The Cure Biography
Summary
"The Cure" are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several lineup changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member. The Cure first began releasing music in the late 1970s with their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" (1979); this, along with several early singles, placed the band as part of the post-punk and New Wave movements that had sprung up in the wake of the punk rock revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980s the band's increasingly dark and tormented music helped form the gothic rock genre.
After the release of "Pornography" (1982), the band's future was uncertain and Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had acquired. With the 1982 single 'Let's Go to Bed' Smith began to inject more of a pop sensibility into the band's music. The Cure's popularity increased as the decade wore on, especially in the United States where the songs 'Just Like Heaven', 'Lovesong' and 'Friday I'm in Love' entered the "Billboard" Hot 100 charts. By the start of the 1990s, The Cure were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world, and although their profile has lessened in more recent years, they are estimated to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004. The Cure have released thirteen studio albums and over thirty singles during the course of their career.
History
Formation and early years (1973-1979)
The first incarnation of what became The Cure was The Obelisk, a band formed by students at Notre Dame Middle School in Crawley, Sussex. The band made their public debut in a one-off performance in April 1973, and featured Robert Smith (piano), Michael 'Mick' Dempsey (guitar), Laurence 'Lol' Tolhurst (percussion), Marc Ceccagno (lead guitar) and Alan Hill (bass guitar). The first real incarnation though came in January 1976 when Ceccagno formed Malice with Smith and Dempsey along with two other classmates from St. Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, with Ceccagno on lead, Smith now also on guitar and Dempsey switching to bass. Ceccagno soon left, however, to form a jazz-rock fusion band called Amulet. Increasingly influenced by the emergence of punk rock, Malice's remaining members became known as Easy Cure in January 1977. Smith and Dempsey had, by this time, been joined by Lol Tolhurst from The Obelisk on drums, and new lead guitarist Porl Thompson. Both Malice and Easy Cure also trialed several unsuccessful vocalists before Smith finally assumed the role of Easy Cure's frontman in September 1977.
That year, Easy Cure won a talent competition with German label Hansa Records, and received a recording contract. Although the band recorded tracks for the company, none were ever released. Following disagreements in March 1978 over the direction the band should take, the contract with Hansa was dissolved. Smith later recalled 'We were very young. They just thought they could turn us into a teen group. They actually wanted us to do cover versions and we always refused.' Thompson was dropped from the band that May, and the remaining trio (Smith/Tolhurst/Dempsey) were soon renamed The Cure by Smith. Later that month the band recorded their first sessions as a trio at Chestnut Studios in Sussex which were distributed as a demo tape to a dozen major record labels. The demo found its way to Polydor Records scout Chris Parry, who signed The Cure to his newly formed Fiction label-distributed by Polydor-in September 1978. However, as a stop-gap while Fiction finalised distribution arrangements with Polydor, in December 1978 The Cure released their debut single 'Killing an Arab' on the Small Wonder label. 'Killing an Arab' garnered both acclaim and controversy: while the single's provocative title led to accusations of racism, the song is actually based on French existentialist Albert Camus' novel "The Stranger". The band placed a sticker label that denied the racist connotations on the single's 1979 reissue on Fiction. An early "NME" article on the band wrote that The Cure 'are like a breath of fresh suburban air on the capital's smog-ridden pub and club circuit' and noted 'With a John Peel session and more extensive London gigging on their immediate agenda, it remains to be seen whether or not The Cure can retain their refreshing "joie de vivre".'
The Cure released their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" in May 1979. Due to the band's inexperience in the studio, Parry and engineer Mike Hedges took control of the recording. The band, particularly Smith, were unhappy with their debut; in a 1987 interview he admitted that 'a lot of it was very superficial - I didn't even like it at the time. There were criticisms made that it was very lightweight, and I thought they were justified. Even when we'd made it, I wanted to do something that I thought had more substance to it'. The band's second single 'Boys Don't Cry' was released in June. The Cure then embarked as the support band for Siouxsie & The Banshees' "Join Hands" promotional tour of England, Northern Ireland and Wales between August and October. The tour saw Smith pull double duty each night by performing with The Cure and as the guitarist with The Banshees when John McKay quit the group. That musical experience had a strong impact on him: 'On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with The Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like The Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing.'
The Cure's third single 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' was released in early October 1979. Soon afterwards, Dempsey was sacked from the band due to his cool reception to material Smith had written for the upcoming album. Dempsey joined the Associates, while Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) from The Magspies joined The Cure. The Associates toured as support band for The Cure and The Passions on the "Future Pastimes Tour" of England between November and December-all three bands were on the Fiction Records roster-with the new Cure lineup already performing a number of new songs for the projected second album. Meanwhile, a spin-off band comprising Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey, Gallup, Hartley and Thompson, with backing vocals from assorted family and friends, and lead vocals provided by their local postman Frankie Bell released a 7 inch single in December under the assumed name of Cult Hero.
