The Cure

References

[1]Wild Mood Swings - The Cure | AllMusic (http://www.allmusic.com/album/wild-mood-swings-r235117)

[2]http://www.allmusic.com/album/r235117

[3]http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/wild-mood-swings-19980202

[4]http://imaginaryboys.altervista.org/english/cure/articles/youasked.htm "Interview with Robert Smith 28 September 2007

[5]http://www.cure-concerts.de/main/2000.php "Cure Concerts Guide 13 April 2009

Bloodflowers

Bloodflowers

Studio album by The Cure

Released February 14, 2000

Recorded 1998–1999, St Catherines Court, Avon, RAK, London

Genre Gothic rock, Darkwave

Length 64:29

Label Fiction (UK)

Elektra (U.S.)

Producer Robert Smith, Paul Corkett

The Cure chronology

Bloodflowers is the eleventh album by English band The Cure, released in 2000. The album is seen as a sombre return to form by critics and fans alike. Robert Smith has expressed on several occasions that the album is the final part in his "trilogy" (the 3 albums he feels best define the Cure), the first being the 1982 album Pornography, and the second being the 1989 album Disintegration.

History

Bloodflowers is considered by many Cure fans to be a return to the band's roots after the stylistic departure of Wild Mood Swings. It is the third and final album in Robert Smith's "trilogy" of the three albums he feels most express The Cure. In 2002, the band performed Pornography, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers in their entirety to a Berlin audience, and released the recording on DVD in 2003, titled The Cure: Trilogy.

Bloodflowers was a moderate success, debuting at #16 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, eventually selling 300,000 copies in America. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2001.

The album is the last so far to feature extensive use of keyboards. The 2004 album The Cure uses keyboards much more sparingly and after the departure of Roger O'Donnell following the release of the album and the following tour.

On the 2007-2008 4Tour, the band played "Out of this World", "Watching Me Fall" (once in Mexico City on October 22, 2007), "Maybe Someday", and "Bloodflowers" at various shows.

"39" was last performed on the 2004 Curiosa Tour.

Except for the 2002 Trilogy shows in Berlin, the other songs have not been played since the 2000 Dream Tour, although "Last Day of Summer" was soundchecked for 2008, but never played.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by The Cure (Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell).

Complete Session

1."Possession" – 5:17 was released in the Join the Dots box set.

2."Just Say Yes" – was re-recorded and released in the Greatest Hits collection.

3."You're So Happy!" – A cover version by a Cure Tribute band circulates P2P networks.

4."Heavy World" – is speculated to be released on the Bloodflowers reissue.

5."Everything Forever" – is speculated to be released on the Bloodflowers reissue.

Promos

No commercial singles were released from Bloodflowers, but two promotional singles were released to DJs and radio stations.

•"Out of This World" in January (Europe) & May (U.S.) 2000

•"Maybe Someday" in January (U.S.) & April (Europe) 2000

Personnel

•Robert Smith - guitar, keyboard, 6-string bass, vocals

•Simon Gallup - bass

•Perry Bamonte - guitar, 6-string bass

•Jason Cooper - percussion, drums

•Roger O'Donnell - keyboard

Production

•Producer: Paul Corkett, Robert Smith

•Engineers: Paul Corkett, Sacha Jankovich

•Mixing: Paul Corkett, Robert Smith

•Mastering: Ian Cooper

•Project coordinator: Daryl Bamonte

•Photography: Perry Bamonte, Paul Cox, Alex Smith

•Logo: Alexis Yraola

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

References

[1]"Bloodflowers Review" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/r465158). Allmusic.com. . Retrieved 23 April 2011.

[2]"Bloodflowers Review" (http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/53544/bloodflowers.html). Blender.com. .

[3]http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1691-bloodflowers/

[4]"Bloodflowers Review" (http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=cure). Robert Christgau. . Retrieved 23 April 2011.

[5]"Bloodflowers Review" (http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecure/albums/album/248545/review/5943735/bloodflowers). Rolling Stone. .

External links

• Bloodflowers (http://musicbrainz.org/release/daa8db3b-4011-4ed4-8187-56bcc3bfb5df) at MusicBrainz

The Cure

Singles from The Cure

1. "The End of the World"

Released: 19 July 2004

2. "alt.end"

Released: 12 October 2004

3. "Taking Off"

Released: 18 October 2004

Professional ratings

Review scores

The Cure is the self-titled twelfth studio album by English rock band The Cure. The album was released on 28 June 2004 by Geffen Records. Initial pressings included a bonus DVD containing a documentary of the conception of three songs from the album, titled Making The Cure. The Cure continues the pattern of a studio release by The Cure once every four years, preceded by Wish in 1992, Wild Mood Swings in 1996 and Bloodflowers in 2000, and followed by 4:13 Dream in 2008.

