album's accompanying tour. Smith also formed a band with Banshees bassist Steve Severin called the Glove that same year. The Glove released their only album, Blue Sunshine, later in 1983. By the late summer of 1983, a new version of the Cure -- featuring Smith, Tolhurst, drummer Andy Anderson, and bassist Phil Thornalley -- was assembled and they recorded a new single, the jaunty "The Lovecats." The song was released in the fall of 1983 and became the group's biggest hit to date, peaking at number seven on the U.K. charts. The new lineup of the Cure released The Top, in 1984. Despite the pop leanings the number 14 hit "The Caterpillar," The Top was a return to the bleak soundscapes of Pornography. During the world tour supporting The Top, Anderson was fired from the band. In early 1985, following the completion of the tour, Thornalley left the band. The Cure revamped its lineup after his departure, adding drummer Boris Williams, guitarist Porl Thompson, and bassist Simon Gallup. Later in 1985, the Cure released their sixth album, The Head on the Door. The album was the most concise and pop-oriented record the group had ever released, which helped send it into the U.K. Top Ten and to number 59 in the U.S.; the first time the band had broken the American Hot 100. "In Between Days" and "Close to Me" -- both pulled from The Head on the Door -- became sizable U.K. hits, as well as popular underground and college-radio hits in the U.S.

The Cure followed the breakthrough success of The Head on the Door in 1986 with the compilation Standing on a Beach: The Singles. Standing on a Beach reached number four in the U.K., but more importantly it established the band as a major cult act in the U.S.; the album peaked at number 48 and went gold within a year. In short, Standing on a Beach set the stage for 1987's double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The album was eclectic but it was a hit, spawning four hit singles in the U.K. ("Why Can't I Be You," "Catch," "Just like Heaven," "Hot Hot Hot!!!") and the group's first American Top 40 hit, "Just like Heaven." Following the supporting tour for Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, the Cure's activity slowed to a halt. Before the Cure began working on their new album in early 1988, the band fired Lol Tolhurst, claiming that relations between him and the rest of the band had been irrevocably damaged. Tolhurst would soon file a lawsuit, claiming that his role in the band was greater than stated in his contract and, consequently, he deserved more money.

In the meantime, the Cure replaced Tolhurst with former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and recorded their eighth album, Disintegration. Released in the spring of 1989, the album was more melancholy than its predecessor but it was an immediate hit, reaching number three in the U.K. and number 14 in the U.S., and spawning a series of hit singles. "Lullaby" became the group's biggest British hit in the spring of 1989, peaking at number five. In the late summer, the band had their biggest American hit with "Lovesong," which climbed to number two. On the Disintegration tour, the Cure began playing stadiums across the U.S. and the U.K. In the fall of 1990, the Cure released Mixed Up, a collection of remixes featuring a new single, "Never Enough."

Following the Disintegration tour, Roger O'Donnell left the band and the Cure replaced him with their roadie, Perry Bamonte. In the spring of 1992, the band released Wish. Like Disintegration, Wish was an immediate hit, entering the British charts at number one and the American charts at number two, as well as launching the hit singles "High" and "Friday I'm in Love." The Cure embarked on another international tour after the release of Wish. One concert, performed in Detroit, was documented on a film called Show and on two albums, Show and Paris. The movie and the albums were released in 1993.

Porl Thompson left the band in 1993 to join Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's band. After his departure, Roger O'Donnell re-joined the band as a keyboardist and Perry Bamonte switched from synthesizers to guitars. During most of 1993 and early 1994, the Cure was sidelined by the then-ongoing lawsuit from Lol Tolhurst. Following the settlement in the band's favor in the fall of 1994, the group were set to record a follow-up album to Wish, but drummer Boris Williams quit just as they were about to begin the record. The Cure recruited a new drummer through advertisements in the British music papers; by the spring of 1995, Jason Cooper had replaced Williams. Throughout 1995, the Cure recorded their tenth proper studio album, pausing to perform a handful of European musical festivals in the summer. The album, titled Wild Mood Swings, was finally released in the spring of 1996. A second singles collection, 1997's Galore, yielded the new "Wrong Number"; Bloodflowers followed in early 2000. An all-encompassing Cure retrospective entitled Greatest Hits, which included two brand new songs, was issued in fall 2001.

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide


an interesting album review from http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/3002/albums.html


staring at the sea/standing on a beach : the singles 1979-1986 (1986) -- if you are being introduced to the cure, this is a very good album to start off with. it highlights the singles that the band released, from 1979's boys don't cry to 1985's the head on the door. i recommend the cd version over the cassette version; there are more songs on the cd. highlights : almost every song here is great.. it's hard to pick a few good ones out of the bunch. songs you'll know : "inbetween days" (from the radio). maybe you've heard "the lovecats" and/or "the caterpillar" on the radio as well.


