Pornography

Spooky as always

The Cure is always good but I'm starting to think they're rarely great. 4 albums and counting on this list! Wild.

Neh

Bit hard to access on first listen. Might try again...

It's okay, not a huge fan of the Cure anyway, but struggled to find much to come back to.

Try Disintegration, it is better!

Ehhh it's fine. Really middle of the road stuff. Don't really remember much about it.

Pretty good. Not compelling, but I'm not really a Cure guy.

I’m supposed to love it. I didn’t.

Some standard Cure, Rob is in good voice.

I wanted to rate this higher, there were great moments on this album, but it just didn't come together for me as a whole.

Kolejny Curowy pick na liscie, tym razem legendarna pornografia z 82, ktora jest czwartym studyjnym krazkiem bandy, nagrwany w ekskluzywnym skladzie trzech czlonkow pana Smith, czyli wokali i gitary, Gallupa na basie oraz Lola Tolhursta jako drumera, dodatkowo kazdy z nich jest zcreditowany na klawiszach, ktorych sie troche przewija na plycie, klawisze o odcieniu dosc synthowym, ale podane w curowym stylu, wiec ciezko, mrocznie i gotikowo, bo chyba na tym albumie najbardziej uchwycili te atmosfere rozpaczy i doomerskiej milosci, bo liryka jest tak luzna, ze interpretowac mozna ja jak czlowiekowi pasuje, ale najczestszym skojarzeniem jest rozpacz milosna, co jeszcze mocno rzuca sie w uszy sluchajac plyty to robota jaka odwalil pan Lolo z swoimi drumami, ktore stanowia kanwe dla reszty zespolu, od stukania trumnowego z otwierajacego one hundred years po bizzarne rytmy z strange days bedzie to najbardziej zapadajacy w pamiec element tego odsluchu, bo mimo ze gra on tak rowno nie nudzi sie przez cale 43 minut trwania krazka, nie sadzilem rowniez ze az tak roznic beda sie ich kolejne picki listowe, a tu jeszcze nie ma okresu najbardziej mainstreamowych albumow, gdzie juz synthowe brzmienia poszly calkowicie po kablach, pornografia jest chyba najbardziej rokowym, ale nadal gotikowym albumem jaki do tej pory od nich slyszalem, nie jest az tak przepelniony kontentem jak disintegration, nie jest rowniez tak nowo falowy jak seventeen seconds, zmiana priorytetow w instruemntalu jest zdecydowanie na plus, chociaz lirycznie jakos nigdzie nie zaskoczyl czy urzekl jak na poprzednich pickach, gdzie wlasnie tekstem niektore piosenki sie bronily, wiec album ma swoje plusy dodatnie i plusy ujemnie, w ogolnym rozrachunku kolejny solidny kawalek muzyki od the cure, na plejke dodam openingowego one hundred years i zamykajacy utwor tytulowy, wiec pornografie, ktora w ciekawy sposob wykorzystuje samplowanie dialogow w polaczeniu z Lolkowym drumowaniem do zbudowania jednego z najlepszych wprowadzen jakie ostatnio slyszalem, ktore trwa prawie polowe utworu, bo dopiero po trzech minutach pojawiaja sie wokale, wiec jeden z tych epickich openingow tworzacych caly trak

Eh, this isn't my favorite cure album, it was only ok, kinda surprised it's on this list

Another classic band/album that I have already experienced enough to know they're not really my thing. I wasn't proven wrong.

Edgy. Kinda like the wall but with less variety and strength

Enjoyable

No bangers on there, but a lovely 80s sound

It was okay. I really felt like it was a little repetitive. I think robert smith’s cadence got old after a few songs so it made the back half of the record a little bit of a slog

Not bad

3/5 I enjoyed listening to the album. Did it while working so it wasn’t a very critical listen. The lyrics are full of paranoia and nihilism with a musical atmosphere to back it up.

Good album! I really enjoyed the darker sound-- especially the earlier songs. My favorite was "Siamese Twins"

-"The Hanging Garden" has a great backing rhythm to drive it along -"Pornography" definitely creates quite the spooky vibe -Fine album but like nothing really stood out, like all the songs felt the same.

Minor-key wailing miserablism, dark yet uplifting, possibly thanks to the Adam & The Ants-style floor-tom heavy drumming. A gateway to goth.

Surprisingly okay, I expected to hate this. Maybe I've just softened in my old age?

Pretty average album. Not much going on here too interesting. Some big sounds and guitars worked with then music fairly well.

Not bad, a bit dull in my opinion.

In high my best friend was a huge fan of The Cure (in the 80s). I could never get into them. Over the years I've tried but still just never caught me. Fast forward to 2022 and my 27 year old son has become a fan. Fuck me, I still don't get it.

Glad to confirm my feelings about The Cure: I can see why they appeal to some people but they don’t hold much appeal for me.

No está mal pero aporta poco. Solo destaca Cold.

