The Cure Albums Ranked From Worst to Best (Including Songs of a Lost World)

[@yuri_nazarenko]

For me The Cure albums are divided into 2 categories: Bad and Boring. Extremely overrated band with 2-3 listenable songs and tons of duds. The recent album is another boring garbage,

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Pinning this so The Cure fans can recognize how good our takes actually are.

[@lubilou64]

@@TastesLikeMusic 😂

[@Captain_Rhodes]

I like how you kept listening anyway. I gave up on Radiohead 25 years ago ;-)

[@barclayv8282]

So bad and boring are 2 different categories? The first sentence of your post shows what you are.

[@mjleger]

thank you. i was starting to feel optimistic but this Cured me

[@brianwalsby2459]

I have never heard of anyone thinking Seventeen Seconds sucks. That is really interesting ha ha

[@PROGROCK-tr9hw]

Really though.M,Seventeen seconds,Play for today,In your house,At night and a forest.All great songs

[@brianwalsby2459]

@@PROGROCK-tr9hw it’s my fave album of theirs. I love the new one too

[@Taffy84]

This guy is no Cure fan.

[@Suremane]

Well if u suck like Joe u get albums that suck. I mean with elephant ears like that youd think he hears something more but naw dawg he just looks like Dumbo. Aint know shizer. Go kick rocks clwn

[@brianwalsby2459]

@ that’s too bad. I disagree with the ranking but that’s the point, right? Everyone hears these things differently. I usually agree with the three of these guys and if I don’t, it’s no big deal ha ha. I like that they say call it as they see it. Or hear it. And they like Gene Clark too, so…we are buds ha ha

[@SavageLarz]

1. Disintegration (9.75/10) 2. The Head on the Door (9.25/10) 3. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (9/10) 4. Wish (9/10) 5. Pornography (8.75/10) 6. Songs of a Lost World (8.75/10) 7. Faith (8.25/10) 8. Seventeen Seconds (7.75/10) 9. Three Imaginary Boys (6.5/10) 10. The Top (6/10) 11. Wild Mood Swings (6/10) 12. Self-Titled (5/10) 13. 4:13 Dream (5/10) 14. Bloodflowers (5/10)

[@picturesofyou39]

You guys said the new album "is a touch overly weighty and dark". I smiled massively when you said that. Sorry guys, but that's meat and potatoes what we love about The Cure. The new album is incredible.

[@davidl570]

That's EXACTLY what Robert was going for! It's not supposed to light or romantic. That's why I love it!

[@michaelwills1926]

The “lost world” is where all the joy went

[@Harvey-ye1ji]

Joe: this sucks. 4 stars.

[@rockingbirdey]

Love Joe the man of the people but his rating system is lowkey whack. My man gives an album 3.5 and says it's just okay or even meh. Goddamn if 3.5 is okay then a 2-star must be awful.

[@spicoli4217]

@@rockingbirdey And with Kram, the album would literally have to be touched by the hand of god to get above 4 stars.

[@gazfunk]

Jason lost me at Seventeen Seconds.

[@Maanebaronen]

01 The Head on the Door 02 Wish 03 Pornography 04 Disintegration 05 Faith 06 Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 07 Seventeen Seconds 08 The Top 09 Three Imaginary Boys 10 Songs of a Lost World 11 Wild Mood Swings 12 Bloodflowers 13 The Cure 14 4:13 Dream

[@LordAngron]

People always mention the first line of 100 Years etc. but they neglect the final line of the album-"I must fight this sickness, find a cure". That's a positive message in spite of everything. Ditto for Fight from Kiss Me. Even Disintegration ends with resolution"Never quite told you...but now the time has come..."

[@isamuu99]

Ahhh FINALLY! The list I've been waiting an eternity for. Much thanks, was an enjoyable video guys. Naturally I strongly disagree with many of your choices, but that's OK, if we all agreed on everything the world would be a very boring place, right? I'm 51 and have been listening to The Cure since 1987. Kiss mex3 was the first album I ever heard from them and well, lets just say it'll always remain my absolute favorite. Carry on gentlemen. Keep up the great content and looking forward to your next video.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Thank youuuu

[@stevelee5562]

1. Wish 2. Disintegration 3. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 4. The Head On The Door 5. Songs Of A Lost World 6. The Top 7. Wild Mood Swings 8. Faith 9. Pornography 10. Seventeen Seconds 11. Three Imaginary Boys 12. Bloodflowers 13. 4:13 Dream 14. The Cure

[@jamgrieve]

Here's my ranking: Faith - 4.5 Disintegration Pornography - 4.0 Seventeen Seconds Wish Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - 3.5 The Head on the Door Songs of a Lost World - 3.0 Three Imaginary Boys - 2.5 The Top Bloodflowers - 2.0 4:13 Dream The Cure Wild Mood Swings

[@houstonfob2FOREVER]

Top 5 1. Disintegration 2. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 3. Seventeen Seconds 4. Faith 5. The Head on The Door

[@windyhillbomber]

I love lists that challenge me to revisit my age old opinions. After all, it’s nothing but upside if you find out that what you thought was bad turns out to be good.

[@andrewlowden322]

fun Pornography factoid: The song itself starts with back masking, so back in the day we had the cassette tape and did the secret where you open it up and flip the reels so it plays backwards. The back masking you hear is a BBC broadcast. Thats it. Reading of the news

[@179rich]

It sounds creepy as hell.

[@Silkyfur]

Yikes. I only got 7 minutes into the video, and I am not sure I can watch the rest. Faith is my second favourite album by The Cure, after Disintegration. It's the album that got me through a bad teenage depression between 1991 and 1994. It is my go-to album after someone close to me have passed away and I am deep in the mourning process. It is just a brilliant and totally unique album, with the ethereal and unusual soundscape. Perfect songs, immensely well put together. It is one of the best and most important albums, by any band, ever.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

It’s stinks, but I’m glad you like it

[@Silkyfur]

@@TastesLikeMusic I made it through the whole video! Thank you for making this video. As a long-time fan of The Cure, I don't agree with some of it. I agree with you that The Head on the Door is a great album. Although everything higher on my list, I find to be an even greater album. I include Japanese Whispers in my ranking, as it is one of the first albums by The Cure that I ever bought, and it wasn't until 20 years later I realized that some people didn't consider it to be an album. I am not including the new album, since I haven't received it yet. I ordered it in the mail 2 weeks ago and I am eagerly waiting for it to arrive. I love the songs I have heard from it so far. 14. Wild Mood Swings 13. The Cure 12. 4:13 Dream 11. Bloodflowers 10. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 9. The Top 8. Three Imaginary Boys 7. Wish 6. Pornography 5. The Head on the Door 4. Japanese Whispers 3. Seventeen Seconds 2. Faith 1. Disintegration

[@joefrog91]

Ive been a Cure fan since 1982. So, I've been part of the "Dark Cure" fan base. But as I got older, I stopped being a gatekeeper. Um just happy to celebrate my favorite band with other fans of the Cure.

[@Rockstardust69]

Omg!!!!!!! Seventeen seconds is amazing definitely top 5 my favorite

[@AndI0td763]

Seems like Seventeen Seconds is a love it or hate it type thing.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

@AndI0td763 I think it’s decent. But I don’t have super strong feelings either way.

[@179rich]

Well done mates! A few days ago, I came across a comment I made three years ago, asking you to do the Cure lol. I should have copied it and posted it on discord.

[@janpoelkamp4229]

Jason, you’re full of surprises. I almost choked in my chili cheese fries when you ranked Seventeen Seconds last, quite possibly my favorite Cure album and probably many others’. 😳

[@AndI0td763]

@@janpoelkamp4229 It can’t be last when there’s Wild Mood Swings and Self-titled. I actually agree with Jason that 4:13 Dream is a very good record, even though the sound of it could be better. Horrible title for an album as well, but otherwise very catchy and solid batch of tunes.

