Options

The Cure

silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
Forum Member
✭✭✭
Bit bored so I thought I would do a top ent of Cure albums :cool:

1. Disintegration. Probably the most moody and downbeat album ever made but lyrically brilliant and technically well produced. Highlights include the title track and 'Lullaby' as well as 'Plainsong'. Very cinematic and atmospheric, an album crying out to be played on rainy sundays. Sadly the last decent album made after Bob cruelly sacked Lol Tolhurst.

2. Pornography. Excellent due to clastrophobic title track though almost too maudlin to listen to the entire way through. Excellent title track and 'One Hundred Years' make this one of the best albums ever made whilst 'The Firugrehead' remains a favourite with fans. I actually prefer the live version of the album on Trilogy. :o

3. The Head On The Door. Alternatively known as 'the pop album' as contains, 'In Between Days', 'Close To Me' and Push'. In terms of guitar work both Bob and Porl Thompson never sounded better.

4. Faith. A strong album in terms of mood and atmosphere which should be played as a whole due to the nature of the songs within. 'Primary' is probably the best song Bob has ever written whilst 'Other Voices' and 'Faith' contain some great bass and Lol deserves credit for 'All Cats Are Grey'.

5. KMKMKM A double album with too much filler but containing 'Just Like Heaven', 'Why Can't I Be You' and 'The Perfect Girl'. Would have made a classic single album.

6. Seventeen Seconds Most Cure fans think that this is either the best album they did or is a close second to Pornography. Not a big fan of this album though love 'A Forest' and 'Play For Today'. Drumming is irritatingly weak on this album.

7. Boys Don't Cry I'll take BDC over the original 'Three Imaginary Boys' just for its inclusion of 'Jumping Some-Else's Train'. '10.15 Saturday Night' remains amusing but aside from 'Boys Don't Cry' not many of the tracks on this warrant a second or third listen.

8. Japanese Whispers. Far too poppy and unsubstantial for my tastes though has 'Lets Go To Bed', 'Love Cats' and 'The Walk' on it. Synth-pop rather than a proper rock album.

8. Mixed Up Excellent remix best-of album deserving its place in the top ten for a great version of 'Never Enough' while the acid/ambient version of Caterpillar' is a must for post-pub/night out relaxation

9. Wild Mood Swings A return to form from listening to the first track, 'Want' whilst 'Strange Attraction' appears pretty decent. Overall not a great album but worth listening to if hankering after the early days of KM3 or HotD.

10. Bloodflowers. Honourable mention for ' The Last Day Of Summer' but otherwise there is a definite vibe that Bob should stick to performing the greatest hits live rather than continuing to record albums no-one really wants.

Wooden spoon for the god-awful The Top (made by Bob alone and clearly a work of egotistical insanity) as well as Wish which aside from 'Friday, I'm In Love' and 'A Letter To Elise' is unbelievably twee and sub-par. I'm not cruel enough to mention the last two albums by the Cure which are barely worth using as Frisbee or place-mats :mad:

Thoughts?
«1

Comments

  • Options
    CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,870
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    1. Disintegration
    2. Pornography
    3. Wish
    4. Faith
    5. Bloodflowers
    6. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
    7. The Head on the Door
    8. Seventeen Seconds
    9. 4:13 Dream
    10. Three Imaginary Boys

    Wish contains my all-time favourite song, "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" which alone makes it worthy of a top 3 place.

    I regard Japanese Whispers and Mixed Up as compilation albums. I'll take the deluxe version of Three Imaginary Boys as it includes the missing tracks from Boys Don't Cry.
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    CLL Dodge wrote: »
    1. Disintegration
    2. Pornography
    3. Wish
    4. Faith
    5. Bloodflowers
    6. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
    7. The Head on the Door
    8. Seventeen Seconds
    9. 4:13 Dream
    10. Three Imaginary Boys

    Wish contains my all-time favourite song, "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" which alone makes it worthy of a top 3 place.

    Wish as third :eek:

    Get a grip, it really isn't that great :(
  • Options
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,259
    Forum Member
    Wish is also one of my favourites. Get a grips a bit harsh.
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    sparkle_18 wrote: »
    Wish is also one of my favourites. Get a grips a bit harsh.
    review wrote:
    Recorded by the core of the definitive Cure line-up they attempted to relive their pop glory days of Head on the Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me with a thick sheen of Disintegration's black skies production smeared on top in order to create the definitive Cure statement. Shame then, that the actual LP comes over as a both a little bloated and a good third disposable, creating one of the least enjoyable listens of their career. Not so much a truly appalling effort as it was a lazy and uninspired sounding effort. Wish may not have been an obvious death blow to the band but it signalled a slowing down of the quality control and the fact that all but two of the b-sides from this LP were unarguably awful showed how bad things were going to get pretty soon.
    :p

    Actually I searched t'interweb and this album seems to be overwhelmingly loved, I can only think this is due to the sheer dross that followed :(
  • Options
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,259
    Forum Member
    Tbh I couldn't care less what reviews say, I enjoy it, so that's all that matters.