The Cure's Pornography is a look into the substance-abused mind, delving into the obscenity of violence, exploitation and abuses of power. Lots of imagery around the colour red, seemingly a metaphor for blood, flesh and sex to showcase the fullness of despair, hopelessness and darkness. As it's hard to make out the lyrics and with the way the instrumentals are arranged it's very easy to fall into the trap of tapping along and enjoying the music without realising that there are some really heavy things lying in waiting. Best: The Hanging Garden Worst: Siamese Twins 3.5 Stars

Very much the 1980s. Pretty good if you can tolerate the VERY 1980s sound this album. Going a bit further... this album has a very distant sound. A lot of echo, and it sounds like the singer is standing a few feet back from the microphone. Interesting sound.

repetitive but still rad

Album was ok, but a bit dark for my tastes. Much prefer their later work.

This album was fine. It was extremely goth and extremely 80s. It was an enjoyable enough listening experience but I probably wouldn't listen to this very regularly. Fav song: one hundred years

Music sounds really old/depressing reminds me of mad max for some reason when listening. nostalgic? Upon listening more, some of the songs were quite good.

The Cure are definitely a band I've come to appreciate a lot more after watching some live performances and I think a lot of the tracks on this album are case-in-point, they come to life with all the reverb and darkness on the stage. Loads of cool stuff to like on this album, as it's an earlier one feels a little bit rougher which is cool

Not familiar with this one. It seems to be in the same style as Disintegration (long, dense, brooding tracks that don't offer a lot of variety but are big on atmosphere), though not quite as good. File under 'need to be in the right mood to get the most out of it.'

Just not my style of music

Listened to random Cure songs but never heard this album before. Atmospheric and hits the right mood but kind of similar between songs. Would listen to it again from time to time. 3.5

Solid Cure album, but not anything that really stood out for me. 3.5 and rounding down, as it seems only medioCure by comparison to their other work.

better than i expected from the cure but still the cure

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: The hanging garden,

Enjoyed

Not my fav of theirs

Yeah pretty good. I generally like the sound but not a band I listen to a lot

Always love Robert Smith's voice and there are some good songs on here, but the best are on other cure albums, some of this was a bit boring

I think this is the second cure album so far? This is pretty good. I'm not a goth or anything but I do like a bit of it, and yeah... everything repetitive and simple, cool atmosphere, it's just solid. It does kinda all blend into itself though - by around 3/4 of the way through I couldn't have told you where the last song ended and the next finished etc. 3/5

I was excited about this one since I quite like The Cure. But I guess I like their more polished dark alternative pop sound better than their brooding gothic rock sound. Not bad for one spin, but I'm not interested in giving it more spins either.

Better than I expected but lacking The later pop nous.

It's always tough to review an album like this because it was probably incredibly influential... which means it sounds like a lot of music that came later... which means to me it sounds kinda meh. Probably would grow on me with further listens.

Niche

Pretty ok for listening while working. Better if I'm working and sad.

While a solid album, with the benefit of hindsight its harder to judge this album "in the moment" because I can hear where they were going which just makes me want to listen to later albums (like Disintegration). Nice to revisit though!

Never listened to the cure before but familiar with them this album sounds a lot rawer than i kjow them, def worth a listen and will probably listen again.

Heavier than I expected, probably due to heavy bass. Exactly as dour as I expected. More rock than pop. Give another chance when in a worse mood.

Definitely not 'Friday I'm in Love' now is it? The '80s definitely had a dark side and this was it. I think I'm hearing voices now... 3/3.25

Great album, maybe not their best but a good indication of the direction the band would go in. Robert Smith had such a compelling voice.

Drone-y sometimes.

A whole Cure album is too much cure

Robert Smiths lyrics and singing are kinda awful... but the music behind him are actually pretty great. It's not hard to see why this album is a cornerstone in music history.

not bad

With this effort the Cure explored the line of New Wave as well as proto-Goth dramas. While it is far from their highest highs, it feels as if it is a solid B-side all around.

Before I listened to this album, I thought I hated the cure. Too pretentious, too lofi. Turns out I don't think I like the people who like the cure. It's all right - best listened to by themselves and not in a mix. I can appreciate the backstory of this album and the human emotion poured into it. Hanging garden and short term effect are the best songs I'm hearing on the non-deluxe version. Some of the best songs are on the deluxe version. Airlock is awesome! It commanded my attention and is the on I'm most enthusiastic to listen to. I get why they didn't put it on the original album (Doesn't fit the theme), but it's trippy. Reminds me of older pink floyd. 7/10

Decent, I like The Cure. Very slow and dower, melancholy. Not their best album, none of their classics. Can tell it was influential. Can tell Preoccupations we're influenced by them. Not their best album though. 3.5, so i gave it 3.

Not as good as some of their other albums, or maybe just doesn't have the classic hits on it that I know!

Ganz nice

Typisch gut aber nicht meine persönlichen Favoriten.

reminds me a little of light asylum. not my favorite album though.

Could not distinguish anything from other Cure stuff. I don't like Cure that much so I'm gonna pass.

.

It was ok.

Deece. Has aged well. Doesn’t sound dated

Quite a struggle. Appreciate the drums and how they have created tension, but don't particularly find it nice to listen to

A very confusing album. Wiki says it's their most popular album to date, yet streaming numbers are really low compared to their other albums. Also, it seems the critics hated it at the time, yet now it's highly regarded. Another confusing element is that it influenced Deftones and System of a Down, which I can hear (especially Deftones), yet it isn't something I'm massively into. Very hard to score this. 7/10

As someone who appreciates a bit of bleakness here and there, I didn't mind the melancholy nature of this album. Had some good tracks and some that I seemed to zone out on a little.

