Full list at Metroweekly.
13. The Cure - 'Wish' (1992)
By 1992, The Cure was at the peak of their commercial prowess. Their 1989 album Disintegration was widely hailed as a masterpiece, and it brought them new levels of success. Wish rode that momentum all the way at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. They were playing in large arenas all over the world. Fortunately The Cure had the best line-up of their existence, including the fantastic Boris Williams on drums (he’d leave after this album), Porl Thompson and Perry Bamonte on guitar and keyboard, Simon Gallup on bass and of course Robert Smith on whatever he wants at any given moment. For Wish, The Cure went back to the formula that worked for 1987’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me -- it’s a dizzying quilt-work of styles, from hard-rocking psychedelic epics like the hallucinatory opener “Open,” the massive centerpiece of the album “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” and the violent waves of guitar on the gripping finale “End.” Then there’s Robert Smith’s euphoric pop side, which is explored on tracks like the ebullient “High”, the sunny pop/rocker “Friday I’m in Love” and the absolutely giddy “Doing the Unstuck.” There are also some beautiful ballads, like the heartsick “Apart,” and the two delicate tracks that form the core of the album’s second half: “Trust” and “To Wish Impossible Things.” Wish is sometimes undervalued in light of the brilliance of its predecessors, but that’s unfair. It’s arguably The Cure’s last truly great album. (Thanks @banditFFX)
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Vesselin.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that this is the Cure "last great album". I think every album has it's peaks and valleys, gems like Want, Watching Me Fall, The Promise, Underneath the Stars are all from different albums, right. If Robert pulls out today a gorgeaous album like The Head On the Door, there'd be someone who;'d be critisizing still. The same with The Top, which was all in all a far more interesting album then it's successor, but it gets more live play just lately...So, the greatest thing of all Cure albums is that they remain touching and engaging with time. They don't age...What more can one say...
ehm, Bloodflowers?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNeed to get your hearing checked if you think the band ever made an LP as good again after Wish.
DeleteBloodflowers was mostly marketing hype by Robert, relying on two past albums (Disintegration, Pornography) that were genuinely great and tying them together. Out of 9 songs on Bloodflowers, about 3 stand up to their earlier work.
Robert stated at the time of its release he no longer had the passion and drive that helped him make great albums in the past. That might be true, but he also did not have Boris and Porl in his group any longer.
After they left, the Cure never recovered, artistically or commercially.
Bloodflowers is a fantastic album. If it had been released by a new, unknown band it wouldve won record of the year.
Deletesen totally agreed. show and wish was there perfect moment an then boom. the cure had many faces an yes, disisntergrations awsome but, as a band as whole, there line up, there live sound, an the album wish is there finest. all the albums are different girlfriends, but wish is the one you fell in love with. its also the last album in the old recording style. done the old school way on tape an had that magic. i dont like a few songs on it an still, with songs like open, deep green sea, cut an end the cure proved they are up there with the big boys. bloodflowers just seemed to be trying to hard an robert recycling. boris an porl not there it not same. but porl wasnt the same when he came back anyway. i think bands have there moments an then get embarrassing. i never thought the cure would be that band. an thought robert was too smart. but it happened. even simon said that the cure started sounding like a cover cure band.there live sound in the mid 90s was mostly embarressing. the photos an the album artwork fron wish an there look of the time was f great an serious. i think they shouldve quit after this they would be regarded as what they should be regarded as. one of the greatest bands of all time.i used to say my favorite band was the cure with pride years ago, i dont even say it anymore.
DeleteThe only US tour that I missed since 1989 was the Bloodflowers tour. I was blown away by their perfection in 2003 and the opening night of the 2008 tour at the Patriot Center was the best live performance of any band that I have ever witnessed. The Cure are regarded as one of the best bands of all time and I feel fortunate that I have the privilege to still see a modern day Mozart perform his music.
Deletegroan. I agree with Unknown at 9:59am.
