  The Cure emerged in the late
1970s with frontman Robert Smith (vocals,
guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass), and Laurence
"Lol" Tolhurst (drums) - originally
calling themselves 'Easy Cure.' Only Smith
has made it as a Cure member into the 1990s.
Yet, through all the band configurations, the
music has remained impressive and the Cure
have made alternative history. Since the
conception of the Cure, many bands have come
and gone claiming to be the best
representative of modern rock music. Only the
Cure have maintained a consistent edge, never
forgetting their alternative roots or their
title, "godfathers of goth." But
Smith says the band isn't goth: "The
goth scene has never been a part of the Cure.
There are no photos of the Cure as a goth
group, with crucifixes and face paint. It's a
media myth, and if you ask anybody in the
goth scene, they'll tell you we're not a goth
band. It's pure laziness on the media's part
to lump us in with other bands that have that
look" (1997). Today, the Cure consists
of Robert Smith on vocals, guitars and
keyboards, Simon Gallup on bass, Perry
Bamonte on guitars and keyboards, Jason
Cooper on drums, and Roger O'Donnell on
keyboards.
Robert Smith began his musical
journey in the early 70s when he received a
guitar for Christmas and began playing cover
tunes with his friends, Lawrence Tolhurst and
Michael Dempsey. The trio originally called
themselves the Obelisks and then Malice after
a few years.
The name Easy Cure was used and
Smith shortened the name to the Cure because
the original name sounded too "hippyish
and American west coast."
The band fit "the
look" for the post-punk alternative
scene, and the band became known for their
lyrics of despair and bantering riffs. The
Cure signed with Fiction Records after
recording a demo for "Killing An
Arab."
 The Cure recorded their first LP
in two days and had their first success in
England with the release of their debut LP, Three
Imaginary Boys (similar to Boys
Don't Cry).
The Cure toured with Siouxsie &
The Banshees. Smith filled in as
guitarist for numerous shows when a few band
members left the Banshees.
As bands came and went away
during the 1980s, The Cure continued their
success, seldom venturing far from what their
fans demanded in their music. Michael Dempsey
left the band because of musical differences,
was replaced with Simon Gallup.
 Boys
Don't Cry was released - a re-sequenced
US version of Three
Imaginary Boys.
Matthieu Hartley (keyboards)
joined the group and the band released, Seventeen
Seconds. Hartley later left the group
after touring.
Faith was released and the
singles "Primary" and
"Charlotte Sometimes" hit the radio
airwaves.
 The Cure's fourth LP, Pornography was released and Simon
Gallup quit the band. "Let's Go To
Bed" and "The Walk" were both
hits in native England.
Smith returned to playing with Siouxsie &
The Banshees for a bit, but soon
re-focused on the efforts of the Cure again.
A side project called "The
Glove" was developed involving Smith, a
member of the Banshees, and a female
vocalist, and an LP called "Blue
Sunshine" was released.
 Japanese
Whispers was released and by
1983 the Cure consisted of Smith, Tolhurst,
Andy Anderson (drummer) and Phil Thornalley
(bassist).
The
Top was released.
A live LP, Concert:
Live 1984 was released.
 The Cure's configuration
continued to change and by '85, Anderson was
fired due to alcohol problems and
temperament, and Thornalley left the band.
Gallup returned to the band, and Boris
Williams (drummer) and Porl Thompson
(guitarist) were added.
The band released The
Head On The Door. The LP began to
reveal more success in the U.S. than previous
LPs, and singles such as "Close To
Me" and "In Between Days"
began to find success on college radio
stations.
 A compilation of the Cure's work
was released - Staring
At The Sea - The Singles.
Staring
At The Sea - The Singles went gold and
eventually 2x platinum, and established the
band as a major alternative act in the U.S.
 # 138
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cure released their double
LP, Kiss
Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and the band began to
have airplay on alternative, rock, and even
pop stations, as well as MTV coverage. The LP
contained the hits "Why Can't I Have
You" and "Hot Hot Hot" as well
as their first Top 40 hit "Just Like
Heaven."
 # 33
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cure released their eighth
LP, Disintegration and had their first
Top 10 pop hit: "Love Song." Additional hits
included "Lullaby," "Pictures
Of You," and "Fascination Street." Smith said of Disintegration: "Disintegration will probably always
be my favorite Cure album, because of the way
it's made and especially what it means to me.
I think there's only a couple of times ever
in an artist's career where you reach a point
where you think, 'That's perfect. I couldn't
do that any better.' Disintegration is one of those
albums."