Gothic phase (1980-1982)
Wary, due to the band's lack of creative control on the first album, Smith exerted a greater influence on the recording of The Cure's second album "Seventeen Seconds", which he co-produced with Mike Hedges. The album was released in 1980 and reached number 20 on the UK charts. A single from the album, 'A Forest', became the band's first UK hit single, reaching number 31 on the singles chart. The album was a departure from The Cure's sound up to that point, with Hedges describing it as 'morose, atmospheric, very different to "Three Imaginary Boys".' In its review of "Seventeen Seconds" the "NME" said 'For a group as young as The Cure, it seems amazing that they have covered so much territory in such a brief time.' At the same time Smith was pressed concerning the concept of an alleged 'anti-image'. Smith told the press he was fed up with the anti-image association that some considered to be 'elaborately disguising their plainness', stating, 'We had to get away from that anti-image thing, which we didn't even create in the first place. And it seemed like we were trying to be more obscure. We just didn't like the standard rock thing. The whole thing really got out of hand.' That same year "Three Imaginary Boys" was repackaged for the American market as "Boys Don't Cry", with new artwork and a modified tracklist. The Cure set out on their first world tour to promote both releases. At the end of the tour Matthieu Hartley left the band. Hartley said, 'I realised that the group was heading towards suicidal, sombre music-the sort of thing that didn't interest me at all.'
The band reconvened with Hedges to produce their third album "Faith" (1981), which furthered the mood of misery present on "Seventeen Seconds". The album peaked at number 14 on the UK charts. Included with cassette copies of "Faith" was an instrumental soundtrack for "Carnage Visors", an animated film shown in place of an opening act for the band's 1981 Picture Tour. In late 1981, The Cure released the non-album single 'Charlotte Sometimes'. By this point the somber mood of the music was having a profound effect on the attitude of the band. The band would refuse requests for older songs in concert, and sometimes Smith would be so absorbed by the persona he projected onstage he would leave at the end in tears.
In 1982 The Cure recorded and released "Pornography", the third and final album of an 'oppressively dispirited' trio that cemented the Cure's stature as purveyors of the emerging gothic rock genre. Smith has said during the recording of "Pornography" he was 'undergoing a lot of mental stress. But it had nothing to do with the group, it just had to do with what I was like, my age and things. I think I got to my worst round about "Pornography". Looking back and getting other people's opinions of what went on, I was a pretty monstrous sort of person at that time'. Gallup described the album by saying, 'Nihilism took over . . . We sang 'It doesn't matter if we all die' and that is exactly what we thought at the time.' Parry was concerned that the album did not have a hit song for radio play and instructed Smith and producer Phil Thornalley to polish the track 'The Hanging Garden' for release as a single. Despite the concerns about the album's uncommercial sound, "Pornography" became the band's first UK Top 10 album, charting at number eight. The release of "Pornography" was followed by the Fourteen Explicit Moments tour, where the band finally dropped the anti-image angle and first adopted their signature look of big, towering hair and smeared lipstick on their faces. The tour also saw a series of incidents that prompted Simon Gallup to leave The Cure at the tour's conclusion. Gallup and Smith did not talk to each other for eighteen months following his departure.
Increasing commercial success (1983-1988)
With Gallup's departure from The Cure and with Smith's work with Siouxsie & the Banshees, rumors spread that The Cure had broken up. In December 1982, Smith remarked to "Melody Maker", 'Do The Cure really exist any more? I've been pondering that question myself . . . it has got to a point where I don't fancy working in that format again.' He added, 'Whatever happens, it won't be me, Laurence, and Simon together any more. I know that.'
Parry was concerned at the state of his label's top band, and became convinced that the solution was for The Cure to reinvent its musical style. Parry managed to convince Smith and Tolhurst of the idea; Parry said, 'It appealed to Robert because he wanted to destroy The Cure anyway.' With Tolhurst now playing keyboards instead of drums, the duo released the single 'Let's Go to Bed' in late 1982. While Smith played the single off as a throwaway 'stupid' pop song to the press, it became a minor hit in the UK, reaching number 44 on the singles chart. It was followed in 1983 by two more successful songs: the synth-based 'The Walk' (number 12), and the jazz-influenced 'The Lovecats', which became the band's first British Top 10 hit, reaching number seven. The group released these studio singles and their B-sides as the compilation album "Japanese Whispers", designed by Smith for the Japanese market only, but released worldwide on the decision of the record company. The same year, Smith also recorded and toured with Siouxsie & the Banshees, contributing as guitarist on their "Nocturne" live video and their "Hyaena" studio album. Meanwhile, he recorded the "Blue Sunshine" album with Banshees bassist Steven Severin as The Glove, while Lol Tolhurst produced the first two singles and debut album of the English band And Also The Trees.
