Página inicial | Letras| Discografia | Membros | E-mail
Biografia da Banda
the official biography by cathi unsworth...
It takes a singular mind to sustain a personal vision through nineteen years. A mind that
is, perhaps, a mass of contradictions, but one that is certainly fueled by endless
determination.
Robert Smith, creator of the strange, delirious world of THE CURE, has kept true to the 14
year old boy who wore velvet dresses to school and was expelled for being a malignant
influence, who wished to dream and scream through an ever evolving music that will forever
be teetering on the edge of a cliff - and laughing, Smith, together with a revolving
line-up of comrades who have the habit of coming and going as the rigours of touring
demand, has gone from the Crawley schoolyard beginnings to a man who has sold over 23
million albums and can cause widespread panic on mtv simply by cutting his hair...
The mind behind the spider black mop and blood red lips remains focused on what he has
always held dear, while his persona stays shrouded in mystique. Whether you have traveled
the entire length of Robert Smith's brilliant maverick vision, or have stepped on board on
the way, you know what kind of magic is in store - star filled skies, deep black lakes,
crimson kisses and above all....The unexpected.
May 1996 sees the release of THE CURE's tenth studio album, "wild mood swings."
A title that aptly sums up the emotions within its stories of envy, love and longing, and
the shades of subversion that range from the mournful violin strokes of 'this is a lie' to
the sultry mariachi hots and latino exotica of 'the 13th'. Following the expansive,
expressive beauty of 1992's 'wish', critically acclaimed as the best work they have ever
done, THE CURE are at the height of their creative powers. With a line-up that now
includes new drummer Jason Cooper, keyboards player roger o'donnell (1987-90), bassist
simon gallup and all-rounder Perry Bamonte, who has been roadie and musician to the band,
THE CURE have upped their own ante again. "There is a thread running through what we
do", Robert has said, "which i hope will never change."
Smith's journey began in blackpool on 21st april 1959, but his family migrated to crawley
while he was still in infancy, so that his singular ideas germinated within the heart of
suburbia. At six he was learning guitar chords from his elder brother richard, at 16 he
had formed easy cure with his schoolmates lol tolhurst (drums) and michael dempsey (bass).
Their first demos included a song based upon Albert Camus' 'the outsider' entitled
'killing an arab' which fell into the hands of the then Polydor A&R Man Chris Parry.
So taken was he with the song that he licensed a limited edition single to indie label
small wonder. It was released in december 1978. When parry left Polydor to set up fiction
records he took THE CURE with him and they have been together ever since.
In February 1979 Fiction re-released 'killing an arab' and the band began to tour in
earnest; their angular, brooding, atmospheric music cutting a dissonant chord against the
frantic speed rush of punk, a marked difference which would sustain Smith long after
safety pins and mohawks became novelty items. They recorded their first of many john peel
sessions and, in may 1979, unveiled 'three imaginary boys', an album which began it's
challenge on it's front cover - a still life of a lamp, a refrigerator and a vacuum
cleaner. The revenge of suburbia had begun.
Robert Smith had his work cut out in 1979, through touring extensively to promote the
album and returning to the studio for two further recording sessions for the singles 'boys
don't cry' and 'jumping someone else's train'. However, when THE CURE commenced touring
with kindred spirits siouxsie and the banshees, Robert found himself playing two sets a
night, stepping into the breach for departed guitarist john mckay. Further collaborations
with the banshees, as guitarist and songwriter, and with bassist steve severin (with whom
he made the 'blue sunshine' lp in 1983 under the pseudonym the glove) would continue for
many years. THE CURE's personnel also began shifting by the end of 1979, when michael
dempsey left to be replaced by simon gallup, and matthieu hartley was added to play
keyboards.
THE CURE's second album, '17 seconds', expanded THE CURE's immersion in studio
experimentation and locked into a darker seam of songwriting the produced the classic
single 'a forest'; a cinematic foray into noir imagery that gained the band their first UK
hit single and a top of the pops appearance. THE CURE's first world tour followed, while
'17 seconds' climbed to no. 20 In the UK album chart. Following a lengthy australasian
tour mattieu hartley left and THE CURE were a three piece once more.
