The Cure - British musical group, whose sound style is quite difficult to define. One of the pioneers of alternative rock and post-punk. The group, despite its alternative focus, has achieved popularity and commercial success - over 50 million copies of their albums have been sold worldwide. The group also had a huge impact on the birth and formation of the goth subculture, creating a great … Read all
The Cure are a British musical group whose sound style is quite difficult to define. One of the pioneers of alternative rock and post-punk. The group, despite its alternative focus, has achieved popularity and commercial success - over 50 million copies of their albums have been sold worldwide. The group also had a huge impact on the birth and formation of the goth subculture, creating a great help for such gothic rock veterans as The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus.
In 1976, seventeen-year-old Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) with classmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums) and Porl Thompson (guitar) gathered in Crawley (eng. Crawley, Sussex, England) a group called "The Easy Cure. The group immediately started writing their own songs.
In 1977, The Easy Cure signed a recording contract. musical material with Hansa Records. A year later, the group was renamed The Cure, and as a trio (without Porl Thompson) signed a contract with Fiction Records (distribution was made by Polydor). The first single was released, however, on the label "Small Wonder", and was called "Killing an Arab". In 1979, the first album "Three Imaginary Boys" was released, with which the group was not entirely satisfied (in America, this album was released under the name "Boys Don" t Cry "with a changed track list and cover). In the same 1979, the musicians of The Cure under a different name - "Cult Hero" - released a 7" single. Tours followed, in which The Cure played with other post-punk bands such as Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Robert Smith sometimes played side by side with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and with a member of this group, Steven Severin, he created a temporary project "The Glove".
In 1980 they released the minimalist album "Seventeen Seconds", which rose to 20th place in the British charts. The single "A Forest" became The Cure's first UK hit single. In the same year, the group went on their first world tour. The 1981 Faith album was released on a cassette containing the Carnage Visors soundtrack cassette, and peaked at number 14 in the UK. Pornography followed in 1982 (#8 in the UK charts, the band's first Top 10 album), moody and nihilistic. At that time, the band members were constantly taking drugs, and the album gave rise to rumors that Smith was suicidal. After an argument with Smith in a club, one of the band's most important and longtime members, bassist Simon Gallup, left the band for a couple of years. He's putting together a new band, Fools Dance.
In the 1980s, the group released several more albums - "The Top" (1984), "The Head On The Door" (1985), "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987), "Disintegration" (1989) - and completed several big concert tours. Many subsequent albums and singles by The Cure repeated the success of the previous ones, constantly occupying good positions in the charts. In 1986, The Cure released a compilation of all the singles and B-sides, Standing On A Beach.
In 1990, a collection of remixes of old compositions called "Mixed Up" was released, with the only new song, "Never Enough", which became a hit. The band's 1992 album Wish was the highest charting album of all the band's albums, reaching number one in the UK and number two in the US. IN musically this album, in a way, defines the alternative rock sound of the 1990s. Material from the subsequent Wish Tour formed the basis of the live albums Show (September 1993) and Paris (October 1993). Porl Thompson (guitar), making several appearances on The Cure, left the group to join the members project Led Zeppelin Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
In 1994, Lol Tolhurst, who left the band in 1989, sued Robert Smith and Fiction Records for royalties and the right to the name The Cure. After a long judicial trial he lose.
In 1996, the album Wild Mood Swings was released, in 1997 - the collection of multi-platinum singles "Galore", supplementing the collection "Staring At The Sea" (aka "Standing On A Beach").
2000 saw the release of Bloodflowers, which, according to Smith, is the end of a trilogy begun with Pornography (1982) and Disintegration (1989). Material from these albums was performed at a series of concerts in Berlin, and released on the DVD Trilogy (2003). In 2003 The Cure changed their label to iam Records. In 2004, their old label Fiction Records released the compilation "Join The Dots - The B-Sides & Rarities", 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years), which included 70 The Cure tracks, including previously unreleased and others rarities.
In 2004, an album was released, named the same as the group - "The Cure". It was produced by label owner Ross Robinson. The album turned out with a big bias in guitar rock.
Robert Smith - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Porl Thompson - guitar, keyboards, saxophone
Simon Gallup - bass
Jason Cooper - drums
Discography
"Three Imaginary Boys" (in the USA - "Boys Don "t Cry") (1979)
"Seventeen Seconds" (1980)
"Faith" (1981)
"Pornography" (1982)
"Japanese Whispers" (1983)
"The Top" (1984)
"The Head On The Door" (1985)
"Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987)
Disintegration (1989)
"Wild Mood Swings" (1996)
"Bloodflowers" (2000)
"The Cure" (2004)
"4:13 Dream" (2008)
The Cure Official Website
Cure(Kure)- british rock band formed in Crawley, Sussex, England in 1976. During its existence, the composition of the group has changed several times. Only Robert Smith, being the frontman, vocalist, guitarist and composer, is the only constant member of the group.
The band originated in the late 1970s, during the boom of post-punk and new wave that came to the UK to replace punk rock. Her debut was the single "Killing an Arab" and the album Three Imaginary Boys (1979).
In the early 1980s, the Cure recorded nihilistic, dark and tragic records that played important role in the formation of gothic rock. After the release of Pornography (1982), the group's continued existence was in doubt, and Smith decided to change its image.