The Cure embarked on a world
tour to support the LP and later released
live performances of the tour with Entreat
in England.
The Cure hit the Top 40 with
"Fascination Street."
 The Cure hit the Top 40 with
"Love Song."
The Cure was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Post Modern Video ("Fascination Street").
The Cure hit the Top 10 with "Love Song."
 Tolhurst was fired from the band
and replaced with former Psychedelic
Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell.
Tolhurst was removed from the band because of
alcohol problems and lack of contribution (a
suit by Tolhurst against the Cure was later
lost in court).
The Cure released an LP of
remixes, Mixed
Up.
 # 45
Singles Artist of the Year
O'Donnell left the group and was
replaced by Perry Bamonte.
 The Cure released The Top 5 LP, Wish and had their second
Top 10 pop hit, "Friday I'm In Love." The LP was
hailed as possibly the best Cure LP yet and
included the hits "High" and "A
Letter To Elise."
The Cure hit the Top 40 with
"High."
The Cure topped the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart for 4 weeks with
"High."
The Cure hit the Top 40 with
"Friday I'm In Love."
The Cure topped the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks chart for 4 weeks with
"Friday I'm In Love."
The Cure were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music
Performance (Wish).
The Cure released the live LP Show and the EP Side
Show - recorded live in
Detroit, Michigan. Royalties from the LP went
to the International Red Cross Fund.
The Cure released the live LP
Paris - recorded live in
Paris, France in 1992. Royalties from the LPs
went to the International Red Cross Fund.
 The Cure covered Jimi Hendrix's "Purple
Haze" for a compilation tribute LP, Stone
Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix.
The same year Thompson left the
band and O'Donnell returned. The following
year, Williams quit and Jason Cooper was
added.
 The Cure could be heard on The
Crow soundtrack with the track
"Burn."
Former Cure member, Lol Tolhurst
lost his court battle against the band for
back royalty payments.
The Cure could be heard on the
soundtrack for Judge
Dredd with "Dredd Song."
 # 125
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cure released Wild
Mood Swings. The LP was touted as returning
the band back to its alternative roots, but
unfortunately commercial success was not as
forthcoming.
The Cure hit the Top 40 with
"The 13th."
 # 199
Singles Artist of the Year
 The Cure's greatest hits, Galore, was released and
included the new song, "Wrong
Number."
Robert Smith has often stated
his wishes to "end" the Cure by the
time he is 40 years old - which is by the
year 2000. He recently stated " I
decided in 1983 that walking into the
millennium I should be doing something new. I
don't want to drag it out any longer than
that. For me, The Cure means something
special, it means ... well, it means
something anyway. I'd like to leave it at
that."
Two members of the Cure (Robert
Smith, Jason Cooper) along with Reeves
Gabrels (from Tin Machine)
joined forces as COGASM for a song "A
Sign From God" that appeared on the
soundtrack Orgazmo.
 The Cure could be heard on the Depeche Mode tribute LP, For
The Masses, with their version of
"World In My Eyes" and on the
soundtrack for X-Files:
The Album with "More Than
This."
A Cure fan was awarded $75,000
for an autograph-seeking 1996 incident that
resulted in his injuries and a subsequent
lawsuit. The band failed to respond to the
lawsuit resulting in a default judgement for
the fan.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made includes
"Close To Me" at # 80.
 The Cure was in stores with new
material with the LP, Bloodflowers and also recorded a
segment of Hard Rock Live for VH1.
The band did some touring in Europe and the
U.S.
Robert Smith was still
questioning whether or not their latest LP Bloodflowers will be the band's
last LP. ("Maybe Someday" is) the
only song on the album that's really about
the end of the band... people are
interpreting a lot of the songs on the record
as being about that, but they're not."
 A remix of the track
"Watching Me Fall" appeared on the
soundtrack to American
Psycho.
The Cure began touring starting
in Georgia with the "Dream Tour
2000." Rumors that The Cure will break
up after their 'Dream Tour 2000' began to
circulate again, this time fueled by reports
that frontman Robert Smith is working on a
solo LP ("It's not the kind of album
that'll be played a lot on radio").
Smith also said after the solo LP is released
he'll take some time off instead of touring.
Smith also talked about the track "Maybe
Someday" as being an indication of the
band's breakup: "That's the 1 song on
the album abut ending the Cure. As soon as
the others heard that one, their faces
dropped. This is our swan song."
 The Cure cancelled their
performance at Denmark's Roskilde Festival
out of respect for the 9 who died earlier in
the festival.
The Cure were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music
Performance (Bloodflowers).