Gothy. Isnt it? Will go again poss with white mascara.

Pretty good, but the sound just isn't for me. A solid 6

cool

I've always liked the jangly pop version of the Cure, but this is the first time I've engaged with their darker side on record. It's obviously a harder work than PopCure, but it appears that it would reward the effort. I quite liked it.

The hanging garden

More Lovecraft vibes but eh

Not my jam but a good listen nonetheless

A very cool sound. 6/10

L’album est bon, je sens qu’il a influence beaucoup de groupe. J’ai une vibe arcade fire. 3.5

not their best

No soy tan darks. La música de este disco me puede gustar pero me brinca demasiado la letra que parece no tener métrica. Es un disco muy denso, 5 minutos por canción en promedio. Me gusta mucho, en contraste, la manera de escribir tan personal que se siente lo que está pasando dentro de Smith, aunque siempre en cada canción siente la misma desolación y decepción. Si no fuera por el tema de la métrica podrían parecerme letras geniales, aunque supongo que lo que logra esa sensación tan personal es que estén escritas como tren de pensamiento. Songs: A strange day, The Hanging Garden, The Figurehead

Not for me

Decent. Very 80s

I respect the devastatingly emotional cavern they have created, but I don't particularly enjoy it.

i didnt hate it. musically i thought it was cool, but his vocals started to wear on me by about third song (the hanging garden). another album that makes me think how fascinating london was at that time

Not terrible, not great

I do like the cure but this isn't my favorite album by them. Was interesting to see they talked to Conny Plank about producing but it didn't come to pass. I'd bet if he did produce this album it'd be one of my favorites. Have them go out to Conny's studio in the country and they'd have produced a much different album. Maybe not quite so bleak. Sheesh.

I imagine if I was a little older and grew up listening to Cure as an adolescent I would be very into it, but it feels dark in a way that I (surprisingly) cannot connect with. I can respect it, but doesn't do much for me.

Solid album but not really my style. The entire album was quite dark and grim which makes sense for a goth band but I very much prefer the more upbeat singles by The Cure.

pretty shoegazy experimental. not what i expected

Claustrophobic and very goth, poor Robert Smith should've tried some mindfulness instead of subjecting me to that. Closing track is weird and disorientating. Didn't hate it

5

LSD + mental illness about sums it up

Felt a little weird/meh at the start but it grew on me

The Cure is always a bit odd sounding to me.

The jump from lofi goth to Moody New Wave excellence is under way, with this acting as an exciting meeting of those two sides of the band.

First song was pretty good, rest of the album i was a bit bored with :/

Exactly what I expected from the cure. Meh

Fine

Not that familiar with this record, but it's great. Really dark and twisted. 3.4

Love porn

det här var ändå bra. ett skönt driv gör att de lite längre låtarna fungerar bra utan att bli tjatiga. kanske en fyra om jag hade lyssnat fler gånger.

Bem legalzinho

hn

Vaguely unsettling at times, but very deeply impactful. 3.5, leaning towards 4.

kinda slow but i'm not mad at it. really liked "one hundred years" and "cold". can see how this influenced artists.

If you wanted It’s Friday I’m in Love, this isn’t the album for you.

Not my favorite Genre, 80's rock I believe. Early 80's

IM ON ITTTT Update: had high hopes about this one...such a boring album :( Cold was ehhhh

I generally like The Cure, but this one was too dark and discordant for me. Maybe I just like their later work better. I can see why this was credited for creating goth rock, because it definitely has the darkness in spades.

I can respect it, but Pornography just isn’t for me. Likes: One Hundred Years; The Hanging Garden

kinda boring I prefer the more poppy cure

The Cure are one of those bands whose radio singles are highly danceable, enjoyable and mostly full of joviality. Unfortunately, their non-radio singles are a total contrast: lengthy, monotonous, insufferable train wrecks. I would rather not have subjected myself to this 43 minute album of misery which contained a grand total of zero of their radio-friendly singles.

Fiction Records FIXD 7 (UK) vinyl rip: I’ve never been to a goth club but I imagine this has to be part of the normal rotation. Genesis of "mall goth." I like "One Hundred Years" at least.

It's just not like the real thing....

This would have been better as an EP.

Always found the cute rather depressing. This didn't change my opinion.

Very cure. But not something I disliked. I am going to go and sit in a dark room to decompress. 5/10 Top song One hundred years

Not the best Cure Album. Not much energy, a bit samey. Maybe one or two 3-4 star songs, no hits.

Nyt oli kyllä vaikea kuuntelu (hyvä anglismi :D). Tuntu että kokoajan oli sama tempo, sama honottava ääni, sama ambitus. Ehkä tää ois tuntunu jonku yhen biisin verran laadukkaalta musiikilta mutta levyllinen oli kyllä tuskallista. Ja eikö toi rumpali omista peltejä????

