Tag Archives: Robert Smith

The Cure-Pornography.

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Album number 4 by The Cure. It opens with the amazing line, “It doesn’t matter if we all die.”  My wonderfully morbid side adores this line. It is a brilliant opening line. One Hundred Years is a fantastic opening song. It’s 6 minutes of utter brilliance. Find me a better opening line to a song, then we’ll talk. Actually, we won’t talk. Mainly because you’ll find a better opening line and I’ll be left feeling like a dickhead again. Just accept it’s a wonderful opening line, yeah? Good.

I could quite happily write thousands of words about One Hundred Years, but if you’ve heard the album you will know that no words can actually describe just how perfect this song. Robert’s voice sounds so dramatic and intense.  Honestly one of the best tracks by The Cure ever.

Pornography sparked The Cure “look.” You know; the big hair, black clothes and smeared make-up. Let’s be honest though, only Robert Smith could pull off having his lipstick like that. Anyone else just looks like they’ve had a rough night and forgot their bus pass.

I still hold Seventeen Seconds higher than all albums by The Cure, but there is something about their fourth record that is so dark; you feel so numb after hearing it. I’m in a good mood right now, but I know as soon as I finish playing the album I’ll feel like someone has killed my dog. I don’t have a dog, but you know what I mean. It has a way of just ridding you of positive feelings and causing a wave of darkenss to take over. Personally, I love it. I love that a record can make you feel like that. I love that this record can make you feel so dark and morbid. I think it’s utterly fascinating.

The Figurehead oozes desperation and despair. Two things that many do not always appreciate in music due to it sounding so fucking self-indulgent. Not with The Cure. Not at all. It’s  a painful song to listen to, espcially if you’ve ever had your heart ripped out and your self-worth  shat on. We’ve all been there, but Robert portrays it in a way that doesn’ t make you feel alone. See, when you get hurt- you become wrapped up in it. You convince yourself that you’re the only one to have ever felt like that. You’re not. You’re really not, and records like this just prove exactly that. Pain is pain. We all feel it. You cannot escape it, it will happen. Just get on with your life, and let fate drag you along for the ride. “I will never be clean again.” It’s so painful and heartbreaking to hear. The way he sings this just makes you ache everywhere; from the inside out.

Pornography was the first album by The Cure where they used a keyboard and if you look closely enough at the album front cover, it is the first album by the band to not have used their logo that was present on previous records.

This album is not for the faint hearted or for those who cannot handle feeling sad. However, it is up there with one of the best records ever created and also one of the best albums by The Cure.

The Cure-Faith.

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Third album. See, I’m doing good. I’m onto the third album and I have yet to get bored. Although, I suppose you are….whoever you are.

Dark, sombre, chilling,genius- these are just some words that one could use to describe The Cure’s third album. It is painfully dark and wonderfully haunting. They say you should never judge a book by its cover. With an album, you can probably get away with it. Especially with this record. The cover to Faith is grey, foggy and eerie. Listen to the album, and it gives off exactly the same atmosphere. The Cure are one of the few bands that always have brilliant artwork with their albums. As someone who loves buying CDs/records and going through the artwork as I listen to the album, The Cure, I find are a brilliant band to do this to. There aren’t many around, this is why I treasure (oh look, a bad pun) The Cure so much.

I adore The Drowning Man. Hands down, favourite track off the album. The title alone is morbid. “I would have left the world all bleeding, could I only help you love.”  Not only is the such a sad line, it is beautiful too. For some reason I can find beauty and the good in sadness- I have no idea why, I don’t want to know why. If I knew why, I probably wouldn’t be able to function. I like the idea of darkness and a bit of chaos; there’s something quite comforting about it. I don’t know, I’m going off topic again.

Faith is regarded as the centre point of the “Dark Trilogy”- starting with Seventeen Seconds and ending with Pornography. Well, the darker the better I say!

As someone who has a weird curiosty with the subject of death, I’m obviously going to be drawn to the track The Funeral Party. I can only imagine the hardcorefans of The Cure wanting this playing at their funeral, good on them. Bloody good song. It doesn’t sound like your stereotypical song by The Cure, it is more slowed down than most and it is possibly their saddest track. I’d honestly say it is on a par with Treasure; it is that sad. The lyrics are wonderful, even the title is genius. “Two pale figures,ache in silence.” What a gorgeous way to start a song. This is sheer poetry, fuck it; Robert Smith is a poet. Of all the albums by The Cure, Faith shows how much of a lyrical genius Robert Smith is. He’s a bloody poet. A true Romantic. Although it is a sad song, you can find strength and comfort in it. Death comes to us all; whether you’re the one dying or the one left without a person- we all experience it. This song can give you the strength to overcome the pain of dealing with the loss of someone.

One thing I always take from listening to The Cure, especially with this record is their ability to get inside your head and vocalise how you feel. The dark feelings you cannot tell your best friend are sung by Robert Smith and you do not feel so horrible about having such dark feelings. What makes us human and in touch with how we feel is not being afraid to feel. This is what I believe, and I believe it because of The Cure and Robert Smith’s words. Where would I be without them, without this record? I don’t know. I’m not willing to know.

 

The Cure-Three Imaginary Boys.

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I loved listening to Seventeen Seconds and writing about it; so I have now decided to do the same for every album by The Cure. If you’d like to place your bets on how long it takes before I change my mind, then go for it. I’m doing it for many reasons- one being I’d like to see if I can actually do it without being distracted and changing my mind. However, hardly anyone reads the nonsense I write so no one will notice if I stick at this or not. Now, with that out of the way, let’s discuss one of the most phenomenal debut albums of all time.