Background and production

The Cure was co-produced by Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, At the Drive-In, Glassjaw and The Blood Brothers. This may explain why the songs on the album are significantly heavier than previous material by the band. Frontman Robert Smith has described the record as "Cure heavy", as opposed to "metal heavy". According to the liner notes, the entire album was recorded live in the studio.

According to Smith, the official track listing of The Cure includes the closing track "Going Nowhere", which was excluded from North American pressings of the album. Demos of three songs recorded during the album's sessions, titled "A Boy I Never Knew", "Please Come Home" and "Strum", have leaked as mp3 files. "A Boy I Never Knew" was performed live by the band during the 4Tour on several dates.

The artwork was designed by Robert Smith's nephews and nieces, who were children, and were unaware that their drawings were put onto this album and sold. The drawings were supposed to be of a 'good dream' and a 'bad dream' from each of his nieces and nephews. He put a compilation of the best drawings on the album and then produced it.

Promotion

The Cure is the first record by the band released by producer Ross Robinson's I Am label, with whom The Cure signed a three-album deal. To promote the album, the band appeared at several festivals in Europe and the United States in spring 2004. They also premiered the song "The End of the World" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In the summer 2004, the band launched the Curiosa festival, where they performed shows across the United States with a number of bands who have been inspired by The Cure, including Mogwai, Interpol and Muse. The band then performed in Mexico, followed by additional festivals and televised performances in Europe, culminating with the end of 2004. By the end of the year, every song from The Cure had been performed live by the band.

On the band's 4Tour in 2008, The Cure performed "The End of the World", "Us or Them" and "alt.end" at various shows. "Us or Them" is also included on the soundtrack to the motion picture Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Critical reception

Metacritic calculated the weighted average score given to The Cure at 75, meaning that the critical response has been generally positive.[4]

The album was well received by The Guardian, New Musical Express, Kerrang!, Playlouder, Rolling Stone, Stylus Magazine, Tiny Mix Tapes, Pitchfork Media, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times.

The album garnered mediocre responses from Allmusic and Blender.

The Guardian described it as a "masterful performance all round", highlighting the best songs as "The End of the World", "Going Nowhere" "Anniversary", "The Promise", and rating the album 4 stars out of 5.[5]

New Musical Express described it as "startling from the first listen." (19 June 2004, page 55)

Rolling Stone rated it four stars (out of five), saying "it's the grooviest thing, it's a perfect dream." The review pointed out the best tracks as being "Before Three", "Lost" and "(I Don't Know What's Going) On".[6]

E! Online rated the album a B, stating "It's hard to imagine a set of songs that better reflects every phase the group has navigated through its turbulent career." [7]

Entertainment Weekly stated: "As with Prince on Musicology, Smith allows the Cure's current lineup to become his own tribute band." However, the article ultimately gives the album a favorable review, claiming "The newly vibrant music looks back lovingly as well on a time when Cure songs managed to combine a throbbing, oingo-boingo springiness with the depressive angst of suburban-basement isolation" and giving the album a B.[8] (9 July 2004, page 86)

Allmusic rated the album three stars, saying "The album is a satisfying listen and there's a certain charm in hearing a Cure that's so comfortable in its own skin, but it's the type of record that sits on the shelves of diehard fans, only

occasionally making its way on the stereo." Allmusic described the best tracks as "Lost", "Never" and "The End of the World".AM

Blender, in a negative review, stated: "They come off more than ever like a caricature." (August 2004, page 104)

Chart success

The Cure debuted at #7 in the United States, selling 91,000 copies in its first week of release, and #8 in the United Kingdom. The album also debuted in the top 30 in Australia. It has since sold 2 million copies worldwide. According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of January 2007 American sales stand at 326,000 copies.