In 1984, The Cure released "The Top", a generally psychedelic album on which Smith played all the instruments except the drums-played by Andy Anderson-and the saxophone-played by returnee Porl Thompson. The album was a Top 10 hit in the UK, and was their first studio album to break the "Billboard" 200 in the U.S., reaching number 180. "Melody Maker" praised the album as 'psychedelia that can't be dated', while pondering, 'I've yet to meet anyone who can tell me why The Cure are having hits now of all times.' The Cure then embarked on their worldwide 'Top Tour' with Thompson, Anderson, and producer-turned-bassist Phil Thornalley on board. Released in late 1984, The Cure's first live album, "Concert" consisted of performances from this tour. Near the tour's end, Anderson was fired for destroying a hotel room and was replaced by Boris Williams. Thornalley also left due to the rigors of the road. However, the bassist slot was not vacant long, for a Cure roadie named Gary Biddles had brokered a reunion between Smith and former bassist Simon Gallup, who in the meantime had been playing in the band Fools Dance. Soon after reconciling, Smith asked Gallup to rejoin the band. Smith was ecstatic about Gallup's return and declared to "Melody Maker", 'It's a group again.'
In 1985, the new lineup-Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Thompson, and Williams-released "The Head on the Door", an album which managed to meld the melodic and pessimistic aspects of the band they had previously shifted between. "The Head on the Door" reached number seven in the UK and was the band's first entry into American Top 75 at number 59, a success partly due to the international impact of the LP's two singles, 'In Between Days' and 'Close to Me'. Following the album and further world tour, the band released the singles compilation "Standing on a Beach" in three formats (each with a different track listing and a specific name) in 1986. This compilation made the US Top 50, and saw the re-issue of three previous singles: 'Boys Don't Cry' (in a new form), 'Let's Go To Bed' and later 'Charlotte Sometimes'. This release was accompanied by a VHS or LaserDisc called "Staring at the Sea", which featured videos for each track on the compilation. The Cure toured to support the compilation and released a live concert VHS of the show, filmed in the south of France called "The Cure in Orange". During this time, The Cure became a very popular band in Europe (particularly in France, Germany and the Benelux countries) and increasingly popular in the U.S.
In 1987, The Cure released the double LP "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me", which reached number six in the UK and number 35 in the U.S. (where it was certified platinum), due to the combination of the band's rising popularity and the success of lead single, 'Why Can't I Be You?'. The album's third single, 'Just Like Heaven' was the band's most successful single to date in the US, being their first to enter the "Billboard" Top 40. After the album's release, the band embarked on the successful Kissing Tour. During the European leg of the tour, Lol Tolhurst's alcohol consumption was interfering with his ability to perform so The Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell was frequently called upon to stand in for him.
"Disintegration" and worldwide success (1989-2002)
In 1989, The Cure released the album "Disintegration", which saw a return to the gothic atmospheres of earlier releases like "Faith" and "Pornography". It became their highest charting album in the UK to date, entering at number three and featuring three Top 30 singles in the UK and Germany ('Lullaby', 'Lovesong' and 'Pictures of You'). "Disintegration" also reached number twelve on the US charts. The first single stateside, 'Fascination Street', reached number one on the American Modern Rock chart, but was quickly overshadowed when its third US single, 'Lovesong', reached number two on the American pop charts (the only Cure single to reach the US Top 10). By 1992 "Disintegration" had sold over three million copies worldwide.
During the "Disintegration" sessions, the band gave Smith an ultimatum that either Tolhurst would have to leave the band or they would. In February 1989 Tolhurst's exit was made official and announced to the press; this resulted in Roger O'Donnell becoming a full-fledged member of the band and left Smith as The Cure's only remaining founding member. Smith attributed Tolhurst's dismissal to an inability to exert himself and issues with alcohol, concluding, 'He was out of step with everything. It had just become detrimental to everything we'd do.' Because Tolhurst was still on the payroll during the recording of "Disintegration", he was credited in the album's liner notes as playing 'other instrument', however it has since been revealed that he contributed nothing to the album in either performance or songwriting. The Cure then embarked on the Prayer Tour, which saw the band playing stadiums in America.
In May 1990, Roger O'Donnell quit and was replaced with the band's guitar tech Perry Bamonte. That November, The Cure released a collection of remixes called "Mixed Up". The album was not well-received and quickly slid down the charts. The one new song on the collection, 'Never Enough
Credit
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