Starting with the single "Let's Go to Bed" (1982) Cure more and more began to record light, pop-oriented songs. In the late 1980s, thanks to a series of successful albums, the Cure's popularity grew, including in the United States, where the singles "Lovesong", "Just Like Heaven" and "Friday I'm in Love" hit the Billboard Hot 100.
By the early 1990s, the Cure had become one of the most popular alternative rock bands. As of 2004, the combined sales of all albums were 27 million copies. In over thirty years, the Cure have released thirteen studio albums and thirty-nine singles.
Cure History
Band formation and early years (1973-1979)
The Cure's predecessor was The Obelisk, formed by students at Notre Dame High School in Crawley, West Sussex, England. Her only performance took place in April 1973. The band then consisted of Robert Smith (piano), Michael Dempsey (guitar), Lawrence Tolhurst (drums), Mark Seccano (lead guitar) and Alan Hill (bass guitar). In January 1976, Seccano founded the group Malice, which included Smith, Dempsey and two other classmates from St. Wilfrid's Catholic School. Seccano soon left Malice and founded the jazz fusion band Amulet. Inspired by the punk rock that was taking over the UK at the time, the remaining members of Malice became known as the Easy Cure in January 1977. By this time, drummer Lawrence Tolhurst and lead guitarist Porl Thompson had joined their line-up. After a few failed attempts find a worthy candidate for the role of vocalist Smith in September 1977 became the frontman himself.
Around the same time, Easy Cure won the talent competition of the German label Hansa Records and received the right to sign a contract with the studio. The musicians recorded several songs for the label, but none of them was released. Due to disagreements with studio management, the contract was terminated in March 1978. Years later, Smith stated in an interview, “We were very young. The bosses of the studio wanted to make us a pop group and asked us to record arrangements for famous hits, but we were not interested.” Thompson left the group in May, and the remaining trio (Smith, Tolhurst and Dempsey) took the name Cure, which was suggested by Robert. That same month, the band held their first studio sessions as a trio and sent out a demo tape to dozens of major record labels. This paid off: in September 1978, Polydor Records scout (scout) Chris Perry invited young artists to the new studio Fiction Records, a spin-off from Polydor. However, Fiction was not fully equipped and ready to go, so the Cure in December 1978 released their debut single"Killing an Arab" on the Small Wonder Label. Due to its provocative title, "Killing an Arab" received mixed reviews. The group was accused of racism, but in fact the song was written under inspiration from the novel French writer Albert Camus "The Outsider" During the release of the single on Fiction in 1979, the band had to put a slogan on the cover of the single that denied any racist connotations. An early NME article about the band called the Cure "a breath of fresh suburban air in an atmosphere of metropolitan grime and grime".
The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys in May 1979. Due to the band's inexperience in the studio, Perry and engineer Mike Hedges were in complete control of the recording process. The musicians, especially Smith, were not too happy with their debut. In a 1987 interview, Robert said: “The surface work - I didn't like it even during the recording. There were a lot of comments that the album sounded too primitive, and I think they were justified. Even when we finished it, I still wanted to make certain changes."
The second single "Boys Don't Cry" was released in June. After that, the Cure went on tour with Siouxsie and the Banshees as an opening act to celebrate the release of latest album Join hands. The tour lasted from August to October and covered England, Northern Ireland and Wales. During the tour, Smith had to perform every night in two groups at once, since guitarist Banshees John McKay left the band. The experience had a profound effect on Robert: “The first night I played with The Banshees, I was blown away by how well I could play this kind of music. It was so different from the Cure's music. Up to this point, I wanted us to play something like Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello or the punk Beatles. Being one of the Banshees has completely changed my outlook."
The third single "Jumping Someone Else's Train" was released in October 1979. A little later, Dempsey was fired from the group due to rejection of the material that Smith provided for the recording of the new album. Dempsey joined the Associates, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthew Hartley (keyboards) of The Magspies joined the Cure. Supporting Cure, The Passions and The Associates - all three under Fiction Records - did the Future Pastimes Tour of England in November/December 1979. The Cure also performed several songs from the forthcoming album with the changed line-up. Simultaneously, Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey, Gallup, Hartley and Thompson, their friends and family on backing vocals, and local postman Frankie Bell as the main vocalist released the vinyl single "I'm a Cult Hero" under the assumed name Cult Hero.
Gothic period in creativity (1980-1982)
Since the band did not have full control over the recording process when mixing the first record, Smith took a closer look at the recording of the second album, Seventeen Seconds, which he produced in tandem with Mike Hedges. Seventeen Seconds was released in 1980 and peaked at number 20 on the official UK charts. The album single "A Forest" became the group's first hit, peaking at number 31 on the national chart. On the new album, Cure moved away from the pop mood of the first album: the plots of the songs are pessimistic or completely hopeless. Hedges named new record"dark, atmospheric, and very different from the Three Imaginary Boys." Reviewing the album, an NME journalist noted, "It seems unbelievable that a band as young as the Cure has covered such a distance in such a short amount of time." At the same time, Smith was painfully aware of the concept created in the press of the "anti-image" of the group. Robert publicly stated that he was already fed up with allusions to the "anti-image" that was attributed to the group, believing that she thus thoughtfully disguises the simplicity of her work. In his words, “We had to tear ourselves away from this anti-image that we never created. It feels like we were trying to be incomprehensible. We just don't like clichés in rock music. But it all got out of control." That same year, Three Imaginary Boys was released to the US market under the name Boys Don't Cry. The album changed the cover, and the singles released in 1979 were added to it. The Cure embarked on their first world tour in support of the new releases. After the tour, Matthew Hartley left the band. "I came to the conclusion that the band was moving towards dark suicidal music, and that's not exactly what I'm interested in," he said.