The band worked on an instrumental soundtrack for the film 'carnage visors' and plunged
deeper into the world of potent dissolution and fear which would hallmark their next two
lps, 'faith' was released in 1981, and its claustrophobic intensity reflected the band's
state of mind. Still more successful than it's predecessor, it reached number 14 in the uk
album charts and spawned the single 'primary'. There followed the one-off single, the
haunting 'charlotte sometimes'. Still THE CURE had not yet plumbed the depths of their
personal hysteria, but 1982's 'pornography', a landmark eighties album, was regarded by
many as a kamikaze shot from which they could never recover. It certainly appeared so at
the end of the pornography tour in brussels when simon gallup left THE CURE and lol
tolhurst decided to stop playing drums. But recover they did, and with perverse delight,
finished the year with the 'let's go to bed' single, a dementedly upbeat piece of disco
that revealed another, more playful side to Robert Smith's writing. The line-up was still
in disarray - the single was recorded with Wreckless Eric drummer Steve Goulding - but
another key Cure partnership was forged in the making of the promotional video. Tim Ppope
directed the first of many fruitful collaborations. "THE CURE", he said,
"are one of the stupidest bands you could ever work with, and yet they are also the
brightest and the most intelligent." With the 1983 success of 'the walk', which hit
the UK charts at number 12, Smith felt vindicated: he had worked through the rage and
despair of 'pornography' and had turned perceptions of him on their heads with this bold
experimental outing.
Smith spent more time in 1983 with the Banshees, playing on their 'Hyaena' studio and
'Nocturne' live LPs when they lost yet another guitarist, John Mcgeoch. But, more
importantly, THE CURE rebuilt itself around drummer andy anderson and bassist phil
thornalley. They went on to score their biggest hit to date with the jazz-infected,
sublime pop of 'The Lovecats', which reached number 7 in the UK charts and presented the
one time "Messiah Of Angst" in red polka dots and beads, increasing the scope of
his songwriting process and the size of his audience.
But, should anyone have forgotten the frightening intensity of which The Cure were
capable, the 1984's 'the top' was a reminder; a violent rollercoaster ride through
obsession, sex and death that reached number 10 in the UK chart. However, in the midst of
the album's red lights and bleak back rooms lay the fragile sweetness of 'the
caterpillar', a single that made number 14. There were more line-up changes to come,
however, when andy anderson and phil thornalley left the fold, the latter to pursue a solo
career. They were replaced by boris williams on drums, Porl Thompson on guitar and a
returning simon gallup on bass.
This incarnation started work on 1985's 'head on the door'; with typical cure conversity,
a concise and simple effective pop record which diffused the mood of 'the top' and reached
number 7 in the UK and 59 in the us billboard charts. Another brilliant tim pope
collaboration in the video of the single 'close to me' featured the band jostling around
in a wardrobe on the cliffs of infamous suicide drop, beachey head.
'Head on the door' had paved the way for THE CURE's seduction of America, but it was the
singles compilation 'standing on a beach', released in may 1986, which heralded the
onslaught of success. The us media were fascinated with the Robert Smith enigma, bizarrely
referring to him as "the male kate bush", and getting mightily upset when he
lopped off his spidery locks for a close crop. Come 1987, the line-up had expanded to take
in keyboards player Roger O'donnell, and their 'ten imaginary years' were catalogued and
celebrated in book form. THE CURE has sold eight million records in their decade of
existence.
The next lp, 'kiss me kiss me kiss me', was a vast double album of extraordinary invention
and moodscaping; never had THE CURE sounded quite so extreme, whether in anguish or in
bliss. Four singles were forthcoming; 'why can't i be you?', 'Catch', 'hot hot hot!!!',
And 'just like heaven.'
