The Cure: The Cure CD Track Listing

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The Cure The Cure (2004)
The Cure (Deluxe CD+DVD Edition)\n2004 Geffen Records\n\nOriginally Released June 29, 2004 \n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: For a long time, maybe 15 years or so, Robert Smith rumbled about the Cure's imminent retirement whenever the band had a new album ready for release. Invariably, Smith said the particular album served as a fitting epitaph, and it was now time for him to bring the Cure to an end and pursue something else, maybe a solo career, maybe a new band, maybe nothing else. This claim carried some weight when it was supporting a monumental exercise in dread, like Disintegration or Bloodflowers, but when applied to Wild Mood Swings, it seemed like no more than an empty threat, so fans played along with the game until Smith grew tired of it, abandoning it upon the 2004 release of his band's eponymous 13th album. Instead of being a minor shift in marketing, scrapping his promise to disband the Cure is a fairly significant development since it signals that Smith is comfortable being in the band, perhaps for the first time in his life. This sense of peace carries over into the modest and modestly titled The Cure, which contains the most comfortable music in the band's canon -- which is hardly the same thing as happy music, even if this glistens in contrast to the deliberate goth classicism of Bloodflowers. Where that record played as a self-conscious effort to recreate the band's gloomy heyday, this album is the sound of a band relaxing, relying on instinct to make music. The Cure was recorded and released quickly -- the liner notes state it was recorded in the spring of 2004, and it was released weeks later, at the end of June -- and while it never sounds hurried, it never seems carefully considered either, since it lacks either a thematic or musical unity that usually distinguish the band's records. It falls somewhere between these two extremes, offering both towering minor-key epics like the closing "The Promise" and light pop like "The End of the World." It's considerably more colorful than its monochromatic predecessor, and the rapid recording gives the album a warmth that's pleasing, even if it inadvertently emphasizes the familiarity of the material. Which is ultimately the record's Achilles' heel: the Cure have become journeymen, for better and worse, turning out well-crafted music that's easy to enjoy yet not all that compelling either. It's not a fatal flaw, since the album is a satisfying listen and there's also a certain charm in hearing a Cure that's so comfortable in its own skin, but it's the kind of record that sits on the shelves of die-hard fans, only occasionally making its way to the stereo. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nHaving threatened to enter into retirement after 2000's bleak goodbye letter, Bloodflowers, weathered British goth idols the Cure turned around only to discover their sound being commandeered by the likes of the Rapture, Hot Hot Heat, and Interpol. Is it any wonder the band seems a little put out on its self-titled 13th studio album? The disc sounds like a terse history lesson covering all eras of its back catalog, from the baroque post-punk of 1981's Faith ("Labyrinth") and jangle-pop of 1987's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me ("Taking Off") straight through the atmospheric dirges of 1989's Disintegration ("The Promise") and the dark-tinged MOR of 1996's Wild Mood Swings ("The End of The World"). It's not so much a comeback effort as a collection of templates affirming that no one does the Cure better than themselves. --Aidin Vaziri \n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nDeluxe edition includes 30 minute Making of the Record DVD. Album produced by Robert Smith and Ross Robinson. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAnd on they go . . ., June 7, 2005 \nBy trainreader (Montclair, N.J.)\nWhen bands age, and continue to release albums, they can't help but repeat themselves, and often enter into the realm of self-parody. The Rolling Stones did it after "Some Girls," the Smashing Pumpkins did it after "Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness." U2, REM, the Grateful Dead, you name it, any band that lasts long enough generally has a limited shelf-life when it comes to creating fresh-sounding music. The Cure is not immune from this tendency. \n\nSure, the newest album has some good songs ("Anniversary," "Labyrinth" and "Alt. End" come to mind), but we've just heard it all too many times before. How many times is Robert going to tell us how difficult it is to be loved, but not feel love in return? How loudly is Robert going to screech in his increasingly shrill voice, or use the "f" word as he repeatedly does in "Us and Them" (for no reason whatsoever)? \n\nI love the Cure as much as anybody, but I think that after recording Bloodflowers, it might have been a good time to call it a day. Of course, I will buy the band's next album, and the one after that, but the anticipation is far different then, for instance, waiting for the release of "Wish" after "Disintegration." I do like the artwork, which I think pokes fun at Radiohead, yet another band that may be starting to slide down the other side of that proverbial hump. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTired and Uninspired, August 28, 2004 \nBy someguy (United States)\nI was looking forward to the new release from the Cure with great expectations. I didn't even let my so-so response to their first single sway my anticipation. However, once I started listening to the album, over and over again trying to give it a chance, it never took off the ground. The first thing that stood out to me was the way over-repetative lyrics. Sometimes that can be effective, but not if it's done constantly. Second, as everyone already knows, the man who brought us Slipknot and KoRn was the one who totally screwed up the production on this one. I have to agree with everyone else who has asked Robert what the freak he was thinking to sign with Ross. The whole record is WAAAYYY overproduced and leaves no room for dynamics or atmosphere, let alone the signature Robert Smith guitar sound. Even Bloodflowers sounds much more dynamic than this album. \n\nLastly, one of the previous reviewers eluded to the fact that while the record might not hold up, the live show may prove us all wrong (he used Wish as an example). Well, I saw them on their most recent tour, and while overall it was one of the most incredible shows I've ever seen, the new material was absolutely flat (with the exeption of The Promise). It was amazing how the new material compared with their previous, more inspired work. There are no songs on the new record that even come close to matching songs like "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea", "Disintigration", "A Forest" or "100 years" live. \n\nSimply put, this album is average, something The Cure is not known for. If you're a Cure completist, go ahead and get it, but don't expect any of the songs to give you the chills, or much of an emotional response at all. I wonder why Robert said that anyone who doesn't like this album doesn't like The Cure...I think the reason I don't like this album is BECAUSE I like The Cure... \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nCure way past its prime, July 27, 2004 \nBy B. Prada "Fat Bob" (Davis, CA)\n\nThis album is a major disappointment for a long time Cure fan. \nWhy the Cure went with Ross Robinson to produce their long awaited new album is beyond me and I believe that he ruined what should have been a great comeback by one of the best bands of the last 30 years. The whole thing seems strained and pseudo angry and never really gets me wanting to hear more. Too dark and dissonant for the most part, the album does have its lighter spots like Before Three and The End of the World. Still these songs are average at best. \n\nMy biggest gripe however (And I am surprised that no one has brought this up yet) is that I shelled out 3-4 extra dollars for the version with the Making of the Cure DVD, and the DVD is nothing more but some amateur hand held video footage of the band in the studio. And here's the kicker - THE FOOTAGE SHOWN \nDOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE TRUE AUDIO TO MATCH THE VIDEO!!! Its basically a few instrumental tracks the band had left over, and they laid these tracks over video of the band in the studio. It would have been far more enjoyable to hear what that band is saying instead of the lame instumental garbage that wasn't good enough to make the album in the first place. Where is the interview with Robert and Co.??? All we have here is some clips of video with lame music dubbed over it. And to pay more money for that garbage is treason. Do yourself a favor and if you really want this average CD, don't buy the one with the "bonus DVD". ITs a marketing scheme and a pathetic attempt to pry 3-4 more dollars from poor Cure enthusiasts. Shame on Robert and Co. for even considering the lame DVD. \n\nEnough of my ranting. This CD is average at best. If you want peak period Cure, go buy Seventeen Seconds or Head on the Door. \nRobert didn't have to scream his head off back then to prove that he was distraught or angry. He seems to have forgotten this is his old age. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nRobert Smith Decides to Be Himself, July 5, 2004 \nBy Tyro (Brooklyn, New York USA)\n\nBecause Cure fans are fiercely loyal, they're also pretty harsh on new product. What if this album were a new release by a west coast "emo" band? The band would be hailed as the "new Cure," wouldn't they? But is this as good as "Pornography"? It can't quite measure up, because ... The Cure's style will never sound as new and original as it did back then. This IS a strong album from beginning to end, and more satisfying than the last two. Robert Smith has decided to relax a bit. "Bloodflowers" was a conscious attempt to recreate the style of Disintegration, Faith and like albums. It was good, but all that effort made it a bit labored. This album, recorded fast, is just a bunch of Cure songs. There's no heavy theme, and no claim that the band are breaking up. There is an unguarded emotionality in songs like "Lost," and the surest sense for melody in "The End of the World" and "(I Don't Know What's Going) On" we've seen since "Wish." So, be thankful, listeners, that The Cure are still doing their thing. No other band could have made this moving, sentimental, childlike cd. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Robert Smith, Ross Robinson \n\nAlbum Notes\nThis is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.\n\nThe Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar); Perry Bamonte (guitar); Roger O'Donnell (keyboards); Simon Gallup (bass guitar); Jason Cooper (drums).\n\nAlthough rumors of the Cure's demise circulated after 2000's BLOODFLOWERS, and even frontman Robert Smith claimed the group was finished on numerous occasions, the revered post-punk band remained united, and released this self-titled album in 2004. Expertly timed to follow the excellent JOIN THE DOTS rarities box set and ride a wave of adoration from hip, younger bands, THE CURE marks a new chapter for the goth-rockers, while incorporating many of the quartet's key sonic elements.\nThough Smith doesn't seem inclined to write lighter pop ditties on par with "The Lovecats" or "Let's Go to Bed," he's still happy to pen gloomy, distortion-filled rock songs and atmospheric mood pieces. Marked by tinges of Middle-Eastern music, the slowly building "Labyrinth" hearkens back to the band's gloriously bleak 1982 album, PORNOGRAPHY. Co-producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot) makes his presence known by amping up the guitars, most notably on the reverb-heavy "Before Three," the fierce "Us or Them," and the epic closer "The Promise." Of course, Smith can't resist the occasional upbeat melody, particularly on the dynamic single "The End of the World" and the buoyant, keyboard-driven "Taking Off." Twenty-five years after the group's first album, THE CURE sees Smith and his bandmates in fine form and ready to win over another generation of fans.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n3 stars out of 5 - [H]e's bought a harmonium. It's used to spellbinding effect....Once in a while the old JoJo returns to surprise us.\n\nRanked #47 in Uncut's Best New Albums of 2004 - [I]t's anguished and raw, with distorted guitars squalling around Smith's howls of discontent.\n\n4 stars out of 5 - The freshness of Smith's songwriting, combined with Robinson's intense production techniques, make THE CURE an invigorating and occasionally breathtaking experience.\n\n3 stars out of 5 - The opening tracks are highlights of their recent career...\n\n[N]ewly vibrant music....The Cure have a few stomps left in them. - Grade: B\n\n[T]hey rock like the hair-raising live band they've become since the current lineup stabilized nine years ago. - Grade: B\n\nIncluded in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - [Smith] turns up the guitars and wails in the sumptuous bathos of gems...\n\n4 stars out of 5 - The Cure are on a roll these days, and the new album is their most adventurous and passionate since DISINTEGRATION.\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nThe Cure's Robert Smith is a love cat with nine lives. He's the groovy big sister you always wished you had, a swirl of big, sticky hair and lipstick and New Wave angst. He still reigns as the coolest lesbian rock star of all time, even if he's technically a straight guy. The Cure are on a roll these days, and the new album is their most adventurous and passionate since Disintegration. "Before Three," "Lost" and "(I Don't Know What's Going) On . . ." are jaw-droppingly great hymns to romantic obsession -- the Cure's specialty. The first big surprise on The Cure is how loud and resonant the guitars are, with no neo-Eighties keyboards at all. The next big surprise is Smith's huge vocals -- he sounded wispy on the erratic Bloodflowers (2000), but he emotes live and direct here. People tend to associate Smith with adolescent gloom, but he's always sung smart adult love songs -- "The Lovecats," "Just Like Heaven" -- and he hits one of his all-time romantic peaks here, wailing the twisted devotion of "Before Three": "Whispering dreams, so fucked and high/It's hard to hold this night inside." It's the grooviest thing, it's a perfect dream. Jul 8, 2004 -- ROB SHEFFIELD
This rock cd contains 12 tracks and runs 56min 11sec.
Freedb: 940d290c
Buy: from Amazon.com

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