Pornography

Uno de los discos más oscuros si no que le más oscuro de the cure y el que puede ser considerado como el inicio del goth me gusta las texturas que logra crear la banda aunque en momentos deprimente el discos como un todo lo considero uno de los más completos de la banda

Quizá el disco más oscuro, ambiental y gótico de the Cure.

I love it and I don’t care what that says about my mental state!!!

Why did I like lowkenuinly ascend?

I love pornography

pornography of cures represents the fall to the bottom of addiction in the problems of the mind and the brain. It represents something disgusting and rotten that you can't stop looking at.

Yessssssss

love it. very witchy, very rainy day very autumn night, very grrrr Loved it. Comd is my favourite (but i already knew it so it doesn't really count i guess)

Definitely not as easy album to listen to, but my god what a masterpiece. It creates an atmosphere that is unmatched. Would I listen to it again anytime soon? I don't know, because it goes into something dark places. But my god, for what it is trying to do it is perfext. Robert Smith, to my surprise and my partner's glee, is a genius.

Me copo

Une joie de pouvoir réécouter cet album!

The goth masterpiece. It still doesn't matter if we all die...

amazing travel to the past with an ageless sound

(notes)

One of the classic goth rock/alternative/modern rock albums and perhaps the most influential Goth Rock album to come out before 1983. Early in the career of The Cure, this was easily the most complete album they had released. Many of these tracks have become modern day standards in the Goth scene. Definitely belongs on the list. After their albums DISINTEGRATION, HEAD ON THE DOOR, and KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME, add this to the list of albums that propelled them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also notable, after the death of his real life fiancee by a drunk driver, this was the album that became James oOBarr's soundtrack while he wrote the seminal indie comic The Crow, and you can hear exactly why. Faves: Honestly, the whole album. Yes, even the cacophony in the final half of "Pornography".

Goths rule

9/10 – Great

Excelente 👌

i love pornography

Trop bien The Cure quelle ambiance de fou. Comme dirait Sydou, j'adore la pornographie !

yes.

God I love The Cure. This album is fantastic, though I will say I love Disintegration more. It’s haunting, depressing and bleak but it’s so good. I’m really going through it right now so this album probably came at a perfect time

One of my favourite albums. Love it, love it, love it.

I feel like such a fake fan of The Cure not giving this album a proper listen until now, knowing this is a favorite of many fans. On my first listen, I thought is it bad that I prefer Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me over this? But I gave the album another listen and holy shit, this slaps. I pick up on more layers the more I listen. Reminds me a bit of Joy Division. Favorite song is A Strange Day…how could I have slept on this for so long?! Honorable mentions go to One Hundred Years and the title track.

Robert Smith writing this whole ass masterpiece in the throes of depression quand j’arrive à peine à me beurrer une toast when i’m in a Mood™ is nothing short of iconic probablement mon album préféré de The Cure après Disintegration chansons préférées : Cold, The Figurehead, Pornography

Huge fan and this is widely considered their darkest output (and one of the best as well). It's doom and gloom start to finish, a front row seat to depression and self destruction. I always wondered why they titled it Pornography when there's hardly a hint of any eroticism or sensuality present. Maybe it's referencing the obscenity of excess, drowning your mental health issues with drink and drugs? In any case it's an amazing album.

really interesting work, especially for 1982. I had prevoulsy only heard The Hanging Garden on The singles lp. The other songs were equally good.

One of my favourite Cure albums. When my sister brought this home I would have been maybe 12 or 13, and the cover art, lyrics, vocal effects and backmasking made it scarier than just about anything I'd heard before. 37 years on and this still floors me - it's not one I'd put on while in a really dark place, but I think it's among the strongest collection of songs Robert Smith ever put together. One Hundred Years in particular has just about everything in it that made prime era Cure so perfect - doomy guitar tones, bleak lyrics, danceable drum machines etc.

No complaints

is da Cure so obv is perFECT

Not a big fan, vibe is off and couldn't really resonate with the setting.

Incredibly dismal, depressing... and great! I haven't listened to The Cure's earlier stuff for a while and it was good to revisit.

It's a scarlet, blood moon tonight — no lie — and it seems appropriate... Pornography is an entry in the 1001 book and The Cure's discography that is often viewed as more important (5) than it is likeable (4). And yet, being The Cure, it's still very listenable even at its most intense, complex and darkest moments. The gloomy guitar laden with effects on the opener One Hundred Years portends the dark wave on the horizon. Striking sustained notes on bass while the rhythms both programmed and performed propel the song. Even at its densest, there's a starker tension in these tracks than what you might find on other records. And while it's not like you couldn't find darkness in songs before and after, this record features some of the darkest lyrics written by Robert Smith as he confronts meaninglessness, exhaustion, failure, longing and turmoil as he teeters on the abyss and tarries with the void. Dust on the lips of a vision of hell. It's a weighty and intense record — the merlot of their discography? Hanging Garden is perhaps one of the more 'single-worthy' tracks and it's still filled with delay, layered atmospherics; this time the bass and drums are in motion together. The lyrics lean hard into gothic imagery. All of Side A is forward and confronting you while Side B retreats into itself only as a trick of the light and shadow. The more cavernous mix on The Figurehead, The Cold, and Pornography steals some of the presence of instruments in a dreary aspect, flirting with cacophony. This shift falls along the now absent fault lines of flipping a slab of vinyl. The problem has an easy cure (!); just push the volume up starting with The Figurehead. Just like you might with a black metal mix, and now you can hear that wall of sound in hell. In writing their end with this album, The Cure ultimately wrote through the ending and into something else. You can still hear the gesture of final statement in it and perhaps that's why it's been as lasting a document as it has. It might just be that in confronting meaninglessness they were able to find meaning even as friendships frayed and bruised would set like a blood moon in the darkness of the night.

Review Relentless, suffocating, and emotionally raw, this is The Cure at their bleakest and most uncompromising. It feels less like an album and more like a psychological descent set to tribal drums and reverb-soaked dread. Favorite Song “The Hanging Garden.” The pounding, ritualistic drums are hypnotic, and the tension never fully releases, which makes it addictive in a strange way. My Rating 8.8 / 10. You admire the atmosphere and commitment to darkness, even if it’s not something you’d play casually on a sunny afternoon.

bom bem bom encaixou como uma luva nesse dia 1!!

Less accessible than they'd be before and after, but no less excellent.

erm...sorry but i didn't like it that much :(( but the backgroung music it's still cool tho !!

5/5 You already know it. I'd be a fake goth if I were to rate this album any lower than 5 stars. The lyricism, messaging, musicality, it's all so cohesive and my god this shit is so depressing but so poetic. Everybody say thank you Bobbert.

Overall this a phenomenal album. Compared to their previous albums this one turns really dark and really gothic. And you can tell that straight away with the first song on this album which has got to be one of my favorite songs on this album. This album just captivates you straight away with the very dark and heavy guitar coupled with Robert Smith’s fantastic vocals.

Dense and absorbing. The tribal drums (perhaps inspired by Smith’s nascent work as a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees around this time) and picked bass lend a stark urgency to Robert Smith’s bleak lyrical visions, reinforced with swirling guitar, foreboding synths and occasional drum machine beats. Dark, moody and completely immersive, Pornography marks a distinctive musical statement and a wonderful distillation of The Cure before poppier elements entered the picture.

Thank goooodness I was finally given something great. Moody & sits on the shadowy side of music

SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!

Not Their perfect album, but definitely costed to listen to.

my favorite the cure now???????????????????????

One of the top 5 albums of the 80s. Reminds me of my old people

What a beautiful album. Such a luscious sound that is honestly one of one. Glad to finally fall in love with this band, as I've always kinda just admired them from afar. 9/10

FUCK I love being goth and depressed

I LOVE THE CURE! :3

First time hearing, but left impression!