ReplyDeleteWish is my favourite Cure album, and it's very much overlooked.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any Cure album instantly gained critical attention or was hailed as a masterpiece upon release -they always seem to get mediocre reviews and then, years later, rediscovered and re-evalued.
It's only been in recent years when TIB and The Top have been reassessed and are now 'masterpieces'. Next will be Wild Mood Swings...I'm not just talking about critics here, fans too.
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DeleteWish is, I think, the Cure's last great album (so far!). And the B-sides were all brilliant too—particularly The Big Hand and Play.
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoyed Wild Mood Swings too. Bloodflowers is—apart from the title track and Maybe Someday—utter tosh, each track more precisely like the last.
Underneath The Stars was an aberration from its album—the one stand-out track that made me yearn for The Cure of the past.
DK
I've always felt a bit guilty for loving Wish. Probably my favourite.
ReplyDeleteBloodflowers was truly their last great album though. Some good tracks here and there on others, but mostly forgettable as albums go.
sen totally agreed. show and wish was there perfect moment an then boom. the cure had many faces an yes, disisntergrations awsome but, as a band as whole, there line up, there live sound, an the album wish is there finest. all the albums are different girlfriends, but wish is the one you fell in love with. its also the last album in the old recording style. done the old school way on tape an had that magic. i dont like a few songs on it an still, with songs like open, deep green sea, cut an end the cure proved they are up there with the big boys. bloodflowers just seemed to be trying to hard an robert recycling. boris an porl not there it not same. but porl wasnt the same when he came back anyway. i think bands have there moments an then get embarrassing. i never thought the cure would be that band. an thought robert was too smart. but it happened. even simon said that the cure started sounding like a cover cure band.there live sound in the mid 90s was mostly embarressing. the photos an the album artwork fron wish an there look of the time was f great an serious. i think they shouldve quit after this they would be regarded as what they should be regarded as. one of the greatest bands of all time.i used to say my favorite band was the cure with pride years ago, i dont even say it anymore.
ReplyDeleteoh yea, an david, the b sides too. i mean f wow. there some my favorite cure songs. so strong this time. even the instruments this time. the gibson chet atkins sound simons eccleshell bass. shame
DeleteAnybody here just feel like ALL bands transform...mature, digress... at pivotal points? Music is emotional; it reflects the artists' lives and experiences. How can one fault a band for not meeting the 'needs' of their fans at any given moment? It's THEIR release. How can you judge? Like the music or not; the way the rain comes down hard; it's how they feel inside. I will keep loving, listening, admiring the artistry.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, my friends and I had a contest to "track" the perfect Wish album using the b-sides. Yes, in 1992 we watched the record stores for the newest Cure single to come out knowing that we get some kick ass b-sides. Wish is a great album. But, take out a few tracks and add some of the b-sides and it becomes absolutely EPIC. The Cure could've had back to back masterpieces, with Wish being better than Disintegration. So, one could say that Wish was the begin of the downward slide. That is if you're a hater and think that The Cure are downward sliding instead of just doing what they want.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened with Wild Mood Swings. WMS wouldn't have been quite so epic, but it would've been as good as Wish if the b-sides were used in place of some of the songs that made the cut. I'm pretty sure that Robert knew what he was doing. He knew Wish would've been 10 times better had he tracked in Scared as You, Twilight Garden and Play. He and the band are free to do what they want. At least they gave us ALL of the tracks and they're not lost on some shelf somewhere. Go buy a Nickleback album. Im really getting pissed now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, some people got to have life...This crap for Wish is a the best album and the rest are not is just ridiculous. could you eat all your life bagels ? Day in day out ? Won't you like to have a croissant at one point...
ReplyDeleteSome deserved recognition! My favorite Cure album!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a favorite cure album...actually. I have a favorite band - The Cure. Every album is part of the whole picture. It's good to be able to find unique and wonderful things in every album...
