You’ve heard the doom and gloom masterpiece of The Cure Disintegration, now you must hear the doom that started it all, 1982’s Pornography album. The record that spurred what Robert Smith calls “the trilogy”, ending with the Bloodflowers album. The latter being a decent into madness and deep depression. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with their entire discography, including their B-Sides and rarities boxset. You could throw a dart at any song on that compilation, and as you said, that song would be most other bands magnum opus...and to think none of them ever made an album cut, speechless.
This was one of my foundational albums back in the day - I have fond memories of turning off all the lights, putting on headphones, laying on the floor in the dark, and just ceasing to exist for 70 minutes. Robert Smith's vocals on the back half of the album sound like it's taking every ounce of effort he can muster to just get out something, anything, past the overwhelming depression of the lyrics.
I can’t imagine my introduction to this band being Friday I’m in Love and then listening to this masterpiece of an album. Definitely listen to more of their stuff - I’d recommend Head on the Door next. Also a masterpiece.
Yes! HOTD Was the one that drew me in and made me a fan of their music. Disintegration guaranteed that I would stay one forever. This entire album is simply timeless
'Last Dance' always makes me think of my now 18 year old daughter who's many miles away studying art at university in Yorkshire. She's also a huge Cure fan. The lyrics resonate with me on a different level. I know Robert wrote it about a lover (probably his wife, who he's been with since they were 14, but to me it's about seeing my daughter now as a woman and not the premature baby I first laid eyes on. For that reason alone it hits me on a very deep level.
Kyle from South Park called out "Disintegration is the best album ever!" for a good reason. Getting to see them perform Pictures of You live has been a highlight of my life. In terms of recommending further albums: Wish gets a lot of shit by some elitist Cureheads, cause it's a bit like the more "conventional" version of this album, but I personally still really like that one. However, if I had to talk about the most overlooked Cure album, that's not getting mentioned in your comments, but that you absolutely should listen to, it's Faith. Very moody and a mix of their earlier post-punk work and their gothic rock style, that they would become famous for.
I first listened to this album in the early 90’s and I still feel the exact range of emotions as I listen to it now. Disintegration is probably one of my most played and loved albums. It hits deep. New subscriber here. Was hoping for another Cure reaction, but I don’t see any….I suggest Pornography first, then Faith, Wish, The Head On The Door and Seventeen Seconds.
To my mind The Cure defies genre and any attempt to put it in a box. That's what drew me to their music. It's such a a .... Soundscape. I listened to this CD until I wore it out...twice Over the 90's. I loved when Fascination Street played in the clubs...such a vibe. Nice to see young people discover their magic
This album is top Cure for me. It also happens be the real breakout album for the band into commercial success. Personally, I find that quality and commercial success don't really go hand in hand when it comes to music, *especially* when it comes to more alternative music like post-punk. This album just drills deep into your soul. There was a time when I couldn't listen to the song "Disintegration" without crying. The emotion starts building from the moment the song begins and through Rob's desperate singing in the latter part of the song. It used to feel like I could barely stand it (suffocating was a good way to describe it, Babby) and my body needed to release the tension. The song hasn't had the same level of effect on me more recently, but I still put it up there with my favorite songs of all time. Having said that, I did go through a significant loss recently and I haven't dared listen to this album yet. I don't know when I'll be ready so thank you for listening to it because it allowed me to hear it from a bit of a distance. This album is truly magnificent and, based on my experience, you will likely never tire of it. If you ever have a chance to see them live, Babby, go! They're amazing live. Robert is a freaking treasure and the band is so talented.
This is the big one. Even among all the other Cure albums there is nothing like this record. But if you want to dive deeper into this band, I'd suggest "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" (if you want to experience all the different styles they mastered), "Pornography" (if you want to know how brutally dark and at the same time addicting they could get), or "The Top" (if you want to know the levels of "weird" they reached). "17 Seconds" is a beautiful and eerie album as well, and it contains one of their immortal masterpieces, "A Forest". P.S.: Lots of people dismiss "The Top" as a failed attempt at best and put it very low on their "worst to best" rankings of all Cure albums. But I insist that it is a criminally underrated record that is just bursting with ideas, fun, color, emotions and WTF-moments. It's actually my third favorite Cure album after Disintegration and Pornography.
I second everything you’ve said. Kiss Me captures everything, and I’d recommend that next too. Also, The Top is a fantastic album. It is weird in the best way, no one else has ever made an album like that. I don’t think anything beats the B-sides on Standing On A Beach for me, though.
