A Short History of the Cure

The first Cure album is their best. It features Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey and Lol Tolhurst and is full of perfectly written and recorded post-punk pop without any excess or production trickery. It's a classic and so are the songs. It sounds like a somewhat angry band who are unsure of the world and people in general. 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' is about hypocritical political fashions, 'Boy's Don't Cry' drips regret and disappointment and talks about people's inability to show their true emotions. Each song has the basic drums, bass, guitar and vocal set-up, but it's the songs themselves, and Smith's voice, which takes center stage. The sound is sparse and the songs simple but the Cure never achieved the same perfection again. Maybe it was the reason the saying 'less is more' was created. They could have split then and there and they would still be one of the best post-punk bands to have released an album.

It was followed by 'Seventeen Seconds' in 1980. The sound is still minimalist but not quite so sparse. 'A Forest' is an out and out classic with a killer bassline. Other songs feature keyboard washes and great guitars. The band had been joined by bassist Simon Gallup, and it's his bass that takes center stage on this album. Next came 'Faith' in 1981. It's an album which further highlights the Cure's stylistic shift from post-punk pop energy to a darker, more ethereal goth inflected new wave. The songs are still crisp and sharp but the sonic mist has changed. There's a claustrophobia and stillness in evidence, though some of the energy and vitality of the previous albums has been lost.

This lack of energy was addressed on the next Cure album, 'Pornography', in 1982. It balanced the punk energy with dark psycho self-obsession. Maybe Joy Division had paved the way for the album, Ian Curtis had died a couple of years before, there was a new subculture emerging in the name of goth with bands like Bauhaus and the Banshees, and 'Pornography' fitting in with all this perfectly. It sold well, though remains a difficult listen due to it's tight claustrophobic sound. It was also critically acclaimed. So, a strange moment for the band to decide it was splitting up.

The next couple of years had Smith touring with the Banshees, being a guest guitarist here and there, and working on side projects like The Glove with Steve Severin. He also started making some light and fluffy pop music. Smith didn't want to have the new songs associated with the Cure at first, but changed his mind. A decision which paid off big time. 'Let's Go To Bed' and 'Love Cats' became hits and Smith and Tolhurst became strange and wacky additions to mainstream music shows, dressed up to the nines with lipstick and hair going everywhere. Of course, the alternative music press didn't care for the Cure's transition from serious to frivolous, but maybe that was a good thing.

The next album was 'The Top' and was recorded as a six piece. It included light pop and a bit of heavy gloom, something which has happened on all the Cure's subsequent albums, a kind of schizo-rock-pop-goth approach to music which has seen the band become very big in places like South America and Japan, whilst having occasional hits in the UK. 'The Top' was followed by 'Head On The Door' which features even more pop perfection with songs like 'In Between Days'. The Cure had become major unit-shifters by the time they released the double album 'Kiss Kiss Kiss', but they still managed to maintain their alternative credibility, which is a tricky thing to pull off.

The albums that have followed have all been part pop and part goth, but one thing is for sure, they are all so obviously the Cure. This is probably down to Robert Smith's voice which is so recognizable and distinctive. Maybe, though, it is forgotten just how good he is at what he does. He's a great songwriter and a fine performer and continues to follow his own unique path through the musical world. One thing is certain though, even though they have released some fine stuff over the years, the first album is still easily their best.