Early in 1989, Smith began recording an acoustic solo album of material he did not think
would be suitable for THE CURE, but which he hoped would fit into a setting similar to the
work of one of his major influences, nick drake. After he abandoned the work, other
reasons for wanting to keep the songs to himself became apparent; his own and the band's
relationship with lol tolhurst had turned very sour, leading to tolhurst's departure that
year. "The songs on my acoustic album have a kind of naivetŽ and purity about
them and i didn't want them sullied by lol", the singer later explained. It was the
only acrimonious departure THE CURE had ever sustained. Perhaps appropriately, the next
album was titled 'disintegration', a work of unearthly, beautiful melancholy, highlighted
by the singles 'fascination street' (usa only), 'lullaby', 'pictures of you,' and 'love
song' which achieved number 2 in the us billboard chart. The cure crossed the Atlantic
aboard the qe2 to tour America, avoiding Smith's much-loathed air travel. Roger O'donnell
left after the long-haul of touring, to be replaced on keyboards by cure roadie, Perry
Bamonte.
In 1990 THE CURE, yet again adventurous, released 'mixed up', a collection of remixes,
spawning the hit singles 'never enough' and the classic oakenfold remix of 'close to me.'
A one-off set of performances followed, including on the street in place de la republique,
paris; glastonbury; prague; leipzig and dresden, finishing with 'the garden party' at
crystal palace on 11th august. The band went on to win best british group at the brit
awards in february 1991. A mini live album, 'entreat', was released with the royalties
going to ten different charities. Then it was back to the studio.
The 1992 result of their endeavors, the wondrous 'wish', was hailed by many as "their
best album." A long, evocative journey through the multi-faceted cure psyche; from
the delightful 'friday i'm in love' to the swelling headrush of the closing 'end', the
album expanded and built upon Smith's and THE CURE's work and dreams. "The longer we
go on," he acknowledged, "the less similarities there are between what we're
doing and what anyone else has ever done." 'Wish ' went to number 1 in the UK charts
in may, number 2 in the usa, and delivered the hit singles 'high', 'friday i'm in love'
and "letter to elise'. The band began a massive world tour in its wake.
Porl Thompson left the band in 1993, a year in which the band headlined the great
expectations show in London'S Finsbury Park on behalf of xfm, and released the film and
album 'show'; a live document of the detroit show of the 'wish' tour. Another live lp,
'Paris', containing many cure rarities, followed, with donations going to the
international red cross. By now, THE CURE had sold in excess of 23 million albums
worldwide.
1994 proved to be a difficult year for THE CURE. A long running and distracting legal
battle instigated by Tolhust was finally settled in the autumn by high court judgment in
favour of the defendants, Robert Smith and fiction records, then, on the eve of the
commencement of recording, Boris Williams announced his decision to quit. Bruised but
undeterred THE CURE placed ads in the music papers '...famous group requires drummer - no
metal heads...' And duly went into recording with no less than seven different drummers!
By spring 1995 things had settled down, with Jason Cooper becoming the official tub-basher
and Roger O'donnell being welcomed back on keyboards.
THE CURE took time out from the studio after recording 23 new songs to play eleven
European summer festivals, including a headline performance at the biggest ever
Glastonbury. The recordings were completed in February '96, and 'wild mood swings' awaits
you in May.
Where THE CURE's previous lp, 1992's 'wish', pulled together the disparate threads that
have inspired their music into one dazzling whole, 'wild mood swings' now pushes forward
into bold new territory, while retaining the integral obsessions of desire and dismay. As
its title suggests, 'wild mood swings' invites the listener into a vast film set of the
imagination, where the rooms can turn from sumptuous to stark; danger and pleasure swirl
from stairway to basement. Lavish orchestration seeps melancholy grace through 'treasure',
'this is a lie' and 'bare', while fulsome jazz flavours the swing beat of 'gone', the
woozy 'return' and the psychedelic 'strange attraction'. As their vision expands, THE CURE
make moments like the simmering violence of 'trap' and the cinemascope beauty of 'jupiter
crash' stunning in their emotive originality. Once more Smith plunges the dizzy heights of
amour to the depths of disillusionment and bitter regret. From 'mint car's' ecstatic whoop
of everlasting love to the profound regrets of 'numb' and the tempestuous 'want', he
expresses the extremes of passion with unmatched poignancy. This is a record that will
haunt your senses and colour your dreams.
Observação: O texto acima foi retirado da página oficial do The Cure
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page