Not my favorite of The Cure’s albums, but it has such an amazing way of launching you into a groovy, dark and probably slightly depressive atmosphere. Definitely a work of art! Can’t wait to see them on my birthday this year.

a great dark and moody album for a rainy day. also helps that it’s my dads favourite cure album. cold is one of the best cure songs imo

Dark & moody and I love it. The Cure at (almost) their finest (Disintegration is still their finest). Favorites: One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, Siamese Twins, Cold Would I listen to it again: Yes

sem palavras pra descrever.

"Two thumbs up, hippin' hilarious" - my boss who's a big Cure Fan when I asked him what I should write for this review (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

I’ve heard other songs by The Cure and loved this album

One of the earlier peaks for the Cure. Dark and deep, yet a lot of rytmic drive and Robert Smiths vocal at its best. A fantastic album!

AMAZING!!

i really like it will be listening again

Classic Cure. This is my favorite album by this band. So dark and gloomy…those drums!

Ohhh this is it. This is my type of album, the songs, the ambience is so dark and gloomy ugh my perfect type of goth 10/10

Amazing

already love this album

Top tier stuff from on of the best bands to ever do it.

179 Conocí a The cure en mi album 52 de este challenge (Seventeen seconds), le puse 5 jumbitos por ser oscuro y todo lo que esperaba de The Cure. El problema es que esto me gustó más aún, era mucho más electronicochentero y oscuro medio experimental (imagino). No me queda otra que ponerle un 5 para ser consistente.

I loved it i really do its so bland and unique 5 stars

5.0 Genre defining album (Goth) English (43:30, 8 tracks, 4th album, 1982) Goth Rock I just love this album for so many reasons, not the least being how important it was to me in Junior High School. Pornography (1982) was the final installment of The Cure's "Goth Trilogy." By 1982 the band was reportedly consuming large amounts of alcohol and drugs, living in a state of near-constant depression and internal conflict, which bled directly into the recording. After typing into YouTube “Pornography Cure” I got non-stop ads from Christian groups trying to cure me of my pornography addiction – something I’m pretty sure The Cure didn’t consider in 1982. It was annoying. I was never into the Goth (‘dark robers’) subculture or look as I was too pleased with school to be that depressed all the time but damn I loved their music. The entire album is just one nihilistic decent into depression after another. Introspective and dark – the most atmospheric of their albums – some of the best sex I’ve ever had has been to this album. If I’m drunk and with someone this is a perfect album. Someone described the sound as “Phil Spector's decent into Hell” (wall of sound). I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated Lol Tolhurst’s drumming enough. At the time, I gave all credits to Robert Smith but his drumming is just a rhythmic decent that creates impending doom. This was his last album to drum on (switched to keyboards). Without this album it’s hard to see where Dark Wave (the other side of New Wave after the death of punk) would have went. No Cure and there is no Smiths, no industrial and no shoegaze. One of the greatest lines to open an album of all time - “It doesn't matter if we all die” especially a goth album After near collapse into depression following the release, bassist Simon Gallup left the band, and the Cure switched to a much brighter and more radio-friendly new wave sound. Although it was poorly received by critics at the time of release, Pornography was The Cure's most popular album to date, reaching number eight on the UK Albums Chart. It has since gone on to gain acclaim from critics and is now considered an important milestone in the development of Goth(ic) Rock. In the words of Robert Smith, regarding the album's conception, "I had two choices at the time, which were either completely giving in [committing suicide] or making a record of it and getting it out of me". He also claims he "really thought that was it for the group. I had every intention of signing off. I wanted to make the ultimate 'fuck off' record; and then sign off [the band]". Smith was mentally exhausted during that period of time: "I was in a really depressed frame of mind between 1981 and 1982". The band "had been touring for about 200 days a year and it all got a bit too much because there was never any time to do anything else". The Cure famously never had a manager (other than Smith). Pornography is the last Cure album to feature Tolhurst as the band's drummer (he then became the band's keyboardist), and also marked the first time he played keyboards on a Cure release. The album was recorded at RAK Studios from January to April 1982. Polydor Records, the company in charge of Fiction, was initially displeased with the album's title, which it saw as being potentially off-putting and offensive. Smith said that "the reference point" for Pornography was the Psychedelic Furs' self-titled debut album, which he noted "had, like, a density of sound, really powerful". Despite the commercial performance of the album, Pornography was not well received by most music critics upon its release. Retrospective views of Pornography have been far more favorable. In 2000, Pornography was voted No. 183 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2005, Spin cited the album as a "high-water mark for goth's musical evolution". NME described Pornography as "arguably the album that invented goth". According to Apter, Pornography would prove to be "enormously influential," and has been cited as an influence by bands such as Deftones and System of a Down. While touring they started to develop their trademark image of big hair, smudged makeup and black clothes. Favorite Songs: The Hanging Garden and A Strange Day (I like, more positive like a rolling sound), I could loop this song dozens of times – best in headphones. All tracks are written by The Cure (Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Lol Tolhurst). 1. "One Hundred Years" 6:40 2. "A Short Term Effect" 4:22 3. "The Hanging Garden" 4:33 4. "Siamese Twins" 5:29 5. "The Figurehead" 6:15 6. "A Strange Day" 5:04 7. "Cold" 4:26 8. "Pornography" 6:27 Personnel Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, production, engineering Simon Gallup – bass guitar, keyboards, production Lol Tolhurst – drums, keyboards, production Don’t do drugs kids!!!

wow i love pornography

Die großen The Cure, nie wirklich intensiv gehört aber Gothic, Grufti. Wow, Gewaltig und soo düster! c

Very interesting upon first listen. When you start to pick apart the instrumentals and lyrics you'll understand the genius in this body of work

I dare say this is the closest anyone came to replicating Joy Division's *Closer" - a fact that I suspect spooked Robert Smith himself, to the point that he essentially disbanded the band and went and played in Siouxsie and the Banshees for a bit after this. Capital-G Gothic as all hell (literally - the narrator of "The Figurehead" sounds like he's telling off Beatrice from the ninth circle), positively literary in its ambition, obsessive and addictive, full of lust and guilt and shame like a Victorian penny dreadful. My best attempt at an emotional analog is Bacon's *Figure with Meat* - raw humanity splayed out in all its gory glory, simultaneously too existential to bear and too truthful to deny.

Nothing quite like this album for me - the atmosphere it creates is so bleak. Truly a goth masterpiece. 16 yr old me listened to this on repeat.

This is not for everyone, but it's for me

LOVE this album one of my favorites

The Cure is my fave band, so this is going to be a biased review from me. Pornography is not my favorite of their records, or my favorite era of the Cure…but it’s still pretty badass. Moody, atmospheric, catchy. These things mostly never changed over their career, though this record falls pretty firmly in their “goth” era. I think if I could change something about this record, I wish the drums had a bit more life to them; they sound a little thin and robotic. But I do like the record as a whole, even if I generally enjoy the live versions of these songs better than the studio recordings. Whatever. I’m just psyched that I finally got some Cure to pop up on this thing. After 200 odd days, I’ve heard half of Neil young and David Bowie and Morrissey’s catalogue, it’s nice to hear something I don’t have to suffer through. 5/5

Sure

Very short album. Very gothic, very dark and mysterious. Similar to She Wants Revenge or Siouxsie and the Banshees. Fav song is ‘Siamese Twins’.

Standouts 100 years A Short Term Effect The Hanging Garden The Figurehead Getting lost in this album was such an experience I decided to do it 3 times. Everything has so much texture. Feels like an incredibly cohesive album. His voice sounds so hopeless I hope he's okay. I much prefer this darker moodier sound than their more recent stuff. The melodies twist and turn unexpectedly while keeping the same vibe. It's so easy to get absorbed by this and watch an entire hour disappear First 5

a depressão do robertinho é palpável, amo.

Awesome album! Really good and powerful opening and closing tracks. Especially loved the drums on most of the songs. I think a lot of them could be used well in a good movie/game.

