Disintegration 195305 225486907 2008-07-13T23:14:30Z NSR77 1802901 /* Music */ {{otheruses4|the album by The Cure}} {{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums --> | Name = Disintegration | Type = studio | Artist = [[The Cure]] | Cover = CureDisintegration.jpg | Released = [[12 May]] [[1989]] | Recorded = November 1988 – February 1989 at Hook End Manor Studios, [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Berkshire]], [[England]] | Genre = [[Gothic rock]] | Length = 71:47 | Label = [[Fiction Records|Fiction]] | Producer = [[Dave Allen|David M. Allen]], [[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]] | Reviews = *[[Allmusic]] {{rating|4.5|5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Ai1ug6j5h7180 link] *[[Robert Christgau]] (C+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=cure link] *''[[Rolling Stone]]'' {{rating|3.5|5}} [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecure/albums/album/230617/review/5940349/disintegration link] | Last album = ''[[Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me]]'' <br /> (1987) | This album = '''''Disintegration''''' <br /> (1989) | Next album = ''[[Mixed Up]]'' <br /> (1990) | Misc = {{Singles | Name = Disintegration | Type = studio | single 1 = [[Lullaby (The Cure song)|Lullaby]] | single 1 date = April 1989 | single 2 = [[Fascination Street]] | single 2 date = April 1989 | single 3 = [[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Lovesong]] | single 3 date = August 1989 | single 4 = [[Pictures of You]] | single 4 date = March 1990 }} }} '''''Disintegration''''' is the eighth studio album by [[England|English]] [[alternative rock]] band [[The Cure]], released on [[12 May]] [[1989]] on [[Fiction Records]]. The record marks a return to the introspective and gloomy style the band had established in the early 1980s. Vocalist and guitarist [[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]] felt an increased pressure to release The Cure's greatest work as he was nearing the age of thirty. This, coupled with a distaste for his newfound popularity, also caused Smith to resume use of [[Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants|hallucinogenic drugs]], which was an influence on the album. In spite of record label fears that the album would be "commercial suicide", ''Disintegration'' became the band's commercial peak. Charting at number three in the [[United Kingdom]] and number fourteen in the [[United States]], while producing several hit singles, ''Disintegration'' is The Cure's best selling record to date with 2.6 million copies shifted worldwide. The record was also a critical success, being placed at number 326 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[Allmusic]] called it a "culmination of all the musical directions the Cure were pursuing over the course of the '80s."<ref name=disintegrationAMG>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gifexqe5ldte|title=''Disintegration'' album review|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=2008-06-29}}</ref> == Background == Beginning with the group's second album, 1980's ''[[Seventeen Seconds]]'', The Cure established themselves as a prominent [[gothic rock]] band characterised by, according to [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of Allmusic, "slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance."<ref name=AMGbio>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifpxqe5ld6e~T1|title=The Cure Biography|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas|accessdate=2008-06-29|publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> Several singles were released in 1982 that were a significant divergence in style for The Cure; essentially, pop hits.<ref name=AMGbio/> "[[The Lovecats]]" became The Cure's first single to infiltrate the top-ten in the [[United Kingdom]], peaking at number seven.<ref name=apter181>Apter, 2005. p. 181</ref> This shift is attributed to Smith's frustration over the band's labeling as a predictable gothic rock band: "My reaction to all those people...was to make a demented and calculated song like '[[Let's Go to Bed (The Cure song)|Let's Go to Bed]]'."<ref name=apter176>Apter, 2004. p. 176</ref> Following the return of guitarist [[Porl Thompson]] and bassist [[Simon Gallup]] in 1984 and the addition of drummer [[Boris Williams]] in 1985, Smith and keyboardist [[Lol Tolhurst]] continued to integrate more pop-oriented themes with the release of the group's sixth studio album ''[[The Head on the Door]]'' (1985). With the singles "[[In-Between Days]]" and "[[Close To Me]]", The Cure became a viable force in the United States for the first time.