[@gummyb426]

@@AndI0td763 I think it's a pretty good title. Maybe I just like times and dreams though

[@ConstableHandsy]

Well, it’s obvious hes wrong 🤷‍♂️

[@burmajones803]

Don't eat chili cheese fries while watching Tastes Like Music. That's my takeaway.

[@davescryptodays1441]

Similarly to R.E.M if they had stopped after Automatic For The People; If the Cure had stopped after Wish, they would have had a perfect catalogue in the sense of witnessing the arc of development into the grand and respected success of their imperial phase. There are very worthy songs after, but not quite as essential. I do like Songs From A Lost World, though - glad they are still around.

[@thomasricher1414]

I would have personally stopped R.E.M. right after new adventures in hi-fi. Monster and Hi-Fi contains some truly great songs.

[@davescryptodays1441]

I hear ya, but the album before, ‘Monster’ while having some good songs revealed the beginning of some repetition and for me, masked under some heavier guitar, an uncertainty about what direction they wanted to take. Monster overall, was for me them kinda second guessing themselves.

[@curly_wyn]

Yeah, and I actually love Hi-Fi

[@davescryptodays1441]

Indeed, I initially hated ‘Up’, as it was such a departure, but there’s a lot of good on there too.

[@suartgilmour4540]

I love all of REM's albums. I find it scary to imagine living in a world where New Adventures In HiFi does not exist.

[@davidellis5141]

The Cure have been my favorite band since 1980 & my Top 3 are the trilogy # 1 Faith # 2 17 Seconds & # 3 Pornography My next 3 are # 4 Disintegration # 5 Kiss Me ... ... # 6 Wish. Songs Of A Lost World is already # 7 & my 2024 Album Of The Year # 8 The Head On The Door & # 9 Bloodflowers. The others are interchangeable. Recommend watching The Troxy show recorded last week & 3 hours of brilliance !

[@bengalgangster]

i had never heard more than 2 albums or so , but the new album surprised me and the listo did also

[@davidellis5141]

@bengalgangster Pretty cool that a bunch of guys in their 60's recorded something so good.

[@179rich]

I saw the Troxy show as it was happening. So great!

[@SCjuisy]

Agree, Faith is my favorite, too. Greetings

[@179rich]

If Robert Smith wants to be angry, don't knock him for it! His songs run the gamut of emotions, and he excels at conveying them all.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

But the words aren’t angry. There’s a disconnect there.

[@179rich]

@@TastesLikeMusic I don't want you anywhere near me Get your fucking world out of my head I don't want your us or them I don't need your us or them

[@lubilou64]

I'm definitely an '80s Cure girl.. 1) Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 2) The Head On The Door 3) Pornography 4) Disintegration 5) Wish (90's I know 😆) Cheers!

[@Vanessa.P]

I agree with a lot of what was said at the end. I like them a lot but yeah, it's kinda weird how there is a leap from the bulk of my list and my favourites. All the same, even at the bottom of my list I never go that low either. They have a ton of great stuff even if I am not throwing out a ton of 4-5 stars on the albums. Even their worst stuff is considerably better than other bands who are 40+ years in their careers so that is pretty special. And it's wonderful to hear Robert Smith still sounding great on the new album! I had heard their entire discography before this dive but it was great to revisit everything all the same even if it was a lot of The Cure at once since I rushed it haha. 14) Bloodflowers - 3 13) Seventeen Seconds - 3 12) Faith - 3.5 11) Three Imaginary Boys - 3.5 10) The Cure - 3.5 9) Songs of a Lost World - 3.5 8) Wild Mood Swings - 3.5 7) 4:13 Dream - 3.5 6) The Top - 3.5 5) Pornography - 4 4) Disintegration - 4.5 3) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - 4.5 2) Wish - 4.5 1) The Head on the Door - 5

[@adamp2029]

Awesome! I was looking forward to your review of the new one but this is even better!

[@adamp2029]

But still hoping for Midnight Oil 😁

[@walterjanaro42]

I was hoping and you BOTH delivered!!! The best Cure album is definitely "The Head On The Door"! Thanks guys, as always, for being the best channel of this kind that I have come across on youtube.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

You are very welcome!

[@mothinhead8903]

I'd say Head is the worst of their 80s records.

[@Dittomist]

Unpredictable as always, and that's what makes this such a great channel. I highly recommend checking out as many Cure B-sides as you can, as they're often better than the album tracks. Some of my favorites are This Twilight Garden, The Big Hand, Too Late, Play, Fear of Ghosts, Adonais, A Few Hours After This, and The Exploding Boy. As for the studio albums, my ranking would be: 14. Three Imaginary Boys 13. The Cure 12. Seventeen Seconds 11. Bloodflowers 10. Pornography 9. 4:13 Dream 8. Faith 7. The Top 6. Wild Mood Swings 5. Songs of a Lost World 4. The Head on the Door 3. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 2. Wish 1. Disintegration

[@mjleger]

completely agree about The Exploding Boy and A Few Hours after This - Join the Dots of course has much of this material

[@nickmoss2046]

1. Head On the Door. I refer to this as their greatest hits album because of how varied and spectacular every track is. 2. Disintegration. Nothing to say that hasn't been said. 3. Pornography 4. Wish 5. Bloodflowers 6. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 7. Songs of a Lost World. Conservatively placing it here for now, but loving it so far. 8. Faith 9. Seventeen Seconds. Jason... 10. The Top. Crazy underrated 11. Three Imaginary Boys. Why didn't they put the good songs on this one? 12. Wild Mood Swings Haven't listened to the S/T or 4:13 since release, so can't really rate them fairly. Assume they would be bottom four for sure.

[@jamesegan2742]

Great to have the classic “catalogue review of an important band” episode back! As I’ve said before, such efforts are you guys at your best; unmatched! The Cure is one of those bands I came to through their Greatest Hits, as I kept enjoying their classic songs on alternative rock radio. I only got into their albums after Jason’s initial outline of their LP’s, and came to love Head on the Door…but wasn’t impressed with Disintegration as it sounded so 80’s to me, and those intros, etc. got really taxing. Maybe I’ll check out some more (really like a lot of Kiss Me), but so many of her songs are super strong…but mostly I’ll stick to the hits. Thanks very much. Always interesting and engaging! Cheers and best, JPE

[@MartG67]

The Cure, for a while my favourite band during the early 80s. Then I moved away from them and really didn't listen to them at all after 1992. Their fantastic set at Hyde Park in 2018 reminded me of how good they were and got me back into them again. I've haven't listened to the new album enough to judge it properly, so I've put it roughly in the middle. 1. Head on the Door 2. Seventeen Seconds 3. Pornography 4. Disintegration 5. Three Imaginary Boys 6. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 7. Faith 8. The Top 9. Wish 10. Songs of a Lost World 11. Wild Mood Swings 12. 4:13 Dream 13. Bloodflowers 14. The Cure

[@MidosujiSen]