Sounds like he’s singing while crying. That’s the only thing that stood out to me

all the dreariness does get samey. the bulk of the album feels like im melting a little more every second i'm listening to it, and i bet during a particular depressive episode that'd hit real good, but unfortunately it's pretty nice out today. made me really really appreciate Disintegration though. favorite song is The Hanging Garden. strong 2

outside of a handful of songs I really don't much care for the cure, and this album did very little to change that opinion. 2/5.

It's not my vibe, very dreary

burridooo

Theres plenty I like from the 80s, and some not so much. This falls in the latter category. Maybe I don’t get it, maybe it’s not for me, maybe I’m missing something, but it didn’t do much for me.

2/5

Not the version of the cure I like at all.

Grew up with The Cure and the 80s for me was largely characterised by their albums. This one is my favourite early album of theirs. Not on the same level as the late 80s' 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' and 'Disintegration' or even the more recent 'Songs of a Lost World' but still one I return to every so often for songs like 'The Hanging Garden' and the title track.

I love me some Cure, but this was a dirge pretty much start to finish.

Punk music for chicks. And gay dudes. A whole lot of suck here.

I like The Cure. I really do. I just didn’t really like this. It was too long, and was that sort of moody 80s music that I’m not a big fan of.

Knowing the story behind this album, it definitely makes it more interesting (and it being a big pillar in the gothic genre) I don't think I can say I liked it, I think it s just not for me, I can appreciate the effort that went into it and the commitment but I don't see myself listening to this album anytime soon I will say I had an interesting experience with this album, I was able to fall asleep on the bus but the music kept playing. I had this ongoing sense of fight off something evel. I was trying to keep something bad from escaping my body or mind. There was an other person telling me to be strong. A strange experience to say the least. I'm putting 2 stars not because I think it s bad but because I just couldn't listen to it

Woof. I really liked Disintegration when I had that one, so I was looking forward to another Cure album, but I did not enjoy this one. It's a lot noisier & grungier (I know, grunge wasn't a thing yet).

Not my fav electronica sounds like 1 hour of crying a couple of songs stand out though

Like not the worst by them but still not my thing. I just don’t think they write interesting songs

And unfortunately the cure flops again. The ambiance was better than normal for this band, but the songs are weak as hell.

I do not care for their sound. Especially the drums. The whole vibe grates on me.. sorry not sorry

Here are the sad, weird boys I thought I would hear when I listened to the other Cure albums on this list. Stuff about 'worms on my skin' and 'your name like ice in my heart' or some such nonsense. I prefer other Cure albums to this.

Some good ones

meh

I really like a few of The Cure's albums but this isn't one of them. A couple good songs, but not standouts. The rest sounded like a parody of the Cure. 2 stars.

It genuinely bugs me that I don't like The Cure. All the parts are there. I like some considerably worse bands that sound a lot like The Cure. The Crow is still one of my favorite movies and I have owned an unhealthy number of World of Darkness books. I still don't like The Cure. This is better than Disintegration, mostly, and I don't think it's even a bad album. It's just not something I enjoy listening to.

1982. Fourth studio album. The sessions saw the band on the brink of collapse, with heavy drug use, band in-fighting, and frontman Robert Smith's depression fueling the album's musical and lyrical content. Following its release, bassist left the band, and the Cure switched to a much brighter and more radio-friendly new wave sound.

A little too emo/morose for me

43min tuntu pitkältä... viimenen laulu ihan jees

Best Track - "The Hanging Garden"

Another album where all of the songs sound exactly the same to me

I get it. It’s dark, brutal, brooding. But also a bit boring. The intentional droning sound makes it sort of drown out at times

I understand that this is a depressing album, but I couldn’t make out any of the lyrics so I’ll have to rate based on how bored I was with the music.

Didn’t hate this, but did not love it.

omgg stop yelling broo

Dark. Moody. Lyrics are bleak. I was enjoying the start but after a while it all kind of blends into the same song

Moody and gothic. Just what you’d expect from a Cure album. Nothing really stood out to me though.

*These songs drag and feel very similar

Idk man. I guess it's just the style, but this makes me feel gross to listen to. I feel like I'm at a basement show and I'm not having fun. It's too slow, too grungy, too icky for me. Idk

Would I listen again: probably not It was kinda like a horror movie in parts and I did not like whatever that last song was.

Nothing to write home about

Not a huge cure fan I didn’t recognize the majority of these songs

Phasers set to yawn. I preferred their early, funny ones.

decepcionante

There’s nothing really wrong with the album, but I was just bored by the project no song really hooked me in it was very quick to not even notice that it was over. I mean I did walk around a lot while I was listening to this album so maybe I wasn’t fully locked in but now there was nothing really here not the best first impression but again it wasn’t terrible.

