The Cure were one of many bands I first heard while working at Spec's Records in the summer of 1985. Their new album was The Head on the Door, and I was hooked by the band's expert blend of pop-friendly hooks, clever and tasteful arrangements, and most notably, a propensity for juxtaposing light and dark moods. This is a band that had produced both the gothic depression opus Pornography and the giddy singalong single "The Lovecats". On The Head on the Door, the two extremes blended seamlessly - the catchy pop single "Close to Me" reveals, on closer investigation, a protagonist becoming physically sick at the anticipation of meeting up with his loved one, despite the fact that he's "waited hours for this". Is it just nervousness? Guilt? Something worse? Let the listener decide.
By 1989, The Cure had raised their bar so high that I expected big things from them, and when Disintegration was released, the band had indeed taken things to a new level. I remember hearing the single "Fascination Street" prior to the album's release, and it sounded almost too good to be true - a driving bass line, layers of guitars and keyboards gradually building to a climax even before the vocals enter. Indeed, the vocal section almost serves as a coda to the instrumental introduction.
To no one's surprise, the album turned out to be 72 minutes long; their prior album (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, 1987) had been double-album length and The Cure were definitely on a roll. Disintegration doesn't sound like Kiss Me at all, however; while Kiss Me had a scattershot diversity of styles, Disintegration sustained a dark mood for most of the program. This gave fans of their "goth" persona reason to celebrate. Rather than creating a self-indulgent bore-fest, however, The Cure played to one of its many strengths: the ability to gradually build towering edifices of overlapping sounds and melodies from simple structures. Most songs begin with a simple idea, keep it interesting by adding related ideas and counter melodies, and finish the picture with Robert Smith's familiar lyrical style and voice. Looks easy on staff paper, but it takes skilled craftsmen like Smith and The Cure to make it sound epic.
Disintegration was released while I was a sophomore in college, not long after Sonic Youth released their landmark Daydream Nation album in 1988, making 1988-89 a big school year for me musically. It was also the first year after I decided not to pursue baseball at the collegiate level anymore, freeing up time to pursue music, both listening with friends and playing in the school's jazz ensemble. Although I don't have many memories of listening to Disintegration with my college friends, anyone familiar with the album knew it had staying power and would be remembered as a high-water mark of 80s art rock.
Dan:
By 1989, practically all the rock I heard originated from Steve's collection. Bands like Talking Heads, New Order, Camper Van Beethoven, Hawkwind, Phish, and The Cure were among them. I had the luxury of being selective, choosing the best from these bands while rarely acquiring more than one or two albums from each (the rare exception being Phish).
Disintegration was my first foray into what was called angst rock, which refers to a genre in which horribly distressed singers cry their proverbial eyes out against a backdrop of droning, depressing music. But there was something so desperate about The Cure's angst on Disintegration that captivated me. I do like dark topics and swelling thick music with lots of bass, and The Cure had tons of it all.
The album covers a panorama of paranoia (howzat for alliteration?) but it's an enjoyable listen. I did buy the LP at some point, then traded it in when I felt I shouldn't be caught listening to it at my age, then reacquired a CD copy for a couple of bucks at a garage sale (presumably placed there by someone else who didn't want to be caught with a copy in his possession). I can't say it's in heavy rotation, and it's not much of a car trip album, but it's available when I want it.
My favorite tracks are "Pictures of You," "Fascination Street," and "Prayers for Rain." The desperation expressed on all the tracks seems endless, but it's really not much different from some of Frank Sinatra's 1950-60s albums, such as Only the Lonely, In the Wee Small Hours, Where Are You? and No One Cares. People who want music to cheer themselves up should stay away from these albums and Disintegration.
We also rented a VHS tape of The Cure in concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. It was pretty cool, as I recall. That concert and the Disintegration album are my two main experiences with The Cure, aside from hearing a few songs like "Killing an Arab," which did not appeal to me. That's when I'm glad to have the luxury of being selective.
Postscript: I can't believe I drew a comparison between The Cure and Frank Sinatra.
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