I felt so vindicated hearing Joe complain about the long intros of the songs. That is by far my single biggest problem with the band, I absolutely cannot stand it. Even in my favorite record by them, its the one thing at the moment keeping it from being 5 stars. If you mention it in any Cure community, you get ragged on. All hardcore Cure fans seem to go crazy over 3 minutes of nothing at the start of every other song. Jason also pretty much explained my exact feelings toward the band at the end; I love so many Cure songs, and really love my top 3 albums, but my thoughts on the majority of the albums below that are pretty mild. 1) Disintegration (4.5/5) This is peak Cure, they couldn't ever hope to surpass this. Pretty much every song is fantastic, with Homesick being the only track I don't like. Disintegration and Pictures Of You are my first and second favorite Cure songs respectively. Although even though I adore those two tracks, they *both* have those extended intros. Pictures Of You could've had a 30 second intro, it does not need to go on for 2 whole minutes. There are more songs on the album with overinflated song lengths than not, and that's the one thing keeping it from 5 stars right now. Although I can still see it reaching 5 regardless, seeing as I keep liking the album more and more as time goes by. 2) Songs Of A Lost World (4/5) I honestly didn't expect to like this one so much. I expected to like 2 or 3 tracks, and that's about it, but it ended up surging up my rankings very quickly. And Nothing Is Forever has one of the best Cure backing tracks ever, and All I Ever Am has some of my favorite Cure lyrics. Both of those tracks are top 15 Cure songs for me. Although we still have the ridiculous intros here. 3 minutes for Alone to start, nearly 3 for Nothing Is Forever, and 6 MINUTES for Endsong. I honestly skip to the vocals in Endsong every single time. But yeah, really great record, Robert's voice is eternal. 3) Pornography (4/5) This one took a month or two to grow on me. My initial rating was 2.5/5, and I only liked One Hundred Years and Hanging Garden. I really like pretty much the whole thing now. If it had one or two more fast paced tracks like the two aforementioned ones, it'd probably be number two, and possibly also climb up to 4.5. Album cover is one of the best ever, hence my profile picture. 4) The Head On The Door (3.5/5) Good album, though I wouldn't praise it as much as you guys. In Between Days and Close To Me are phenomenal pop songs. Don't really care for the two closing tracks, and also not a fan of the corny sax solo on A Night Like This. 5) Seventeen Seconds (3.5/5) Same deal as Pornography, it took a while to grow on me, but I like it now. The general vibe of the record is great, it sounds just like the album cover looks. A Forest and Play For Today are awesome. Would maybe be 4 stars if At Night was replaced with something better that wasn't 6 minutes long. 6) 4:13 Dream (3/5) I'm in the two man club with Jason that thinks this album is very underrated, though I don't like it as much as he does. Freakshow is awesome, The Reasons Why has a great riff and lyrics, Hungry Ghost is super catchy, and This Here And Now With You is one of their best songs ever. 7) Wish (3/5) The peaks of this album are awesome, with Friday I'm In Love and Doing The Unstuck being the best tracks. I also felt vindicated hearing you guys praise Friday I'm In Love as being a perfect pop song, which I absolutely agree. You'll get shit from hardcore Cure fans for having it in your favorites, since its their second colossal hit alongside Boys Don't Cry. Overall the album is way too long, with almost every track having an inflated song length. And I'm just flat out not a fan of many of these tracks. I'm not exactly looking to listen to 7 minutes of a song I don't really care for. Also, why is This Twilight Garden not on here? What a waste of an incredible song. 8) Wild Mood Swings (3/5) This one is interchangeable with Wish, I like them pretty much the exact same. Mint Car is also in my opinion a totally successful attempt at doing another Friday I'm In Love. Its in my top 10 Cure tracks easily, I like it just as much. Strange Attraction and Treasure are two other great highlights on here. 9) Three Imaginary Boys (3/5) I kind of agree that it sounds pretty flat, but its got some catchy songs, and is pretty short, which is very refreshing in a discography full of hour long records. Fire In Cairo in particular is a banger. Also a fan of Subway Song and Grinding Halt. Boys Don't Cry should've been on here, it alone would've elevated the album significantly. 10) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (2.5/5) Just Like Heaven, Why Can't I Be You, Catch, Hot Hot Hot, and A Thousand Hours are the only tracks I truly enjoy off this record. Just Like Heaven in particular is one of the greatest pop songs ever written. Aside from those, this, to me, is just a bunch of half-baked unfinished songs that are often times more intro than song. Listening to this from front to back is torture (but I'm almost there) because of the length, and it sounds like they were just noodling around in the studio and just put every little bit of music they had onto the album, regardless of quality. The Snakepit feels like the musical equivalent to Robert Smith flipping me off for 7 minutes. 11) Faith (2.5/5) Not sure why this one is so low, considering I like the two albums sandwiching it. I've tried going back to it multiple times to see if it'll click like the other two, but it just never happened. The Holy Hour is pretty good though, and The Funeral Party is amazing. I think the only reason this one is below Kiss Me, despite me not having nearly as many negative things to say about it is cause Kiss Me's highlights are so good. 12) Bloodflowers (2.5/5) This one is way too long and doesn't really have any standouts. Though I am currently going back and reassessing it, and it may jump up to 3 stars. 13) The Top (2/5) I don't like pretty much any song on this album. The Caterpillar is the best track, but I would never go out of my way to listen to it. 14) The Cure (2/5) Pretty much the same deal as The Top, although I think The End Of The World is solid.

[@179rich]

Accursed by thy tongue for dissing "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" Joe! I love every second of that long intro!

[@ConstableHandsy]

Hate that one. Crap album too.

[@179rich]

@@ConstableHandsy Indeed, it's a tossup between Kiss Me and Angelic 2 the Core as to which album is worst of all time.

[@AndI0td763]

Kiss Me is very solid. It’s not long for a double album and most of the songs hit. I love If Only…Deftones did a good cover of it. That long intro and song playing before the vocals come in thing they do is so cool.

[@wesleyorser4451]

“Anyone who knows the channel should have predicted we might do this.” In that case, I know this channel so well that a Ringo Starr listography is practically guaranteed in January when his new country album comes out. C’mon guys! We got a Christmas album. We got Ringo the 4th. We got five or six songs written by other Beatles. Innovative use of autotune. This catalog is a BANGER.

[@edward8597]

Saw the Cure touring Disintegration at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto with the Pixies and Jesus and Mary Chain opening. Best non-festival lineup I've ever been to, bar none. Anyway: 1. Disintegration (1989): ★★★★★ 2. Faith (1981): ★★★★★ 3. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987): ★★★★½ 4. Wish (1992): ★★★★ 5. Seventeen Seconds (1980): ★★★★ 6. The Head in the Door (1985): ★★★★ 7. Pornography (1982): ★★★★ 8. Japanese Whispers (1983): ★★★★ 9. Songs of a Lost World (2024): ★★★★ 10. Bloodflowers (2000): ★★★½ 11. The Top (1984): ★★★½ 12. Wild Mood Swings (1996): ★★★½ 13. The Cure (2004): ★★★ 14. Three Imaginary Boys (1979): ★★★ 15. 4:13 Dream (2008): ★★½ "The Head on the Door" might be my number 6, but it's a perfectly good choice for number one. It's still a great album.

[@Violette-k1w]

1. Songs of a lost world ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ + ⭐️ = ✨️👑✨️ 2. Pornography 3. Faith 4. Desintegration 5. Seventeen Seconds 6. .... 14. Wild mood swings

[@TastesLikeMusic]

@Violette-k1w wow

[@redbirdct]

I tried to get into this band in the late 80's, like a lot of their material quite a bit to this day. I saw the Disintegration tour at Giants Stadium with 80,000 of my closest friends. They played in an impenetrable cloud of smoke the whole time and only emerged briefly so that the audience could actually see them. The Pixies and Love and Rockets opened. I damn near fell asleep during the Cure's set. It probably didn't help that the sound was pretty poor but it was one of my least favorite shows ever. That turned me off future explorations with this band. And yeah, those long intros just don't work for me. There is a really great record inside Disintegration but it's just too long and droning for my taste. That said, I like them enough so that I've been curious about the new release and your rankings. At my age, I think a lot of what they're saying on the new CD would be right up my alley and would mirror what I'm thinking and feeling, but I'm a bit afraid to go there because I kind of don't need that much more dark input into my life. There's enough of that being forced on us all these days. They are to me one of those artists whose greatness and importance I can acknowledge and respect without actually being a huge fan of, myself.