The band, along with Mike Hedges, got together to work on their third album, Faith (1981), which continued the suffering theme started by Seventeen Seconds. The album peaked at number 14 in the UK. The cassettes also featured an instrumental soundtrack to the movie Carnage Visors. This animated work was shown before the start of the group's performances during the 1981 Picture Tour. At the very end of the same year, the single "Charlotte Sometimes" was released, which was not included in the album. During this period, the mood of the albums was transmitted by the musicians themselves: the Cure refused to perform early songs, and sometimes Smith, who entered the character, left the stage after the concert in tears.
In 1982, the Cure recorded and released the album Pornography, which established the band as leaders in the emerging gothic rock scene. Smith admitted that while working in the studio, he "underwent severe emotional stress. But it had nothing to do with the group, I just moved to a new level, I grew up, and my outlook on life changed. I think I approached the record at the bottom. Looking back and listening to the opinions of the people around me, I understand that I was more of a monster in the guise of a man.
Gallup recalled the album this way: " We were captured by nihilism ... We sang: "It doesn't matter if we all die" - and we really thought so then".
Chris Perry was concerned that the album did not have a radio hit and asked Smith and producer Phil Thornelly to prepare the song "The Hanging Garden" for release as a single. Despite the far from mainstream sound of the album, Pornography nevertheless became the band's first work to hit the top 10 in the UK chart, reaching number eight. In support of the album, the Fourteen Explicit Moments Tour kicked off, during which the band first appeared on stage in their classic look- with massive hairstyles and a copious amount of smeared lipstick on her face. During the tour, several incidents occurred (including a fight with Robert) that prompted Simon Gallup to leave the band. Gallup and Smith did not speak for eighteen months after the fight.
Increasing commercial success (1983-1988)
Gallup's departure from the band and Smith's collaboration with Siouxsie and the Banshees fueled rumors that the Cure were breaking up. In December 1982, Robert remarked in an interview with Melody Maker: “Will the Cure continue to exist? I ask myself this question all the time... I don't think I can continue to work in the same format. No matter what happens, me, Lawrence and Simon will never be together. I am sure about that".
Perry was very interested in retaining his label's top-grossing band. He came to the conclusion that the Cure needed to change their musical style. Perry pressed his point to Smith and Tolhurst; according to him, "these words were mostly meant for Smith, who wanted to end the Cure anyway." With Tolhurst, who turned keyboardist, the duo recorded the single "Let's Go to Bed" in late 1982. Although Smith viewed the single as a passing and "silly" song for the press, the single achieved some success, peaking at number 44 in the UK. Then, already in 1983, two more successful singles followed: the synthesizer "The Walk" in the spirit of New Order (#12 in the chart) and based on jazz melodies "The Lovecats". The latter became the first single to hit the top ten in the UK charts, climbing to number seven. By Christmas, these singles and their b-sides were released as a Japanese Whispers compilation, which was intended to be sold only in Japan, but the record company decided to release it worldwide. During this same period, Smith and The Banshees bassist Stephen Severin founded The Glove, with whom they recorded the Blue Sunshine album. At the same time, Tolhurst produced the band's first two singles and the band's debut album, And Also the Trees.
In 1984, the Cure released The Top, an album clearly influenced by psychedelic rock. Robert played all instruments except drums, which were taken over by Andy Anderson, and saxophone, which was played by Porl Thompson, who returned to the group. The album reached the top ten in the UK and became the Cure's first album to enter the US national Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 180. Melody Maker praised the album, calling it "ageless psychedelia". The Cure, with Smith, Thompson, Andersen and producer Phil Thornelly on bass, embarked on the Top Tour. As a result of this tour, the first live album Concert: Cure Live was released. Even before the tour, Andy Andersen was fired from the band for a pogrom in a hotel room. Behind drum set Boris Williams was invited. Philip Thornelli also left the group, but already because of fatigue and constant moving. The bass position was not vacant for long, as Cure technician Gary Biddles was able to reconcile Smith and Gallup, who at the time was playing in Fools Dance. Robert was delighted with Simon's return. In an interview with Melody Maker, he stated, "We're a band again."
In 1985, with a new line-up, the group released the album The Head on the Door. On this disc, the musicians combined melodic and pessimistic motifs, of which in all previous works one thing prevailed. The album reached number seven in the UK and the first time for the Cure to hit the top 75 in the US, peaking at number 59. International success also accompanied two singles from the album: "In Between Days" and "Close to Me". In 1986, following a worldwide tour in support of the album, the Cure released a compilation of singles, Standing on a Beach, in three formats, each with a different track listing. The compilation included re-releases of "Boys Don't Cry" (in a new version), "Let's Go to Bed" and "Charlotte Sometimes". The compilation reached the top 50 in the US. A compilation album, Staring at the Sea, was also released, containing a selection of video clips for songs from the main compilation. The tour, which took place in support of the collection, became the basis for the new live album Cure in Orange, recorded in France. During this period, the Cure became a very popular band in Europe, in particular in the Benelux countries, France and Germany, and made themselves known in the USA.