<ref name=apter213>Apter, 2005. pp. 213-216</ref> The band's 1987 double album ''[[Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me]]'' pushed them into even more successful waters, with a sold-out world tour booked in its wake. Despite the success, internal friction became prevalent. Tolhurst began to consume heavy amounts of alcohol, rendering him useless.<ref name=apter227>Apter, 2005. pp. 227-229</ref> [[Roger O'Donnell]] was hired as a second keyboardist to pick up the slack; O'Donnell quickly realised Tolhurst was essentially dead weight: "I couldn't see why [Tolhurst] was in the band. He could have afforded to hire a tutor and have daily lessons, but he wasn't interested in practicing. He just liked being in the group."<ref name=apter227/> The rest of the band was equally unimpressed. As Tolhurst's alcohol consumption increased, Smith recalled that his behaviour was similar to that of "some kind of handicapped child being constantly poked with a stick."<ref name=apter227/> At the end of the Kissing Tour, Smith became uncomfortable with the side effects of being a pop-star and moved to [[Maida Vale]] with fiancée Mary Poole. Regularly using [[LSD]] to cope with his depression, Smith once again felt The Cure was being misunderstood and sought to return to the band's dark side with their next record.<ref name=apter230>Apter, 2005. pp. 230-231</ref> == Recording and production == Robert Smith's depression prior to the recording of ''Disintegration'' gave way to the realisation on his twenty-ninth birthday he would turn thirty in one year. This was frightening to him, as he felt all the masterpieces in rock and roll had been completed well before the band members turned thirty.<ref name=apter233>Apter, 2005. p. 233</ref> Smith consequently began to write music without the rest of the band. The material he had written instantly took a dismal, depressing form, which he credited to "the fact that I was gonna be thirty".<ref name=apter233/> The Cure convened at Boris Williams' home in the summer of 1988 where Smith showed his bandmates the demos he had recorded. Had they not liked the material, he was prepared to record them for a solo record: "I would have been quite happy to have made these songs on my own. If the group hadn't thought it was right, that would have been fine."<ref name=apter233/> His bandmates, however, liked the demos and began playing along, which caused Smith to scrap the idea of a solo project. The group recorded 32 songs at Williams' house with a 16-track recorder by the end of the summer; following this, the group continued to write.<ref name=apter233/> Soon after disbanding, Smith came up with the idea of what would become the band's biggest American hit to date, "[[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Lovesong]]". Written as a wedding present for Mary Poole, the lyrics had a noticeably different mood than the rest of the record, but Smith felt it was an integral component of ''Disintegration'': "It's an open show of emotion. It's not trying to be clever. It's taken me ten years to reach the point where I feel comfortable singing a very straightforward love song."<ref name=apter234>Apter, 2005. pp. 234-235</ref> The lyrics were a notable shift in his ability to reveal affection. In the past, Smith felt it necessary to disguise or mask such a statement. He noted that without "Lovesong", ''Disintegration'' would have been radically different: "That one song, I think, makes many people think twice. If that song wasn't on the record, it would be very easy to dismiss the album as having a certain mood. But throwing that one in sort of upsets people a bit because they think, 'That doesn't fit'."<ref name=apter234/> By the time The Cure entered Hook End Manor Studios in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], the band's attitude had grown increasingly sour due to Lol Tolhurst's escalating alcohol abuse. Smith, however, insisted that his displeasure was, instead, caused by a meltdown in the face of recording The Cure's career-defining album and reaching thirty.<ref name=apter234/> Displeased with the swollen ego he believed his band mates possessed, Smith entered what he considered to be "one of my non-talking modes," deciding "I would be monk-like and not talk to anyone. It was a bit pretentious really, looking back, but I actually wanted an environment that was slightly unpleasant."<ref name=apter234/> He sought to abandon the mood present on ''Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me'' and the pop singles they had released, and rather recreate the vibes on the band's fourth album ''[[Pornography (album)|Pornography]]''.<ref name=apter234/> Suicide was another topic Smith thought about on several occasions.