[@scottmcrae3355]

I love seeing some appreciation for The Top. Hugely overlooked and Robert at his most experimental and psychedelic. I probably reach for it the most these days.

[@danielmcglynn2547]

The Cure- finally. Right from the very start I found myself disagreeing with Jason (which I rarely do) and then disagreed with Joe too. Can I say one thing? A long time ago when the Cure were just a minor band they toured New Zealand- a place so starved of international acts that we took this little-known band to our hearts-and they barnstormed the country. By the tours end it seemed that every third band I saw was doing a cover version of their new single "At night".... and you know why, Jason? Because it's a GREAT song.

[@davidowens7735]

Totally agree with Jason about 4:13 Dream! Also in my top 4. Also agree with Joe on The Top. I'm forever being drawn back to it.

[@markjamie4002]

1. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 4.5 2. Disintegration 4.5 3. Faith 4 4. Songs of a Lost World 4 5. Seventeen Seconds 4 6. The Head On The Door 3.5 7. Pornography 3 8. Wish 3 9. The Top 2.5 10. Bloodflowers 2.5 11. Three Imaginary Boys 2.5 12. The Cure 2 13. 4:13 Dream 2 14. Wild Mood Swings 2

[@Violette-k1w]

1. SONGS OF A LOST WORLD 2. PORNOGRAPHY 3. FAITH 4. DESINTEGRATION 5. SEVENTEEN SECONDE 6. .....

[@jankoegl]

Love you guys, still sorely missing Kramzer on this one. When Jason was talking about PORNOGRAPHY, I got reminded of the time Kram commented on some of Jason‘s thoughts on SGT. PEPPER („That‘s like saying, 'I love my wife but I don’t like her face‘“ - Classic!) 😂

[@patrick3926]

Was thinking the same. Kramzer needed to get the record straight 🎉

[@andrewdyke5561]

My ranking without japnese whispers 1.disintigration 2.pornography 3. Songs for a lost world 4. Faith 5. Seventeen seconds 6. Head on the door 7. Kiss me kiss me kiss me 8. Wish 9. The top 10. Bloodflowers 11. Wild mood swings 12. Three imaginery boys 13. 4:13 dream 14. Self title

[@179rich]

Nice

[@johnjackson3735]

For me the ones I enjoy the most are: 1. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - for me this the Cure's greatest album with their widest variety, greatest number of catchy and timeless pop tunes, like Just Like Heaven, Why can't I Be You and Hot, Hot hot, combined with my favorite brooding and in your face numbers too filled with defiance like Fight and the awesome Hendrix wah wah songs like The Kiss and All I Want to illuminate the highlights. This is the best time tunnel album for me too taking me in a journey back to autumn 1987 when this played in my dorm among the budding goths dressed in black with the long cyclops bangs on one side covering one of their eyes as a sophomore at university. Flashback. I am guessing Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me would have been Kram's favorite as well since he ranked it number one for 1987 albums, 2. Head on the Door really close second for me and best compliment for Kiss Me Kiss Me but Baby Screams also shows the harder defiant edge. In Between Days and Blood are great pop tracks, Push and Kyoto with its haunting eastern erotic influences are great. 3. Disintegration- really like this album Pictures of You connects with me the deepest since a horrible brutal tragedy to a beautiful soul named Junko Furuta happened the same year the album was made in late 1988 and early 1989 and pictures of her are the best way to remember her beloved but bittersweet memory. One of my favorite Cure songs. Other favorites are the mystical intensity of Fascination Street and the magical pop song Lovesong with the melodic violin embellishments. 4, Wish

[@CathyLahn]

Well, I do love "Tastes Like Music" and I so appreciate the more in depth, critical analysation of these great albums that affected our lives so much. Excellent work as always! That said, anyone who comes right out with "17 Seconds" and "Faith" at the rock bottom is one of two things: 1. Not a fan of THE CURE and maybe shouldn't be doing this at all. 2. Possibly just a bit too young to understand the impact, vibe and power of this music at that time, and through about 1986. Look, I understand what you're saying about "not enough melody..too atmospheric...too dark. But see, that's a big part of what came off so good about it...then. It was different from most other "normal" music, and it's sublime, intentional quality turned us on. And I'm a fan of hard rock first, metal, progressive, funk, jazz fusion, etc. as well. My fave artists are DAVID BOWIE, BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC, JEFF BECK, KISS, ZAPPA, THE WHO, T REX, LED ZEPPELIN, etc. But I did love post punk and new wave rock too. I also have THE HEAD ON THE DOOR as my #1 Cure LP. It's the most eclectic, catchy, fantastic album they ever put out. I also love "The Top, Disintegration, Wish and Japanese Whispers (or better, "THE WALK" EP, with the FLY on the cover!) ..which leads to this as well: I don't agree with not including JAPANESE WHISPERS in this ranking! Because although you may be correct in it being a comp....what is it a comp of? Meaning, anyone who does not know how good the tracks, "Lament," "The Upstairs Room," "The Walk," "Just One Kiss," "The Dream" etc. are, is missing out on absolute essential CURE! One last thing that sort of proves how you guys might not fully understand THE CURE, is your outright "fawning" over that dreck called "Friday I'm In Love". That's when I personally started falling AWAY from the band. That song made me sick the first time i heard it in '92, and I find myself forgetting that it's even part of that excellent WISH album. . This "Friday, I'm In Love" was NOT The Cure that I had loved for a decade before it. No, this is the song that "middle of the road, pop loving girls" liked (as well as people who knew nothing about the band...one in the same?). I mean, look, more power to ya if you love it, but trust me, it makes you come off like silly, mainstream pop fans, not like the original Cure fans, or anyone who digs good, cool music. And NO, "Just Like Heaven" is not comparable to the shit plate that Friday IS. "Just Like Heaven" is a farrrrr superior track, (featuring some darker, more desperate vibes underneath the happy)..and it's nowhere NEAR as stupid whimsical and Non-Cure as Friday, I'm In Love. But I will say that it is where this happy/silly, "oh I'm in love" bullshit started. JLH was a huge hit, as it should've been, but it did slightly put me off a bit at the same time. It also brought in more "new fans" who wanted just that kind of song. While we, over here, wanted more stuff like "Shake Dog Shake," "The Blood," "Seventeen Seconds," "Primary," "A Night Like This," "The Top," "100 Years," "Plastic Passion," "M," "Push," "Bananafishbones," "Kyoto Song," "Faith," "The Upstairs Room," "The Walk," "Lament," and "The Dream" Finally, the debut, "Three Imaginary Boys" is definitely weak in spots, and is a bit of a mess. BUT, it was DRAMATICALLY improved when it was re-released as BOYS DON'T CRY on Elektra. Much better songs replaced the bad ones, while keeping on the best tracks. Now that album, "Boys Don't Cry" would be ranked highly by me, and most other original fans of THE CURE. M ⚡

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Well, that’s a lot. I think in simple terms it comes down to our more detached view of a band like The Cure. For me, not having listened to any Cure until about 2000, I really don’t care about how cool or uncool they were in certain years. I know that Friday In Love is a wonderful song. But I can see how a change in direction like that might irk some people. When I was younger, I was a lot more susceptible to things like that from my favorite bands. It’s fun to turn on the things you love. But I don’t really care about The Cure. I’m more of a Smiths guy. - Joe

[@CathyLahn]

​@@ephesians.6 Hey, thank you. I can tell that you are a real fan. Appreciate your kind comment! And yeah, as we're both saying, "Friday, I'm In Love" is indeed a bag of whiny pop shit, and I "wish" they'd never recorded it! ⚡

[@CathyLahn]

​@@ephesians.6 Ha! You know, I actually responded to that comment from Joe in detail. But it did not post for some reason?? And the first thing I said, was how I don't get the hype about Morrissey, and far prefer THE CURE. Also how whenever some idiot inanely compares Morrissey with the great DAVID BOWIE...how that irks me and makes no sense at all. Morrissey couldn't carry Bowie's jock. *By the way, I'm glad you're good, healthy and alive! Robert Smith is a fantastic source of inspiration, power and grace for many. And to just toss off his greatness, and casually quip, "eh, I'm a Smiths guy". Feh....all I can say is I feel bad for that person who does not understand or connect with the best, most essential CURE.