Full Album Thoughts: Album Rating: 2 (C) My thoughts on Strange Days is where I checked out. Highlights are The Hanging Garden and Cold, but they aren't wort the rest. Ow, The Edge. Track Thoughts "One Hundred Years" C+ I dont really like the singer's vocal delivery, its a bit to whiney. I like the soundscape, its dark and moody, I see it tagged as "gothic rock"... But there is just something about that higher pitched slurred singing that turns me off. I am afraid this is going to be a long listen. "A Short Term Effect" B- There is something about the chorus and echo and reverb that makes you feel like you are drowning. I actually think as the vocal echo goes on it going down in pitch is a neat effect but I just, dont care about the discordant solo. This is music as listened to from beneath an underpass. Is this pop-noise music? "The Hanging Garden" A- This is more up-beat with the drum fill and the thumping bass. I am actually locked in on this one. I think there is something here, but somehow it feels more stripped back even though it is doing a lot with the phaser/flanger effect whatever that is. "Siamese Twins" B- Yeah I guess I am just not that into Emo Music. I mean, I keep saying in these that the drums have a real sense of drive, the guitars lead some wild swimming soundscapes, but its the drawl of the vocals that just takes me right out of it. "The Figurehead" C I feel like the song writing is layered but to what end? You stack these arpeggios ontop of a this very simple bass one note drone, and then modulate between a few of the chords and it just... it feels oppressive. That, I guess, is the end. But its not something I actively enjoy listening to. "A Strange Day" C+ I have run out of things to say. I have checked out yet again. This shapes up to be another 2 out of 5 album. The songs all kind of blur together. Their mushy production doesnt help much with that. The songs are fine to listen to in isolation, nothing outright offensive, but back to back to back to back they all bleed into one another and there is nothing that stands out. "Cold" A- For two seconds I thought we were going to get something orchestral. Then the garbage cans came in. Wait some kind of like organ? Synths? What is this? Where did the rest of the muddy guitar droning go? This is the start to a John Carpenter Movie? The weird clattering? "Pornography" D of all the cliche's, I was not ready for backwards recording. A long closer needs to start strong and this never even gets going.

gothic novels

Meh

Eu não fecho com rock inglês (só alguns)

Far too angsty for my liking.

One which washed through me.

no me encantó, guardé dos temas nada más

Sounded the same as every other cure album.

Slurred saaie emo "muziek"

There’s a difference between darkness as atmosphere and darkness as endurance test, and Pornography spends most of its runtime on the wrong side of that line. Robert Smith was apparently in a genuinely difficult personal state making this record, and the music reflects that with complete commitment — dense, claustrophobic, and relentlessly droning in a way that leaves no room to breathe, connect, or find any foothold emotionally. Where Seventeen Seconds used minimalism to create space — repetition that occasionally surprised you, atmosphere that invited you in — this one fills every inch of sonic territory with layered guitars, bass, and drums pressing down from all directions. The intentional overwhelm is clearly the point. The problem is that intentional overwhelm isn’t the same as emotional resonance, and the record mistakes density for depth. “Cold” is the one exception worth naming. It opens with actual space, a cool organ line, and tribal drums that give the music a physical pulse rather than just relentless weight. It stands out so sharply from everything surrounding it that it accidentally makes the case against the album’s dominant approach — one track with room to breathe reveals everything the rest refuses to allow. Glad to be done with it. A 2 that reflects genuine disengagement rather than hostility — not the worst listening experience on this list, but comfortably among the least rewarding.

Not my favorite by The Cure - I look forward to their shoegaze-ier music coming up later on this list!

(2/7) a lot of 80s new wave recently, this not as good as recent selections, nor among the best of The Cure

If you were to ask me if I liked The Cure, I would answer yes. I certainly had a few albums bought back in the 80's that I loved. But apparently I missed this one, and after listening to it today, I'm fine with that. It's dark, and just not that listenable for me. Oh well.

Saw The Cure and was excited for some good music. Listened to the album and hated my life. Cheer up guys!

I dont like :(

Why does it feel Robert Smith is constantly yelling?

didnt really enjoy this. All songs sounded the same. I feel sadder than before

I got joy division, deer hunter and the cures pornography 3 days in a row. What a stretch of sad sacks. Morrissey will be next I bet. I like some of the cure but that was just sad drums for an hour or whatever.

Not really my type of music.

En besvikelse. Rakt, slamrigt och kargt men inte på ett bra goth-sätt. Låter nästan som vilket band med toårsemos som helst. Man fattar ju dock att potentialen till pampet på Disintegration finns här.

Not a fan of goth rock, this is no exception.

Uhmmm This one was weird and I didn’t really fuck with it…(I’m a fake cure fan </3). Will definitely have to relisten and also listen to some of their other albums back to front to get a better understanding. I’ll just keep it a buck. I do love a short album and I felt this one was cohesive. 2.3/5 Fave song: A Short Term Effect

Horrible

As promised, as sad as it gets. Not my vibe, not the place I am or want to be. If for some reason I end up there I will rise the vote.

Hmmm…generally like the cure, but this is too dense and depressing to resonate.

Very goth/emo, I like the spacing in between the lyrics so you can appreciate each instrument and their contributions.

Not their best.

It was boring.

This was such a low quality produced album. Much better stuff from the cure out there.

I found this album quite annoying. The singing is where it was most annoying, but I was also annoyed by the music itself. A Strange Day was my favorite track, and even that I wouldn't be all that excited to return to.

this was fine, idk!!! sorry to every man ever. ik y’all love the cure down like that.