This is what it sounds like when doves cook their ass off. This perfect album is driven by drums that vibrate an interdimensional membrane open just enough with every hit. Robert Smith and co peeped beyond the veil and it made them fucking sad.

„The Hanging Garden“ & die Presingel „Charlotte Sometimes“ sind Wave in Reinkultur- Roh, Düster und Schwarz.

Insanely good. Liked every single song on this album

One of the best albums I’ve ever listened to.

was really difficult to keep jerking while i was crying, 5/5 album 1/5 pornography

This album absolutely destroys me every time I listen to it. It always has. 1 of my top 3 The Cure albums for me.

The last of The Cure’s early goth rock/post-punk outings, before they embraced a warmer, more pop-orientated sound. And it’s arguably the best of that period. One Hundred Years is an instantly intense and unsettling opener which sets the dark, unyielding tone for the rest of the record. The Hanging Garden and The Figurehead are standouts, while the closing title track is a repetitive, dissonant end to a bleak but wonderful listen. Pornography stands as one of The Cure’s best and the fact they went on to top it several times over is a testament to their greatness.

Excellent bleak atmosphere

My favorite band from my teenage years; how can I not give this album a 5? Wonderful album, never disappoints, never gets old, just becomes a classic :-D

De mis bandas favoritas de toda la vida. No puedo ser objetiva con este álbum, para mí es perfecto.

Never disappoints.

I listen to it while working out. It was a steady and balanced album. I don't have a lot of history with the cure and the song sort of sounded the same to me. Maybe because I wasn't paying attention to each Pacific song. But it had a good beat throughout and was great to work out with. Excellent background music for that purpose. I do remember some gem songs in there and I would like to go back and listen to it from start to finish again sometime.

I love 80s goth music. This album is just so ambient and sets such a scene. I am transported by the music and the album is so complete while also being so complex. Loved it!

A bleak landscape, emerging from the contemporary, psychedelic punk rock scene. Love the dizzying guitar licks and Robert Smith's howl; you can feel the existential anguish. This is a hard listen, but I would say it's necessary to help build perspective on post-war, industrialist society. Really loved this...won't listen to it again for a while ;)

Love Pornography (the Cure album)

JA DA. Lige så god som Disintegration

Possibly my favourite Cure record depending on the mood.

All Cure albums should be on here.

альбом крутйший, вайбовый и кьюр любимая группа

last song sounds what my one and only panic attack felt like. This album made me feel all kinds of ways

I LOVE The Cure and this album!

This is a 4.5 that I'm rounding up, as it is a great album through, and even though I don't think it is perfect, it still stands out today, let alone at the time it was created - a breath of something completely new and beautiful and dark and dangerous and nostalgic.

Going to be fully honest: I never dug deep into The Cure aside from their popular singles that continue to hit the airwaves and affect pop culture. So this is overdue, and a good place to start in the band for me. There's some great tone and aggression on the album: very fun listening and not at all slow or otherwise passive pop variations of some 'woe is me' stereotypes one would have of Goth music. Pornography is upbeat, ready to hug your ears with 1982's form of abrasive music. The Cure would later get lighter (less so lyrically for the most part, but certainly of this kind of sound) but I see its relevance in the 1001+ album, given how much influence that not just the band themselves had, but how this was very much postpunk inspired and how other bands can see this album of The Cure alone and mold it into their own gothic image. Great record.

Amazing album, I’ll definitely check out more of The Cure after this one.

Dark. Depressed. Lost. Beautiful.

Pornography is my second favorite The Cure album. Second only to Greatest Hits which coincidentally has no songs from Pornography on it. I always liked that The Cure was two bands, the poppy one that rose to superstardom and the dark brooding goth dudes whining about whatever. Had I been of music listening age at this time I may have accused them of selling out but I love both versions. Great stuff.

This has to be one of my favorite albums. It helped build the new-wave and darkwave sounds. the distortion and Robert Smith's voice go just so well rate: 9.5/10

There are albums that intrigue, there are albums that bore, and then there are albums that consume you whole. Pornography is the latter. The opening notes don’t just set a tone; they suffocate. It’s Paradise Lost rewritten as a post-punk requiem, a descent where the angels are gone and only hunger remains. At its core, this is music as both punishment and pleasure. It’s rough, it’s erotic in its violence, it’s the sound of needing more pain just to feel alive. There’s a narcotic quality to the repetition, the droning basslines and pounding percussion that feel claustrophobic, hypnotic, and perversely addictive. Even the cover art, blurred faces bleeding into one another, mirrors the sound within: amorphous, disorienting, a portrait of identities dissolving. Pornography is the sound of the fight lost, and the strange beauty of giving in. For anyone who has felt themselves breaking and stayed just to see where the pieces would land, this album is for you.

Moody, crunchy, beautiful

fuck i love The Cure. classic.

Always good to give a re-listen to this fantastic piece of art. Definitely requires a mood but what an album.

creatures kissing in the rain

Not the best Cure album, but the Cure is one of the best. The outlet for 80's angst.

Distorted guitars and synths, pulsing drums & Smith’s wailing vocals converge to evoke feelings of fear and despair. Not a casual listen, but a worthy one.

This is when The Cure truly grabbed me back n the day - superb album, moody as hell and quite obviously goth rock at its finest.

I had to listen to this (and Joy Division's CLOSER) sandwiched between some cheerful albums, partly because of the content and partly because of the memories of what was going on in my life when I first listened to this. Great songs, great performances, but I don't know if I could put this on my regular playlist.

Awesome

"It doesn't matter if we all die" musikhistoriens absoslut bästa öppningsrad och programförklaring i ett. Välkommen till nihilismen, paranoian, vansinnet och hopplösheten. Efter "Pornography" gick det inte att dra det längre, det är mörkare och brutalare än någon black metal kommit i närheten av. Föjldaktligen avslutas skivan med raderna "I must fight this sickness, find a cure". The Cure skulle aldrig återvända till det här ofiltrerade bråddjupet igen, man blev popigare och mer metforiska. Robert Smith har i efterhand sagt att han känner sig generad över hur han så öppenbart blottade sitt missbruk, sin depression, sitt mörker under den här perioden (Faith, Pornography och The Top) för allmän beskådan på skiva. Men det mod, det utlämnadet och med den nödvändigheten är det skapar riktigt stor konst. Soundet! Reverbet! Trummorna! En vattendelare skulle jag vilja påstå. Soundet du antingen fullkomligt älskar eller bara tycker är jobbigt. Få skivor, om ens någon, i nån form av mainstream fåra har så utmärkande och utmanande sound, allt är vridet till max. Det är ett ljud som aldrig lämnar dig ifred, gastkramande. De spöklika ekorösterna i "Short term effect", de rastlösa trummorna i "Hanging garden", den accelerande hopplöstheten i "Siamese twins", det aparta gitarrsolot i "A strange day", domedagssynten i "Cold" och det febriga obehagliga vansinnet i titelspåret. Det finns något i varje spår som sticker ut, stramar åt ens nervknutar eller tar strypgrepp pá en. Omslaget är också fantastiskt, det ser ut precis som det låter, förvridet, mardrömslikt. Såg nånstans, i samband med senaste Cure-turnén, att "The figurehead" var den mest frekvent spelade låten live efter "Play for today" genom deras karriär. Man förstår varför, den är majestätisk, en mörk gotisk katedral. Jag får fortfarande gåshud och nåt fuktigt i ögonvrån av den. Världens kanske bästa band när dom är som bäst, mästerligt! Starkast femman så här långt för mig, t.o.m. bättre än Elvis, för det här lyckas kombinera osviklig kvalitet med att oxå vara utmanande. Svårslaget! Lyssna också på The Cure - Seventeen seconds, The Cure - Faith, Pink Milk - Purple

Awesome album. Hanging garden and Siamese twins are staples of the cure

A personal favourite. Best paired with a dark room, a 3rd glass of your chosen spirit and sense of fear & dread having watched the 10 o’clock news.