[@adootledo]

My personal ranking is; 15. 4:13 Dream 14. The Top 13. The Cure 12. Wild Mood Swings 11. Three Imaginary Boys 10. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 9. Japanese Whispers 8. Faith 7. Wish 6. Pornography 5. Bloodflowers 4. Songs of a Lost World 3. Seventeen Seconds 2. The Head on the Door 1. Disintegration

[@andywylie6784]

Interesting choices. I think (today) I’d go with: 1. Disintegration 2. Pornography 3. The Head On The Door 4. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 5. Songs of a Lost World 6. Wish 7. Faith 8. Three Imaginary Boys 9. Seventeen Seconds 10. 4:13 Dream 11. The Cure 12. Bloodflowers 13. The Top 14. Wild Mood Swings

[@weirddebbiem1619]

I have only heard a handful of songs by The Cure. This is the first time that i heard albums by them. 14. The Cure 2.0 13. Three Imaginary Boys 2.5 12. 4:13 Dream 3.0 11. The Top 3.0 10. Bloodflowers 3.5 9. Wild Mood Swings 3.5 8. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 3.5 7. The Head on the Door 3.5 6. Faith 4.9 5. Seventeen Seconds 4.0 4. Wish 4.0 3. Songs of a Lost World 4.0+ 2. Pornography 4.5 1. Disintegration 4.5+ I was surprised that i liked the albums more than I thought I would.

[@bengalgangster]

great we had the same top 4 just in different order💜💜

[@weirddebbiem1619]

@bengalgangster Thank you, bengal. Those four albums are awesome. It shows we have great taste. 🎶💜💜

[@contayjuslovesonedirection1817]

Disintegration 🌏 - 8•5 Lost World 💕 - 8•5 Kiss Me 🌲 -- 8 Wish 📺 -- 8 The Head On The Door ⚾️ -- 7•5 Three Imaginary Boys 🪩 -- 7 Bloodflowers ⭐️ - 6•6 Seventeen Seconds 🎲 -- 6•5 Faith 🚀 -- 6•5 Dream 💿 - 6•5 The Cure 🟥 -- 6•4 Pornography ♥️💙💚💛 = 6•3 The Top 🏰 = 6•3 Wild Mood Swings 🐟 -- 5•8

[@RickRubinesque]

"Nothing happens on Pictures Of You"?? GEEZASS! That's an astonishing statement!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Sooooo boring. It’s like their adult contemporary song. - Joe

[@RickRubinesque]

@TastesLikeMusic I remember your excellent in insightful review of the song The Bends when you said words to the effect of, the simplicity of it somehow heightened the impact and power of it making it great. Now you're saying that a song, which you alone in the universe hate btw is boring because of the simplicity. Personally Pictures Of You can make me weep like an Arab woman at her children's funeral. Well maybe not quite that much lol but you get the picture.

[@AndI0td763]

@@RickRubinesque Disintegration is a masterwork. Easy 5 stars, just my thoughts on it. Closedown is absolutely incredible and underrated. Pictures of You actually might be my least favorite but I still love it.

[@dmjb3852]

I kinda agree, one of the weaker tracks on the record imo

[@RickRubinesque]

@AndI0td763 Perhaps it comes down to exposure? It's often played on uk rock radio.

[@gregdale1066]

I was going to say “you can do nothing to offend me on this .. let it rip “ and then jason makes his first pick !! Lol

[@jankoegl]

…and the blows still kept coming after that! 😂 Rough ride.

[@gregdale1066]

@@jankoegl it’s sad and depressing … yea that’s the whole point . That’s why we flocked like bats to those albums in the 80s … lol

[@davidellis5141]

@@gregdale1066 His bottom 2 , my top 2 !

[@AndI0td763]

I was hoping for a little more positivity from Jason but what can you do, he always speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to do that so I respect it.

[@epicsoundtracktothemundane]

1. Disintegration (1989) - 5 2.Pornography (1982) - 4.5 3. The Head on the Door (1985) - 4.5 4. Seventeen Seconds (1980) - 4.5 5. Faith (1981) - 4.5 6. Songs of a Lost World (2024) - 4.0 7. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987) - 4.0 8. Three Imaginary Boys (1979) - 4.0 9. Wish (1992) - 4.0 10. Bloodflowers (2000) - 4.0 11. The Top (1984) - 4.0 12. 4:13 Dream (2008) - 3.5 13. The Cure (2004) - 3.5 14. Wild Mood Swings (1996) - 3.5

[@jankoegl]

Ha, I assumed this was coming, finally… 🎉 Great timing too, just this morning I prepared my ranking to drop it here: 1. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 2. Disintegration 3. Pornography 4. The Head On The Door 5. Faith 6. Wish 7. Seventeen Seconds 8. The Top 9. Three Imaginary Boys 10. The Cure 11. Songs Of A Lost World 12. Wild Mood Swings 13. Bloodflowers 14. 4:13 Dream Interesting, that we all agree with Bloodflowers being second to last. 🙏

[@CWAdventures1968]

My ranking 14,4:13 dream 13,Wild Mood Swings 12,Three Imaginary Boys 11,The Top 10,The Cure 9,Bloodflowers 8,kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 7,Seventeen Seconds 6,Wish 5,Songs Of A Lost World 4,Faith 3,Disintegration 2,Head On The Door 1,Pornography

[@michelewiese48]

1. Disintegration (tied with Mixed Up) 2. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 3. Faith 4. Wish 5. Porn0graphy 6. The Top 7. The Head On The Door 8. Seventeen Seconds 9. Three Imaginary Boys 10. The Cure 11. Bloodflowers 12. 4:13 Dream 13. Wild Mood Swings I’m not sure where I’d place ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ quite yet. I need more time with it. ‘Paris’ is my go to live album.

[@179rich]

great list!

[@michelewiese48]

@ Thank you, Rich! That means a lot coming from you! ❤️🎶💋

[@claytonkelley4921]

1. Disintegration (1989) 5 stars (10) 2. The Head on the Door (1985) 4.5 stars (9.5) 3. Wish (1992) 4.5 stars (9) 4. Songs from a Lost World (2024) 4.5 stars (8.7) 5. 4:13 Dream (2008) 4 stars (8.4) 6. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987) 4 stars (8.3) 7. The Top (1984) 4 stars (8) 8. Pornography (1982) 4 stars (8) 9. Wild Mood Swings (1996) 4 stars (8) 10. Bloodflowers (2000) 3.5 stars (7.5) 11. Seventeen Seconds (1980) 3.5 stars (7) 12. Faith (1981) 3.5 stars (7) 13. Three Imaginary Boys (1979) - 3 stars (6) 14. The Cure (2004) 3 stars (6)

[@curly_wyn]

I have no clue why everyone is sucking the new album off and calling it the greatest comeback in all music history. It’s not lol

[@sonofskeletor33]

Nope, their early stuff is gold. Who listens to Wild Mood Swings?

