The best The Cure albums, according to Robert Smith
Classics endure for a reason. While some music enthusiasts may dismiss popular records as favourites, often, the biggest hits are celebrated because they’re simply the best. It’s as simple as that. This is particularly true for legendary acts whose defining works stand the test of time as crown jewels of their discography. Even Robert Smith of The Cure acknowledges the widespread acclaim for the band’s most beloved albums.
That said, exploring deep cuts is a delight for most music enthusiasts. Delving into lesser-known album tracks or overlooked records adds richness to the musical journey. With iconic artists boasting extensive discographies, revisiting hidden gems beyond the greatest hits offers a rewarding experience.
Then again, with so many beloved acts, even the greatest hits are contested. Beyond a selection of obvious tracks, every different fan would probably put together a different ‘best of’ compilation for artists like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and so on. Even for the artist at hand here, different people would put together very different The Cure mixes based on whether they like the more upbeat cuts or the gothic stuff. Where one person might love ‘Lovecats’, another might put ‘A Forest’ ahead of that. Where one fan might be obsessed with their 1979 debut, another could be dedicated to the later periods. It’s different strokes for different folks.
But if anyone is going to have an idea of a general consensus of which record comes out on top, it’s going to be Robert Smith. As the frontman of the band, he’s lived a lifetime of interactions with fans where they’re more than happy to share their favourite album with him, and two stand out as the most regular picks.
“Pornography and Disintegration are always the fans’ top two albums,” he said, picking the 1982 and 1989 albums respectively. Refusing to fall into the trap of demanding that the most niche releases are surely the best, Smith is inclined to agree with the masses as he added, “[they’re] mine as well.”
Across the two records, strong ground is covered. Pornography is a perfect display of their gloomier, earlier sound. It stood on the precipice of a lighter new era as the final and powerful remarks from their darker earlier period. Then on Disintegration, that new chapter is fully realised with some of their biggest hits like ‘Pictures Of You’, ‘Lovesong’ and ‘Lullaby’.
However, Plant would also like to throw a third album in there as another favourite of his that he wishes more people would pay attention to. “I wanted Bloodflowers to be the third part of a trilogy,” he said. Following the path of his personal growth from depression, to a true rock spirit, he sees the 2000 album as the next step in the story. “The first two records had something that was there by virtue of the intensity we put into the studio, and they both resulted in putting me into a delayed state of shock,” he explained. “With Bloodflowers, because of my age, I can’t recreate that intensity, but I think it has a lyricism that makes it compare favourably to the other two.”
So, while Smith is largely inclined to agree with his fans, if you want to truly be loyal to the leader, give the later record a spin today.
First, Robert Smith’s favourite The Cure albums:
- Pornography (1982)
- Disintegration (1989)
- Bloodflowers (2000)
Quickly followed by Robert Smith’s favourite The Cure songs:
However, there’s a rift when it comes to Smith’s favourite tracks by his band. Seemingly seeing the worth of the full-picture LPs as a different thing to the value of each individual track, his list of top The Cure songs doesn’t feature any from his favourite albums.
“I never found it awkward showing my emotions. I couldn’t really continue without showing my emotions; you’d have to be a pretty boring singer to do that. So I kind of made a big thing about it. I thought, ‘Well, it’s part of my nature to rail against being told not to do something,'” he said of his songwriting. That makes sense why his top tracks all exist as big emotional declarations, from the rebellious ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ to the grand gesture love song of ‘Just Like Heaven’.
To navigate the dark and difficult feelings in between, he also picked out ‘End’, ‘Faith’ and ‘A Forest’ as his favourite songs.
