Best Cure Album (Poll Closes May 25)

For me the problem with Disintegration is that by that time Bob was (just about) better at the pop stuff so the grim material plods horribly. To some extent this applies to the moodier stuff on KMKMKM. When they were all about doom and gloom in the 17S/Faith/Porn era they did it rather well. There was a sort of austere utilitarianism around the 3-piece line-up (I'm not counting M. Hartley's contributions to 17S) that suited them, I think. I'm not a big fan of Porl Thompson.

I voted for 3IB fwiw.

i must have been in space or something when this poll was carried out, but thank god 'disintegration' won in a landslide. it's simply the most lush, epic, touching, affecting, and closest-to-goddamn-perfect thing they've ever done. lyrically this thing shifts seamlessly between dreamlike trance and the dizziest extremes of reality. musically, it's a tour de force - almost as powerful in its restraint as its showcasing of ethereal and sublime soundscapes. vocally, rob keeps things appropriately low key, except in instances which call for emotional devastation (see the climax of the title track). fly me to the moon indeed.

Voted "The Top", which is their best "pop" album.

-- Geir Hongro, Sunday, 13 May 2007 11:20 (3 months ago) Bookmark Link

Hmm. Voted "Head On The Door", I mean.

-- Geir Hongro, Sunday, 13 May 2007 11:20 (3 months ago) Bookmark Link

for a second there we knew a darker, wilder Geir

haha

he did end up voting for a very good record though - i'm thinking, as far as proportion of votes goes, 'head on the door' should be higher up there. it's my possible third favourite after the glorious 'faith'

"Head On The Door" and "The Top" aren't that different from each other. Surely, "The Top" is "wilder" in a lot of ways, and obviously way more "out there". But it does have the same kind of pop sensibilities to it as well.

i'm surprised wish only got one vote.

the real answer, by the way, is all of them

OTM

best band in my life time.

the real answer, by the way, is all of them except for half of WMS (fixed)

there's a fixed version of "Wild Mood Swings"?

There should be. That album should have been an EP.

Voted "The Top", which is their best "pop" album.

-- Geir Hongro, Sunday, May 13, 2007 6:20 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

love this

I'm rocking Carnage Visors tonight

Finally heard some post-Wish stuff tonight round a friend's house, he was playing some best of comp. Can't really say any of it was any good though. I can't remember if I voted in this poll, but if I did I would have voted for Pornography.

I just finished listening to Pornography on a dark country-road car ride, 'twas excellent. The post-Wish material is really hit-or-miss for me, aside from Bloodflowers which I think is excellent (one song aside) and deserves to stand alongside the Cure's best work. If you wanna start post-Wish with an underrated album, that's the one to get.

Okay woah woah woah. I totally don't remember this thread. What was I doing in May of last year that I missed all this? Grimly choosing Pornography over Disintegration and then being surprised at himself? Dr. C weighing in? Hell no, I do not remember this thread.

But I remember Mark G expressing this sentiment:

Their last decent Hit was "Friday I'm in love" which was ages ago and also seemed like "Their latest hit" as in "Loads more to come" but they have been very 'hit and miss' without the hit.

-- Mark G, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 11:05 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

I totally do remember reading that at the time. Or else he said that in slightly different words on another thread.

I've met an awful lot of people in my life who are Pornography-heads and I fear I'll just never be one of them. Disintegration is and always will be the best Cure album. Which is really fucking sad because if Faith got into a fistfight with it, well...I'm not even sure who would win.

Disintegration 38
Pornography 17

this still upsets me.

Now there's

41. The Cure - Pornography [1982] (148 points, 9 votes)

Why does the truth upset you?

"There was a sort of austere utilitarianism around the 3-piece line-up"

This is so true.

"Lol had to play the drums"

haha I was just looking at these results going "hmmm, I really hope that wasn't me who voted for The Cure..."

I finally bought the remastered single disc edition of The Top. I'm prepared to place this in the top five. Has this thing been polled yet?

I bought a pile of these last week, so this band is currently my life. If I'd only started with Disintegration instead of Pornography... so many wasted years.

oh oh oh you want to change

I finally bought the remastered single disc edition of The Top. I'm prepared to place this in the top five. Has this thing been polled yet?

nope.

i also have the new remastered version and have only played it a couple of times. it fantastic though.

Biggest surprise: the expertly calibrated guitar histrionics of "Shake Dog Shake," the best Cure opener.

It's good but c'mon, Plainsong

I like "Plainsong" a lot but I really don't understand how it is everyone's favorite opener; I'd put not only "Shake Dog Shake" over it, but "Inbetween Days", "One Hundred Years", "The Kiss" and "Open" (and on my more contrary days, "Lost" and "Underneath the Stars")

For some reason I don't think of "Inbetween Days" as an opener, but yeah it's one of my fav Cure songs ever. Wouldn't put any of those others ahead of 'Plainsong' however. The Cure are pretty mighty at opening albums huh?

Having said that Robert's vocal on 'The Kiss' is one of my favourite performances.

For some reason I don't think of "Inbetween Days" as an opener, but yeah it's one of my fav Cure songs ever. Wouldn't put any of those others ahead of 'Plainsong' however.

OTM.

I only like a couple (v predictable) songs on The Top.

i think "open" is a pretty worthy contender for best cure opener. it's just really effective at taking a seemingly innocuous situation and building itself into an inconsolable state with RS doing a really convincing job of tearing away at layers one by one and expressing himself in a really pure way. all the while, the music swirls and swaggers, threatening to buckle under its own drunken weight.

i also really, really like "the holy hour".

DJP - OTM. I never really understood the hooplah for Plainsong, but I guess I prefer my openers rough and dirty a la Shake, Kiss or 100 Years.

kiss me, kiss me, kiss me still leaves me a bit cold, save a few songs. such an annoying album title too.

I actually really like "A Reflection" too, sets the tone of the album nicely.

we polled this once: What is the best *OPENING* track in The Cure's discography?

Did we ever poll Cure openers (and closers for that matter)?
xp - hah!

funny you should ask about closers... What is the best *CLOSING* track in The Cure's discography?

2X Hah! - I am guessing we have already discussed everything that could be discussed about the Cure on ILM

i wrote the following four years ago and have absolutely no recollection of thinking or writing it, but will stand by it 100%:

:one thing i'll add is that it's really interesting how 'open' and 'plainsong' are about totally immersing yourself in something, while the closing track counterparts on those albums - 'end' and 'untitled' - exude a feeling of being totally withdrawn and defeated."

yeah although you could also say that Open is all about feeling withdrawn and defeated

haha, you know the same thought occurred to me the moment after i submitted the post. but it's definitely a very absorbed and in-the-moment kind of song -- like it's doing its best to put up a fight. "end" on the other hand has a more "fuck this, i'm done" kind of vibe.

Meanwhile, OH DARN:

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2012/06/06/stream-the-cures-first-american-concert-newly-discovered-tape-of-cherry-hill-nj-1980/

nice! i still prefer 1980-82 Cure

Not only that, this was the venue:

http://www.discomusic.com/clubs-more/6583_0_6_0_C/

And this was the earlier version of the venue!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Casino

The "menu" section of that wiki is amazingly detailed! Digging that live tape, 17 Seconds is my favorite Cure era.

Nice to hear that even in 1980 the live version of "Three Imaginary Boys" is disconcertingly quick.

Ha, for some reason it's only when I hear "Grinding Halt" live that I think of "Desperate Journalist" and Ian Penman. I never make the connection listening to the studio version. I SAY.

Also love Robert's "we're not playing very well tonight i'm afraid....well some of us aren't". Is it bad that I immediately thought of Lol?