[@matthewgee7164]

1. Disintegration: 5 Stars 2. Wish: 4.5 3. Bloodflowers: 4.5 4. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me: 4 5. Pornography: 4 6. Songs of a Lost World: 4 7. Head on the Door: 4 8. Faith: 3.5 9. The Top: 3.5 10. Seventeen Seconds: 3.5 11. 4:13 Dream: 3 12. Self-Titled: 3 13. Wild Mood Swings: 3 14. Three Imaginary Boys: 2 Stas

[@peterconlon8234]

#14 4:13 Dream 3 🌟 #13 Wild Mood Swings...3 🌟 $12 Three Imaginary Boys...3 🌟 #11 Seventeen Seconds...3.5 #10 Faith...3.5 #9 The Cure...3.5 🌟 #8 Wish...4 🌟 #7 The Head On The Door...4 🌟 #6 The Top...4 🌟 #5 KMKMKM...4 🌟 #5 Bloodflowers...4 🌟 #3 Songs For A Lost World...4 🌟 #2 Pornography...4.5 🌟 #1 Disintegration...5 🌟

[@ExcellentChalsTransit]

Here's my list: 1. Wish (5 stars) 2. Disintegration (5 stars) 3. The Top (4.5 stars) 4. Pornography (4.5 stars) 5. Faith (4.5 stars) 6. Songs of a Lost World (4.5 stars) 7. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (4 stars) 8. Seventeen Seconds (4 stars) 9. The Head On the Door (4 stars) 10. Three Imaginary Boys (4 stars) 11. Wild Mood Swings (3.5 stars) 12. Bloodflowers (3.5 stars) 13. The Cure (3.5 stars) 14. 4:13 Dream (3 stars)

[@docdeens4030]

Mine would be almost identical ...I've been enjoying Wish more than Disintegration the last few years

[@strahljd]

That is a helluva countdown introduction, wow. Really looking forward to this one gentlemen 👌

[@davescryptodays1441]

I liked Jason's assertions about 4:13 Dream, I've been listening to that lately - it loses me a bit on the second half but I am persisting :) and I think his critique is spot -on for that.

[@Gonzax]

Seeing a wonderful album as"17 seconds" so low was surprising but seeing it rated lower than "Wild mood swings" was shocking, to say the least. 😲 I don't think they have any bad albums, to be honest, though I'd be very happy if at least 3-4 songs off Wild Mood Swings had never seen the light of day, but there's certainly a big difference in preferences depending on whether you prefer their darker, more gothic stuff or their poppier sound. Personally though I like all of their albums a lot, including the last one which I think is fantastic, to me they were in their prime from "The Head on the Door" until "Wish". Those 4 albums are just incredible and they never sounded as good as they did in that period, IMO.

[@179rich]

Thank you for that Top review Joe.

[@MemphianSounds]

Been waiting for this!

[@afinn5555]

the liveness was lively! Thanks I was waiting for this one!

[@tillwesenberg1178]

If you want some deep cuts, get the Join The Dots compilation, some great stuff on there. They're still awesome live, maybe better than they've ever been. It's astounding how Smith still has that somehow very young and vulnerable sounding voice at his age. My favourite Cure records are Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Three Imaginary Boys and Pornograhy. But they're all worth a listen. Most influential British band behind The Beatles in my opinion and still selling out big arenas after almost 50 years. And unique. Listen to a song for three seconds and you know it must be The Cure, and that is despite of the great stylistical variety of their catalogue. What a career. 🖤

[@nodeachunter]

As a huge Cure fan, I found your lists a bit odd. Seventeen Seconds came awfully close to being #1. Wish was when things started to go off the rails and bloat started to settle in. My personal list: 14. 4:13 Dream 13. Wild Mood Swings 12. The Cure 11. Bloodflowers 10. Wish 9. Three Imaginary Boys 8. Songs of a Lost World 7. The Top 6. Faith 5. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 4. Pornography 3. The Head on the Door 2. Seventeen Seconds 1. Disintegration

[@ryam9495]

Seventeen Seconds worst makes no sense. It's their most important where they find their sound and includes one of their signature songs and 80s classic A Forest. I can understand ranking it lower for not liking the mix etc but not worst. My list: 1 Disintegration 5 2 Faith 4.5 3 Kiss me kiss me kiss me 4.5 4 Boys don't cry 4 5 Seventeen seconds 4 6 Pornography 4 7 Head on the door 3.5 8 Three imaginary boys 3.5 9 Wish 3.5 10 4:13 dream 3 11 The Cure 3 12 The top 3 13 Songs of a lost world 3/2.5 14 Bloodflowers 2.5 15 Wild mood swings 1.5

[@KevinMcArdle-l6e]

Joe "shaves" the way i shave, which is to say he clips down to the whiskers. Same, bro

[@BlackHun-wf7hb]

1. Wish 2. Faith 3. Songs of a Lost World

[@179rich]

Some of Jason's criticisms for Songs of a Lost World are things the band were intentionally going for.

[@Violette-k1w]

1. SONGS OF A LOST WORLD ✨️👑✨️ 2. PORNOGRAPHY 3. FAITH 4. DESINTEGRATION 5. SEVENTEEN SECONDS 6. ... 12. WILD MOOD SWINGS

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Wow

[@docdeens4030]

Great...I love it

[@curly_wyn]

Are you shitting me??? 🙂‍↕️

[@scottmcrae3355]

This take is both hot and bold. It is the barbecue sauce of takes.

[@179rich]

Among Goths, I have the impression that Faith is most often number 1 (or it used to be back in the 80s).

[@mjleger]

I would say that's accurate. In Birmingham, the Goths hung out in front of a church on a hillock with Burne-Jones stained glass windows and a cemetery around it.

[@AndI0td763]

Faith has always been my favorite of the original goth trilogy. A brilliant moody grey album.

[@philipnunn1816]

???????????????? Seventeen Seconds last .............. WOW!!!!!

[@davescryptodays1441]

Whenever I hear the beginning of (good song) "I can Never Say Goodbye" from the new album, I want to start singing the beginning of 'Kayleigh' by Marillion. Chords/piano etc . . . Interesting.

[@AndI0td763]

Been waiting for this, glad to see it. The lack of love for the early stuff hurts a bit but I get that it’s not for everyone. Totally agree on Bloodflowers, that album has always sounded flat and tired to me. I may do a ranking but I’d have to think on that for a bit. Haven’t heard the new album yet but I’ve heard good things. Also have always loved Japanese Whispers. Saw them live in 2008, very solid.

[@179rich]

If we were rating atmospheres and not songs Joe, I might put Faith at the top of the initial doom and gloom trilogy (SS, F, P)

[@xanApfel]

You guys just made me a very happy boy

[@echosmyron1278]

One of the 20 definitive bands of the 80s...but most of their albums end up in the 4-star range for me. 1. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (#4 for 1987; 5 stars) 2. Pornography (#4 for 1982; 4.5) 3. The Head on the Door (#15 for 1985; 4) 4. Disintegration (#25 for 1989; 4; great atmosphere, but too meandering for me to absolutely love it) 5. Faith (#19 for 1981; 4) 6. Wish (4; didn't rank it when making my 1992 top 50 list, but it would fall in the 26-40 range) 7. Seventeen Seconds (#20 for 1980; 4) 8. Bloodflowers (#42 for 2000; 4) 9. 4:13 Dream (2008; 3.5) 10. Three Imaginary Boys (1979; 3.5) 11. The Cure (2004; 3.5) 12. The Top (1984; 3; a fascinating trainwreck from a band still in its prime) 13. Songs of a Lost World (2024; 2.5; Smith's voice is the only thing still stellar about this band) 14. Wild Mood Swings (1996; 2)

[@patrick3926]

Great ranking!!!! 🧨

[@thedreschcode5713]

Loved this whole video except Joe saying "Pictures of You" sucks. HOW. DARE. YOU?! 🤣🤣🤣

[@seanp8220]

it just doesn't, does it. There has to be a reason I can listen to the full length version again and again and again without getting bored of it. Same with High and many actually...