5 stars, no notes, incredible. The Hanging Garden and Cold are my favorites, but the whole album is an epic immersion experience.

Perfect album.

I don't love all of The Cure's output, but this one is in the sweet spot for me. Great album with a good mix of guitar and synth.

As a long-time Cure fan, I rarely listened to Pornography, choosing instead to spend my time with their lighter, less lurid offerings. Upon revisiting, however, Pornography is a powerhouse of dark and dense atmospheres, dark lyrics, and Robert Smith's delivery is haunting. It's clear that Smith and Co. were not in a good place while writing this, and the change in direction after this album seems more necessary than ever. Still, Pornography stands as an impressive bookend to what would be their darkest era and stands as a cornerstone of the goth sub-genre. There honestly isn't a bad song on this record.

Absolutely love this, reminds me of hearing dads music growing up.

Excellent cet album toute une partie de ma jeunesse 🙏 Ô temps suspend ton vol....

Solid album, no songs that stuck out but all bangers.

Very solid

Best The Cure Album!

The Cure... really Robert Smith... and some good musicians throughout the years... despite being what i consider a "dress up" kind of band... imagine if Mr. Smith ever went out on stage dressed like a man of his actual age... lol... it simply wouldn't go over... in my opinion, The Cure were about creating a vibe or creating an atmosphere where they could play some cool music... and they always had good songs... so many danceable singles... none of which appear on this album, alas... what does appear is music that i think was influenced by them opening for Siouxsie and the Banshees... it is a very moody, ominously dark album... it's like new wave or alternative's take on a heavier sound... if you are a Cure fan, you know they started to sound a lot different after this one... more party in their game... less seriousness... anyway, back to the album... Robert Smith is a performer that NEEDS to have a matching LOOK... to sing like he does, it almost begs to have him looking a bit crazy on stage... and he does.. i've seen them live... and he is a total pro... sounds just like the records... and has BAD ASS players playing Cure music... and for the vocals, i put Robert Smith in there with David Byrne, as being a quirky, yet genius singer... a one off... unique... is it in tune? who cares? it is the perfect voice for this music... his music... the driving drum sound on this record is because of Lol Tolhurst, who actually, later, became the keyboardist... and a producer... there are NO HITS on this record... and the songs are well played and done with serious intent... and other albums by them, i'd give five stars to... and Robert Smith is a singular talent... but, for my American ear... and my taste... i give it a strong THREE stars... is it an album you must hear before you die? maybe... but is it an album you would put on repeat? aw hell no... but big respect for Mr. Smith... and i'm sure when another of "their" records shows up on the list, it will get more stars"

Brilliant, timeless and one of the best British bands ever.

I guess im just a cringe Cure megafan now. Nothing sounds like them and this is another borderline masterpiece album save for the hanging garden. Standouts are 100 years and Siamese twins 9/10

I love The Cure and this album is no exception. Goth Rock at its best. From the opening "One Hundred Years" to the closing title track "Pornography" this is The Cure at their best. Also contains their single and one of my favourite tracks by The Cure: "The Hanging Garden". 5/5

Probably my favourite cute album love the dark atmosphere and production it's so peak 9/10 Favourite: A Strange Day Least Favourite: None

An excellent encapsulation of the morose goth rock sound. Great instrumentation, slightly strange/disturbing lyrics, and songwriting that is a constant, dirge-like, brooding trudge. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

One of the bleakest album I know.

Magnificient. This cured me after all the horrible albums I got on this list.

Hey, it's The Cure after all. It's dark, it's cold, it's fantastic.

I used to have some weird disconnection with The Cure's music. Well, Pornography fixed it. Musically, it's so far my favourite album of theirs. I love how immersive it is. The Cure drag you into their dark, murky vision for 43 minutes and make you enjoy the ride. Distorted guitars, haunting slow drums, lots of bass and synth layers, and the way it's all produced makes the album feel raw and, in a way, more real. The imagery they paint here is quite nightmarish without being gruesome, and fits the sound well. It's music for feverish dreams, depression, mystic thrillers, or my everyday playlist. Very lovely. Not a song I didn't like on the tracklist, but my heart goes to the never-ending riff in The Figurehead.

too goated.

Experiencia sonorada necesaria

Too busy playing RE4 but I this one is good, one of their best but not my fave, will re-write later

It's Robert Smith, the icon. Baby bats unite!

Great album front to back.

I wasn't exactly expecting this to still be so good, but it's still SO good. I think I actually enjoy the rawness of it a little more than disintegration? But like damn near every track is good here.

In my mind, this was an album I already knew and it was 100% a 4. After finding myself listening to it four times yesterday I had to change my mind. I was really able to appreciate the background stuff, like the bass and the low end sound effects, in a way I feel I did not before. Gained a new appreciation for this fantastic piece today.

Pretty good emo music

Uh… yeah

i forgot how great this album is. so dark, so dingy, so scary, yet so tender, so melancholic, so lovely. amazingly goth deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely

You know when you’re just curious and decide to try something a bit darker, a bit heavier than what you’re used to? You think, how bad can it be? You dim the lights, put it on, and suddenly boom you’re in deeper than expected. You’re sweating a little. It’s intense. It's not exactly fun in the traditional sense, but you’re strangely compelled to keep going. There's this primal throb underneath it all, and by the time you're halfway through, you're like, “This is messed up... but maybe I’m into it?” The pacing is relentless. It doesn’t give you room to breathe. It keeps whispering in your ear with those muffled voices and echoey moans, dragging you from one shadowy corner to the next. You might feel ashamed at first, like you shouldn’t enjoy something this grim or twisted... but then, somewhere around track four, you surrender. It’s hypnotic. Filthy, yes but sort of beautiful in its own tortured way. The kind of thing you wouldn’t admit to your mum you listened to, but deep down you know it’s exactly what you needed. And just when you think it can’t get any more depraved, it reaches that final climax and leaves you lying there, a bit broken, a bit confused, and totally wrung out. Five stars, no question. One of the Best The Cure albums ever

4.5

Honestly so great 5/5

Immediate thought. Oh so this is where Brandon Flowers got his ideas. Brilliant discovery.

The best album. Full stop.

Great. Just great!

These might be the best drums on any album ever. And the band invented goth girls. Easy 5 stars.

Great dark album, one of their best

iconic

I wanted to hate on it but the more I listened the more I loved it. The drums and synths are the stars here. It's a VIBE. I can't take it overly seriously but I don't think Robert Smith is either. It's cropped up in my rotation a few times now since my first list. Glad I waited to give a rating.

Very good at the vibe it creates

The atmosphere is actually incredible, the effects on the drums, guitars and vocals just make everything so dark and gloomy in a perfect way. I'm coming at this from hearing pretty much every cure album before including this one, but I don't know this one too well. Obviously his vocals are amazing, probably the best frontman/vocalist/guitarist of this era (/ever?), they fit the instrumentals so well, while still not entirely being totally lifeless and gloomy. The lyrics are also really creative and surreal. I feel like from knowing what the albums after this sound like, this is much more atmospheric than albums like head on the door or kiss me kiss me kiss me, as those are much more pop inspired, not at all for the worse though. This is atmospheric a lot like their latest album, however this is a bit more raw, and less overproduced, which I think generally pays off better. Absolutely no downsides at all, the more experimental songs like the last one are sitll amazing in my opinion. Its totally impossible to rank this in their discography for me as they are all amazing for totally different ways. Favourite songs: all of them. Overall around 9/10

Kenn ich und lieb ich.

Raw unsdulterated the cure, fantastic.

LOVE

Wowee! :)

An original classic!!

