The Cure

The Cure
The Cure has been one of the most sensational punk rock bands that rose in the early 70's and captivated the audiences till the late 80's. The band had been blessed with exceptional talent and a huge fan club that still enjoys the music that was played a good 40 some years ago. The band went through magnanimous changes throughout the years but still survived the hiccups on the road to become a truly appreciated and loved band of the 70's.

The band was the brain child of guitarist cum vocalist Robert Smith and went through multiple transitions. The band was originally formed in 1976 by school mates Robert Smith (vocals, guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass), and Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums). In the beginning, the group started playing dark, guitar oriented pop music with pseudo-literary lyrics.

In totality, the unique appearances of the band kept the momentum alive and millions of people enjoyed the gloomy dirges and the ghoulish appearance of Robert Smith. This was just the beginning. Physical appearances had little to do with the overall trend setting songs of the band. It took some time to revamp the appearances as well as the songs to comply with the realities of life and the true identity of the band.

One of the tapes created by the band ended up in the hands of Chris Parry, an A&R representative at Polydor Records. The tape had a demo song "Killing an Arab" that instigated thought and provoked a release of the track in December 1978. A year later, Chris Parry left the record company and established his own record company called Fiction Records. And along with the new transition came the migration of the band to the new record company. Fiction re-recorded the single "Killing an Arab" and released it in 1979. It was the same year in which the band was officially ready to take on the touring aspect of being an up and coming band and became a popular band among the cities they toured.

The Cure's debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, was released in May 1979 and received an exceptionally well response from the critics, music lovers and the growing listeners of music. Later that year, the group released the non-LP singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train." That same year, the Cure embarked on a major tour with Siouxsie & the Banshees. During the tour, the Banshees' guitarist, John McKay, left the group and Robert Smith stepped in for the missing musician; for the next decade or so, Smith would frequently collaborate with members of the Banshees. Robert Smith took it upon himself to ensure a due diligence with both bands and keep the music alive from both sides. "I'm a Cult Hero" came out in 1979 followed by a second album called Seventeen Seconds in 1980. The band added a keyboardist and expanded the sound and rhythm of the band. "A forest" became very popular hit in the following years and left an indelible imprint in the minds of the millions of music lovers in England alone. Mathieu Hartley left the group soon after the Australian world tour leaving a gap that was never filled even in the later years of the band.

Cure released their third album in 1981 called Faith that became an instantaneous hit and peaked at number 14 in the charts. The single "Primary" was the harbinger of the albums sound performance. In 1982, the band released their fourth album called Pornography. Pornography expanded their cult audience even further and it topped the U.K. Top Ten. Simon Gallup quit the band soon after the album was released and Lol Tolhurst moved from drums to keyboards. The primal breakthrough for the band finally came in 1986 with the compilation Standing on a Beach: The Singles. Standing on a Beach reached number four in the U.K., but more importantly it expanded its fan club. The song received exceptional acclaim even in the USA and went on to become a golden hit within just a few months.

The single became a part of the next album called Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.

The album like the others became an instantaneous hit. "Why Can't I Be You," "Catch," "Just Like Heaven," "Hot Hot Hot!!!" all were singles that got their due acclaim. During these years, Lol Tolhurst put forth a law suit against the band. In the meantime, the Cure replaced Tolhurst with former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and recorded their eighth album, Disintegration in 1989. One of the songs from the record called "Lullaby" became the group's biggest British hit. "Lovesong" was another masterpiece from the band.In 1995, the band recorded their tenth album labeled Wild Mood Swing and the album finally got released in 1996. Throughout 1995, the Cure recorded their tenth proper studio album, pausing to perform a handful of European musical festivals in the summer.

The Cure is also known for seeding the Goth Culture. Both in terms of music and the appearances associated with the band members. The band started using variances in guitars and synthesizers. Though they became the harbingers of the goth music, it never picked up within that timelines of the band. The gothic music era began soon after the band moved on to more exciting and challenging types of music and segment of the music lovers. By the end of the '80s, the Cure had crossed over into the mainstream not only in their native England, but also in the United States and in various parts of Europe. The Cure had finally succeeded in revolutionalizing music in different parts of the world and garnered an international market.