[@PROGROCK-tr9hw]

Mind blowing actually

[@ConstableHandsy]

Its the one song on Disintegration that Id bin. Doesn’t seem to know when to end.

[@179rich]

Yes Jason! I love Andy's drumming on The Top.

[@curly_wyn]

Awesome that you guys finally got to this one! Spoiler alert tho: my bottom and least-favorite Cure album is: the newest one. Such a massive disappointment. It all sounds like one long dirge with Robert Smith cameos every now and then. His voice is still great on it, but that’s about it. The production and mixing are very bad. Here’s my list: 1. The Head on the Door 2. Wish 3. Disintegration 4. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me 5. Three Imaginary Boys 6. The Top 7. Faith 8. Seventeen Seconds 9. Pornography 10. Wild Mood Swings 11. The Cure 12. 4:13 Dream 13. Bloodflowers 14. Songs of a Lost World

[@jankoegl]

Gotta say, Jason actually made me want to reassess my thoughts on 4:13 DREAM. Great choice of words there! 🫵🏼

[@bengalgangster]

well here goes , from a person that only ever heard i think 3 cure albums , so be gentle with me 14 faith 3.0+ 13 three imaginary boys 3.5- 12 wild mood swings 3.5- 11 the cure 3.5- 10 4;13 dream 3.5 9 blood flowers 3.5 8 the top 3.5 7 seventeen seconds 3.5+ 6 the head on the door 3.5+ 5 kiss me kiss me kiss me 3,5+ 4 disintegration 4.0- 3 songs of a lost world 4.0 2 wish 4.0 1 pornography 4.0+ overall a plesant surprising listo for me

[@davidellis5141]

@@bengalgangster Many of the OG's rank Pornography # 1 .. It's heavy !

[@bengalgangster]

@@davidellis5141 probably why i liked it lol

[@weirddebbiem1619]

Hey bengal! Fantastic list. It looks like for the most part we agree on our top ten. Great minds! 🎶💜💜

[@bengalgangster]

@@weirddebbiem1619 thanx deb, my songs will be everywhere lol💜💜

[@weirddebbiem1619]

@bengalgangster You're welcome, bengal. I have to start putting my song list together. Can't wait to see if we have any matches. 🎶💜💜

[@danielhilton7623]

Omg Faith is the greatest album ever!!!!!!!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Mmmmm no. - Joe

[@ryrythefryguy4645]

pornography should be ranked much higher. i know you were expecting that, but yeah, definitely top 3 for me.

[@zacharypopp3549]

Cool video. I disagree with pretty much everything you said on albums not called "The Head on the Door", but it's all good. Here's my list (of what I've heard in full, though I've heard bits from it all): 1. Faith- 5 stars 2. The Head on the Door- 5 stars 3. Seventeen Seconds- 4.5 stars 4. Disintegration- 4.5 stars 5. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me- 4.5 stars 6. Wish- 4 stars 7. Three Imaginary Boys- 4 stars 8. Pornography- 4 stars 9. The Top- 3.5 stars

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Those scores aren’t THAT far off mine. Relatively speaking. - Joe

[@zacharypopp3549]

@@TastesLikeMusic Yeah you definitely liked Faith more than I thought Joe was pleased to see that.

[@179rich]

I think those segmented drum rolls began with Andy Anderson on the song "The Top," in which he begins a drum roll, stops it then completes it on the next beat. I'm not saying I know for sure he invented that trick, but subsequent Cure drummers picked it up and ran with it.

[@179rich]

I think I have to walk this comment back. I can't find other examples of exactly what I'm talking about: a high to low drum roll that begins on a beat, then continues after the next beat or two. It would be great to hear what a real drummer had to say about this because I'm out of my league.

[@milkcarton6654]

Lifelong cure fan here (well since I was 14 which was back in 1992), name them as my favorite of all time. Your rankings weren't terrible except for a couple of the early records. Here's my ranking. 1. Disintegration (literally rank this as my fav album of al time) 2. Seventeen Seconds 3. Wish (so much better live, i made myself a live versipn of that record, only song missing is wendy time but it's the worst one so...)) 4. Kiss me kiss me kiss me (half that record kinda sucks, the other half is great, Fight is the worst 80s cure song imo, the bsides from this era are so good too, if they'd replaced the bad songs with those bsides it would be number 2 on my list,) 5 Faith 6. Head on the door 7 Three imaginary boys (pimitive bass said joe, it has some of the busiest basslines of all cure records, it's kinda why Smith fired Dempsey actually) 8. Pornography (not in love with this one as much as 95% of the fans are, still even this far down on the list we're still into good records category)) . 9. The top (we're entering records i don't really like category, Caterpillar girl is great but the rest...) 10. Wild mood swings (maybe 4 songs on here i like, the rest are shameful) 11. Songs of a lost world (sorry everyone, this is Wish rejects badly produced, best Cure record since the 90s, sure, but considering the competition...) 12. Bloodflowers (turgid, uninspired piece of shit record, will never know why it was hyped at the time, I tried to get into it maybe 10 times since it's release, every time im like why is this so fucking boring... i mean, i liked out of this world back then but today I think it's just very mid, and anything after that opener is not worth a listen) Not ranking 4:13 and self titled because i listened to them only once back when they were released and never again. That's how much idgaf about them. There is a possibility i'd rank them higher than BF if I bothered listening to them again though.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Are you sure you don’t secretly hate the band but just like Disintegration? - Joe

[@179rich]

Very interesting. It's not often one hears someone trashing so many albums by their favorite band that hard.

[@milkcarton6654]

​ @TastesLikeMusic I have strong opinions on things i guess. *shrug* Fact remains 90% of their catalogue is great. Just like many rock artists it gets complicated with the cure past their mid 30's. If i had to rank U2 records it would read pretty similar. You get past 1993 and it's a long tragic unending spiral into irrelevance and mediocrity. Many 80s bands like this actually. Also it has to be stated about the cure that they have terrific b-sides and songs never released on albums and there's like a couple of great records worth of these songs alone. I mean honestly i only start trashing them at WMS, which is pretty common for long time cure fans. Overall though it is not uncommon that my favorite artists have a lot of records i despise I guess. I think also...i mean obviously NOBODY owes me anything, but when you really love an artist it hurts doubly when they put out stuff you don't like. It feels like a bit of a betrayal of sort. Even if again they don.t owe me anything. I still love Robert Smith. His career trajectory mimics that of most rock artists,, you put out a handful of records and the well of creativity starts to run dry. It happens even to the most talented ones. It's not the worst thing in the world when you have like a hundred good to great songs when most artists can hardly produce one or two record worth of good songs.

[@179rich]

I respect your opinions. But if you're slagging all of the post-Wish albums, you're slagging more than 10% of the catalogue.

[@milkcarton6654]

@@179rich I tried to count all the songs including the very many not released on albums just now and if i'm slagging all post WMS it's about 25.43% of the output. Now since there's some songs from 1979 to 1992 i do not like, let's say i'm slagging 30% of the output. Still a band with over 200 songs i can say I like or love 70% of their output is pretty damn amazing. At least for me. There's bands i count in my favs i like less than 50% of their output (like Depeche mode who probably is around 30% or so)

[@drdavid1963]

A long overdue listography and congratulations on completing it. 14. The Cure (1.5 stars) 13. Bloodflowers (1.5 stars) 12. Faith (2.5 stars) 11. Wild Mood Swings (2.5 stars) 10. 4:13 Dream (3 stars) 9. Pornography (3 stars) 8. Seventeen Seconds (3.5 stars) 7. The Top (3.5 stars) 6. Songs From A Lost World (4.5 stars) - unfair to be compared with Disintegration, the similar mood is heightened by the more substantial lyrical focus on mortality and ageing and whilst the musical sophistication is not as high, the lyrical themes add depth to the music which makes it a unique vision. 5. Wish (4.5 stars) 4. Head on The Door (4.5 stars) 3. Boys Don't Cry (5 stars) - a repackaging of the debut material rather than a compilation as advertised, a bit like The Smiths' Hatful of Hollow. If you guys can count Magical Mystery Tour, I am counting this. The whimsical side of The Cure is married to a punkier approach. A post-punk classic. 2. Disintegration (5 stars) 1. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (5 stars) - a close-run thing between this and Disintegration which is a masterpiece of melancholy mood. This 1987 album, for me, lands the same way that Beatles White does for some - an eclectic and bold approach with many high highs and the misfires don't hurt the overall stimulating listening experience. It stands out for me as a more inventive and playful album whereas Disintegration, great though it is, is a more sophisticated retread of the dirge style of their early albums.