<ref name=apter236>Apter, 2005. pp. 236-238</ref> Shortly before the band started recording ''Disintegration'', two teenagers committed suicide in a nearby town. It was revealed that the pair played The Cure's early albums during the act. Smith kept a newspaper clipping of the incident pinned to the wall in the studio: "I know it's tragic, but at the same time it's grimly funny because it obviously had nothing to do with us. We are just singled out." Tolhurst, meanwhile, was becoming a nuisance. The band found him impossible to work with, and he spent most of the recording process drunk watching [[MTV]].<ref name=apter236/> The members of the band, save for Smith, would taunt and physically abuse Tolhurst simply to get a reaction. Smith recalls that Tolhurst turned into someone he did not recognise: "I didn't know who he was any more and he didn't know who he was either. Making the ''Disintegration'' album, I used to despair and scream at the others because it was fucking insane the way we were treating him."<ref name=apter236/> At that point, Smith was allowing Tolhurst to remain in the band because he felt an obligation to him as an old friend. The band eventually threatened to quit if Tolhurst was not fired before the end of the recording session. When Tolhurst arrived to the mixing of the album excessively drunk, a shouting match ensued and he left the building furious; this effectively terminated his tenure with The Cure.<ref name=apter236/> Although Tolhurst claims differently, Smith and the rest of the group confirm he contributed nothing to the record.<ref name=apterspan>Apter, 2005. pp. 230-240</ref> Therefore, Roger O'Donnell became an integral member of The Cure, instead of simply a touring musician.<ref name=apter241>Apter, 2005. pp. 241-244</ref> Despite Tolhurst's ejection from the group, Smith told ''[[NME]]'' in April 1989, "He'll probably be back by Christmas. He's getting married, maybe that's his comeback."<ref name="ten years">Brown, James. "Ten Years in Lipstick and Powder". ''NME''. [[8 April]] [[1989]].</ref> == Reception == ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave ''Disintegration'' a rating of three and a half stars, out of five. Reviewer [[Michael Azerrad]] felt that "while ''Disintegration'' doesn't break new ground for the band, it successfully refines what the Cure does best." He concluded, "Despite the title, ''Disintegration'' hangs together beautifully, creating and sustaining a mood of thoroughly self-absorbed gloom. If, as Smith has hinted, the Cure itself is about to disintegrate, this is a worthy summation."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecure/albums/album/230617/review/5940349/disintegration|title=''Disintegration'' review|author=Azerrad, Michael|date=[[13 July]] [[1989]]|accessdate=2008-07-01|publisher=''Rolling Stone''}}</ref> ''[[Melody Maker]]'' reviewer Chris Roberts dismissed the claims that ''Distingeration'' was not a miserable record and, noting the tone of the album and its lack of melodicism ("You'll be lucky to find a tune on here. Or a gag".), he commented that "The Cure have almost invisibly stopped making pop records". Roberts summarised the album as "challenging and claustrophobic, often poignant, often tedious. It's nearly surprising".<ref>Roberts, Chris. ''Disintegration'' album review. ''Melody Maker''. [[6 May]] [[1989]].</ref> Stephen Thomas Erlewine of [[Allmusic]], who gave the record a four and a half star rating out of five, applauded the band by saying "The Cure's gloomy soundscapes have rarely sounded so alluring, however, and the songs&nbsp;— from the pulsating, ominous "Fascination Street" to the eerie, string-laced "Lullaby"&nbsp;— have rarely been so well-constructed and memorable."<ref name=disintegrationAMG/> Erlewine went on to praise ''Disintegration'' for being "darkly seductive," and "a hypnotic, mesmerizing record."<ref name=disintegrationAMG/> Music reviewer [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album a grade of C+, citing most of his displeasure as a result of Robert Smith's depressing nature: "by pumping his bad faith and bad relationship into depressing moderato play-loud keyb anthems far more tedious than his endless vamps, Robert Smith does actually confront a life contradiction."<ref name=christgau>{{Cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=cure|title=The Cure Discography rating|author=Christgau, Robert|publisher=''[[The Village Voice]]''|accessdate=2008-07-02}}</ref> "As with so many stars," Christgau continued, "even 'private' ones who make a big deal of their 'integrity,' Smith's demon lover is his audience, now somehow swollen well beyond his ability to comprehend, much less control. Hence the huge scale of these gothic cliches."