ReplyDeletecompletely agree with you
Deletethis is what Wish should be...:
ReplyDeleteThe big hand
apart
this twilight garden
doing the unstuck
to wish impossible things
cut
trust
from the edge of the deep green sea
wendy time
a letter to elise
Than it would be the greatest album ever..
My Wish tracklist:
DeleteOpen
High
Apart
From the Edge of The Deep Green Sea
This Twilight Garden
Doing the Unstuck
Friday I'm in Love
TRust
The Big Hand
Cut
To wish Impossible Things
End
I think that WISH is a great album, perhaps suffers from a weak mixing, but the songs are very amazing.
Today in the concerts are still regularly performed 7-8 songs that are on this record; this is not the case for the other following albums: wild mood swings (2-3 songs), Bloodflwers (0 song), The Cure (1 song) and 4:13 Dream (1-2 songs)
I never understood why the big hand and this twilight garden didnt made it on the record.
DeleteGonna have to try that listing, but I don't agree with excluding The Cure's finest pop song (and one of their best songs), "Friday, I'm In Love". I also think "Wendytime" is the weakest, but never cared much for "High", either. "Open" and "End" aren't massive favorites for me, but are very good, especially "End"'s fantastic lyrics.
Delete"Wish" is their last truly great album. Although it also marked the first time I started having issues with the bands/Roberts final song- and tracklist-choises. Never had that with KMKMKM or Disintegration, (even though 2late, which is one of my fave-popsongs, was omitted from Disintegrationbecause it didn't fit the mood). This had maybe something to do with the fact that the period 1990-1992(Pre-internet/pre-CraigParker times), was the time when I discovered the english musicpress through NME and Melodymaker, and started to seek out all Cure-related information I could get hold of from these papers. So In 1991 I learned of their concerts at the bigdayout and T&C Club, where they played four new gorgeous songs: Big Hand, Wendy time, Away(Cut) and Letter to Elise, which really did set my hopes high for a new album. In interviews there was talks of releasing these four songs as an EP(I wonder if there is a final recording/Mix of the early versions of these songs somewhere in the dark vaults of Roberts cellar?). Therefore I was pretty dissapointed when I learned that Big Hand was omitted/turned into a B-side, and that the 3 other songs was changed into something else( Especially Wendytime and Cut). I so much prefer this early demo-version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0akIgJxehSI of Wendytime, and this live recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kvLK2f44Us of Cut. And yes This Twillight Garden should have been there as well. But still, all in all, a pretty good album :)
DeleteI love that previous versions to. The sound (bass, drums, guitar) and the atmosphere was amazing and gorgeous.
DeleteWendy Time was a perfect sad/sick/sexaddicted lovesong...
Away was psychedelic, slow, hypnotic and The Big Hand romantic, heartbreak and hopeless...
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ReplyDeleteThe fact that this list contains Oasis, let alone ranks it above "Wish" is sickening to me. Love that it has U2's "Achtung Baby", Pulp's "This Is Hardcore", and Radiohead's "OK Computer," though.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was Boris who insisted The Big Hand be excluded from Wish, although it hasn't been said why he opposed it.
ReplyDeleteI'm very certain Robert himself confirmed this. Considering Robert basically decides everything, that had to be some strong opposition.
apparently it was writen by porl an is his favorite song to play live. theres something in those b sides, effortless an total good songs. lets not forget the instumental album recorded at morgan studios same time called lost wishes. its definetly the bands most creative time
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying I didn't love all the shows I've seen since, or the occasional song after Boris and Porl left, but if the band had called it a day after Wish, they'd be remembered as what they are: one of the best and unique bands in rock history.
ReplyDeleteInstead, Robert brought in a crap drummer (for the band, not in technical proficiency) and kept going, in part ruining their legacy. Even he now is reluctant to release new material.
I disagree in part, as quite a few of my favourite Cure song are post-Wish.
ReplyDeleteI've found that the final song selections for albums haven't been up to scratch, but then Robert usually says this himself after most albums. He said it about Wish and Wendy Time.