Galore was certified gold.
 The Cure released another hits
compilation - Greatest
Hits (with 2 new tracks).
Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 326:
Disintegration, # 442:
Boys
Don't Cry.
The Cure released the box set Join
The Dots: B-Sides And Rarities, 1978-2001
(The Fiction Years) - a 4-CD set
with b-sides, rarities, and soundtrack music.
 The Cure released a new LP The
Cure with the first single "The
End Of The World."
Disintegration was certified 2x
platinum.
The Cure could be heard on the
soundtrack for Resident
Evil: Apocalypse with "Us Or
Them."
# 251 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Roger O'Donnell and Pery Bamonte
left the Cure.
 On July 2nd, The Cure performed
in Paris, as part of the worldwide Live
8 concerts. The mission of the
concerts was to raise awareness of the
on-going poverty in Africa and to pressure
the G8 leaders to take action by doubling
aid, canceling debt, and delivering trade
justice for Africa.
 VH1: 100
Greatest Songs of the 80's included "Just
Like Heaven"
at # 22.
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included Disintegration at # 14.
The Cure released the EP Hypnagogic
States.
 The Cure released 4:13
Dream.
Smith could be heard on the
compilation LP Almost
Alice on the track "Very Good
Advice."
 The Cure released the 3CD Disintegration
(Deluxe Edition).
The Cure released Bestival
Live 2011.
- May 29: The Cure were
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame.
- August 14: Gallup announed
he had left the group saying he's
"...fed up of betrayal."
|
Three Imaginary Boys
Released: June, 1979
Tracks: "10:15
Satuday Night" -
"Accuracy" - "Grinding
Halt" - "Another Day" -
"Object" - "Subway
Song" - "Foxy Lady" -
"Meathook Meathook" - "So
What" - "Fire In Cairo" -
"It's Not You" - "Three
Imaginary Boys" -
"[Untitled]" |
 |
Seventeen Seconds
Released: May, 1980
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks:
"Reflection" - "Play For
Today" - "Secrets" -
"In Your House" -
"Three" - "Final
Sound" - "A Forest" -
"M" - "At Night" -
"Seventeen Seconds" |
 |
Boys Don't Cry
 Released: January, 1980
Tracks: "Boys Don't
Cry" - "Plastic Passioin"
- "10:15 Saturday Night" -
"Accuracy" - "So
What" - "Jumping Someone Else's
Train" - "Subway Song" -
"Killing An Arab" - "Fire
In Cairo" - "Another Day"
- "Grinding Halt" - "Three
Imaginary Boys" |
 |
Faith
Released: September, 1981
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Holy
Hour" - "Primary" -
"Other Voices" - "All Cats
Are Grey" - "Funeral
Party" - "Doubt" -
"Drowning Man" -
"Faith" |
|
Pornography
Released: 1982
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "One Hundred
Years" - "Short Term
Effect" - "Hanging Garden"
- "Siamese Twins" -
"Figurehead" - "Strange
Day" - "Cold" -
"Pornography" |
|
Japanese Whispers
Released: September, 1983
Billboard
peak:
# 181
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Let's Go To
Bed" - "The Dream" -
"Just One Kiss" - "The
Upstairs Room" - "The
Walk" - "Speak My
Language" - "Lament" -
"The Lovecats" |
 |
The Top
Released: July, 1984
Billboard
peak:
# 180
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Shake Dog
Shake" - "Bird Mad Girl" -
"Wailing Wall" - "Give Me
It" - "Dressing Up" -
"The Catepillar" - "Piggy
In The Mirror" - "The Empty
World" - "Bananafishbones"
- "The Top" |
 |
Concert: Live 1984
Released: 1984
Live Tracks: "Shake Dog
Shake" - "Primary" -
"Charlotte Sometimes" -
"Hanging Garden" - "Give
Me It" - "The Walk" -
"One Hundred Years" - "A
Forest" - "10:15 Saturday
Night" - "Killing An Arab" |
|
The Head On The Door
Released: 1985
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 59
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "In Between
Days" - "Kyoto Song" -
"Blood" - "Six Different
Ways" - "Push" -
"Baby Screams" - "Close To
Me" - "Night Like This" -
"Screw" - "Sinking" |
|
Staring At The Sea - The
Singles
Released: 1986
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 48
Tracks: "Killing An
Arab" - "10:15 Saturday
Night" - "Boys Don't Cry"
- "Jumping Someone Else's
Train" - "A Forest" -
"Play For Today" -
"Primary" - "Other
Voices" - "Charlotte
Sometimes" - "Hanging
Garden" - "Let's Go To
Bed" - "Walk" -
"Lovecats" -
"Caterpillar" - "In
Between Days" - "Close To
Me" - "Night Like This" |
|
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss
Me
Released: July, 1987
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 35
Tracks: "Kiss"
- "Catch" - "Torture"
- "If Only Tonight We Could
Sleep" - "Why Can't I Be
You?" - "How Beautiful You
Are" - "Snake Pit" -
"Just Like Heaven" - "All
I Want" - "Hot Hot Hot!!!"
