409) The Cure - Disintegration

We talk about our biggest stars from the UK in music, no one is arguing with McCartney, Jagger, Elton John and George Michael, here’s another one for you, Robert Smith.

He has been making records since 1979, nearly fifty years and his most recent record went top ten across the world. Let’s not also forget that he slotted in a couple of years with Siouxsie and the Banshees whilst still pushing The Cure to further success.

Here’s the news though, I didn’t like Disintegration that much, it was okay, nothing more. Head on the Door was (is) my favourite Cure album and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me was one of those double albums that was worth spending time with and I could just not be bothered with them when this record was released, and it passed me by quickly.

One day I will write the one thousand terrible decisions I have made in my life, this will be one of them. Smith was facing up to the fact that he was approaching thirty and had enough of The Cure being pop stars, whilst delivering a record drastically different from its predecessors. The band became a stadium band much to Smith’s disdain, brilliance is recognised in many different ways.

Plainsong opens the record and for two and a half minutes we are awash with synths, a recurring drum and then a guitar riff before a whispered vocal from Smith, its certainly not Why Can’t I Be You?

Bassist Simon Gallup and guitarist Porl Thompson lead us into the seven-minute opus of Pictures Of You and not one of these minutes is wasted, Smith is powerful, the band building around him, hauntingly beautiful.

Closedown Boris Williams drums propel the song along and Roger O’Donnell brought in, as Lol Tolhurst had other issues and his time in the band was over, adds lush synths over the top.

Lovesong Smith wrote to his partner Mary, if I was Smith whenever I was in the wrong or an argument had taken place I would play this and say but look I wrote this for you, surely all would be forgiven.  I doubt me throwing a review I wrote of PIL’s Metal Box would bring me forgiveness, so unfair. It’s a beautiful song.

Violins, whispered vocals a haunting melody Lullaby was a huge hit and so it should have been, he may have decided to mix it up, but Mr Smith could not help writing a single that stormed the top ten and is still eerie and unsettling thirty years on

Back when I did listen to this record Fascination Street was my favourite it was unrelenting  and the guitars still hit and Smith controls the song with his vocal, it’s possibly more immediate and took me less effort. 

As I have reacquainted myself with this record, I’ve realised it’s not a streaming album (although I’ll obviously name a song to stream!)  where you could press shuffle, Smith & Co gave us a record as a whole piece of work. This clearly was a labour of love, each instrument in the right place and Smith’s words and vocals perfectly placed and executed.

The title track is over eight minutes of the same rhythm but guitars are layered and Smith delivers lyrics of loathing and you have to marvel if this was his state of mind how did he deliver this record and Untitled is haunting and if you don’t read the lyrics strangely uplifting, read the lyrics and he is just bloody clever.

My concluding thoughts if you need a decision in life and you need an answer, ask me,  whatever I advise do the opposite and you will be fine, oh, and listen to this record.

 9/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Lovesong