In 1987, the Cure released the first album of the Big Three, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which peaked at number six and thirty-fifth in the UK and US, respectively. The success of the first single "Why Can't I Be You?" was secured by the third single "Just Like Heaven", which hit the Billboard Top 40 and became one of the most famous and significant works groups. After the release of the album, the Cure embarked on the Kissing Tour, during which Tolhurst developed problems with alcohol and soon realized that he was unable to perform fully in concert. Roger O'Donnell was invited to take his place. In 1988, the Cure released The Peel Sessions, a recording of a radio performance by the then fledgling band at John Peel's in December 1978.
Disintegration and worldwide success (1989-2002)
In 1989, the album Disintegration was released. The record had a dark gothic sound in the tradition of Faith and Pornography. Three singles from the album reached the top 30 in the UK and Germany ("Lullaby", "Lovesong" and "Pictures of You"), and the album itself debuted at number three on the UK national chart and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200. Fascination Street", the first single released only in America, reached number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, but this success was quickly overshadowed by another achievement - the third single "Lovesong" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the only Cure song, hit the top 10 singles in the US.
During the recording of Disintegration, the band gave Smith an ultimatum - either Tolhurst left or the rest of the musicians left. In February 1989, Tolhurst's departure from the band was officially confirmed by the media. Thus, Roger O'Donnell became a full member of the Cure, and Smith remained the only musician who has been in the group since its inception. Smith claimed that Tolhurst stopped putting in enough effort and abused alcohol. Since Lawrence was a member of the band during the recording of Disintegration, he was mentioned in the album's liner notes as playing "other instruments", although it is known that he had absolutely no involvement in the making of the record. The Cure also embarked on the massive Prayer Tour, which was a huge success.
In May 1990, Roger O'Donnell left the band and Perry Bamount took over as keyboardist. In November, the Cure released a compilation of remixes, Mixed Up. The album was coolly received by the public and did not reach high positions in the charts. the only new song"Never Enough" was also released as a single. In 1991, the Cure won the BRIT Award for Best British Group. That same year, Tolhurst sued Smith and Fiction Records, claiming he co-owned the Cure name with Smith. In 1994, the court ruled in favor of Smith. In 2000, the old friends reconciled and Tolhurst even attended some of the Cure's shows. Despite ongoing litigation, the band began recording a new album. Wish went to number one in the UK and number two in the US. The singles "High" and "Friday I'm in Love" became international hits. Robert Christgau called the album the best of the band's career. Cure in Once again went on the Wish Tour with the Cranes and released two live albums Show (September 1993) and Paris (October 1993).
In the period between the release of Wish and the beginning of the recording of the next album, the band again underwent line-up changes. Thompson left the band to play in the supergroup Page and Plant, which consisted of former members Led Zeppelin bands Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Boris Williams also left the band and was replaced by Jason Cooper. Studio work on the album began in 1994, when the band only consisted of Smith and Bemount. A little later they were joined by Gallup, who had health problems, and Roger O'Donnell, who was asked to return to the group at the end of the year. Wild Mood Swings, released in 1996, was lukewarmly received by the public and ended a series of commercially successful recordings. At the start of the year, the Cure played several festivals in South America followed by a world tour. In 1997, Galore's second compilation of singles after Standing on a Beach was released, which included the group's hits from 1987 to 1997 inclusive and new single Wrong Number. In 1998, the Cure recorded the song "More Than This" for the soundtrack to The X-Files: Fight for the Future and a cover of Depeche Mode's "World in My Eyes" for the tribute album For the Masses.
The band was contractually obligated to record another album. After the commercial failures of Wild Mood Swings and Galore, Smith believed that the Cure was about to break up and therefore wanted to make a more serious, deeper album. Work on Bloodflowers has been going on since 1998, the release took place in 2000. According to Smith, it was the last part of an impromptu trilogy that also included Pornography and Disintegration. The group also held a nine-month Dream Tour, which total visited by one million people. In 2001, the Cure left Fiction and released a Greatest Hits compilation and a best-of DVD. In 2002, the group headlined twelve major summer festivals and played three lengthy concerts (one in Brussels and two in Berlin), which played the albums Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers in full succession. Two concerts in Berlin were the basis for the DVD Cure: Trilogy released in 2003.
Currently (since 2003)
In 2003, the Cure signed with Geffen Records. In 2004, the box set Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years) was released, consisting of four discs. This compilation included seventy songs, including previously unreleased songs, and a 76-page booklet with the band's history and color photographs. The album climbed to number 106 on the US chart. In the same year, the band released their twelfth album on the new label, simply called Cure and recorded with new producer Ross Robinson. The album reached the top 10 of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In support of the album, the band headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in May. From July 24 to August 29, Cure was held in the USA concert tour Curiosa. Each concert was equipped with two stages: main stage Cure, Interpol, The Rapture and Mogwai played, while second stage speakers included Muse, Scarling, Melissa Auf der Maur and Thursday. Curiosa became one of the most successful summer festivals of 2004 in America. In the same year, the group received an honorary MTV Icon award and performed on television.
In May 2005, Roger O'Donnell and Parry Bamount were fired from the group. According to O'Donnell, Smith told him that he intended to cut the group down to three people. O'Donnell has previously said that he only found out about the tour dates through the band's fansite. The remaining members of the group - Smith, Gallup and Cooper - performed several times as a trio, until in June of that year it was announced the return of Porl Thompson, who became a full-fledged participant in performances at summer festivals, including Live 8 in Paris 2 July. A little later, the band recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Love" for the album Make Some Noise. On April 1, 2006, the Cure performed at the Albert Hall for charity concert organization Teenage Cancer Trust. It was last performance groups that year. The live DVD Cure: Festival 2005 was released in December, featuring thirty songs from the 2005 tour.
