Cure: The Trilogy

Robert Smith was at his best when he was near suicidal. Real Cure fans cringe, whenever they hear “Friday I’m in Love,” “Wrong Number,” and “Why Can’t I be You.” It’s not that the Cure couldn’t pen some brilliant happy songs. “Love Cats,” “Caterpillar,” and “Just Like Heaven” are fine examples. But the moody depressing fare was much more identifiable. The most miserable of the miserable includes: Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography, and Disintegration. I like them all. Whenever I feel down, I listen to one of those CDs and I think, “Man that dude is depressed.” It’s not like I feel instantly better, but misery likes company.

Fans of the Cure have for years referred to: Seventeen Seconds, Faith, and Pornography as being the Trilogy. In a weird way to cash in on the trend, Smith redefined the trilogy to be composed of: Pornography, Disintegration, and the lackluster Bloodflowers. Then insult to injury, he went on a tour just playing those three albums in their entirety. Needless to say, it was the most boring concert experience ever.

Most of these songs crawl at a snails pace and often bleed into each other making it a real chore to identify individual songs. This is not really a bad thing; the end result is rich and atmospheric, but the average listener may be turned off. There are very few recognizable singles and most people hate albums without a radio friendly hit. If you got the patience and want to hear something unique then these albums are for you. If not then you are better off with one of the greatest hits collections or “Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me.”