Formed in 1976 in Crawley, West Sussex, The Cure is an English rock band that experienced a lot of line-up changes but still emerged to be one of the greatest bands in the 80s and beyond. They were one of the few bands who started in the 70’s that managed to make it in the 80’s that’s why The Cure had to switch genres from gothic, gloomy rock to punk rock. They popularized songs like “Let’s Go To Bed”, “Just Like Heaven” and “Friday I’m In Love”. The Cure have sold more than 27 million albums worldwide and received several awards in the Grammy’s and Brit Awards.
Formation
The Cure’s original members were school friends at Notre Dame Middle School in West Sussex. The Cure’s original line-up was Robert Smith on the piano, Michael Dempsey on guitar, Laurence Tolhurst on percussion, Marc Ceccagno on lead guitar, and Alan Hill on bass guitar. They originally called themselves as the Easy Cure and focused more on performing dark and nervy guitar pop.
The band continued to play gigs around Crawley in 1977 to 1978. They eventually landed a record deal with the German record label, Ariola-Hansa when they won a talent competition that was held by the label. However, the record deal was short-lived because the label was dissatisfied with the band’s demos and wanted to release more cover songs instead. The band did not like the idea that’s why they decided to terminate the contract.
In 1978, The group then changed their name to The Cure when they signed with Fiction Records and released their first single “Killing an Arab” in 1979.
Hit Songs
- Friday I’m In Love
- Lovesong
- Pictures of You
- Just Like Heaven
- Boys Don’t Cry
- A Forest
- In Between Days
- Lullaby
- The Lovecats
- Fascination Street
- A Letter to Elise
- Charlotte Sometimes
- Killing an Arab
- Why Can’t I Be You
- Let’s Go To Bed
Albums
Three Imaginary Boys
Three Imaginary Boys was The Cure’s first studio album and it was released on May 8, 1979. It contains the songs “10:15 Saturday Night” and a cover of a Jimi Hendrix song “Foxy Lady.” The Cure only had three members when they released this album. Robert Smith played the guitar and did the vocals while Michael Dempsey played the bass, and Lol Tolhurst played the drums.
Seventeen Seconds
Released on April 22, 1980, Seventeen Seconds was The Cure’s second studio album under Fiction Records. Robert Smith co-produced this album with Mike Hedges. This is also The Cure’s first album without their bassist Michael Hedges. Their single “A Forest” became The Cure’s first song to enter the UK Top 40 Singles Chart.
Faith
The Cure’s third album, Faith was released on April 14, 1981 under Fiction Records. This album was a certified commercial success in the UK debuting at the 14th spot and staying at the charts for eight consecutive weeks. This album featured their hit song “Primary”.
Pornography
The Cure’s fourth album, Pornography was released on May 4, 1982. This album had a rocky recording process because of Robert Smith’s heavy drug use and the band arguing over everything. This album was also their bassist, Simon Gallup’s last record with The Cure. However, Pornography is still The Cure’s most popular album. It reached the number eight spot in the UK Albums Chart and held their popular single “The Hanging Garden”.
The Top
The Top was The Cure’s fifth album under fiction records. It was released on April 30, 1984 and entered in the number ten spot in the UK Albums Chart. Just months after its release, The Cure set out on a major UK tour to promote the album.
The Head on the Door
The Cure’s sixth studio album, The Head on the Door was released on August 1985 under Polydor Records. The Head on the Door featured The Cure’s hit single, “In Between Days” that reached the 15th spot on the UK Singles Chart. This was The Cure’s first album that featured their new drummer, Boris Williams and Bassist Simon Gallup reunited with the band for the recording of this album. This is the first The Cure album where Robert Smith wrote all the songs.
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, was the seventh studio album of The Cure. It was released in May 1987 under Fiction records. This album had put The Cure into the American mainstream music scene. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me was The Cure’s first album to enter the Billboard Top 40. It also reached a platinum status. This album featured successful singles like “Catch”, “Why Can’t I Be You?”, and “Just Like Heaven”.
Disintegration
Released on May 2, 1989, Disintegration was The Cure’s eighth studio album under Fiction Records. This record has proved that The Cure returned to their old gloomy, gothic rock genre. This album charted at the number three spot in the UK and peaked at the number 12 spot in the Unites States. Their hit song “Lovesong” came from this album. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Wish
The Cure’s ninth studio album, Wish, was released on April 21, 1992 under Fiction Records. Their lead single “High” debuted at the number eight spot in the UK Singles Chart and in the 42nd spot at the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1993, Wish was nominated in the Grammy’s for Best Alternative Music Album.
Wild Mood Swings
Wild Mood Swings, the tenth studio album of The Cure was released on May 07, 1996. The production process of this album took a long time because it seemed like The Cure was on a hiatus after Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup, and Boris Williams left the band. Robert Smith, and Perry Bamonte managed to record this album with the help of Roger O’ Donnell. Wild Mood Swings featured the songs “The 13th”, “Strange Attraction” and “Gone!”.
Bloodflowers
Bloodflowers is the eleventh studio album was released in February 2000 under the record label Fiction. This album featured The Cure’s extensive use of keyboards. Bloodflowers includes the songs “Out of this World”, and “Maybe Someday”.
The Cure
This self-titled album was released on June 29, 2004 under the record label Geffen. This album featured the song ‘The End of the World”, “Going Nowhere”, and “The Promise”
4:13 Dream
4:13 Dream is The Cure’s thirteenth studio album. This was supposed to be a double album but Robert Smith said that the idea was crossed out even though they recorded thirty-three songs. 4:13 Dream debuted on the 16th spot on the Billboard 200 and sold almost 24,000 copies on its first week of release on October 28, 2008.
The Cure’s Legacy
The Cure was the alternative band to reach commercial success even before alternative rock went mainstream. The Cure has definitely been an influence on band such as the Smashing Pumpkins, and Interpol. They won several awards including Best Alternative Albums at the Grammy’s for their albums Wish and Bloodflowers. And a Brit Award for Best Video and Best British Group in 1990 and 1991. The Cure has sold almost 27 million records worldwide as of 2004.