Disintegration

Performer: The Cure
Engineer: Robert Smith; David M. Allen
Producer: David M. Allen; Robert Smith
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar); Lol Tolhurst (various instruments); Porl Thompson (guitar); Simon Gallup (keyboards, bass); Roger O'Donnell (keyboards); Boris Williams (drums). Recorded at Outside Studios, Berkshire, England. Expanding the latent arena rock sensibilities that peppered Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by slowing them down and stretching them to the breaking point, the Cure reached the peak of their popularity with the crawling, darkly seductive Disintegration. It's a hypnotic, mesmerizing record, comprised almost entirely of epics like the soaring, icy "Pictures of You." The handful of pop songs, like the concise and utterly charming "Love Song," don't alleviate the doom-laden atmosphere. The Cure's gloomy soundscapes have rarely sounded so alluring, however, and the songs -- from the pulsating, ominous "Fascination Street" to the eerie, string-laced "Lullaby" -- have rarely been so well-constructed and memorable. It's fitting that Disintegration was their commercial breakthrough, since, in many ways, the album is the culmination of all the musical directions the Cure were pursuing over the course of the '80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Dark, dreamlike and magical, Disintegration surely represents one of the Cure's finest hours. Although retaining the darkest elements of the earlier albums, it pointed the way towards the band's later, more commercial work on Wish. The intoxicating music draws the listener inexorably downwards, but somehow one remains buoyant - rarely since this album has Robert Smith surpassed the beauty and yearning of 'Pictures Of You', or the poignant pop of 'Love Song'. The nightmarish 'Lullaby', however, increases the pressure, and by the final tracks, all hope quite literally disintegrates. A unique and emotionally raw album, Disintegration evokes the sensation of inevitable, but desirable, death by drowning.

CMJ (1/6/03, p.15) - Included in CMJ's list of "Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time" CMJ (1/5/04, p.26) - Ranked #1 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1989"

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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