Monotonous and depressing. I don’t like his voice very much.

by no stretch my favourite cure record, a bit too dreary even by my emo standards

I’m not sure why this sounds like heavy metal to me. Not a fan.

Kinda surprised I didn't like this one.

Early emo. So whiny, I can't stand his voice.

If the Cure is the textbook goth band, this is maybe the gothiest album there is. I mean, Robert Smith's vocal delivery is always a throaty full-throttle tortured yowl across all of their records, the music more mopey than... well, I don't think anything gets mopier than a Cure album. All the things you expect to hear in a Cure record are here - Smith howling, tribal-sounding tom-heavy drums or drum machine, flanged, swirling guitars, flanged, trebly bass - but unfortunately nothing that sounds as inspired as Just Like Heaven, Fascination Street, Boys Don't Cry, The Forest. It's all pretty bleak and a little dull. Which is unfortunate, because there are other Cure albums that are also bleak but still dynamic - Disintegration is also on this list which I'll agree is the best choice, along with Seventeen Seconds, but it's puzzling that this gets preference over Kiss Me, Wish, or even Faith.

Some decent melodies and riffs, but this never came together for me.

I didn't hate it, but I also didn't really enjoy it. I have never really listened to the Cure. So I always found it odd that they were seen as the quintessential 80s goth band when the only songs I knew were "Friday I'm In Love" and "Lovesong", which are much more conventional pop songs. But yeah this album felt like a goth or proto-emo album. Glad I heard it. But I don't really have any standout tracks.

This doesn't do it for me. There's something about this specific scene that I find boring. It's not bad, but it's not great, either.

I thought I had previously dealt with depression but clearly not, if this is what depression sounds like.

Meh, not my vibe

I tried once again but i cannot find the Cure even remotely enjoyable.

I dont have an outspoken opinion on the cure. This album sounds like what the goth kids in southpark listen to. I could dig if only a few songs had the very present echo effect, but its presence on atleast half of the songs makes it sound pretty samey to me. Not an experience that was outright negative, but kinda boring. 4/10

So apparently a list of 1001 albums I must hear includes THREE albums by The Cure (and not even their best, according to the reaction to a user-added fourth) but NONE from Warren Zevon. This particular selection has a dark repetitive sound that is broken only by the long, noise-laden final track that feels like a desperate attempt to keep the entire effort out of the EP range.

Couldn't spend as much time as I wanted with this, but overall I'm not a huge Cure fan and this didn't really change my mind. I appreciate it more than I like it and can see the influence on industrial/goth that came after. Call me crazy but I like when Robert Smith writes a melody. Opening track is a banger though.

all the songs sound the same to me

Meh

I guess I thought in the past I like The Cure without having actually listened to much of their stuff but I didn’t really enjoy this. It had some ok moments but mostly I felt it all kind of sounded the same and just kind of obnoxious, although I can’t necessarily pinpoint why. Some parts are cool though, some of the sounds, but yeah overall I was kind of waiting for it to end a little bit.

I didn’t love it. Dark and whiny. Generally I love The Cure though

While The Cure conjure an impressive sound thats bleak, heavy, and even dreadful, I can’t bring myself to enjoy it much more than admiring it from afar. I often hate reading reviews on here about albums I like which boil down to “yeah this just isn’t my cup of tea”. But this just isn’t my cup of tea. I can hear the goodness, I have a hard time getting into it 2/5

2/5

Not for me. Distorted and depressing, I recognized the quality but could not make myself enjoy it.

Hmm not a fan. low larynx but not classical or theatrical. Too casual although it is on purpose. I’d prefer something more in tune.

not that ive listened to a ton of The Cure, but after this album i can fairly say im a fan of their more poppy music. this album was a sad one for sure, and it wasn't really resonating with me

I guess every other day of the week I'm depressed.

Oh no, I had no clue how much I really didn't care for Robert Smith's vocals. Or at the very least, how much I don't care for them here. I think there are some songs by The Cure out there that I do like, but they are inarguably poppier than this. I don't want to take any importance away from this albums themes, but as a listening experience I just can't get on board. The instrumentals are fine, I love the kicking drums, the sparse but foreboding strings, and the occasional organ. But every time Robert Smith opens his mouth here I start to wince. Even without the heavily leaned on reverb, his range is not very large, and it's a droning style that just doesn't ever sit with me. Lyrically, it's dense and wandering in a style that is not dissimilar from a lot of alt rock I've listened to. It's somebody's bag, but not mine. Highlight: Cold (Or at least the first minute of it) Lowlight: Siamese Twins

Слишком мрачный

почти никакие песни не понравились

i like the cure but didn’t really like this

This was awful. His voice does not go with this type of music. I actually like the dark vibe the rest of the band are creating but his vocals, as if someone just wandered off the street and started waiiling to themselves

Incredibly ANNOYING music. This is bad in inexplicable levels.

Bueno, creo que The Cure no me gusta mucho

1. biiiien long, sympa sans + 2. sympa mais tjrs pas exceptionnel 3. mieux!! bons drums, bonne énergie 4. retour sur un cure guitare, sympa mid 5. ok 6. meilleur son jusqu’à la 7. ok 8. pas trop d’intérêt Sur l’ensemble pas trop fan, ça se ressemble bcp, sans vrais moments de haut appart le 6. qu’est cool. 2.5-/5

2/5

I had heard of the Cure, but I hadn’t gone out of my way to listen to them. This album wasn’t for me, but it’s cool to expand your music knowledge.

