I'm going to go with The Police. The young and angry, punk/reggae version, not the Every Breath You Take version. Followed very closely by Rush.
does anyone else think that the cure doesnt get enough credit or that they might be underrated in rock music history? even if youre not a fan, you have to acknowledge that they had a pretty huge impact on music over the last 30-40 years. the cure could play a two hour greatest hits concert and even non-fans would know most of the songs. you cant say that about too many bands. that being said, i wonder if post-gen x'ers realize how influential the cure is. do younger generations listen to the cure in the same way that gen x'ers appreciated the beatles/stones/zep/neil young/floyd/ect? it doesnt seem like it. even though a lot of the bands they listen to have obviously been influenced by them.
I probably should have chimed in by now but been busy the last couple of days... The Cure were definitely one of my favorite bands when I really got into music over 20 years ago. Their influence on goth as well as bands like Interpol, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, etc can not be overstated. However, the one thing that has really hurt The Cure is that they didn't realize when to hang it up. Disintegration was their masterpiece and Wish was a solid follow-up but most of the albums that came after were below average and in my opinon, hurt their critical standing. Compare their discography to another innovative band like Siouxsie and the Banshees (a band that they are compared to a lot because Bob Smith was a member of the Banshees for awhile, worked with Steve Severin as jo mama mentioned in The Glove, and were also goth icons) but while the last couple of Siouxsie albums were not great, they weren't as bad as the last couple of albums by the Cure. To me the answer to this question is either Wire or Yo La Tengo. But most wouldn't appreciate that so might as well say The Beatles. What you could do is take all the albums (studio only) that the band released and see what the average rating is for each album. I would venture The Beatles would probably come out on top, but like someone else said, it is all subjective anyway.
Cure Studio Albums (includes Boys Don't Cry and Japanese Whispers): Three Imaginary Boys - 3.5 out of 5 Boys Don't Cry - 4 out of 5 Seventeen Seconds - 4 out of 5 Faith - 5 out of 5 (first really great album) p*rnography - 4 out of 5 (all little overrated) The Top - 3 out of 5 (really for diehards, tough to get into) Japanese Whispers - 4 out of 5 (pretty good for an EP and has good B-sides) The Head on the Door - 5 out of 5 Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - 4.5 out of 5 (just a little bit too long but still great) Disintegration - 5 out of 5 Wish - 4 out of 5 Wild Mood Swings - 2 out of 5 (garbage) Bloodflowers - 3 out of 5 (has a couple of decent songs but that is it) The Cure/self-titled - 3 out of 5 (also has a couple of decent songs but that is it) 4:13 Dream - 2 out of 5 (also garbage)
LOL, I didn't realize that the title of the Cure's album between Faith and The Top was a censored word...
Yes, they're historically underappreciated. But like you said, their influence is so omnipresent and their core fanbase is so devout that they continue to get shout-outs. I feel like their notoriety has steadily been on the upswing for the last decade. I think their legacy is ultimately guaranteed. Compare that to other bands that were maybe more traditionally popular at the time, but had superficial fanbases. Eventually those groups fade from memory.
Whoever here likes the cure maybe hasn’t heard this before. Good song though with Robert smith’s vocals.
I think Robert Smith is vastly underrated as a song writer and guitarist. He’s a helluva musician. Incredibly unique sound and writing style. Like them or not, they have a very important place in music history. My fav band? No, but without question very high on my list. Love them. Looking forward to these next two records.
Jaws may not be the "greatest movie ever," but it's one hell of a freakin' good flick with an incredible soundtrack. Anyone who's seen it can hear 2 seconds of that soundtrack, and everyone knows which 2 seconds I'm talking about, and know it's Jaws. It won't Cure you of a fear of sharks, though.
i hear you, but the stones have been putting out mediocre to boring albums for about 40 years now and that doesnt stop them from rightfully being regarded as one of the greatest bands of all time. their peak run was really only about 10 years. same for beatles. prince. stevie wonder. U2. siouxsie and the banshees. i think if you look at all time great artists you will find that many of them really only had a 10 year run of being at the top of their game. cure had a great 10 year run up to disintegration. like the stones, they had some moments after their peak, but clearly they lost something by 1990. but i think the run they went on in the 80's and their lasting influence puts them in the discussion for one of greatest ever.
Rush is. I never bought a "The Cure" record. I remember back in the day liking some of their music when I heard it and still do. I just never understood the whole hair, make-up, and lipstick thing. I still don't. What's he trying to be? How does he identify? Is it a thing where he needs a cure? Is he like a walking metaphor for a world that needs to be cured? I dunno. Sigh.
Robert Smith grew up a huge Bowie fan and was very much inspired by him. He was kind of experimenting in the early 80’s with a character look to separate himself from who he was off stage like many do. So if you are wondering the inspiration for the look it probably originally came from Ziggy Stardust… just with black hair and dark clothes.
