Faith [Deluxe Edition] [Digipak]

Performer: The Cure
Producer: Robert Smith; The Cure; Mike Hedges; Robert Smith (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Simon Gallup (bass); Laurence Tolhurst (drums). Engineers: Mike Hedges, Graham Carmichael, David Kemp. This remastered edition features a 15-track bonus disc of rarities that includes numerous demos, studio outtakes, and live performances. The Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, bass guitar); Simon Gallup (bass guitar); Laurence Tolhurst (drum machine). Personnel: Robert Smith (guitar, flute, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Laurence Tolhurst (drums). Recording information: Australasia (08/1980-10/1981); Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (08/1980-10/1981); Morgan Studio (08/1980-10/1981). Photographers: Andrew Douglas; Chantal Coves; Ralph Denyer; Peter Musebrink; Kerstin Stelter; Richard Bellia; Bunny Lake; Jill Furmanovsky; Porl Thompson. If you ever observed (or were) a pale depressed-looking teenager dressed entirely in black, sitting in the corner scribbling frantically into a marble bound notebook, then you already understand the Cure. In the 1980s, the Cure provided the soundtrack for an entire generation of misfit toys, and if SEVENTEEN SECONDS was a wake-up call for the dispossessed, FAITH is the daily affirmation. Scaled back down to a three-piece with the loss of keyboardist Hartley, the Cure is a lean, mean fighting machine, ready to rumble. "Rumble" is the best way to describe the propulsive bass playing of Simon Gallup, whose rolling bass anchors both mid-tempo numbers like "The Drowning Man" and faster fare such as "Primary." While no new ground is broken ("Doubt" is basically a rewrite of "Play for Today"), FAITH is stunning in its simplicity and haunting beauty, as evidenced by "All Cats Are Grey" and "The Funeral Party." Even drummer and mascot Lol Tolhurst's minimal beats work to perfection next to the spare-yet-effective instrumentation of "Faith." This is quintessential Cure. Part two of an unofficial trilogy that begins with 1980's Seventeen Seconds and ends with 1982's Pornography -- acknowledged as such by Rhino, who unloaded deluxe reissues of all three on the same day -- Faith now comes with the expected second disc of demos, outtakes, scarcities, and so-so-sounding performance material. The most noteworthy addition to Faith's original running order is "Carnage Visors," a sprawling funeral march that gradually fades in and then out after half an hour, as if it's only a segment from a piece that's being generated until the end of time. Its actual purpose: as a score to a film, made by Simon Gallup's brother, which preceded the band during some tour dates. Previously available only on the cassette version of Faith, it appears at the end of disc one, giving the album proper the feel of a double LP. (So, instead of the traditional, frenzied freak-out that you'd get at the end of some psychedelics-addled albums in the late '60s, you now have a mope-out that kicks the morbid tone of the earlier songs further downward.) The second disc opens with four barren demos trailed by an equal number of relatively clean-sounding studio outtakes. An alternate take of "Primary" puts the album version in front of a fun house mirror; the other three scraps are also for manic obsessives and few others. Distant-sounding live tracks, taken from several performances, will interest as many listeners, though the presence of a nine-minute "Forever" is worthy of a little more excitement (a studio version has surfaced on bootlegs, making it one of those much-talked-about rarities). The black licorice gumball at the bottom is "Charlotte Sometimes," a non-album A-side released in the autumn of 1981. As hoped, Faith itself sounds better than ever, whether it acts as a trip down memory lane or a minor revelation for moody teenagers. ~ Andy Kellman

Spin (p.109) - "'Primary' is as catchy as anything Ian Curtis managed." Uncut (p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]here's a warmth and meditative quality to Smith's production and songwriting..." Alternative Press (11/01, p.104) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Goth Albums" - "...Epitomizes the Cure's sense of gravitas...It's short, but the earth stands still regardless."

Led by depressive pop prince Robert Smith, the Cure have taken their legions of fans on a journey from post-punk to gothic to new wave to art rock, stopping only for refills of hairspray along the way. An amazing band both live and in the studio, the Cure may have shifted its lineup numerous times, but Smith has remained a consistently fascinating rock icon throughout the changes. The group's most popular work (DISINTEGRATION, THE HEAD ON THE DOOR) was recorded in the 1980s, but it has held up incredibly well, leading to continued tours and albums despite exaggerated rumors of their demise.

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