Yeahhh, I don't think The Cure is for me. I don't really like Smith's vocal style. I have nothing against depressing nihilistic lyrics but I'm left wondering why the band is even here; this album would be better served with just Smith doing spoken word poetry backed by weird ambient synth noises. There's just no variance to the songs either. It's a very monotone noisy album with a one track mind about suffering through life. I guess that's the point and helps drive the narrative home, but jeez. Its hard to imagine the band getting more "poppy" and mainstream after this album. Must be terrible. Standout tracks are "One Hundred Years" and "The Hanging Garden" - easy to see why this was the only single off the album, the bassline actually kicks pretty hard in this one. It's a weird self-portrait of depression with a couple redeeming qualities, so it's a 2/5 for me, but wouldn't listen again.

A kind of classic rock vibe that is dark and unpleasant. Vocals leave me wanting. The instrumentals were pretty cool but several songs had intense dissonance that I found pretty unpleasant.

I just don't like the cure-type music that much..

This is a band I don't get the hype about. They aren't awful but it is so electronic and distorted I can't really hear what they are saying. Its got its own sound and is a little different but I don't really enjoy it. Sorry Cure, you are just meh to me.

It's not terrible, but none of the songs made much of an impression on me.

Too messy, loose and vague and didn't really stick.

Overlong despite the 44 minute album length. Cool to see its influence on other bands but far from my preference.

Beetje dramatische muziek allemaal. Wel kort album, had ook beetje weinig tijd dus niet super uitgebreid geluisterd.

The goth thing doesn't really speak to me, it just feels boring and samey. Maybe I'm not depressed enough

hate the cure. i liked the very end of this because it doesnt sound like the cure

Intresdsante Musik, gefaäält mir nicht so ganz den die Stimme ist nicht meines

The Cure is not for me and this album proved it!

I was so bored 😴

The Cure for insomnia, maybe! this one is a Robert Smiss! the last time i consumed Pornography this bad i called for a wellness check on the performers! at least when they named the first two tracks One Hundred Years and A Short Term Effect they accurately described how long it'd feel and how long it'd stick in my brain, respectively!

mid

The hanging garden is my pick of the album

Good

I think I’m too happy and whimsical to enjoy this album. I’ll try again when I’m spiraling

I could get into The Cure if it weren’t for his voice. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just hate it. The music is cool… they vary their sound a bit and they’re good musicians. Just that voice.

I didn't like this at all. It was kind of like one ling, poorly recorded song that played for 40 minutes or so.

Hey man. I gave Disintegration a 5 and would have given it a 6 if the scale I went that high. I also would give their newest album Songs of a Lost World 5 if it were on here. This album kinda sucks, assuming you're not pretty depressed. I like other early Cure but not this. Monotonous and just uninteresting. I suppose that opens me to accusations of not being a real Cure fan, but I can handle it. I've handled worse.

Matige plaat, sowieso weinig met The Cure en deze helpt daar absoluut niet bij.

*long, weary sigh*

Not their best effort

у готического рока от кьюр не было шансов зайти) но хотя бы не так ужасно как я ожидала! не одна звезда!

A plodding dark new wave rock sound. Some of it sticks with me but mostly feels too dark and slow, you have to be in the right mindset for it. Not something I would typically find myself saying but I think I prefer their pop sound more. There’s hints of that sound here and there throughout the album, and it’s better for it.

Some good moments of ambience and angst, but the songs drag on with no development or interest.

Really meh album that wasn't to my liking. Songs felt dull and too long or dull and short. The album did get better towards the end. Favorite track was Cold.

This "music" does absolutely nothing for me. The drum beats are dull and uninteresting, generally just matching the rhythm of the bass "riff" - which rarely extends beyond about 2-3 notes. Yes, there's a lot of sound happening at once, I can understand what people mean when they talk about the layers/soundscape/atmosphere etc., it's just that it all sounds shit. You can add fuzz/blur to a picture of dogshit, but it's still a picture of dogshit. You can add a fruity fragrance to a bottle of bleach but I'm still not going to drink it, as much as this album might tempt me. The only thing vaguely musical going on in basically any track is the odd guitar part, but these are still pretty droll. The vocals are absolutely dire, they're somehow monotonously whiny. Literally the same through the whole album. I could somewhat understand the use of vocals like this for short segments or individual tracks, but surely they lose any impact when it's just the way he sings throughout? Oh and the last track (the title track) does the cringe trope of playing stuff in reverse to sound "creepy". Highlights: - "A Strange Day" - only really because it actually did something different briefly Not going to listen to any of it again, though I think some of it could work as the background to a game or film (without the shit vocals). Low 2.

Hmmmm jeetje normaal vind ik The Cure echt wel nice. Maar een heel album zijn stem aanhoren… ja sorry. Het zingen klinkt een beetje als zeuren, en de muziek is redelijk eentonig. Niet mijn favoriete album

2/5 One or two tracks had instrumentals that I found interesting, but overall there were too many elements that didn’t fit my tastes all that much.