- "One More Time" - "Like
Cockatoos" - "Icing Sugar"
- "The Perfect Girl" - "A
Thousand Hours" - "Shiver And
Shake" - "Fight" |
 |
Disintegration
Released: May 1, 1989
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 12
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks:
"Plainsong" - "Pictures Of
You" - "Closedown" -
"Love Song" - "Last
Dance" - "Lullaby" -
"Fascination Street" -
"Prayers For Rain"- "Same
Deep Waters As You" -
"Disintegration" -
"Homesick" -
"Untitled" |
|
Mixed Up
Released: October, 1990
Tracks: "US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 14
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks:
"Lullaby" (Extended Mix) -
"Close To Me" (Closer Mix) -
"Fascination Street" (Extended
Mix) - "Walk" (Everything Mix)
- "Love Song" (Extended
Mix) - "A Forest" (Tree Mix) -
"Pictures Of You" (Extended Dub
Mix) - "Hot Hot Hot!!!"
(Extended Mix) - "Caterpillar"
(Flicker Mix) - "In Between
Days" (Shiver Mix) - "Never
Enough" (Big Mix) |
|
Wish
Wish 30th Anniversary
Released: April, 1992
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 2
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Open"
- "High" -
"Apart" - "From The Edge
Of The Deep Green Sea" - "Wendy
Time" - "Doing The
Unstuck" - "Friday I'm In Love" -
"Trust" - "Letter To
Elise" - "Cut" - "To
Wish Impossible Things" -
"End" |
 |
Show
Released: September, 1993
Billboard
peak:
# 42
Live Tracks: "Open"
- "High" -
"Pictures Of You" -
"Lullaby" - "Just Like
Heaven" - "A Night Like
This" - "Trust" -
"Doing The Unstruck" - "Friday I'm In Love" - "In
Between Days" - "From The Edge
Of The Deep Green Sea" - "Never
Enough" - "Cut" -
"End" |
 |
Side Show (EP)
Released: September, 1993
Live Tracks: "Just Like
Heaven" - "Fascination Street" -
"Walk" - "Let's Go To
Bed" |
 |
Paris
Released: October, 1993
Billboard
peak:
# 118
Live Tracks: "Figurehead
- "One Hundred Years" -
"At Night" - "Play For
Today" - "Apart" -
"In Your House" - "Love Song" -
"Catch" - "Letter To
Elise" - "Dressing Up" -
"Charlotte Sometimes" -
"Close To Me" |
|
Wild Mood Swings
Released: May, 1996
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 12
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Want"
- "Club America" - "This
Is A Lie" - "The 13th" -
"Strange Attraction" -
"Mint Car" - "Jupiter
Crash" - "Round & Round
& Round" - "Gone!" -
"Numb" - "Return" -
"Trap" - "Treasure" -
"Bare" |
|
Galore
Released: October, 1997
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 32
Tracks: "Why Can't I
Be You?" - "Catch" -
"Just Like Heaven" - "Hot
Hot Hot!!!" - "Lullaby" -
"Fascination Street" - "Love Song" -
"Pictures Of You" - "Never
Enough" - "Close To Me"
(Closet Remix) - "High" - "Friday I'm In Love" -
"Letter To Elise" - "The 13th" (Swing Radio
Mix) - "Mint Car" (Radio Mix) -
"Strange Attraction" (Album
Mix) - "Gone!" (Radio Mix) -
"Wrong Number" |
|
Bloodflowers
Released: February, 2000
Billboard
peak:
# 16
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Out Of This
World" - "Watching Me
Fall" - "Where The Birds Always
Sing" - "Maybe Someday" -
"The Last Day Of Summer" -
"There Is No If..." - "The
Loudest Sound" - "39" -
"Bloodflowers" |
|
Greatest Hits
Released: November, 2001
Billboard
peak:
# 58
Tracks: "Boy's Don't
Cry" - "A Forest" -
"Let's Go To Bed" - "The
Walk" - "The Lovecats" -
"In Between Days" - Close To
Me" - "Why Can't I Be
You?" - "Just Like Heaven"
- "Lullaby" - "Love Song" -
"Never Enough" - "High" - "Friday I'm In Love" - "Mint
Car" - "Wrong Number" -
"Cut Here" - "Just Say
Yes" |
 |
Join The Dots: B-Sides
And Rarities, 1978-2001 (The Fiction
Years)
Released: January, 2004
Billboard
peak:
# 106
Tracks: "10:15
Saturday Night" - "Plastic
Passion" - "Pillbox Tales"
- "Do The Hansa" - "I'm
Cold" - "Another Journey By
Train" - "Descent" -
"Splintered In Her Head" -
"Lament" (Flexipop Version) -
"Just One Kiss" - "The
Dream" - "The Upstairs
Room" - "Lament" -
"Speak My Language" - "Mr.