<ref name=christgau/> [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] praised the record, admitting "''Disintegration'' stands unquestionably as Robert Smith's magnum opus."<ref name=pitchfork80s>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36736/Top_100_Albums_of_the_1980s|title=Best Albums of the 80s|publisher=[[Pitchfork]]|date=[[20 November]] [[2002]]|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The review went on to note that "scant few albums released in the 1980s can boast an opener as grand as 'Plainsong', the most breathtaking, shimmering anthem the band ever recorded."<ref name=pitchfork80s/> Since its 1989 release, ''Disintegration'' has been included in numerous "Best Of" lists. ''Rolling Stone'' placed the record at number 326 on their 2003 compilation of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".<ref name=rs500>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/4|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|publisher=''[[Rolling Stone]]''|date=November 2003|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The magazine's German counterpart, however, placed ''Disintegration'' at number 184 on the same list.<ref name=rsg500>{{Cite web|url=http://home.rhein-zeitung.de/~tommi.s/rs500.htm#|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|publisher=''Rolling Stone'' Germany|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The album was considered to be the "Best Album[s] of 1989" by ''Melody Maker'',<ref name=melodymaker1989>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmpage.html#1989|title=Best Albums of 1989|publisher=''Melody Maker''|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> 17th on ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine's "80 Best Albums of the 80s",<ref name=qmag80bestof80s>"The 80 Best Albums of the 80s." ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''. August 2006.</ref> and 38th on Pitchfork's "Best Albums of the 80s".<ref name=pitchfork80s/> == Music == {{sample box start|''Disintegration''}} {{multi-listen start}} {{multi-listen item |filename=TheCure-Disintegration-30s.ogg |title="Disintegration" |description=The title track is a typical example of the omnipresent keyboards, droning guitars and depressing lyrical content commonly found on the record. |format=[[Ogg]]}} {{multi-listen item |filename=The Cure Lullaby.ogg |title="Lullaby" |description="Lullaby", the first single from the album in the United Kingdom, is composed of short "stabbing" guitar lines with Robert Smith whispering the song's lyrics. |format=[[Ogg]]}} {{multi-listen end}} {{sample box end}} ''Disintegration'' was Robert Smith's thematic return to the band's dark, gloomy past. Smith deliberately sought to record an album that was depressing, as it was a reflection of the despondency he felt at the time.<ref name=apter234/> As such, the record company's first listen to ''Disintegration'' was that of shock. [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] requested Smith shift the release date back several months, telling him the album was commercial suicide: "they thought I was being 'wilfully obscure', which was an actual quote from the letter [Smith received from Elektra]. Ever since then I realised that record companies don't have a fucking clue what The Cure does and what The Cure means."<ref name=apter244>Apter, 2005. p. 244</ref> Despite rumours that Smith was one of the only contributors to the record, he confirmed that more than half of the dozen tracks on ''Disintegration'' had substantial musical input from the rest of the band.<ref name=apter244/> ''Disintegration'' is epitomised by a significant usage of [[synthesizers]] and keyboards, slow, "droning" guitar progressions and Smith's introspective vocals. "Plainsong", the album's opener, "set the mood for ''Disintegration'' perfectly," according to journalist Jeff Apter by "unravelling ever so slowly in a shower of synths and guitars, before Smith steps up to the mic, uttering snatches of lyrics ('I'm so cold') as if he were reading from something as sacred as the Dead Sea Scroll."<ref name=apter242>Apter, 2005. pp. 242-243</ref> Smith felt the song was a perfect opener for the record, describing it as "very lush, very orchestral." The album's third track, "Closedown", contains layers of keyboard texture complemented with a slow, gloomy guitar line. The track was written by Smith as a means to list his physical and artistic shortcomings.