Great album. Wasn't a huge fan of the cure but this has some tracks I'd never heard before

me after the slightest inconvenience

The more desperate and depraved, the better The Cure.

esse tá no meu top 10 da vida facim facim quem não sentiu desespero completo e uma completa falta de perspectiva e vontade de viver (mesmo tendo uma vida muito ok) nos 10 primeiros segundos de one thousand years é maluco

pior que to escutando bastante esse recentemente, papo de 3 vezes por semana. achei bizarríssimo ter saído aqui, to me sentindo espionado DITO ISSO fantástico demais. pra mim, isso aqui eh o AUGE musical da banda, tem jeito não. o resto é bom (e alegre) demais também, mas esse aqui tem o gostinho amargo da depressão daquele naipe. a strange day é das melhores músicas do MUNDO fi!!

5,0 De maneira impecável, extraordinária, virtuosística e embasbacante pra mim pelo menos

Album fantastico. Sou fã do Cure, fui ao show deles do primavera 2023. Foi massa. Esse nao é meu disco favorito deles mas ainda assim o amo. Impenetravel, denso, sólido. Analogo a um muro imenso coberto por arame farpado. Adoro a percussao espersa e trancada. Os vocais irracionais. As guitarras casadas com os sintetizadores no seu senso mais Krautrockiano possivel. A estetica sonora desse disco é inconfundivel e incomparavel, fria e gélida, a evolucao natural da trilogia escura da banda, junto de Seventeen Seconds e Faith. Esse disco é vastamente superior ao resto da trilogia, nem da pra comparar, amadureceram muito... E angustiaram muito para chegarem nesse som e nesse conteudo lirico. Esse disco se destaca muito na discografia da banda. Nao tem absolutamente nada pop aqui, diferente dos outros albuns deles. Ele é consistentemente gloomy do comeco ao fim. As vezes é dificil digerir isso e eu entendo que nao é pra todo mundo, mas quando ele funciona, ele funciona muito bem. Excelente. Consistente. I must fight this sickness. 5/5

This record fights thru early 80s production and creates a dark, heavy, sulfuric fog of atmospheric Coldwave. This was peak Cue of course as they were able to sell out after this. But kudos for holding out and completing this masterpiece.

Ner i källarhålet!

Back in the early 80s, I kind of disliked the generally morose feel of The Cure's Faith and Pornography albums. I had (and still have) Seventeen Seconds on vinyl, and like that very much. When Pornography came up, I was interested to revisit the album. And...I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was with a clearer understanding of the situation Robert Smith was in when the album was made. But like I say I really enjoyed it and I can see where it slots into the post-punk music scene of the early 1980s.

Okay, The Cure might be one of my top 5 favourite artists of all time after this. This was amazing.

I really wasn’t expecting to like The Cure so much. I had never listened to them before starting this list and I have to say they are one of the bands that I’m the most won over by. There’s so much good music on this list that a lot of the bands that only have one album on the list kinda get lost in the shuffle when you are listening to a full length album everyday. But both of The Cure’s albums that have popped up for me have been stunning. Like production and music is haunting and emotional. The whole sound of the band is so original and uniquely them, even though I could see someone criticizing it for sounding very contemporary for the time (it does have that inherent “80s” sound) but it works so well juxtaposed against how bright and colorful people seem to remember the 80s being. Honestly I really struggled with what to rate this cause I almost never seem to be in the mood for sour and sad music. But if that’s what you’re in the mood for this album hits like heroine.

cara, eu gostei demais

I was sad when this ended. Though to be honest I was sad when it started too.

Definitely one of the best of The Cure. I heard the later The Cure for influence of a older cousin when I was a young Teenager. I missed the first albums because I was a baby at the time. This album brought a better understanding why they were considered the most important gothic band at the time. Knowing that Robert Smith planed to commit suicide after the album chocked me, but somehow let me think how powerful, and of course painful, depression can be for the art.

A great album. I listened to it twice straight away. 5/5

Best ever

big mood

WE STAY WINNING one hundred years- 9 a short term effect- 7 hanging garden- 7 siamese twins- 9 figurehead- 7 or 8 a strange day- 7 or 8 cold- 8 or 9 pornography- 8 or 9 very atmospheric, even feeling foreboding or crushing at some points. album to lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling to

5 PORNOGRAPHY IS THE BEST ALBUM EVERRR fave songs: one hundred years, a short term effect, the figurehead, cold, pornography

Interesting rock/new wave kind of music

who hurt bobert 💔

Literal dream sex goth synth pop top tier sadness magic - ticks all the boxes and more

One of my top 5

Goth rock has never been my thing but this may be the album to push me over the edge. Wonderfully produced.

4.5/5

Second only to Disintegration. Classic

Moody

This was a dark, epic album that I really enjoyed. The whole thing builds in a really interesting way. Loved it!

could i write poetry to this? Y

The Cure are one of my favourite bands. Fabulous album. Great songs.

Absolute classic

obviously ik this isnt the only multilayered music ever made where each layer is like this distinct and clear thing creating a Symphonic effect, maybe not even with this set of elements (i suppose the general sonic setup isnt entirely uncommon for post punk), but also fuck man, i kinda feel like nothing else sounds like this regardless. or at least nothing else produces the same effect...surreal but precise, intuitive but cold, nightmarishly sad but baroquely beautiful, falling apart but literally everything is in exactly the right place. idk. theres some chemistry between Clear Construction and Freeflowing Feeling here that at least right now feels unique. also just loaded with a bunch of songs that are Slightly the best song ever. cure discog dive from me Sometime im sure

Moody and atmospheric, but with more post-punk elements than their later albums. Personally, I love the mix of both and thoroughly enjoyed this album.

Thematic echoes And boldly contrasting drums Add to eerie rock

God I love this album. The dramatic lyrics are a perfect match for Robert Smith's voice and framed beautifully by dreamy and dark melody. There will never be a moment where this album isn't cool. Just place me in a dark cave filled with bats and let me listen over and over.

It's fucking Pornography. What else needs to be said? (You can tell I'm so not used to reviewing albums in a while lmao) 10/10

The Cure at their darkest. No longer the angst of Seventeen Seconds or the dull and grey depression of Faith - this album is angry. With very little use of hi-hat and cymbals, the drums feel tribal and drive the relentless gloom. One of my favourite aspects of this album is the cohesiveness. Of all the albums I know, this is the only one where I feel all tracks equally belong. Nothing feels out of place, and yet each track is quite unique - truly a masterpiece of an album. As for album covers, this isn't usually The Cure's strength, especially post-Wish (except Songs Of A Lost World, that cover is great and deserves a longer explanation). Anyhow, Pornography's cover is superb and really catches the despair. It is worth noting that Damnation A.D. did a metal cover of the album, complete with their own great remix of the cover. Further comments on each track: 1 - One Hundred Years Doesn't waste any time by opening with "It doesn't matter if we all die". Second only to Plainsong in terms of Cure album openers. 2 - A Short Term Effect "With teeth of madness jump, jump, ..." is so satisfying. 3 - The Hanging Garden The best drums on the album. The "fall, fall, fall, fall" and "as the animals die" parts are so good. 4 - Siamese Twins "I chose an eternity of this" - wow, great opening. Like many Cure songs, the lyrics aren't explicitly clear, but the presumed theme of 2 people in a (not healthy) relationship is done very well. 5 - The Figurehead A dirty song ("I can never be clean again"). "I laughed in the mirror for the first time in a year" also hits really hard here. Supposedly has shared themes of love from Siamese Twins. 6 - A Strange Day Gives a strong sense of not belonging - feeling disconnected from the real world and drowning. It is as if there is a fog covering the senses. "Move slowly through the drowning waves". 7 - Cold The organ is done so well. Continues from A Strange Day with a sense of drowning, but now frozen and can no longer move. 8 - Pornography In a twist of events, this is actually the most positive track, ending with "I must fight this sickness, find a cure. I must fight this sickness". The distorted vocals really push confusion and desperation for the first half (lyrics don't come in until 3:15 halfway through, there's no rush on this track). The distorted vocals come back at the end to round off the track nicely. I have to say, I really enjoy the sudden positive glimmer of hope at the end of the closing track. It is one of my favourite parts of the album.

