Endurance and independence have long been words attributed to the music and career of England's most legendary alternative band. Going on almost 25 years together and almost as many lineup changes, the band has gone from being the closet secret of the Goth crowd to popular acceptance to sold-out stadium tours with nary a break in quality. They routinely redefine themselves, and have influenced many of the current "modern rock" bands of the 90's.
Started in 1976 as the Easy Cure by school mates Robert Smith (guitar, vocals), Laurence Tolhurst (drums), and Michael Dempsey (bass). The band found a record deal in December 1978 with Polydor/Small Wonder and "Killing An Arab" was their first single release. Around this time they dropped the "Easy" and became just The Cure. Early in 1979, Chris Parry an A&R representative at Polydor Records, left Polydor to form his own record label, Fiction, and The Cure was one of the first bands he signed to the label. "Killing an Arab" was re-released in February of 1979, and the Cure set out on their first tour of England. The Cure's debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, was released in May 1979 to good reviews in the British music press.
Robert Smith's romanticism with all things morose has led the The Cure to be labeled "godfathers of Goth", "masters of melancholy", and "kings of doom and gloom". They became identified for their slow gloomy dirges and Robert's ghoulish mask like make-up. None of these labels are quite accurate since no other band has their unique sound. Their sparse early releases like Pornography and Faith contrasts their later releases like Disintegration in '89. A wonderfully dark and beautiful album, marked by Robert Smith's relentlessly stunning guitar work and fluid imagery, it proved to be the band's biggest success to date.
Through the years The Cure have had seven top 20 hits and five top 10 Albums both in England and in the U.S. They have sold more than 27 million albums world wide. But being popular and recording hits is not what The Cure are all about. The Cure have never put being a popular band ahead of being independent and making the kind of music they want (as many Recording Industry executives can attest to). To really know The Cure one must listen to more than just their popular hits. Instead, listen to a complete album full of it's imagery and lush, moody, sound.
When Robert Smith was recently asked how his Epitaph should read he said, "That we truly were an alternative group."