Ok, so all this time I’ve thought that Lullaby didn’t fit this album because, on the surface, it just seems like a creepy bedtime story kinda song. I’ve thought about it some more and the way I am interpreting it now makes the song make more sense within the context of the record. The spiderman is simply a representation for death and it’s coming for Robert in the night before he can wake up. In the title track “Disintegration” he mentions “the fear of sleep”. What I think he’s saying there is he’s afraid of going to sleep and never waking up again. The spiderman is that force that is making sure he doesn’t wake from his sleep.
It's the single greatest single album ever put out. It has its feels yes but it's a single greatest album ever put out. I feel like Jerry is closed minded and it doesn't fit his vibe so it's an okay album. This is a 100 out of a 100
So what I like surface level folk jams and accessible pop trash? Are you offended by my lack of taste? That's more embarrassing than being confidently dumb (like me).
@@BoyTimeChannel It's not a matter of a lack of taste. This is a reaction channel and when listening to objectively impactful music and having nothing to say, good or bad, youre wasting the time of your audience. You can't even articulate why you don't like something without reusing the same choice of filler thought you said for a previous song, which ultimately brings nothing to the table for this form of content. But when you got to the last two tracks of the album suddenly the thematic formula and artistic choices makes sense to you? Bs I think you just felt the heat of your own faults and thought it'd be best to finally say something that might actually have some substance in it, as your partner is clearly carrying the bulk of responsibility for your shared content. Going through comments, it would seem I'm not the only one who shares this opinion. Doesn't mean there isn't room for you to grow, but a spade is a spade, and I stand by what I say.
I appreciate the feedback, I feel like I am getting better but I'm def not well versed in music as much as Babby is. If you want a detailed, in depth review of an album there are other channels for you. How are people supposed to grow and form opinions on music if the response to trying new things is randos saying, "you're dumb for not getting off rip, like me (a smart guy)." I'm not forcing anyone to watch the music journey I'm going on with my friend, and I'm going to get a bunch of stuff wrong. We're just gonna keep on cruising like my favorite band, Rascal Flatts.
I absolutely loved watching a new fan in the making! When Babby says ‘what’s happening?’ No other music has ever made me FEEL as much as the cure and Robert. The music, the lyrics and his expression and delivery as well as the production are just perfect!
I like how Lovesong, in a record that is mostly about getting older and closer to death, brings some light into the mix. Whenever he is with his lover he feels young, fun, and whole again. When people say the song doesn’t fit, I disagree, even if it’s clearly the big single of the album.
The great masterpiece of the cure. An instant classic of gothic rock. And for the guy of the left, well, each one of us have our favorite music but you should know some basic facts about the genre that you're reactioning, it's dark, it's doom, it's glommy.
Listening to Disintegration is like walking through a haunted house with beautiful music playing in the background.....Disintegration is hauntingly beautiful
Fascination Street is about where they go to score drugs and other such debauchery. I dunno, maybe it's more relatable to us English but given their huge popularity around the world I really can't see that being the case. Doesn't every city have a 'fascination street' after all? For me, the best track on the album. Not the one that means most to me on an emotional level, but musically my favourite. It's also always better live as well imo.
Loved watching your review and reaction. If you plan on reacting to more Cure records, I reccomend Pornography for their most angsty and depressing album (considered a masterpiece along with Disintegration), and Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me for an excellent mix of everything The Cure is as a band.
Babby - you get what long time Cure fans feel. Life definitely has moods and this is the album I play again and again for that effect. It transports me away and I love it.
They had some seriously great albums earlier in their history, that were maybe more influential than Disintegration (in my opinion anyway). 'Standing on a Beach - the Singles' is a great tour of the earlier songs, and highly recommended if you like this one.
I was 17 when this album came out. Got my very first girlfriend that year and suffered my first true heart break when we split up at the end of the year. What an album to take you through the highs and lows of that! Still remember it all like it was yesterday. Pictures of You is my favourite Cure song followed by Just Like Heaven.
There's alot of stories behind the songs on this, and unlike their other albums these ones are more personal to Smith, especially Closedown about his fear of turning 30 and Lullaby about his father when he was a child. Fascination Street is about debauchery in New Orleans French quarter - the mouth part being about alcohol and subsequent vomiting. Plainsong is him projecting himself and his wife Mary to the end of the world where they're old and dying. Pictures of You is about his house fire. Lovesong is for Mary. Disintegration is about a person he knew (not Mary) who cheated - it may be about his sister and her husband who was a member of the band. Not sure. It's about the futility of infidelity and how it always ends.
As a Gen Xer, this was the album that truly introduced the band to America. Another stellar album during that era is "Reading, Writing & Arithmetic" by The Sundays
i would really like to see you guys to tirzah or ml buch, they are so underrated and both are unbelievably good, experimental and minimalist production, honest lyrics