Review from my first listen last year: “Need to listen a few more times to digest, but liked it!” I’ve since listened to it front to back like 15 times, and played “One Hundred Years” and “The Figurehead” even more. So…yeah, great album, better with every listen. Not my favorite of theirs but still top tier

GOATED

I hear "goth rock" get tagged onto a lot of different albums - but this by far is the most goth rock goth rock album I've ever heard. Drenched in reverb, sorrow, dread, and unease - it feels like such a contrast to the warm, coziness of The Cure's 'Disintegration'. And while it's not as vibrant or luscious as that album, it's certainly more consistent. I love that tribal drum pattern and picked bassline driving the song 'The Hanging Garden' - the rhythm section of this album is consistently tight and clean - filled with reverb snares and melodic basslines. The guitars, on the other hand, feel intangible - there are certainly hints of riffs here, especially with the haunting opener 'One Hundred Years', but most of the time they sound like faint memories and unwelcoming swellings. They're blurry - kind of like this cover. My favorite song from an instrumental standpoint is 'A Strange Day' with that riff in the instrumental break. I also love the inclusion of the eerie sample that opens up the noise and industrial-esque closing title track. But the thing that drew me in the most on this album was the imagery. Here Smith generally paints love as this super unpleasant disease, like the complete opposite of a song like 'Lovesong' that would come later in the Cure's discography. Everything here feels dreadful and ugly - an atmosphere only elevated by the drug-induced visions that occasionally crop up. A song like 'Siamese Twins' has these images of writhing and worms eating skin in a song about something supposedly beautiful and enjoyable - sex. But he paints this as an ugly, humiliating act, to an almost horror-like degree. Another example is 'The Figurehead' in which Smith talks about being unable to sleep, and with maybe the most extreme example here on the closing title track, he goes into these homicidal utterings. "One more day like today and I'll kill you" ... sick. This is an album that delves into the schizophrenic mascarades of love. Smith feels it's all fake, hence the name 'Pornography'. This album sounds like the beginning of calamity, an imminent destruction too huge for anyone to comprehend - a destruction sourced from one's undying love, and simultaneous hate, for another.

The dark atmosphere is impeccable. The synths are cool, and the drumming seems to add another dimension to the music.

Il y a des disques qui sont des fêtes, des invitations à la danse, des célébrations de la vie. Et puis il y a "Pornography". "Pornography", ce n'est pas un disque, c'est un abîme, un trou noir sonore qui menace de vous aspirer l'âme et de ne jamais vous la rendre. Sorti en 1982, en pleine explosion de la new wave colorée et synthétique, l'album de The Cure a l'effet d'une porte de crypte qui grince et qui s'ouvre au milieu d'une rave party. C'est un monument de noirceur, un monolithe de désespoir qui, plus de quarante ans après, n'a rien perdu de sa puissance de frappe. Quand je l'ai découvert, j'étais adolescent. Le genre d'adolescent qui pense que la vie est une tragédie insurmontable car une fille lui a refusé une danse à la boum du collège. J'écoutais Joy Division en pensant avoir touché le fond de la déprime et puis je suis tombé sur "Pornography" et j'ai compris ce que le mot "fond" voulait vraiment dire. Ce disque m'a regardé droit dans les yeux et m'a dit : "Tes petits malheurs, mon gars, c'est de la pisse de chat. Viens voir ce que c'est, la vraie angoisse." "Pornography" c'est la pièce maîtresse d'une longue discographie et, plus précisément, le point final et culminant de leur "période noire". C'est le dernier volet du triptyque de la désolation commencé avec la grisaille minimaliste de "Seventeen Seconds" et poursuivi avec la beauté glaciale et funèbre de "Faith". Si les deux premiers étaient des descentes progressives dans la mélancolie, "Pornography" est le grand plongeon final, la tête la première, dans la folie et le néant. L'album s'ouvre sur une phrase qui résume tout : "It doesn't matter if we all die". "Ça n'a pas d'importance si on crève tous". Le ton est donné, pas de faux-semblants, pas de poésie pour adoucir la pilule. On est là pour en chier, et Robert Smith va s'en assurer. L'histoire raconte que le groupe était en pleine implosion. Smith, dépressif, paranoïaque, gavé de drogues et d'alcool, ne voyait que deux issues : le suicide ou ce disque. Il a choisi la deuxième option, et a accouché d'un exorcisme d'une violence inouïe. Le son de "Pornography" est une expérience en soi. C'est une attaque sonore, une suffocation. La batterie de Lol Tolhurst, est martiale, froide, implacable. Ce ne sont pas des rythmes, ce sont des coups de boutoir, un pilonnage tribal et hypnotique qui vous ancre au sol. La basse de Simon Gallup, omniprésente et menaçante, n'est pas là pour accompagner, elle est là pour hanter. Elle gronde, elle rampe, c'est la mélodie du malaise. Et par-dessus, les guitares de Smith. Des nappes de son distordues, noyées dans le flanger et le chorus, qui créent un mur de bruit blanc, un vortex sonore à la fois terrifiant et étrangement magnifique. C'est sans aucun doute leur album le plus difficile d'accès. Il n'y a pas de single évident, pas de refrain à chantonner sous la douche. Des morceaux comme "One Hundred Years" ou la chanson-titre sont des voyages de huit minutes dans la démence, des expositions brutes de désir, de sexe, de violence et de mort. C'est un disque noir, malsain, torturé et profondément déprimant. Et pourtant... Et pourtant, c'est un chef-d'oeuvre absolu. Parce qu'au milieu de ce chaos, il y a une beauté terrible, la beauté de l'honnêteté la plus totale. C'est le son d'un homme et d'un groupe au bord du gouffre qui décident de tout lâcher, de tout balancer sans le moindre filtre. C'est viscéral, c'est authentique, et c'est ce qui le rend si puissant. C'est un disque qui fait mal, mais qui, paradoxalement, peut aussi faire du bien. C'est le compagnon idéal des nuits sans sommeil, le seul ami qui comprend vraiment quand tout part en vrille. Il ne vous dit pas que ça va aller mieux. Il vous dit "je sais", et parfois, c'est tout ce dont on a besoin. C'est un 5 sur 5. Sans la moindre hésitation. Un 5/5 pour l'un des piliers du mouvement cold wave et gothique. Un 5/5 pour l'un des albums les plus courageux et intransigeants des années 80. Et un 5/5 pour ce qui reste, à mon humble avis de vieux con, comme le sommet absolu de la carrière de The Cure. Car ensuite, ils feront des disques plus populaires, plus accessibles, peut-être même plus "beaux" au sens classique du terme. Mais ils ne feront jamais plus un disque aussi essentiel, aussi VRAI que "Pornography". Un classique terrifiant et indispensable.

"It doesn't matter if we all die," setting the tone in One Hundred Years. The drums sound mechanical, the guitars a little dissonant, the atmosphere is beyond dystopian. This is a ruined world. On The Hanging Garden, relenteless drums bash us into oblivion. And yet, the bass riff is catchy. Siamese Twins is ponderous, the bass again driving things forward. There's a prettiness here amongst the desolation. A Strange Day is something approaching hopeful sounding, the guitars sparkling, bass rumbling along. The title track does little to improve the mood though. Eight dark anthems for depressive moments.

I don't need to listen to this but I will, on repeat for the rest of the day 🖤

So sad today. Poor Bob.

potentially best album of The Cure

One of their very best. 4.5/5, will round it up to 5 on the site.

When I was given this for Christmas at 15 I'd heard the Boys Don't Cry comp, The Top and The Head on the Door. None of which prepared me for this black pit of a record. At first I recoiled like from a first ever nibble of a brussel sprout. But I persevered because it felt like the grown up thing to do and my body was telling me I needed some greens as well as chocolate... um I mean my moody teenage self felt the draw of Pornography's gloomy black heart and it soon became a favourite. Ho! Ho! Ho!