galore : the singles 1987-1997 (1997)-- again, an album of singles. this chronicles the singles, from 1987's kiss me, kiss me, kiss me to 1996's wild mood swings. this is a perfect cd to buy along with staring at the sea. both cds flow together perfectly to show the cure's nearly 20-year musical evolution. highlights : it depends on your taste. the band is quite experimental here. in this one album, the cure switches musical styles about 10 times:)there is gloomy pop, a few happier songs, some wicked guitar, and a mariachi-type song. whichever style you are in the mood for, galore probably has it (hence the title):). songs you'll know : "lovesong", "just like heaven", "mintcar", "friday i'm in love", "fascination street", maybe "strange attraction", "lullaby", "pictures of you".. all of these get some form of radio play and are featured on galore.


disintegration (1989) -- quite possibly one of their finest albums. this is robert smith at his most mature songwriting.... it is a lush, beautiful soundscape with equally beautiful lyrics.highlights : every single song is beautiful. i can't choose.:)songs you'll know : "lovesong", "fascination street", "lullaby", "pictures of you", from either the radio or GALORE.


the head on the door (1985) -- another fine cure moment... starts with familiar pop ("inbetween days") and ends on a beautiful, haunting note ("sinking"). the songs in between are also as well-written and profound.. it is an album you cannot possibly tire of listening to, with catchy songs impossible to forget. highlights : "inbetween days", "kyoto song", "the blood", "six different ways", "sinking". songs you'll know : "inbetween days", from the radio and "close to me"... both are on staring at the sea", although the album version of "close to me" is a bit different (check out the REALLY different version on galore as a remix from mixed up).


bloodflowers (2000) -- this is SUCH a beautiful album. you can buy this album at any time as far as i'm concerned. it is mostly slow and contemplative, with a few songs dominated by electric guitar. awesome lyrics.. a very mature work. highlights : "out of this world", "maybe someday", "39", "bloodflowers", "there is no if...". songs you'll know : "maybe someday", possibly "out of this world"... both are played on the radio. now that i have recommended to you a few generally great albums, there are two ways you can go. the cure has albums that are more pop, and some that are much more gloomy instead. pick a style that suits your taste, but do not discount any of the other albums. they may be different, but they are still great:) ok.. it's time to explore outside of the cure's more popular albums. :)


pornography (1982) -- this album, which never was very popular in the states, might be an acquired taste for some. robert wrote it at a time of personal depression, and maybe the "gloom-and-doom" songs by the cure are not your favorite. however, i personally think it's a haunting album from beginning to end.. with lol's primal drum beat and robert's despairing vocals, they weave a story of depression, madness, and helplessness. also, it's very beautiful sometimes:) highlights : "one hundred years", siamese twins", "the figurehead", "the hanging garden". songs you'll know : probably "the hanging garden" if you've already heard staring at the sea, or "the figurehead" if you've heard live albums (such as paris). otherwise, you've probably never heard anything on this one.


faith (1981)-- this album is mostly slow and sad... but affecting and beautiful nonetheless. as most of the albums in this section do, it talks mostly about death and the helplessness of losing faith and hope. great to sleep to or to listen to if you want to really hear something profound, but NOT if you're sad to begin with:). however, in the midst of the slow songs, there is one great danceable song.. "primary". highlights : "faith", "the funeral party", "primary", "other voices". songs you'll know : "primary" and "other voices" from staring at the sea.


seventeen seconds (1980)-- this is one of their most abstract albums. the album is great because of this. it doesn't seem like those songs would sound right together on an album, but strangely enough it flows. "three" is a very strange song.. i suggest you listen to it to see what i mean:) seventeen seconds is a perfect fit with faith and both albums are even sold together as a double cd set in some stores. highlights : "a reflection", "play for today", "in your house", "a forest". songs you'll know : "play for today" and "a forest" from staring at the sea.


kiss me, kiss me, kiss me (1987)-- this one is quite a mix. there is pop, sitar, and hints of their gloomier albums. there's 80s dance, a bouncy little acoustic song, and hard-hitting guitar. it's actually a preview of what's to come; the cure's technique of putting varied styles of music on one album is repeated on wild mood swings 7 years later. highlights : "the kiss", "catch", "if only tonight we could sleep", "torture", "why can't i be you?", "just like heaven", etc... songs you'll know : "why can't i be you?", "catch", and "just like heaven" from galore.


wish (1992)-- i love this album. i can't find a single song on it i don't like.. it's beautiful. the whole album is sarcastic though. the title, "wish", makes one think he might be becoming more optimistic. however, not one single song on here is about hope... it's more about loss (except for "friday i'm in love":)). but there is an aching longing present in the music that is hard to explain. you just have to hear it. highlights : "open", "high", "from the edge of the deep green sea", "doing the unstuck", "friday i'm in love", "trust", "a letter to elise", "cut", "end". songs you'll know : "high", "friday i'm in love", and "a letter to elise" from galore.


wild mood swings (1996)-- the title of this album is so fitting. there are so many interesting turns to it, because it is utterly unpredictable. most of the songs are all in a different musical style than usual, and the cure sometimes completely changes their sound on a whim. it's like a rollercoaster ride:) highlights : "want", "mintcar", "gone!" "the 13th", "strange attraction", etc. songs you'll know : "mintcar", "gone!" "the 13th", and "strange attraction" from galore.