The Cure began recording material for their thirteenth album in 2006. At first, Smith planned to record a double album. In August, at the very last moment, the band announced that due to work on the album, their autumn North American tour would be rescheduled from autumn 2007 to spring 2008. The album 4:13 Dream was released in the fall of 2008 to mixed reviews from both the press and fans. Before the release of the record, the Cure released one single every thirteenth from May to August, and in September they released the EP Hypnagogic States, the entire proceeds of which were transferred to the American Red Cross. On February 25, 2009, the band won the Godlike Genius nomination and performed at the 2009 ShockWaves NME Awards at the O2 Arena in London.
Style and influence
The Cure are considered one of the founders and most significant figures of post-punk and gothic rock. At the same time, Smith himself objected to his group being associated with gothic rock: “It’s sad that we are labeled“ ready ”. We are not classified. We probably played post-punk in the beginning, but in general it’s impossible.” Smith described gothic rock as "incredibly boring and monotonous music. Something soothing." At the same time, the Cure also played positive pop-oriented music. As the author of Spin noted, “Cure has always been one of two things: either<…>Robert Smith swims in gothic sadness, or strums sweet, cotton candy-like pop with his lipstick-lined fingers.
The Cure were one of the first alternative bands to enter the charts and achieve commercial success when alternative rock had not yet entered the mainstream. In 1992, the NME described the Cure as "a gothic hit production line (on this moment- 19), an international phenomenon, and yet the most successful alternative band ever to mournfully roam the earth." In the 1980s, the Cure were more successful than contemporaries such as The Smiths and Happy Mondays, although the band's popularity waned in the 1990s.
Bands influenced by the Cure include The Rapture, Interpol, Bloc Party and Hot Hot Heat. Interpol frontman Paul Banks said, "Cure is the band that has influenced us all at Interpol. When I was young, I listened to a lot of them. Carlos [bassist Carlos Dengler] too. In truth, his manner of playing the guitar and keyboards was formed precisely under their influence. For me, Robert Smith was one example: you can't be Robert Smith if you're not Robert Smith. They are one of the bands that have influenced Interpol the most because we all love them. They are legends."
Cure's work has influenced a number of Russian rock bands. Thus, many critics noted the influence of the Cure in the music of Kino. "Agatha Christie" borrowed from the Cure both the musical component and the stage image. Other Russian rock musicians who have admitted to being an influence on the Cure include Sergei Bobunets and Oleg Nesterov. Konstantin Kinchev used a part of the song "Kyoto Song" from the album The Head on the Door while writing "Theatre of Shadows": "Well, this was my then passion for the Cure group, I could not resist the temptation to use the harmony and melody of the famous band. Accordingly, I still make takeaways to this day that I and the Cure group are the author of the music. Why me? Because the second part of the development of this song, this is already my idea, because they pushed off from Cure, and then I got carried away, so to speak.
Cure songs have been used in dozens of movies. For the film The Crow (1994), the musicians specially recorded the song "Burn", and for the film "Judge Dredd" (1995) - the title theme "Dredd Song". These songs were not released on albums and were first released on Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities in 2004. The song "Boys Don't Cry" gave the name to the film Boys Don't Cry, and "Just Like Heaven" to the film Between Heaven and Earth. IN last movie the title track was covered by Cathy Melua. In 1990, former Nosferatu vocalist Gary Clark founded the cover band The Cureheads.
Video clips
Early Cure videos were of poor quality, which the musicians themselves admitted. Tolhurst said: “These videos were an absolute disaster; we were not actors and could not convey our individuality to the audience. The situation changed after the release of "Let's Go to Bed", the first video filmed in collaboration with director Tim Pope. Pope added a game element to the Cure's clips. As Pope said in an interview with Spin, he "always thought there was a side to them, they just never showed it." During the 1980s, Pope was constantly with the group, and his videos played a part in the rise of the Cure's popularity. According to Allmusic's Ned Raggett, his videos have become synonymous with the Cure. Pope himself spoke of the Cure as follows: “Robert Smith really understands the camera. His songs are very cinematic. What I mean is: on the first level is all this stupidity and humor, but underneath it is [Smith's] psychological mania and claustrophobia."
It has been more than thirty years since the world first heard the British band The Cure. During its existence, the group has released 20 albums, won worldwide recognition and love of several generations of music lovers. And as confirmation of the above - 30 million discs that have been sold throughout the existence of the group.
The members of the group found the realization of their musical ideas at the intersection of alternatives and the mainstream. Thanks to this combination of musical styles, The Cure's music is unique in its kind and attracts more and more music lovers.
Back in 1976 in the English town of Crawley began the history of the giant of the world music industry - The Cure. At that time, an unknown group Easy Cure began their musical career. The audience immediately began to attract their unusual style of performance. And especially attracted the vocalist Robert Smith, who, in addition to a great performance, behaved on stage not as befits a rock singer. By nature, a very modest young man, he did not follow the old canons of a true rock singer and did not show excessive ceremonial movements on stage. However, thanks to his talent, he could force the audience to attract their attention and hold it until the last chords.