The darkest album I’ve ever heard. When I listened to it for the first time, I was inspired to write three poems. I still remember that evening in December, alone in my room, crying and writing. It was an unforgettable experience

There were a few early songs by The Cure that I used to enjoy, like "A Forest" for example, which used to get a lot of play in goth clubs back in the 80s. But I never really clicked with their albums, and by the time they were singing about "Love Cats" I had totally lost any interest I might have once had. But I always has a sneaky suspicion I was missing out on something, and when I got "Disintegration" a while back, I actually quite enjoyed it. But it still didn't click with me. I think I gave it 4 stars and planned to listen to it again, but never got around to it. I wish I had listened to this album first, as this was finally the missing piece of the puzzle. After playing this through twice back-to-back, I went and listened to Disintegration again, and this time everything fell into place. Seems this is a 5-star album for me, even though it's derivative in places, and the start feels a bit weaker than the end.

Yes

good ass rock. angsty and dark, music that I would walk down the stairway to hell with

The Cure is a favorite of mine and this album is no exception.

Incredible!

I was not tracking with everyone’s general take that this album was depressing until the last song. It tipped me over the edge, but on the whole, I would say dark and heavy more than depressing. I’d throw in impressive as well.

Well, considering I started rewatching What We Do In The Shadows on the same day I was given the best Gothic Rock album, I’d say we’re well in out way to spooky season in style. Pornography is just a masterpiece, a dense, claustrophobic and expansive sounding mixture of tribal pounding drums, thunderous bass and knotted twisting guitar lines. I mentioned that in my Disintegration review that that album is very urban sounding, the Gothic liminal spaces of empty office buildings and suburban streets lit by dim street lamps and neon. In contrast, Pornography is Gothic in a more traditional sense, bringing to mind the isolation of desolate moors, dense forest or, scariest of all, the recesses of your own mind. Ooh, I am going to have a fun autumn

I love the cure

Great band, genre and album!

The Cure is one of my favorite groups. This album is perfect.

Listening to this is like traveling through time, back to my freshman year of high school. It’s 1984 and I’m riding the BART train into San Francisco with my friends, listening to this cassette tape on my Walkman. My best friend lent it to me, told me I have to check out this cool band. It changed me, changed who I thought I was and made me something different. It shaped the way I thought about music and opened new doors, brought new friends, made my heart beat different.

Fuck yes, finally something good. The Cure are simply fantastic and this is easily one of their best. It's so dark and moody, yet also has such a sense of intensity and urgency, while still being super sad and emotional, like much of The Cure's music is.

Hanging Garden is a classic. But also this whole album is a mood and I love the Cure, this them at their most goth… I’m just going 4.5+ with it as an old fan.

I was not enjoying the other "The cure" albums from the list so much since they are too strange for me, but this one was wow! I think I finally got it, and now I should re-listen the two other ones that I rated with 3 stars. 5 stars to compensate. The essence of what I can understand as post-punk.

Probably one of the best Goth Rock albums I've ever heard. One Hundred Year and The Hanging Garden top most playlists and compilations of the genre. A curious fact is that I had never heard this entire album from start to finish in the sequence of tracks in which it was released. However, I already knew all the songs, precisely because they appear on all Goth Rock playlists. And in fact: they work much better together and in this sequence. Excellent Album!

The right music for a sad day. I hope you don't often feel like listening to it.

Ez

Until Disintegration, this was Cure's best album. Straight from the off, you hear with 100 Years that there is anger and energy in a more focussed direction than on the more whimsical singles that had got Smith & Co to this point. The Hanging Gardens is just sublime as the album builds to a rhythmic crescendo of chaos and anger. Very dark. Very excellent.

Saying this & other Cure albums are depressing is a surface level view and misses the point. They cathartic.

Cool

Pivotal album the the goth rock era. Can't say it without this album being mentioned in the same sentence. Music is dark, sad, and the lyrics are pained. This is the soundtrack to depression but in a way that's great, shows there are others who feel what you do and you are not alone. This album saved people.

This album exudes such a haunting aura that just can’t be matched. The songs are put together in such an odd way that creates a feeling of uneasiness. Cold is one of if not my favorite Cure song. Just perfection. Easily the band’s best work besides Disintegration

I’m a fan of the Cure and have always loved this album. It was great to listen to it again, however I’m not a moody teen anymore so it’s a different perspective. Disintegration led me to Wish (which remains one of my favorite albums to this day) which led me to try to get my hands on anything the Cure had to offer including this album and I still love it!

I'm so excited for my goth phase. I'm going to be so good at it. I'm thinking I'll have it when I'm in my 60s so I'll really know my stuff.

Oh man, after the train wreck of the Dion album I had to listen to yesterday, I was so happy to see this in my queue (not that I don't listen to it monthly at a minimum anyway). I'm a Cure stan, so I can't really be objective about this album, but it's incredible. This era of The Cure was part of an insanely prolific period in Robert Smith's life. In a span of 2-3 years he would make this album, become a Banshee, work on side project The Glove with Steve Severin, and release The Top, which is essentially a Smith solo album under The Cure name. To be that prolific he was destroying himself. Too many drugs, nonstop work, no sleep. The end of the Pornography world tour would see the band break up as the powder keg finally exploded. Everyone thought The Cure was finished. (Fun story: They actually tried to quit in the middle of the tour. After Robert and Simon got into a fist fight, they both bailed and went home. Robert's father told him people had paid money for tickets and ordered him to go back and finish the tour.) So, to say that the band, and Robert especially, were not in a great mental space going into this album is an understatement. And it's clear from every aspect of the album. This album is dark and discordant and hopeless in all the best ways. The drums are relentless, as if marching toward death. The guitar and bass parts are dirgy and wailing. The lyrics are a horror show of depression, nihilism, self-hatred, and fear. Robert said he wrote the album to purge his mind of his darkest thoughts so he wouldn't kill himself. And yet, there's still some beauty in it (I think). I know a lot of people find it noisy and unpleasant to listen to, but that's not the case for me. I think there are still great melodies here—The Hanging Garden, Siamese Twins, A Strange Day, Cold, to name a few. There's experimentation with sound and effects (Short Term Effect, Cold, Pornography). The album even ends on a defiantly optimistic note—"I must fight this sickness and find a cure." Sure, it's a little cheesy, but these dudes were barely 21-22 years old at the time and really going through it. This is probably Lol Tolhurst's greatest contribution to The Cure as drummer. Simon Gallup is the coolest bass player there is. And Robert Smith is an iconoclast, a modern-day poet, and a way better guitarist than he gets credit for. Also, shoutout to Phil Thornalley for producing this album—you know, the guy most known for writing "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia! It's tempting to want to downgrade my rating a bit knowing that their magnum opus was still to come (and that Disintegration is still out there lurking in this list somewhere)—but I won't. 5/5 Favorite songs: Siamese Twins, A Strange Day, The Figurehead

A devastatingly dark and beautifully bleak album. Robert Smith is an incredible, somehow underrated songwriter. These songs paint pictures of internal struggle, depression, addiction. The heaviness of the bass, melancholy melodies of the guitars, and Smith’s yearning vocal performances come together in haunting synergy throughout the record. Famously created with heavy drug consumption, it’s surprising cohesive and rarely indulgent. Like the best albums it’s greater than the sum of its parts: it demands to be listened to front to back. Probably not a record for everyone, but for anyone attracted to the Cure’s musical aesthetic it is incredible, perhaps only bested by Disintegration in their discography.

Dark and phenomenal.

5 star!

i’ve never heard an album that successfully created such a dark and disturbing sound like this one. i’ve heard albums where people try, but it usually ends up sounding really stupid and trying too hard to be edgy. the use of organs and timpani’s in the track “cold” is amazing. they were really thinking outside of the box to get the vibe of this album perfect.

God damn, that final trio of songs 'Strange Day' / 'Cold' / 'Pornography' is just unbelieveable. I'm so glad that it's not just albums after this one that are included by The Cure, since this early work of theirs was amazing. Almost unbearbly dark and soul-crushing, but also some of the best post-punk you'll hear.