<ref name=apter242> Despite the dark mood present throughout ''Disintegration'', "Lovesong" was an upbeat track that became a hit in the United States. Ned Raggett of Allmusic noted the difference from other songs: "the Simon Gallup/ Boris Williams rhythm section create a tight, serviceable dance groove, while Smith and Porl Thompson add further guitar fills and filigrees as well, adding just enough extra bite to the song. Smith himself delivers the lyric softly, with gentle passion."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:fpfixxyjld0e|title="Lovesong" critical review|author=Raggett, Ned|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> Much of the album made use of a considerable amount of guitar effects. "Prayers For Rain", a depressing track (Raggett noted: "the phrase 'savage torpor' probably couldn't better be applied anywhere else than to this song") sees Thompson and Smith "treating their work to heavy duty [[flanging]], [[Delay (audio effect)|delay]], backwards-run tapes and more to set the slow, moody crawl of the track."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:kpfixxyjld0e|title="Prayers For Rain" critical review|author=Raggett, Ned|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> Others, like the title track, are notable for "Smith's commanding lead guitar lines [that are] scaled to epic heights while at the same time buried in the mix, almost as if they're trying to burst from behind the upfront rhythm assault. Roger O'Donnell's keyboards add both extra shade and melody, while Smith's singing is intentionally delivered in a combination of cutting clarity and low resignation, at times further distorted with extra vocal treatments."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:apfixxyjld0e|title="Disintegration" critical review|author=Raggett, Ned|publiher=Allmusic|accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> While ''Disintegration'' is mainly made up of somber tracks—along with "Lovesong"—"Pictures Of You" and "Lullaby" were equally popular for their accessibility.<ref name=apter242/> Smith wanted to create a balance on the album by including songs that would create an equilibrium with those that were unpleasant. "Pictures Of You", while upbeat, contained poignant lyrics ("screamed at the make-believe/screamed at the sky/you finally found all your courage to let it all go") with a "two-chord cascade of synthesizer slabs, interweaving guitar and bass lines, passionate singing and romantic lyrics."<ref name=apter242/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:3pfixxyjld0e|title="Pictures Of You" critical review|author=Ragget, Ned|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> "Lullaby" is composed of what Apter calls "sharp stabs" of rhythmic guitar chords with Smith whispering the words. The premise for the song came to Smith after remembering lullabies his father would sing him when he could not sleep: "[My father] would always make them up. There was always a horrible ending. They would be something like 'sleep now, pretty baby or you won't wake up at all.'"<ref name=apter242/> == Track listing == All songs by Smith, Gallup, O'Donnell, Thompson, Tolhurst and Williams. #"Plainsong" – 5:12 #"[[Pictures of You]]" – 7:24 #"Closedown" – 4:16 #"[[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Lovesong]]" – 3:29 #"Last Dance" – 4:42 #"[[Lullaby (The Cure song)|Lullaby]]" – 4:08 #"[[Fascination Street]]" – 5:16 #"Prayers for Rain" – 6:05 #"The Same Deep Water as You" – 9:19 #"Disintegration" – 8:18 #"Homesick" – 7:06 #"Untitled" – 6:30 The tracks "Last Dance" and "Homesick" are not included on the vinyl version of the record. == Personnel == *[[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]] – [[Singing|Vocals]], [[electric guitar]], [[Electronic keyboard|keyboard]], [[bass guitar]], [[Record producer|production]], [[Audio engineering|engineering]] *[[Simon Gallup]] – Bass guitar, keyboard *[[Porl Thompson]] – Guitar *[[Boris Williams]] – Drums *[[Roger O'Donnell]] – Keyboard *[[Lol Tolhurst]] – Credited for "other instruments", but later revealed to have no involvement.<ref name=apterspan/> *Dave Allen – Production, engineering *Richard Sullivan – Engineering *Roy Spong – Engineering == References == * {{cite book | last = Apter | first = Jeff | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = ''Never Enough: The Story Of The Cure'' | date = 2005 | publisher = [[Omnibus Press]] | isbn = 978-0-8256-7340-5 }} == Notes == {{reflist|2}} {{TheCure}} [[Category:The Cure albums]] [[Category:1989 albums]] [[Category:Post-punk albums]] [[es:Disintegration]] [[fr:Disintegration]] [[it:Disintegration]] [[nl:Disintegration]] [[ja:Disintegration]] [[pl:Disintegration]] [[pt:Disintegration]] [[ru:Disintegration]] [[fi:Disintegration]] [[sv:Disintegration]]