Customer Reviews

The Cure [Deluxe Edition w/ Bonus DVD]

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Just to get this out of the way...I've been a Cure fan for over 20 years (whew, that was rough to admit) and my favorite song is still Charlotte Sometimes. In all that time, I've never been sure quite what to expect when the band puts out a new album. I'll also admit that I have not always loved every album, or at least not right away. Wish, in particular, didn't do much for me when it came out. I listened a few times, picked out a couple of tracks that I thought were OK, then basically stored it away for about three years. When I finally pulled it back out and gave it a listen, I absolutely loved the album start to finish. The lesson being that the music is what it is, and whether or not you connect with it has as much to do with you as it does with what the band recorded.

That said, I've found this album to be almost a distillation of everything that I've always loved about the Cure. There's an edgieness and passion to the music. I find myself believing that what I'm hearing is exactly what Robert Smith wanted to say. Unlike some of the Cure's other releases, these songs stand really well together as a collection. My favorite tracks at the moment are Alt.end, Us or Them, and Taking Off. The telling thing to me is that I don't find myself skipping the other tracks to get to them.

I guess what I really like about this album is that this Cure sounds like what I expected the Cure to sound like. I think that this lineup of the Cure has really hit their stride post-Trilogy and I'm excited to see what they do next.

What has made the Cure one of the best bands over the past twenty-five years or so is their ability to do different things. Faith is not Kiss Me is not Disintegration is not The Cure. Perhaps the reason for these bad reviews is a short sightedness or lack of understanding. This sounds like the Miles Davis debate... It's not Kind of Blue! I say good. An artists or groups longevity is directly proportional to how they develop as an artist. I don't understand those who say they have been fans since the Eighties but then complain about the music here. Myself, as a musician, understand what it is like to work for months on something only for someone to take two seconds to criticize what took much effort to produce.
Yes, this is different. However, my first reaction was one of a delightful surprise. And I think that the bonus DVD is worth the price. There are things here that reflect the traditional Cure sound. In Lost we hear the repetitive structures that one can find in a song like Want. There is also an extended song, The Promise, like we find on Disintegration (Prayers for Rain). While the instrumentation is different, the Cure style is still there and I am thinking this really is their best album since Disintegration even though it couldn't be more different from Disintegration. There is much emotion and variety on this album. I wish I could give more than five stars. Viva la Cure!

Alright, I've been a Cure fan for over 10+ years, and I have to say, this is one of their best albums. I have read many of the reviews on this site and others and they have been very, VERY mixed. One thing I keep noticing on some of the negative reviews is there comparison with "Disintegration". Common people, The Cure will never release another "Disintegration", so stop trying to compare all their later work to it! The album changed many lives, I know, but that doesn't mean that their (The Cure) new material can't either!

The album is probably one of their most experimental in terms of song structure, as many have no distinguishable choruses or hooks; this is partly caused by the album being recorded live in the studio (which explains why alot of Robert's vocals are louder than the music; if some of the earlier reviewers read the cd insert they would see at the bottom the declaration as such).

The cd is definitely an acquired taste, but it seems to be a worthwile musical experience if you go into it with no expectations.

I have followed The Cure since 1984 and what got me at the time was actually the Concert album. Kiss Me justified my love for The Cure and Disintegration sealed the deal forever... My reaction to "THE CURE" was unlike any other... The new album will not convince you right away. The truth is, Bob got lazy in the last few albums and it actually felt normal that a band that age would. When I listen to songs like "(I Don't Know What's Going) On" and "Taking Off", I'm pressed to question their honesty, and I did... It became obvious! I had become a lazy fan along with them! They really hadn't offered anything new in nearly 10 years (on albums that is) and now this?! It's brilliant. The songs sound like they come from a much earlier Cure, yet was never made at the time. It's like Bob's band suddenly realized they couldn't just sit on the comfy chair and dust off the sound bites... Give "THE CURE" a few spin before you lay it to rest, preferably on your ipod without interruption or alone after a miserable day at work... Maybe I should start growing my hair again and dust of my black...

Amidst unfounded claims of obselence, the Cure returns with an adventurous outing eclipsing their latest, Bloodflowers. The saddest thing for me as an aging hipster is to see my favorite bands fade into adult contemporary, much like the Chili Peppers and countless other acts. The burgeoning indie revolution has fostered a refreshing upstart comeback from a timeless band. The Cure's new record defies comparison to previous records, much to my own chagrin. Sure, "Anniversary" sorta sounds maybe like an earlier atmospheric tune from say Disintegration or Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. And "Lost" is kinda an angry tempestuous track we're used to from earlier albums. But the plain complicated truth is that the Cure still knows how to howl and rock with stormy guitars and slinky bass lines. Sorry. They're the same complex band we've liked all along and happily they're going to kick and scream their way into their aging rock years. Disintegration is definitely one of my top five albums of the last twenty years. There are beautiful songs on Bloodflowers despite the fact that it feels safe, warmed-over and ready for airplay with the thirty-something's (and blech! Dave Matthews set) with it's layered acoustic guitars. "The Cure" is a little hard to swallow at first. It's more raucous than you may expect. And it's not as earth-shattering as "Head on the Door" or "Staring at the Sea" but goddamit one of my favorite bands still puts out a phenomenal record, giving the indie acts from Brooklyn fair warning. This is in large part where your sound comes from.