An influential masterpiece that needed time to build it's legacy.

It’s The Cure. What more could you want.

Profundamente denso, quando a música desperta todas as sensações em que o clima pesado torna-se viciante.

Pornography is one of the all time greatest goth rock album. Despite not reaching the highs of some of The Cure's later albums, I love how dark and cold this album is. 100 years and Cold are easily the best tracks on this album. I also really like how most of the album has this machine like drumming that almost sounds industrial. My only issue with this is album is that the middle does drag a little bit due to the tone and tempo being the same for majority of the tracks. Low 5.

The Cure at their most nihilistic and gothic. When Yasi Salek said that this album being in your Spotify Wrapped should be grounds to initiate a wellness check, I find it hard to disagree with that assessment. To me, this album represents a pinnacle of a certain approach and style the band truly mastered before moving on to different, poppier, but no less affecting fare. While my preference is for the heavy hitters of that era (Disintegration, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me), the power of this album is desperate, dark, and undeniable. Rating: 4.5/5 Favourites: One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, The Figure Head, A Strange Day

“It doesn’t matter if we all die”. That is the first thing Robert Smith says on Pornography. And what I way to start your fucking album. My first introduction to The Cure was on Halloween last year, where I heard Seventeen Seconds. A perfect album for a day like that. I really loved it. But I didn’t know how varied their sound would get from album to album. Little did I know what I was in for. Because that first line really reflects the tonal shift. This is intense. And that intensity is felt quickly. We have left behind the thick fog drowning out a rural village in Spain that Seventeen Seconds inhabited. This is heavy. This is brooding. This is dark. Not hazy, but sinking like a bottomless pit. There is less of a focus on rich, chorus soaked guitars, which means Robert feels way more present. And his voice has this ghastly undertone. Like a man who has witnessed the end of the world, and can do nothing but write down his thoughts. The one song I want to bring focus to is the titular closing track. From a pure music standpoint, it does the least to keep things interesting, especially considering it’s one of the longest songs on the album. But its haunting atmosphere and minimalism is a real expression of emotions. This is an album fueled by drugs, depression, and the fear of everything coming to an end for the band. And this song sets that fuel ablaze and burns it all away, and takes the darkness of The Cure with it. Rating: 9/10

Another classic from The Cure. Pure atmosphere from start to finish.

It was weird but fun

I loved every minutes of this. Wow what a sound! Atmospheric and beautiful!

If I were to describe myself using albums, this would be in my top ten. This is peak 80s goth eventhough Robert Smith hates that label. Whatever, Goth Grandad. This is spectacularly dark & rhythmic with some of the best guitar playing of the genre. One Hundred Years is my black SUV's theme song (yeah, I'm one of those weirdos that christened my car & named her Morticia) and I'll blast it as often as I can while driving. The Hanging Garden and A Strange Day are my other favorites, and I could listen to this album on repeat & find something new. Pornography, The Head on the Door, and Disintegration are my favorites of the band. And if you're a fan, do yourself a favor and read Lol Tolhurst's book, Goth. This gets a perfect 5 from me.

Bleak. Brilliant.

What is this filth?!! Imagine finding pornography on my phone this morning?!? I need a cure...ok I'll stop this record is flawless 11 stars!

pretty cool

a perfectly realized artifact that spawned a million sad imitations

This album holes up, and Cara is truly one of the most unique alternative fans of its generationLo

Il mio album preferito dei Cure senza alcun dubbio. Spettacolare

Can't complain

A true Goth-classic. Dark, atmospheric and beautiful.

A pretty unlistenable, tough album that paved the way for a lot of dark ambient and gothy music - I'm definitely a fan.

IN THE HANGING GARDEN PLEASE DON'T SPEAK!

The album is a masterpiece Epic.

Pornography is an earworm of perfectly crafted Gothic Rock songs. Robert Smith works as a perfect vessel for all these songs. His vocals tear through every song to perfection. These songs were made with him in mind. What a man! What a performer!

The Cure at their most misanthropic and self-loathing. Absolute darkness from beginning to end. In anyone else's hand this would come across as ham-handed or cartoonish, but after Seventeen Seconds and Faith, The Cure were adepts at this style. While "Cold" may earn the title of most Gothic track ever, it's "Siamese Twins" which wallows in the most misery: "Dancing in my pocket Worms eat my skin She glows and grows With arms outstretched Her legs around me… In the morning I cried Leave me to die You won’t remember my voice I walked away and grew old You never talk We never smile I scream You’re nothing I don’t need you any more You’re nothing" Hard to believe this is the same band who would write "Just Like Heaven" a few years later.

i love the cure

all time fave

Lovely stuff!

pretty good

I love The Cure whether it's the darker faire like this or the more radio friendly stuff. I don't play this one more than say, Disintegration or The Head On The Door but it's still excellent. Obviously a 5.

second favorite cure record and it’s still an absolute banger

Instant 5. My favorite Cure album... the dark brooding pained vocals and music are immediately compelling. A Short Term Effect and A Strange Day stand out, but the first 6 tracks all make but Cure Greatest Hits list. Love this album.

Þetta er nú meiri helvítis snilldin! Mjög auðvelt að heyra tenginguna milli The Cure og Kælunnar miklu.

Probably my fave cure album, the last gasp af angst before the pop takeover

good

Meni najbolji the cure ujedno i najsjebaniji😄

Flera låtar som jag aldrig hört förut. En alldeles fantastisk platta är det i alla fall.

More or less everything the Cure brought out before 1990 is 5 star (afterwards, it is 2-3 star). This album is from 1982 so it is 5 star. Atmosphere over songs. Belongs to the sequence 17 Seconds - Faith - Pornography so the other two albums should be on the list too.

my god do i love the cure. but disintegration is still better.

One of my wife's favorite albums gets played pretty regularly in our house

I’ve always been a fan of the Cure. Great album.

Classique PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREF: RIEN

Dank , dreary and depressing. A solo exploration of what it was like to be of an age where the crushing realisation of responsibility was approaching. Not my thing but appreciated the fragile beauty of the melodies.

I don’t think that there’s another album that I was so sure that was going to be on this list that I had never heard before. “Like Lou Reed’s Berlin and David Bowie’s Low, it’s an album that requires a few years of music history to pass in order to be appreciated.” That’s mighty high praise. Seems accurate.

I really enjoy The Cure when they are new wavy and poppy but I especially love them when they are dark, psychedelic and a little scary.

好听

Simply one of the best albums by one of the best bands.

The Cure decided \"we make long dreary songs, so let's only put on a few to be less cumbersome\" and, frankly it worked.

Oh boy, it's gonna be one of those kinds of days... I love The Cure but I haven't spent a lot of time with this whole album. To prepare I decided to start with "Charlotte Sometimes" since that was the single that preceded the album but didn't make it on. Great track, you can feel the angst and sorrow emanating from it. Excited to dive in... UPDATE: This was a truly phenomenal record! I think I'm going to go right through a second time. The way the final track unravels, you could call THIS album "Disintegration." Everything is just so dark yet vibrant, very much a haunted record. The beat for One Hundred Years is subtle yet oppressive; it really drags you right into the uneasiness of the guitars and lyrics. UPDATE 2: I listened to this album three times today. Love it! Definitely my favorite The Cure record.

Pure ecstasy. Not a dull moment here, this album paints a very bleak picture throughout. Probably my favourite Cure album, or close against Disintegration. Favourite Tracks: All Overall Grade: 5/5

The original emo rock group. Hadn’t heard any of these tracks! Awesome!

Ten stars for a masterpiece.

5*. Just what this lost needed

Moody, dark. Rhythmic drumming that you feel in your body. Easy to listen to, I like this one.

Oh, so you think YOU'RE depressed? You've got nothing on this.

Very dark and atmospheric, nothing like what you would expect from the more mainstream, pop like songs that the cure later released. That being said this is still probably my favourite Cure album and definitely deserves its place

Love