Track listing

1."Lost" – 4:07

2."Labyrinth" – 5:14

3."Before Three" – 4:40

4."Truth, Goodness and Beauty" (excluded from North American and Brazilian pressings) - 4:20

5."The End of the World" – 3:44

6."Anniversary" – 4:22

7."Us or Them" – 4:09

8."alt.end" – 4:30

9."Fake" (excluded from CDs except in Japan) - 4:43

10."(I Don't Know What's Going) On" – 2:57

11."Taking Off" – 3:19

12."Never" – 4:04

13."The Promise" – 10:21

14."Going Nowhere" (excluded from North American pressings) – 3:28

15."This Morning" (excluded from all CDs) - 7:15

Bonus DVD

1."Back On" (instrumental version of "Lost")

2."The Broken Promise" (instrumental version of "The Promise")

3."Someone's Coming" (alternate version of "Truth Goodness and Beauty")

Personnel

•Robert Smith – vocals, guitar

•Perry Bamonte – guitar

•Simon Gallup – bass

•Jason Cooper – drums

•Roger O'Donnell – keyboards

References

[1]Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Cure: The Cure > Review (http://www.allmusic.com/album/r695402/review) at Allmusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[2]Pitchfork: Album Reviews: The Cure: The Cure (http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1693-the-cure/)

[3]Robert Christgau: CG: The Cure (http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Cure)

[4]"Search Reviews, Articles, People, Trailers and more at Metacritic" (http://metacritic.com/music/artists/cure/cure/). Metacritic.com. . Retrieved 2012-01-10.

[5](http://guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,11712,1246648,00.html/2)

[6]"Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews" (http://rollingstone.com/reviews/album?id=6187623&pageid=rs.ReviewsAlbumArchive& pageregion=mainRegion/3). Rollingstone.com. . Retrieved 2012-01-10.

[7](http://eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,3243,00.html/4)

[8]Reviewed by David Browne (2004-07-09). "The Cure Review | Music Reviews and News" (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,659948,00. html). EW.com. . Retrieved 2012-01-10.

4:13 Dream

4:13 Dream

Studio album by The Cure

Singles from 4:13 Dream

1. "The Only One"

Released: 13 May 2008

2. "Freakshow"

Released: 13 June 2008

3. "Sleep When I'm Dead"

Released: 13 July 2008

4. "The Perfect Boy"

Released: 13 August 2008

4:13 Dream is the thirteenth studio album by English rock band The Cure. After failing to meet several release dates, the album was released on 27 October 2008 by Geffen Records.[2]

Background and production

The thirteenth studio album by The Cure was originally intended to be a double album; however, frontman Robert Smith confirmed in interviews that this idea was scrapped, despite the fact that 33 songs had been recorded.[3][4]

Some songs featured on the album were recycled from earlier album sessions: an example is "Sleep When I'm Dead", which was originally written for the band's 1985 album The Head on the Door.[5] Smith attested that the album would mostly comprise the upbeat songs the band recorded, while the darker songs may be released on another album.[6]

Promotion

On 1 May 2008, The Cure, via their MySpace profile, posted a bulletin in which they confirmed that the album would be released on 13 September. The bulletin also said that the thirteenth day of each month leading up to the release of the album (May, June, July and August) would see the release of a single from the album, as well as B-sides that would not make the final cut. The first single, "The Only One", was released on 13 May, followed by "Freakshow" on 13 June. "Sleep When I'm Dead" was then released on 13 July, followed by the fourth and final single, "The Perfect Boy", which was released on 13 August. On 16 July, Robert Smith announced that the album would be pushed back to 13 October, and in September's place, an EP was released containing remixes of the four singles from 4:13 Dream, entitled Hypnagogic States. The album's release date was delayed yet again, and it was released on 27 October.

On 21 August the title of the album was announced online as 4.13 Dream, and corrected three days later to 4:13 Dream. The official track listing was first revealed on the band's official website on 15 September 2008. Smith also mentioned the "dark album" companion piece, and jokingly stated that he would like to have it released by his next birthday (21 April 2009).

First songs performed

On 6 October 2007, The Cure played the first song from their upcoming album at the Download Festival in Mountain View, California.[7] The song, "The Only One" (then titled "Please Project") would go on to be the album's lead single. Following this, the band slowly introduced other songs from the album. In order to finish recording 4:13 Dream by early 2008, they delayed their North American tour by eight months.

On the following 4Tour, the band performed the songs "Underneath the Stars", "The Perfect Boy", "Sleep When I'm Dead", "Freakshow" (then titled "Don't Say Anything"), "The Only One" (then titled "Please Project"), and "It's Over" (then titled "Baby Rag Dog Book") at various shows. Although rumored to appear on the album from early reports, another song, "A Boy I Never Knew", was omitted from the final track listing.

On 11 October 2008, The Cure performed 4:13 Dream in its entirety at a free performance in the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome that was recorded for the MTV Live concert series.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores

The album has received a mixed response from critics. While most critics have praised the album as a quintessential Cure record,[13] others have criticised the compression,[18] and its overly comfortable[14] and lightweight[9] songwriting. 4:13 Dream debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week of release.[19] As of January 2011 US sales stand at 93,000.

Track listing