[@davidellis5141]

🎶 It Doesn't Matter If We All Die ! 🎶 ..Best opening line to an album in the 80's. ( Pornography )

[@etamommy]

Joe - how can ya not like post punk?!? Plus the song Three Imaginary Boys is great! Also another day is great and 10:15 Saturday night is pretty good. Accuracy and object I think may have been on only the Boys Don’t Cry American compilation. Still I do agree that the album itself is spotty. There are at least 5 pretty bad songs on there. Now on to Jason’s immediate lashing: how can you be lukewarm on the song A Forest. One of the best and most perfectly evocative base-line built songs ever recorded! - I am only 6 minutes into this video. Hopefully you naughty fellows can redeem yourselves properly. 😂

[@seanp8220]

Yesss!!! Someone else LOVES THE TOP!!!! Inspired so much lyric writing and surrealism psychedelic revival etc. Definitely inspired by his work with Siouxsie and the banshees.

[@179rich]

The Top is freakin brilliant!

[@davidellis5141]

At nearly 30 minutes & originally included on the cassette of Faith & now on the Deluxe cd 💿 the instrumental soundtrack Carnage Visors would crack my Top 10 had it been issued stand alone.

[@edward8597]

The Cure were peculiar for being incredibly generous with cassette bonuses. "Faith", "Concert" and "Standing on the Beach" all came with effectively a bonus album on cassette.

[@179rich]

Since you guys dig Andy Anderson so much, I would recommend checking out the Cure's first live album called Concert which features him on drums. Anderson in particular brings an amazing fluidity and feel to "The Hanging Garden," a frantic, stunning version of the song.

[@jamgrieve]

I DO NOT TOLERATE THIS JOY DIVISION SLANDER

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I try and get some in every episode. - Joe

[@jamgrieve]

@@TastesLikeMusic Yes, I know, and it kills me.

[@sarj5256]

An Incubus Listography would be cool to see

[@AndI0td763]

@@sarj5256 I loved those guys growing up, still play them a good bit. Fell off after Light Grenades, half of that album was brilliant, the other half just a little too slow and middling for me.

[@sarj5256]

@@AndI0td763 I’ve really gotten into them over the past few months and I really love their first 3 albums besides a few tracks here and there

[@MidosujiSen]

I've been waiting for this one, let's go boys. I'm gonna wait till I got a meal to watch this banger. I wonder if Jason will still maintain that Kiss Me is above Disintegration. Will post my own controversial ranking after I watch the video.

[@mjleger]

Overall the three lists are accurate but I would rank the earlier albums, including faith, pornography, seventeen seconds, three imaginary boys, japanese whispers, the top, closer to the top half. Faith is better overall than pornography but the two together are a statement in a half. Funeral Party is about how sad the people were at the orgy. But think about it, the existential question is should I pray or masturbate, with one act as meaningless and solitary as the other, with the big Other sublimated in the imagination. A Forest is in some ways their best song IMO. All three lists have Head on the Door at number one, which almost incontrovertible. I experienced these releases more or less in real time and saw the Kiss Me x 3 concert live, and I don't find that any of it is tedious. No, early Joy Division, early Cure, are the best. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate the freshness of those sounds when compared to what else was out there. We went to clubs with hairspray and eyeliner on, only to discover that the high school friend who was helping us with this came out later on, though that is disputed. But we would get up from our seats when Close to Me came on. The closest thing you two will experience of this is 80s night at the club, which I'm sorry is comparatively not the same at all, not the feeling of alternative in the 80s. That's all I can say. It's a different thing. With some good songs here and there, Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, Wish and Disintegration were excellent second acts and testaments to the initial creativity. By then a track from Head on the Door was the theme music of the local Ottawa 6 PM news show with burping alcoholic Max Keeping behind the anchor news desk. I agree with Jason about The Cure 2004 but not with Joe about 4:13 Dream. I agree with you and Fantano's review of the new album, which is just fine for fans and enjoyable in that not too enjoyable way. The thing is romanticism, which is about aestheticism and subjective lyricism - not politics, not reality, not technique or labour. Romanticism is the culture of the middle-class children of the materialistic bourgeoisie, and who are in rebellion, maybe on drugs or looking for an escape through the false promises of art and beauty, especially music, which can lead the unwary off a cliff. These tragic sad sacks won't be consoled because positivism and profit-seeking are by themselves out of the question. A "pop-writing machine" (Joe) is maybe an offbeat way to think of it, as in the steampunk late Victorianism of The Nevers. The revival of German and English romanticism is found in the bohemianism of second and third empire France, which is the subject of Kiss Me x 3, from Baudelaire up to Flaubert and maybe Proust. Someone like Bruce Springsteen won't get that and it doesn't surprise anyone that he supports Obama. The literary character of The Cure's work, which you find also in The Smiths, drops off in the second act, which is why this period is to me more commercial and less involving. This is the case overall as 60s and 70s references to literature and narrative in music - i.e. concept albums - drop off as 80s culture becomes more in tune with television music videos and short song formats. The Cure had an advantage in that sense compared to most bands, as is the case also with a filmmaker like Werner Herzog. On the other hand, videos like Love Cats, Boys Don't Cry or Close to Me really clinch it. You won't be denied, as Clement Greenberg would have said. In addition, the styling on the Head on the Door LP, as one of the avatars in the subscriber list attests, is almost revolutionary - and the previous album designs are not bad either. The controversial point, in terms of style, is that The Cure splits between original alternative, or post-punk, and Goth. The Goth thing was sort of lame from the get-go. Though it has had staying power, it always had more of a geeky character than a subcultural edge, with Halloween costuming that had more in common with Bananarama, Madonna and Culture Club than with The Fall, Joy Division or Echo & the Bunnymen. On the other hand there is obviously something there that transcends gender preferences, especially for artsy types. Cocteau Twins and Sisters of Mercy did far better than Ministry or The Cult and I find DM does not hold up as well as OMD, overall. The Goth trend had many bad fashion and music effects, as with Gene Loves Jezebel, Skinny Puppy and Suzie and the Banshees. Bauhaus and Jad Wio managed like The Cure to transcend the kitschiness to whatever extent, though very likely that was never the goal. It's too bad that Modern English, Soft Cell and Jesus and Mary Chain didn't do better. The Cure have tonnes of B sides and live materials that by themselves outpace most bands. I miss Kramzer. I think he would have seventeen seconds, faith and pornography closer to the top.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I’ll ask him. - Joe

[@windyhillbomber]

SoaLW is not really meant to be light and romantic. It’s a reflection on getting old and the burden of grief. I find it very wistful and easily their best album since the 80s

[@bbchronicles736]

Interesting, thanks. This is a band I just have never listened to, like at all. So this gives me some guidelines of where to go, with head on the door, disintegration, wish, etc. (and also what to avoid). I do need to check them out

[@179rich]

I disagree that there are no "hints of darkness" on "Just Like Heaven," Joe. Check those lyrics again. They are tinged with melancholy.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

You could be right. - Joe