The Cure (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional reviews
The Cure

Studio album by The Cure
Released	June 28, 2004
Recorded	2003 - 2004
Genre	Alternative Rock
Length	53:53
Label	I AM/Geffen
Producer(s)	Ross Robinson, Robert Smith, Jesse Cannon
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link Pitchfork (7.7/10) link Prefix Magazine (6.0/10) link
The Cure chronology
Join the Dots (2004)	The Cure (2004)

The Cure is the eponymously-titled twelfth studio album from The Cure. This album was released on June 28, 2004 internationally and a day later in the United States. Initial pressings included a bonus DVD "Making 'The Cure'", which featured video footage of The Cure recording the backing tracks and "scratch" (guide) vocals to three of the songs included on the album.

1 Track listing
2 Singles
3 Personnel
4 Significance
5 Chart success
6 Critical response
7 External links

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Main album

"Lost" – 4:07
"Labyrinth" – 5:14
"Before Three" – 4:40
"The End of the World" – 3:43
"Anniversary" – 4:22
"Us Or Them" – 4:09
"alt.end" – 4:30
"(I Don't Know What's Going) On" – 2:57
"Taking Off" – 3:19
"Never" – 4:04
"The Promise" – 10:21

[edit] Extra tracks

"Going Nowhere" (on the UK CD, Japanese CD and vinyl versions, after "The Promise")
"Truth Goodness and Beauty" (on the UK CD, Japanese CD, and vinyl versions, in between "Before Three" and "The End of the World")
"Fake" (on the Japanese CD and vinyl versions, in between "Us or Them" and "alt.end")
"This Morning" (closing track on the vinyl version)

According to Robert Smith, the official tracklist is the main album + "Going Nowhere" at the end. Only the North America CD excludes the track. It and "Truth Goodness and Beauty" were never released in NA. (Except as a video in the DVD)

[edit] "Making 'The Cure'" bonus DVD tracks

"Someone's Coming" ("Truth Goodness and Beauty" alternative version)
"Back On" (instrumental version of "Lost")
"Jason 3" (instrumental version of "Never")
"The Broken Promise" (instrumental version of "The Promise")

[edit] Missing Songs

"A Boy I Never Knew"
"Please Come Home"
"Strum"

The first song has been thrown around by Robert Smith as one of the most "depressing" songs he's ever made.

[edit] Singles

2004.05.18 - "The End of the World" (b/w "This Morning" and "Fake")
2004.10.18 - "Taking Off" / "alt.end" (b/w "Why Can't I Be Me?" and "Your God is Fear")

[edit] Personnel

Robert Smith - vocals, guitar
Simon Gallup - bass guitar
Perry Bamonte - guitar
Jason Cooper - drums
Roger O'Donnell - keyboards
Porl Thompson also contributed to several songs for The Cure, though none were included on the album.

He is, however, featured on the singles' b-sides, "Why Can't I Be Me?" and "Your God Is Fear," and does play on the three unreleased songs.

[edit] Significance

This album continues the pattern of a release once every four years: Wish (1992), Wild Mood Swings (1996) and Bloodflowers (2000).
The Cure is the first Cure album since their debut Three Imaginary Boys in 1979 to be produced by somebody other than Robert Smith. This album is produced by Ross Robinson, who has produced Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, At The Drive-In and a fair few others. Due mainly to the producer's nu metal influence, there are songs on this album much heavier than ever before, although the classic Cure sound still shines through. Smith has described it as "Cure heavy", as opposed to "nu metal heavy".
This album is the first Cure release on Robinson's I Am label, with whom they signed a three album deal.
To promote the album, the band went on several festivals in Europe and the United States in spring 2004. The band also premiered the song "The End of the World" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. In the Summer of 2004, the band launched the Curiosa festival, where they performed shows across the United States with other bands that have been inspired by The Cure, including Mogwai, Interpol and Muse. The band then performed in Mexico (Monterrey and Mexico City) and then did some more festivals and TV performances in Europe to end 2004. At the end of the year, all of the main twelve songs on The Cure (including "Going Nowhere") were played live.
The entire album was recorded live in the studio, according to what is mentioned in the CD booklet.

[edit] Chart success

The Cure was released on June 28, 2004 and debuted in the top ten in the U.S., selling 80,000 copies in its firsk week of release, and the UK. The album also debuted in the top 40 in Australia. Since then, the album has sold 2 million copies world wide.

[edit] Critical response

Metacritic.com has rated the Cure at a 73 meaning that the critical response has been generally positive. [1]

The album was rated as good by: The Guardian, New Musical Express, Kerrang!, Playlouder, Rolling Stone Magazine, Stylus Magazine, Tiny Mix Tapes Pitchfork, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times.

The album was rated as average by: All Music Guide and Blender.

The Guardian described it as a "masterful performance all round". Best tracks: "The End of the World", "Going Nowhere" "Anniversary", "The Promise". Rating 4 stars out of 5 [2]

The New Musical Express described it as "startling from the first listen." (19 June 2004, page 55)

Rolling Stone rated it as four stars saying "it's the grooviest thing, it's a perfect dream." Best tracks: "Before Three", "Lost", "(I Don't Know What's Going) On [3]

E! Online rated the album as a B, stating "It's hard to imagine a set of songs that better reflects every phase the group has navigated through its turbulent career". [4]

Entertainment Weekly stated: "As with Prince on Musicology, Smith allows the Cure's current lineup to become his own tribute band". (9 July 2004, page 86)

Allmusic.com rated the album as three stars saying "the album is a satisfying listen and there's a certain charm in hearing a Cure thats so comfortable in its own skin, but its the type of record that sits on the shelves of diehard fans, only occasionally making its way on the stereo". Best tracks: "Lost", "Never", "The End of the World". [5]

Blender stated: "They come off more than ever like a caricature." (August 2004, page 104)