The Cavern
Rock & Words
THE CURE
"Be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more
For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"
“C”
Main Decade: 80’s
Main Eras:
New Wave (1976-1990)
Alternative II: The Big Bang (1990-1999)
Key Members:
Robert Smith, Vocalist and Guitar
Simon Gallup, Bass
Lol Tolhurst, Drums and Keyboards
Key Songs:
Boys Don’t Cry, Friday I’m In Love, Love Song, Lullaby, Just Like Heaven, Pictures of You, Facination Street, Close To You, Three Imaginary Boys, How Beautiful You Are, The Kiss, Close To Me, The Lovecats, Why Can’t I Be You, Desintegration, Bananafishbones, The 13th, Shiver and Shake, The Top, Killing An Arab, Hot Hot Hot!, Open
The Cure… who can deny that they have a unique sound and that, whether we like it or not, they've become a cult band with great, timeless anthems? From their beginnings, The Cure has had a certain London aura that permeates all their work. An air of darkness, of rain, of night fog in that sadness and nostalgia they exude, even though there may be sunny flashes with catchy pop hooks amidst the gothic atmospheres.
The thing about The Cure is that the exact opposite happens with AC/DC. While most people despise and underestimate the Australians without really knowing why, Robert Smith and company are adored and overrated without anyone truly understanding them. I don't mean to say that either is a bad band or that one is better than the other, simply that with The Cure, people have created a myth around the enigmatic figure of Robert Smith and a handful of songs. The main reason for this is that The Cure has almost as many compilations as studio albums, which creates tremendous chaos in their discography. Obviously, the compilations, which generally include hit singles, are much better known than the studio albums themselves, and so many people say, "Oh, but what amazing albums Boy's Don't Cry, Staring At The Sea, or Galore!!!" when they're just collections. It's not that The Cure doesn't have studio gems like Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me or Disintegration, but not all their albums are equally strong. I'm not saying The Cure is a bad band at all; I myself greatly enjoy their dark, pop-tinged atmospheres. My point is that many people tend to overrate them without delving into their discography, which, like almost everything, has its ups and downs.
The Cure is Robert Smith. I don't know if it's worth delving into all the lineup changes they've had throughout their history, but the one constant is this man with the nostalgic voice and even darker demeanor. He's the one who gives the group its unique touch, with an emotive voice, brimming with emotion, capable of dragging you into the deepest abyss if it catches you at a bad time. Just listen to "Love Song" or "Lullaby" to stay depressed for a week. He's the one who gave the band's image that ghostly look, with the pale, made-up face, gothic clothes, and spiky hair, which countless groups would copy, including early Spanish-language bands like Soda Stereo and Caifanes. He's the main songwriter, the arranger, and the one who, despite the countless changes in guitars, keyboards, and drums, continues to keep the group in a style that is not only recognizable but unique. The Cure sounds like The Cure, and no one can copy their atmosphere and vocals, despite numerous attempts to imitate them.
The band formed in Sussex, England, in 1976. Their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, didn't turn out as they had hoped, and the record label even added a horrendous cover of "Foxy Lady" that the guys didn't even know had been recorded while they were jamming in the studio. Seventeen Seconds, their second album, also sounds weak and lacking in personality, still wandering through Post-Punk and New Wave influences. Even so, the band began to gain traction based on their singles, and for their third album, they took creative control, releasing a kind of reissue of their debut for the American market, but removing the weaker tracks and adding their hit singles. The album, Boys Don't Cry, performed very well on the American charts, and The Cure began their slow ascent to the reign of the 80s charts.
The following albums would place more emphasis on creating atmospheres, becoming increasingly dark and gothic, and shaping that characteristic, almost suicidal sound of the group. Pornography, from '82, would perhaps be the darkest and most representative of this sound. Smith would say that he was devastated during the recording of this album, and it shows in the music. Pornography is a perfect suicidal spiral, a somber, nihilistic album, and one with which The Cure established their definitive image with makeup and spiky hair. With the subsequent tour of the United States, they achieved superstardom.
Shortly after, Simon Gallup left The Cure after several internal problems. In '83 they released a compilation of B-sides called Japanese Whisper and in '84 a live album, which increased the rumors that The Cure had broken up. However, that same year they released the studio album The Top, on which Robert Smith played all the instruments except the drums. At the end of the year, Gallup returned to being the band's bassist, which cheered Smith up, and he said, "Now we're a band again."
By 1985, now a quintet, they released *The Head to the Door*, featuring both melancholic and upbeat tracks, spearheaded by the single "Close to Me," which propelled the album to commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic. They then released another compilation of singles, *Standing on a Beach*, which included tracks dating back to *Boys Don't Cry*. This album helped the band embark on their most successful world tour to date, and several of their older singles climbed the charts.
In 1987, they released their masterpiece, *Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me*, which, combined with the popularity they had gained from the previous tour and the album's extensive catalog of songs, achieved platinum status across the board and cemented The Cure as THE band of 1987, nearly on par with giants like U2. The album maintains a careful attention to atmosphere and a certain darkness, but it's the brighter tracks that truly stand out, such as "Just Like Heaven" and "Why Can't I Be You?"
In '89, they would maintain this magnificent level with another timeless gem, Disintegration, in which pessimism and that desolate gothic feel once again take center stage. From here came giant singles like “Lullaby,” “Love Song,” “Fascination Street,” and “Pictures of You.” These would be the band's creative peaks. After the Disintegration tour, the group suffered personnel changes due to internal problems and drug and alcohol abuse. By then, The Cure was already a worldwide phenomenon, considered both a cult band and enjoying fame, sales, and critical acclaim. In 1991, they won the Brit Award for Best Band of the Year. They released some live albums and more compilations and remixes, but it wasn't until 1994 that they released another studio album, Wish. Despite the mega-single “Friday I’m In Love,” perhaps their best-known track along with “Boys Don’t Cry,” the cracks caused by Smith's tyranny began to show (there were further lineup changes during this period), and a slow creative decline began, from which they would never recover.
Even so, during the 90s, The The Cure reaped what they had sown in the 80s, becoming a major festival act, beloved by all, with their old singles (especially) and some new ones playing endlessly on the radio. The 1996 album Wild Mood Swings confirmed the downward trend, but the new compilation Galore ensured they remained a staple on the airwaves.
After further lineup changes, to the point that only Robert Smith remains not only as a founding member but from the entire 80s lineup, The Cure has endured more due to their legendary status and Smith's tremendous stage presence than their recent albums.
Even so, we can't deny that they are a living legend. Fat or thin, with or without makeup, Robert Smith is a magnetic figure who knows how to mesmerize with his voice and charisma, and he continues to keep countless classics from the band's heyday alive and relevant. I don't know if they'll ever recover; there were glimpses of it with Bloodflowers, but they regressed again with their self-titled 2004 album and 4:13 Dream. All things considered, The Cure is a band that has already left a profound mark on rock, with a very particular sound, always imitated but never equaled. These 80s monsters influenced countless bands and brought a few glimmers of nostalgic brilliance to the otherwise disastrous decade.
And after all, who among us didn't cry over a broken heart to "Lovesong," barely holding back the urge to slit our wrists with animal crackers?
Ladies and gentlemen, the band that plays the very disintegration of the soul, The Cure!
By Corvan
Aug/15/2011