    Disintegration, Kiss Me Kiss Me, Head on the Door and Pornography are my favourites.
  • Options
    misslibertinemisslibertine Posts: 14,306
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    silentNate wrote: »
    Wish as third :eek:

    Get a grip, it really isn't that great :(

    So you ask for "thoughts", they're offered, but because they're not the same as yours you respond with that? :o
  • Options
    CoenCoen Posts: 5,711
    Forum Member
    Personally I think the only Cure albums that matter are:

    1. Disintegration
    2. The Head on the Door
    3. Three Imaginary Boys
    4. Seventeen Seconds
    5. Pornography
    6. Faith
    7. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

    I basically lost interest from Wish onwards. :D
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Coen wrote: »
    Personally I think the only Cure albums that matter are:

    1. Disintegration
    2. The Head on the Door
    3. Three Imaginary Boys
    4. Seventeen Seconds
    5. Pornography
    6. Faith
    7. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

    I basically lost interest from Wish onwards. :D

    You think Seventeen Seconds is better than Pornography? :confused:
    A lot of Cure fans agree but I just can't get into 17s :o
    Three Imaginary Boys has sadly aged badly, the production just doesn't sound that great now and lets the songs down :(
    So you ask for "thoughts", they're offered, but because they're not the same as yours you respond with that?
    At least the poster I was responding to was discussing the band, have you just appeared to stir it up? :p
  • Options
    CoenCoen Posts: 5,711
    Forum Member
    silentNate wrote: »
    You think Seventeen Seconds is better than Pornography? :confused:
    A lot of Cure fans agree but I just can't get into 17s :o
    Three Imaginary Boys has sadly aged badly, the production just doesn't sound that great now and lets the songs down :(

    At least the poster I was responding to was discussing the band, have you just appeared to stir it up? :p

    To be honest I had a hard time ranking Seventeen Seconds, Pornography and Faith - I'd put them all in my list of "Cure albums that matter" as I think they're important albums (as to a large extent they defined the early Goth sound and style) but the order I ranked them in is fairly random, I have no particular strong views on which of the 3 is the best album.

    I don't think Three Imaginary Boys has aged badly, though, as I thought the production sounded bad at the time - it sounds no worse now than it did at the time and I'd still put it in my top 3. :D
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Coen wrote: »
    I don't think Three Imaginary Boys has aged badly, though, as I thought the production sounded bad at the time - it sounds no worse now than it did at the time and I'd still put it in my top 3. :D

    Listening to 'Foxy Lady' I'm often surprised that Bob has never done a covers album, certainly there are some great albums of other bands covering his songs :o
    Coen wrote:
    To be honest I had a hard time ranking Seventeen Seconds, Pornography and Faith - I'd put them all in my list of "Cure albums that matter" as I think they're important albums (as to a large extent they defined the early Goth sound and style) but the order I ranked them in is fairly random, I have no particular strong views on which of the 3 is the best album.
    I disagree as for me Pornography stands head and shoulders over the other two; though my opinion may have been formed by having Faith on cassette when it came out as it had the album on one side and Carnage Visors on the other :o
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    According to my iTunes Playlist (and in order of times played) my Top Twenty-Five would be:-

    1. Push - The Head On The Door
    2. Primary - Faith
    3. A Night Like This - The Head On The Door
    4. Just Like Heaven - KM3
    5. One Hundred Years - Pornography
    6. Disintegration - Disintegration
    7. In Between Days - The Head On The Door
    8. Six Different Ways - The Head On The Door
    9. Close To Me - The Head On The Door
    10. Pornography - Pornography
    11. Plainsong - Trilogy
    12. The Figurehead - Pornography
    13. A Strange Day - Pornography
    14. Charlotte Sometimes - Paris
    15. Pornography - Trilogy
    16. Intro - Trilogy
    17. A Short Term Effect - Pornography
    18. Pictures Of You - Trilogy
    19. The Hanging Garden - Pornography
    20. A Forest - Seventeen Seconds
    21. Never Enough - Show
    22. A Strange Day - Trilogy
    23. Fascination St - Show
    24. A Night Like This - Show
    25. The Same Deep Water As You - Trilogy

    I'm shocked at the lack of tracks from Disintegration frankly though it's obvious that the versions of Trilogy are superior and I have always enjoyed their live recordings. :o

    Mint Car (26) The Last Day of Summer (27) Jumping Some-one Else's Train (28), got bored before I could check where anything from Wish appeared. :p
  • Options
    bbclassicsbbclassics Posts: 7,806
    Forum Member
    Just bumping this thread as I am a huge fan of The Cure.
    On my iPod my most played song is Fire In Cairo by The Cure (it's great)
    Then Lullaby, Fascination Street, Why Can't I be You, Lovesong, A Forest, Play for Today and Object.
  • Options
    MicrokorgMicrokorg Posts: 2,670
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Can't do ten, as never bought them all, but the order of the ones I have..