The Easy Cure group at that time included three more people. They were bassist Michael Dempsey (Michael Dempsey), guitarist Pearl Thompson (Porl Thompson) and drummer Lol Tolhurst (Lol Tolhurst). They were all good school friends Robert.
The group quickly began to gain popularity. Their performances became more and more frequent.
Thanks to the victory music competition Battle of the Bands, they were noticed by representatives of the German label Ariola-Hansa. But Easy Cure did not succeed in fruitful cooperation with this company. Since the label's management did not believe in the success of the "next pop group". And soon the group parted with this record company, moreover, without releasing a single single.
In 1978, guitarist Pearl Thompson left the band and the band became a trio. In the same year, the group changes its name a little, and The Cure becomes known to all of us. The band records their first demo and sends out cassettes to numerous record companies. And, oh luck, a company called Fiction offers a contract to the group, which is soon signed by both parties. And, as it turned out, in the future, it was a sure step to success. It's been 25 years since then, and The Cure is still collaborating with this label. A few months later, the first single of the group called "Killing an Arab" was presented to the public for evaluation. He was immediately noticed not only by ordinary music lovers, but also by critics of that time. Hard texts were its basis. Their singularity attracted more and more people. A little more time passes and the first full-fledged album called Three Imaginary Boys is born. This event happened already in 1979. The album was immediately acclaimed by numerous critics. The assessments were very different, and it is worth noting that sometimes they were completely opposite. But, nevertheless, the album was a success, though not great. The members of the group did not count on such luck. The company Fiction relied on the semantic component of the texts and the manner of behavior of the band members, and not on the musical skill of the performers. And this played a role. The group, holding performances, began to gather huge halls of the public.
Simultaneously with the release of a new album, disagreements occur in the ranks of the group, which lead to a change in the composition of the group. Bassist leaves the band and is replaced by Simon Gallup. At the same time, keyboardist Matthew Hartley (Matthieu Hartley) joined the band. With this line-up, The Cure released their second album, Seventeen Seconds, in 1980. It organically combined the aggressiveness of text content and English underground music. Due to its unusualness, the album immediately gained popularity. As evidenced by his hit in the Top-20 of English alternative music. After the release of the album, the group decides to go on a world tour: Australia, America and Europe. This was their first tour along this route. However, a busy schedule and hard work forced her keyboardist Matthieu Hartley to leave the band.
Left again as a trio, The Cure begins work on their next album, which was released in 1981. The album, filled with nervousness, expressiveness, takes 14th place in the British chart. Immediately after its release, the trio with their new producer Mike Hedges organized a new world tour (Picture Tour) in support of their album. This time the group visits many cities in Europe and America.
After that, the group decides to take a little vacation for themselves. However, the holidays end with the release of the next album "Pornography", which was released in 1982. It hit the Top 10 immediately and became a classic from The Cure. Although the popularity and success of the group was all right, the disagreements in the team grew every day. Bassist Simon Gallup left the band as a result of these disagreements. In order to somehow resolve the current situation, Robert Smith decides to change the musical style of the group and records the single “Let's Go to Bed”. The output is disc-directed music, and not of the best quality. However, contrary to all expectations, this single becomes one of the most popular Wreckless Eric's drummer Steve Goulding followed this up with two more songs in the same direction, "The Walk" and "The Lovecats."
In 1983, the group released their new album Japanese Whispers, which included three previously released themes.
Not having time to enjoy the glory of the new album, frontman Robert Smith begins to create a new album. And soon his offspring called "The Top" is born. This can be said to be Smith's solo album. After all, all the instruments, except for the drums, he recorded himself. Despite the psychedelic direction of the album, it holds a strong position in the British ratings. After the release of this album, The Cure goes on another world tour called Top Tour. It is worth noting that the composition of the group before the trip again underwent some changes. Now it included, in addition to Robert Smith, Andy Anderson (Andy Anderson), Phil Thornelly (Phil Thornalley) and Pearl Thompson. But at the end of the tour, due to various reasons two people leave the group at once - Anderson and Thornelly.
Then in 1985, with the help of co-producer Dave Allen (Dave Allen), the group released their next creation, whose name was "The Head on the Door". This album, full of lively energy and dynamism, immediately took the seventh position in the British charts and entered the American Top 100, taking 59th place in it. And, of course, traditionally after the release of each album, another world tour took place.
The following year, 1986, was marked by the release of the final report for a seven-year career in the form of a collection of hits "Standing on the Beach - The Singles". Due to the popularity of the compositions collected in it, this compilation was sold in huge circulation.
Meanwhile, the band members begin to work on their new album "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me", which is released in 1987. The album was recorded with a new band member - keyboardist Roger O'Donnell (Roger O'Donnell). The melody, ambiguity, lyricism of the texts showed the band members from a completely different side of their creative natures. This album becomes one of the most popular among young people and reaches the Top 50 in America. At this time, the group is actively conducting its concert activities.