This cd is absolutely wonderful. It's dark, moody, eloquent, violent at times, and beautiful. It's so emotional, but never overwrought. It's harder than the cure usually get. When they came out with Galore: The Singles it had a new single on the end called Wrong Number. As a fan of hair metal in the 80's that also was into synthpop I had always wished that the cure would try a more aggressive approach. They're great at depression, but I always wished that they would get angry a bit more. Wrong Number was more in this direction and I was excited and hopeful that they would continue that. Instead they went back to their more mellow ways with Bloodflowers. Bloodflowers was very good, but not what I was expecting. The promise of Wrong Number came to fruition on this album.

Much darker, but still beautiful.

I've been a fan of The Cure's for about 17 years and have eagerly anticipated each new release, except this album. Since the highly popular "Wish" album in 1992, The Cure's subsequent albums: the appropriately titled but inconsistent "Wild Mood Swings" in 1996, and the over-hyped, melodically-challenged "Bloodflowers" in 2000, were substandard. It was some suprise then to see Robert Smith release another Cure album after declaring that Bloodflowers would be their last - an obvious statement of creative loss.

After deliberating for a month I decided to purchase "The Cure". I thought that during my first listen that it would also be the last. On the surface it seemed that this album would be a dust-collector, but after about five listens I noticed a real depth to the music that has been missing since 1989's Disintegration, despite the strange artwork which I think are courtesy of the bands children.

"The Cure" is typically a moody album, but unlike Bloodflowers, one that is not contrived. Robert is finally expressing himself through his music for the first time in over a decade. And the mood is heavy, mostly. The opening lines from the song 'Lost' read 'I can't find myself' and harken back to the days of awkwardness in love. This feeling of loss and disorientation is carried on into the second track 'Labyrinth' which musically and lyrically feels like it could have come from the Pornography album. The theme continues and includes the more poppier songs 'Before Three' and 'The End of the World' which are much deeper than Robert's usual pop (see 'Friday I'm in Love' and 'Mintcar'). As the album flows we notice that the usual Cure elements are apparent: solid bass lines from Simon Gallup and that heavy distorted guitar work from the band's former roadie, Perry Bamonte. Overall a deep, mature album.

The DVD consists of two demos, an interview (in print) with Robert and a gallery of artwork by the band's kids. It is probably not worth seeing.

Quite often when a song or album initially appeals to us, it is because it is shallow. And after a few more listens it loses its impact. The opposite is true for "The Cure". With each subsequent listen I get more out of this album - the true indication of a good if not great album. Unfortunately, it will be dismissed by the critics who don't listen to CD's more than once. But hopefully it will be held in high esteem by Cure fans for it is one of The Cure's best albums.

If you are just getting into The Cure, I don't recommend this album yet. Work your way out (both ways - forward and back) from the late 80's albums; Disintegration and Kiss Me, and the commercial Wish, along with the greatest hits CD's, before you try "The Cure". If you are a fan and are deciding whether this CD is worth it, it is.

Hypnotic, depresive, dark and heavy. This is a masterpice of the Alternative Music. OK, no more keyboards in the front and wonderful melodies for easy listening. If you want that don't buy this CD. We have had a lot of them during the past 25 years (and we thank The Cure for all that songs) But now The Cure have created a new sound for a new post-dark generation (and why not for the old dark guys). In a simple phrase "Better than The Cure"(???). Believe me!!!

After a second and third listen, this CD did not redeem itself to me. There isn't a single song on here that hit me. The problem is that this new Cure CD is nothing all that new. doesn't really go in another direction enough to be called original and isn't all that reminiscent of earlier Cure either. All in all, it's nothing special. "Anniversery" and "Us or them" are probably the best of these songs.
The lyrics are pretty repetitive as well. In almost every song, there is one line that gets repeated over and over and over, stuff like "I'm so in love with you..." and "I could've loved you more..." until I just don't care. I also don't like the way this was recorded. Robert Smith's vocals are so in front of the music that the band kind of gets buried under Robert's unoriginal lyrics.
Still, it's the Cure, even if it isn't as pretty and haunting as "Bloodflowers" or as fun as some of the poppier tracks like "Doing the Unstuck," "Why Can't I be You?" and "Just like Heaven," nor is it reminiscent of the best Cure albums like "Disintegration." If you're a die-hard Cure fan, buy it just to have it. But I just don't know. I'm still kind of disappointed at this album. Maybe after the fourth listen I'll see something here...

So, some people are whining that they waited 4 years for this and it let them down. Well, i've been waiting since 1992 for a decent Cure album and this one took me by surprise. WMS was mediocre at it's best moments with the exception of Bare. Bloodflowers, though a nice soundtrack to lay in angst to was filled with shallow lyrics and uninspiring compositions. I saw that someone mentioned a quote from Smith about if you don't like this album then you don't like The Cure. I have to agree unless you are just some poser fan that loves dreadful singles like Friday I'm in Love. If you know anything about the band, then you know that this recent work is very much representative of their cummulative sound and influences. The dizzying energy on this album is intoxicating thanks to the band's new producer, Robinson, and the fact that they recorded together live as a band rather than the soulless studio tracking process. I think that this album makes the cure relevant again and will ignite a legion of new fans as well as bring fans of classic Cure back into the fold. Please look at professional reviews out there. The critics are unanimous so far that this album is a powerful and moving work.