    1. Pornography
    2. Faith
    3. Seventeen Seconds
    4. Three Imaginary Boys
    5. Boys Don't Cry (not sure why I included as it's a compilation)

    For me.. the gloomier the better :)
  • Options
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 754
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Disintegration is definitley my favourite of the cure that i've actually listened too I love that album a lot.
    i also quite like three imaginary boys and the head on the door.
    For some reason i bought both of the last two cure albums on cd, think they were about £1 online or something.
    Is 413 Dream really so bad? there are quite a few decent songs IMO wouldn't say it was great but maybe a 6/10!
    may download pornography later :p but not really heard the others fully so i can't say.

    My favourite songs are probably...
    Plainsong, pictures of you, just like heaven,push and i really like cut here from their hits album too :) [from what i've heard their singles usually seem to be better than the rest of their albums?]
  • Options
    bbclassicsbbclassics Posts: 7,806
    Forum Member
    My favourite album by The Cure is probably Disintegration. I don't own all the albums but have quite a lot, may have a listen to 4:13 Dream and see what I think of it. The album seems to be quite split in opinions with the fans.
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    bbclassics wrote: »
    My favourite album by The Cure is probably Disintegration. I don't own all the albums but have quite a lot, may have a listen to 4:13 Dream and see what I think of it. The album seems to be quite split in opinions with the fans.

    Only the most hardcore of fan could like 4:13 Dream :(:o
  • Options
    TOSSerrTOSSerr Posts: 253
    Forum Member
    silentNate wrote: »
    Only the most hardcore of fan could like 4:13 Dream :(:o

    Yeah I agree. What a tired,old,plodding thing that is ! The self-titled one before it isn't much better although at least that ones got a few good songs on it

    My favourites are

    Disintegration
    Faith
    Pornography
    Seventeen seconds
    Bloodflowers


    Not keen on The Top or Head on The Door - the latter has horrid synth sounds and the curse of 80s drum production. KMKMKM is ok but a bit bloated and over-indulgent.

    Like Depeche Mode, I think it's maybe time for The Cure to call it a day. Sad to say that but........
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I love Head On The Door, how can you argue with an album that has Push, In Between Days and Close to me :eek: :p
  • Options
    bbclassicsbbclassics Posts: 7,806
    Forum Member
    silentNate wrote: »
    Only the most hardcore of fan could like 4:13 Dream :(:o

    Oh no :(

    I love The Head on The Door that's a fantasic album! With cracking singles too.

    Recently I've been listening to Faith and I love it so much, my friends think I'm a bit grim listening to it :P but I don't care, it's great.
  • Options
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 754
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    i know it's not a depeche mode topic but why do you say they should give up TOSSerr? do you think their recent albums weren't very good? just curious.
    i really like the latest 2 depeche mode cds is all can't say i've heard all their older ones though to be honest.
  • Options
    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 87
    Forum Member
    TOSSerr wrote: »
    Yeah I agree. What a tired,old,plodding thing that is ! The self-titled one before it isn't much better although at least that ones got a few good songs on it

    My favourites are

    Disintegration
    Faith
    Pornography
    Seventeen seconds
    Bloodflowers


    Not keen on The Top or Head on The Door - the latter has horrid synth sounds and the curse of 80s drum production. KMKMKM is ok but a bit bloated and over-indulgent.

    Like Depeche Mode, I think it's maybe time for The Cure to call it a day. Sad to say that but........

    Why should Depeche Mode and The Cure call it a day when they still sell out stadiums and arenas around the world and in Depeche Modes case still sell several million copies of every album they release, amounts bands today can only dream of.

    The Cure recently sold out the Albert Hall in less than an hour with tickets costing upto £120. They still have it bang on live as there Bestival set from 2011 proves.
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The Cure's albums have been a case of diminishing returns for some time and I don't think any of their fans buy concert tickets to hear their newer stuff. Depeche Mode haven't been the same since Alan Wilder imho but they are still producing interesting albums. I'd happily see either live :) :cool:
  • Options
    EraserheadEraserhead Posts: 22,016
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I swear I replied to this thread first time around. Maybe there's another one just like it...

    Anyway, I just wanted to defend The Top. I think it's a work of addled genius. It's Bob's full-on druggy indulgence album (every band should make one :-) and it's perfect if you want to just shift your mind into a very strange place for 40 minutes. And Shake Dog Shake and Give Me It are barking mad brilliance, like a really bad trip.
  • Options
    silentNatesilentNate Posts: 84,079
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Eraserhead wrote: »
    I swear I replied to this thread first time around. Maybe there's another one just like it...

    Anyway, I just wanted to defend The Top. I think it's a work of addled genius. It's Bob's full-on druggy indulgence album (every band should make one :-) and it's perfect if you want to just shift your mind into a very strange place for 40 minutes. And Shake Dog Shake and Give Me It are barking mad brilliance, like a really bad trip.

    Indefensible garbage, sorry :(
  • Options
    MsWilder11MsWilder11 Posts: 13,498
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    silentNate wrote: »
    The Cure's albums have been a case of diminishing returns for some time and I don't think any of their fans buy concert tickets to hear their newer stuff. Depeche Mode haven't been the same since Alan Wilder imho but they are still producing interesting albums. I'd happily see either live :) :cool:

    Agree 100% with this! They've done some good tracks post-Wilder, but they're nowhere near as good as they were when he was with them.
Sign In or Register to comment.