The next stage in the development of the group was the release in 1988 of the album "Disintegration". The album instantly occupies the third line in the British charts. And The Cure are going on their next tour, which ends with three concerts in London at Wembley Stadium. In the same year, their drummer Lol Tolhurst left the band. The reason for his departure was, as always, disagreements within the group. In 1990, the group parted ways with another of its members - Roger O "Donnell. He was replaced by Perry Bamont (Perry Bamonte). At this time, she undertakes another tour of Europe. The final stage of this tour is the release of the live album "Entreat". And after a short time, a remix album called “Mixed Up” was presented to music lovers for evaluation, which took the thirteenth position in Britain and 14 in America. Wish "and becoming the most popular group in England. The album" Wish "won first place in sales in England and 2nd in America. The group spent the whole year on tour. While traveling all over Europe, America and even New Zealand. At this time Changes again take place in the group, Pearl Thompson and Boris Williams leave it, and Jason Cooper and Roger O'Donnell come to their places. At the end of the tour, two live albums "Show" and "Paris" were released, which were recorded in Texas and Paris, respectively. This is a kind of report for music lovers for last year. Both albums have taken their places of honor among a considerable number of the group's works.
The next step is the appearance of the album "Wild Mood Swings". It happened in 1996. The album was received quite warmly by the public. However, the previous excitement was no longer observed. The album, however, hit the Top 10 of the English chart. The group again plunged into the abyss of touring activity. More than a hundred concerts at venues in various countries were played by the group in 1996.
In between tours, intensive work was underway on the creation of an anthology, which appeared in 1997. It includes previously unreleased material.
And again a series of tours and participation in the most popular music festivals many countries. And at the turn of two millennia in 2000, the band released their 20th anniversary album "Bloodflowers". According to the band members, this is the end of a trilogy that includes "Pornography" and "Disintegration". The album turned out to be a success. It has everything that so attracts numerous music lovers - both melody, and aggressiveness, and lyricism. And, of course, all this is done at a high professional level. Many critics consider this album one of the best creations of this group.
In 2001, the group prepared a compilation of their best works, which was appreciated by the public. Since then, there has been a lull in The Cure's work. However, the group is a regular participant in many festivals. In addition, the leader of the group, Robert Smith, intends to go solo. Therefore, we will wait for his new creations and the release of the new album of The Cure. And in conclusion, it should be said that The Cure's music is a big part in the history of music. It was on the music of this group that more than one generation grew up. But at the initial stages of their work, few believed in success.
The current line-up of the group:
Robert Smith;Porl Thompson;
Simon Gallup;
Jason Cooper.
Discography of The Cure:
4:13 Dream (2008)The Cure (2004)
Bloodflowers (2000)
Wild Mood Swings (1996)
Wish (1992)
Disintegration (1989)
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
The Head on the Door (1985)
The Top (1984)
Pornography (1982)
Faith (1981)
Seventeen Seconds (1980)
Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
When using the history of The Cure,
please put a link to www.site.
The Cure are a British musical group whose sound style is quite difficult to define. One of the pioneers of alternative rock and post-punk. The group, despite its alternative focus, has achieved popularity and commercial success - over 50 million copies of their albums have been sold worldwide. The group also had a huge impact on the birth and formation of the goth subculture, creating a great help for such gothic rock veterans as The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus.
In 1976, seventeen-year-old Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) with classmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums) and Porl Thompson (guitar) gathered in Crawley (eng. Crawley, Sussex, England) a group called "The Easy Cure. The group immediately started writing their own songs.
In 1977, The Easy Cure entered into a recording contract with Hansa Records. A year later, the group was renamed The Cure, and as a trio (without Porl Thompson) signed a contract with Fiction Records (distribution was made by Polydor). The first single was released, however, on the label "Small Wonder", and was called "Killing an Arab". In 1979, the first album "Three Imaginary Boys" was released, with which the group was not entirely satisfied (in America, this album was released under the name "Boys Don" t Cry "with a changed track list and cover). In the same 1979, the musicians of The Cure under a different name - "Cult Hero" - released a 7" single. Tours followed, in which The Cure played with other post-punk bands such as Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Robert Smith sometimes played side by side with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and with a member of this group, Steven Severin, he created a temporary project "The Glove".
In 1980 they released the minimalist album "Seventeen Seconds", which rose to 20th place in the British charts. The single "A Forest" became The Cure's first UK hit single. In the same year, the group went on their first world tour. The 1981 Faith album was released on a cassette containing the Carnage Visors soundtrack cassette, and peaked at number 14 in the UK. Pornography followed in 1982 (#8 in the UK charts, the band's first Top 10 album), moody and nihilistic. At that time, the band members were constantly taking drugs, and the album gave rise to rumors that Smith was suicidal. After an argument with Smith in a club, one of the band's most important and longtime members, bassist Simon Gallup, left the band for a couple of years. He's putting together a new band, Fools Dance.
In the 1980s, the group released several more albums - "The Top" (1984), "The Head On The Door" (1985), "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987), "Disintegration" (1989) - and completed several big concert tours. Many subsequent albums and singles by The Cure repeated the success of the previous ones, constantly occupying good positions in the charts. In 1986, The Cure released a compilation of all the singles and B-sides, Standing On A Beach.
In 1990, a collection of remixes of old compositions called "Mixed Up" was released, with the only new song, "Never Enough", which became a hit. The band's 1992 album Wish was the highest charting album of all the band's albums, reaching number one in the UK and number two in the US. Musically, this album, in a way, defines the sound of alternative rock in the 1990s. Material from the subsequent Wish Tour formed the basis of the live albums Show (September 1993) and Paris (October 1993). Porl Thompson (guitar), who made several appearances with The Cure, left the band to join Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
In 1994, Lol Tolhurst, who left the band in 1989, sued Robert Smith and Fiction Records for royalties and the right to the name The Cure. After a lengthy legal battle, he lost.