Pink Eyes" - "Happy The
Man" - "Throw Your Foot" -
"New Day" - "The Exploding
Boy" - "A Few Hours After
This..." - "A Man Inside My
Mouth" - "Stop Dead" -
"A Japanese Dream" -
"Breathe" - "A Chain Of
Flowers" - "Snow In
Summer" - "Sugar Girl" -
"Icing Sugar" (Weird Remix) -
"Hey You!!!" (Kevorkian
12" Remix) - "How Beautiful You
Are" (Clearmountain 7" Remix) -
"To The Sky" -
"Babble" - "Out Of
Mind" - "2 Late" -
"Fear Of Ghosts" - "Hello
I Love You" (Psychedelic Version) -
"Hello I Love You" -
"Hello I Love You" (10sec
Version) - "Harold And Joe" -
"Just Like Heaven" ('Chuck'
Remix) - "This Twilight Garden"
- "Play" - "Halo" -
"Scared As You" - "The Big
Hand" - "A Foolish
Arrangement" - "Doing The
Unstuck" (Saunders 12" Remix) -
"Purple Haze" (Virgin Radio
Version) - "Purple Haze" -
"Burn" - "Young
Americans" - "Dredd Song"
- "It Used To Be Me" -
"Ocean" - "Adonais" -
"Home" - "Waiting" -
"A Pink Dream" - "This Is
A Lie" (Palmer Remix) - "Wrong
Number" (Smith Remix) - "More
Than This" - "World In My
Eyes" - "Possession" -
"Out Of This World" (Oakenfold
Remix) - "Maybe Someday"
(Hedges Remix) - "Coming Up" -
"Signal To Noise" (Acoustic
Version) - "Signal To Noise" -
"Just Say Yes" (Curve Remix) -
"A Forest" (Plati/Slick
Version) |
|
The Cure
Released: June, 2004
Billboard
peak:
# 7
Tracks: "Lost"
- "Laryrinth" - "Before
Three" - "End Of The
World" - "Anniversary" -
"Us Or Them" - "Alt.
End" - "(I Don't Know What's
Going) On..." - "Taking
Off" - "Never" -
"Promise" |
|
Hypnagogic States (EP)
Released: September, 2008
Tracks: "The Only
One" - "Freakshow" -
"Sleep When I'm Dead" -
"The Perfect Boy" -
"Exploding Head Syndrome" |
|
4:13 Dream
Released: October, 2008
Billboard
peak:
# 16
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: B
Tracks: "Underneath
The Stars" - "The Only
One" - "The Reasons Why" -
"Freakshow" -
"Sirensong" - "The Real
Snow White" - "The Hungry
Ghost" - "Switch" -
"The Perfect Boy" - "This.
Here And Now. With You" -
"Sleep When I'm Dead" -
"The Scream" - "It's
Over" |
|
Bestival Live 2011
Released: December, 2011
Live Tracks:
"Plainsong" - "Open"
- "Fascination Street" -
"A Night Like This" -
"Lovesong" - "Just Like
Heaven" - "The Only One" -
"The Walk" - "Push" -
"Friday I'm In Love" -
"Inbetween Days" - "Play
For Today" - "A Forest" -
"Primary" - "Shake Dog
Shake" - "The Hungry
Ghost" - "One Hundred
Years" - "End" -
"Disintegration" -
"Lullaby" - "The
Lovecats" - "The
Catepillar" - "Close To
Me" - "Hot Hot Hot!!!" -
"Let's Go To Bed" - "Why
Can't I Be You" - "Boys Don't
Cry" - "Jumping Someone Else's
Train" - "Grinding Halt" -
"10"15 Saturday Night" -
"Killing An Arab" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