Three Imaginary Boys is THE essential album by The Cure isn’t it? It has to be. I know every single album is bloody amazing, but this one is stunning from start to finish. When you listen to it, you find it hard to believe that this is their first record. It picks up where Punk left off; it’s a slowed down version of Punk. A lot of Punk tracks were short, aggressive and fast. The Cure are about as aggressive as a goldfish. That’s why I love them so much, they made it okay for you to be delicate and vulnerable. I’m a stupidly shy person, and talking to people sometimes baffles me. The Cure made me (and still do) feel okay with how I am. As did/do Morrissey, which given the history between Robert Smith and Morrissey is a bit odd, but I love them both the same. The Cure’s music is a cure. It is a cure to loneliness, fragility, poor self-worth and longing. You get people who say, “Oh I know how you feel.” They don’t. Robert Smith does, and it is evident on every single bloody song.

Three Imaginary Boys is a masterpiece, deny that and you are a silly billy really. Another Day is so poetic and woeful. I love it so much. “The sun rises slowly on another day.” Robert just sounds so fed up singing this line, as someone who carries a tiny bif of frustration towards daily life; I just love this line so much. The bass in this song is so chilling, it lingers in your ears for a while after you’ve stopped listening. You can just picture a young Robert Smith looking out of the window writing this, singing this to himself. I love how the guitar throughout (especially at the end) has a drunken effect.

Object gives off a more Punk feel than any of the other tracks. By Punk, I mean it feels like a song by the Buzzcocks; so not really Punk. Post-Punk if you will. Unlike albums released after, The Cure didn’t get a say in the tracklisting of their debut album. Ever since, Robert Smith has been given creative control over what tracks goes on each album before it is released. The company also decided on the artwork too. To have your first EVER album released and you find out the songs you hated that you recorded are put on it  must be beyond frustrating. Robert has stated many times that he hates the songs Foxy Lady (Hendrix cover) and Object, and didn’t want them on the album.

Meathook has a slight reggae feel to it, the guitar is just brilliant on this one. But let’s be honest here, although the band didn’t get a say on what was put on this album; every track is wonderful making it one of the most important debut albums of all time. Not only is it such an important record, it is highly influential too. This album started a sound that many tried to copy, but only The Cure could well and truly carry. It is THEIR sound, many just tried to be like all too often. No other band has made such a wonderful debut. No other band has created a sound like this. There is no other band quite like The Cure.

The Cure-Seventeen Seconds.

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When I miss home, I just play The Cure. I’ve been playing them a lot recently; mainly Wild Mood Swings and Seventeen Seconds.

A lot of second albums are labelled as difficult to make. I listen to Seventeen Seconds and it just sounds so bloody effortlessly brilliant. I remember getting into The Cure and my stepdad telling me to start with the song A Forest. I played it, and ever since nothing has come close. The bassline, the guitar, the drums- so haunting. Robert’s voice, so perfect. It was one of the first songs I remember hearing and just connecting with. There’s something about A Forest that just screams out GENIUS. I’m not sure I could trust someone who couldn’t see how amazing this song is. It’s my favourite. Always has been, always will be. Nothing will come close to how I feel about this song.

I listen to Seventeen Seconds now, and how I felt when I first heard it is exactly the same how I feel now. I am still in awe of the production and the musicianship. It pisses me off so much when people automatically think of Boys Don’t Cry or Just Like Heaven when they think of The Cure. They need to be hit over the head with a copy of Seventeen Seconds and made to listen to it over and over again. Until they see that it is the most glorious album ever. Robert’s voice is one that will always amaze me and stir up feelings that I didn’t expect a singer to do.

Seventeen Seconds has a sound, a feel to it that has evidently influenced so many bands. That sound is still floating around today in brilliant bands such as Foals and Warpaint. The dreamy vibe that makes every single part of you sway. The picturesque lyrics that make you see the Universe and life in a totally different way. This is a record to lose yourself in. Maybe lose yourself and fall for someone. I have no idea, it depends on the kind of person you are. Or maybe it makes you wish you could fall freely for someone- without something or someone getting in the way. Let’s face it, there’s always something in the way.

At Night is one of the more harsher tracks on the album, the intro (if I could type a sound I would, but if I attempt it will look mighty strange) just reels you in. Then Robert’s voice kicks in with this fucking wonderful guitar. It’s just so bloody perfect. I know that perfection doesn’t exist, but it comes so bloody close on this record. This record was the soundtrack to so many peoples lives, it still is. It is utterly timeless.

The instrumental tracks on the album are brilliant too. See, with anyone else it’d be like an album filler. That isn’t the case with The Cure. The instrumental tracks are just as vital as the others. The album flows so beautiful. You listen to this all the way through. You explore the different layers of each track with every single listen.I listen to this album pretty much every single day, and I still notice something new with every listen. It just fascinates me in so many ways. The album starts with an instrumental (A Reflection)and it does create a somewhat sombre atmosphere, but I guess that’s why I love The Cure. They make you feel okay with feeling sad sometimes. You cannot escape sadness, sometimes you just have to allow yourself to feel it. Don’t be scared.

What I love the most about this record is how Robert’s voice always sounds like an echo. If you listen to the album through headphones, you feel it go from one ear to another in such a dramatic and haunting manner. It’s out of this world. The Cure created a sound on this album that was way ahead of its time, and in the process created one of the most influential records of all time. There is so much longing on the album (M, A Forest) and you can fully see why teenagers across the world found so much peace in this band and this record. Everyone knows that being a teenager is one of the cruelest things anyone has to go through, but with bands like The Cure; it makes it easier. I spent my teenage years listening to The Smiths and The Cure, and it gave me an insight to life that nothing else could. Their music taught me things no book could ever teach me.