In 1996, the album Wild Mood Swings was released, in 1997 - the collection of multi-platinum singles "Galore", supplementing the collection "Staring At The Sea" (aka "Standing On A Beach").
2000 saw the release of Bloodflowers, which, according to Smith, is the end of a trilogy begun with Pornography (1982) and Disintegration (1989). Material from these albums was performed at a series of concerts in Berlin, and released on the DVD Trilogy (2003). In 2003 The Cure changed their label to iam Records. In 2004, their old label Fiction Records released the compilation "Join The Dots - The B-Sides & Rarities", 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years), which included 70 The Cure tracks, including previously unreleased and others rarities.
In 2004, an album was released, named the same as the group - "The Cure". It was produced by label owner Ross Robinson. The album turned out with a big bias in guitar rock.
Compound
Robert Smith - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Porl Thompson - guitar, keyboards, saxophone
Simon Gallup - bass
Jason Cooper - drums
Discography
"Three Imaginary Boys" (in the USA - "Boys Don "t Cry") (1979)
"Seventeen Seconds" (1980)
"Faith" (1981)
"Pornography" (1982)
"Japanese Whispers" (1983)
"The Top" (1984)
"The Head On The Door" (1985)
"Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987)
Disintegration (1989)
Wish (1992)
"Wild Mood Swings" (1996)
"Bloodflowers" (2000)
"The Cure" (2004)
"4:13 Dream" (2008)
The Cure Official Website
http://8o-s.blogspot.com/
The Cure on MySpace
The Cure are a British musical group whose sound style is quite difficult to define. One of the pioneers of alternative rock and post-punk. The group, despite its alternative focus, has achieved popularity and commercial success - over 50 million copies of their albums have been sold worldwide. The group also had a huge impact on the birth and formation of the goth subculture, creating a great help for such gothic rock veterans as The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus.
In 1976, seventeen-year-old Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) with classmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums) and Porl Thompson (guitar) gathered in Crawley (eng. Crawley, Sussex, England) a group called "The Easy Cure. The group immediately started writing their own songs.
In 1977, The Easy Cure entered into a recording contract with Hansa Records. A year later, the group was renamed The Cure, and as a trio (without Porl Thompson) signed a contract with Fiction Records (distribution was made by Polydor). The first single was released, however, on the label "Small Wonder", and was called "Killing an Arab". In 1979, the first album "Three Imaginary Boys" was released, with which the group was not entirely satisfied (in America, this album was released under the name "Boys Don't Cry" with a changed tracklist and cover). In the same 1979, The Cure under a different name - "Cult Hero" - released a 7" single. Tours followed, in which The Cure played with other post-punk bands, including Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Robert Smith sometimes played side by side with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and with a member of this group, Steven Severin, he created a temporary project "The Glove".
In 1980 they released the minimalist album "Seventeen Seconds", which rose to 20th place in the British charts. The single "A Forest" became The Cure's first UK hit single. In the same year, the group went on their first world tour. The 1981 Faith album was released on a cassette containing the Carnage Visors soundtrack cassette, and peaked at number 14 in the UK. Pornography followed in 1982 (#8 in the UK charts, the band's first Top 10 album), moody and nihilistic. At that time, the band members were constantly taking drugs, and the album gave rise to rumors that Smith was suicidal. After an argument with Smith in a club, one of the band's most important and longtime members, bassist Simon Gallup, left the band for a couple of years. He's putting together a new band, Fools Dance.
In the 1980s, the group released several more albums - "The Top" (1984), "The Head On The Door" (1985), "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987), "Disintegration" (1989) - and completed several big concert tours. Many subsequent albums and singles by The Cure repeated the success of the previous ones, constantly occupying good positions in the charts. In 1986, The Cure released a compilation of all the singles and B-sides, Standing On A Beach.
In 1990, a collection of remixes of old compositions called "Mixed Up" was released, with the only new song, "Never Enough", which became a hit. The band's 1992 album Wish was the highest charting album of all the band's albums, reaching number one in the UK and number two in the US. Musically, this album, in a way, defines the sound of alternative rock in the 1990s. Material from the subsequent Wish Tour formed the basis of the live albums Show (September 1993) and Paris (October 1993). Porl Thompson (guitar), who made several appearances with The Cure, left the band to join Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
In 1994, Lol Tolhurst, who left the band in 1989, sued Robert Smith and Fiction Records for royalties and the right to the name The Cure. After a lengthy legal battle, he lost.
In 1996, the album Wild Mood Swings was released, in 1997 - the collection of multi-platinum singles "Galore", supplementing the collection "Staring At The Sea" (aka "Standing On A Beach").
2000 saw the release of Bloodflowers, which, according to Smith, is the end of a trilogy begun with Pornography (1982) and Disintegration (1989). Material from these albums was performed at a series of concerts in Berlin, and released on the DVD Trilogy (2003). In 2003 The Cure changed their label to iam Records. In 2004, their old label Fiction Records released the compilation "Join The Dots - The B-Sides & Rarities", 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years), which included 70 The Cure tracks, including previously unreleased and others rarities.
In 2004, an album was released, named the same as the group - "The Cure". It was produced by label owner Ross Robinson. The album turned out with a big bias in guitar rock.
In 2006-2007 The Cure recorded new material, and plan to release a new (thirteenth) album on September 13, 2008. On the eve, starting from May 13, four singles will be released at monthly intervals.