I definitely prefer the smiths but it was in by no means a bad album, maybe just a little samey and mopey for my liking

Pas vraiment ce que j'aime. Festival du flanger.

Unsure what to rate this. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Unsure if I liked it. Feel like being ungenerous. Soz! Songs added to playlist: - One Hundred Years - The Hanging Garden

da gits bessers.

A noisy nightmare of an album, and not in a good way. Very muddy and dark, with very little variation from track to track. Feels like just an amorphous blob of music. I did like some of the moments but this was not overall for me. 2/5

Many better Cure albums, in my opinion.

2/5

Aika (ja bändin myöhemmät paremmat levyt) jo haalistanut tätä levyä. Viimeinen kappale hieno.

Ouvi enquanto fazia outra coisa tmb, não prestei muita atenção e nem me chamou muito a atenção 😬

Man these songs are long and depressing

Few good tracks but overall too much of the same monotonous stuff

2.7 if i could

I enjoyed the last The Cure album. This one just drones and is very repetitive. At first I thought it was me cause I was driving. So I listened to it again at the house with headphones. It was better when I was concentrating on driving.

I expected to like it more and it could have just been the day but I've enjoyed other albums more.

Sonically this is adjacent to some music I enjoy. If The Figurehead or Strange Day were instrumental tracks I'd like them a lot more. The vocals are distracting and overpowering the the tracks. So much New Wave.

Much darker than Seventeen Seconds. It is definitely goth rock, but I have to say I think Sisters of Mercy did it better. To be honest it's just kind of maudlin and very one-note. Almost monotone. Did not really like it.

This works when you're in that angsty, existential-dreading mood. If you're not, then not so much. I like this (in fact, I own it), but I really must (once again) point out the fallacy in the album selection. This list doesn't need BOTH 'Pornography' and 'Seventeen Seconds'. One or the other would be more than enough to get a taste of what The Cure was doing at this point in their careers. Instead, drop one of these and (if you simply MUST have another album by The Cure) replace it with 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' or 'Wish' (which are, frankly, better albums, anyway). This will give the listener exposure to both phases of the band rather than burdening them with two albums of dark miasma. Again, I do like this album, but I just don't think it's readily accessible nor worthy of the "must hear" label. My personal preference would be to give it a 3 or 4 (depending on how well it's resonating with my mood at the time), but I'm going to go with the protest vote today.

I didn’t find this bad. It’s just not for me.

It was whatever

Conveniently, already in my search history

Nice

De har ju verkligen en egen stil vilket de ska ha, men 80-tals produktionen blir tröttsam efter ett tag, texterna är inte bra och instrumentationen känns väldigt same-same. Har också insett att jag inte gillar Smith som sångare alls.

I like other The Cure albums better.

No lo sé, the cure sonando a the cure todo en tono the cure. Sentí que no pasábamos de track

It's ok not my favorite

didn't finish. apologies. all albums getting very samey

Another one that I’m familiar with the artist but haven’t sat down to process this full album. It’s also another short one. Kind of shocked this is The Cure album chosen for this list, I would’ve thought maybe Disintegration would be the more popular choice but that may be me being biased. Started off thinking my heart just wasn’t really in this. The songs kind of dragged to me which makes me kinda sad cause I do love The Cure, maybe if I revisit it’ll grow on me. The lyricism was beautiful though, there’s just so many lyrics. Only stand out tracks to me were The Hanging Garden and A Strange Day. I like the title track but that intro is sooo long. This lead me into listening to The Head On The Door and I actually really liked that one, so silver lining.

No thank you

Broody

I think this would've been a lot more enjoyable for me at a different time of my life, but today, it just felt monotonous. Very much a mood piece to sit in, when you're in the mood to sit in it.

no, ts aint even alt rock its a disgrace

This album didn’t really speak to me. I would like to listen to more of The Cure as I’m not familiar with the discography, but this wasn’t it.

This wasn't the first time I've been disappointed in Pornagraphy. In seriousness though, this was an album absolute chock full of self-loathing, and while I struggled to understand a lot of the lyrics, it had unmistakable tones of suicide in my opinion. It ended up sounding a lot less like an album, and more like someone tragically venting through music. It was almost sad to hear when actually paying attention. As someone who loves listening to angst-y sad emo rock when sad, I can understand the catharsis though. The songs however melded together with their very similar sounds for me, differentiating only through their differently sad lyrics. While I enjoy the cathartic scream your feelings out process, and the first song sounded pretty good. I never got anything else from the album, and none of the individual songs really stand out to me. I'm sure if I looked up the lyrics to the songs and delved deeper, there could be a lot here lyrically. But as a first pass (and there won't be another pass from me), I just didn't get the connection I want from my angst-y rock. 2/5

A little too dark and dreary for me. I am a little familiar with The Cure's hit songs and there wasn't much on this album that had that level of playing. It's just not for me. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Not a fan of this. Felt rather bleak.

A sound solidly stuck in the 80s - tinny drums, grating affected vocals, cheesy synths bathed lavishly in reverb.