Hometown: Crawley, England
Year Formed: 1976

Personnel:
Robert Smith -vocals, guitar and keyboard
Simon Gallup -bass
Porl Thompson -guitar, keyboards and saxophone
Laurence Tolhurst -keyboards
Boris Williams -drums and percussion

Bands In The Family:
Malice, Siouxsie and the Banshees

Notes:
You could say that Robert Smith was always musically inclined, having received his first guitar at the age of 13 and taking to it instantly. Before The Cure, there was Malice, a group that Smith and two other classmates from school, Lawrence Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey, put together in 1976, performing David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix covers. At the time, Smith refused to sing because he felt that his voice was not good enough. Eventually, they renamed themselves Easy Cure (after a song written by Tolhurst) and then finally The Cure in 1978. By this time, the band had acquired Porl Thompson on guitar and Peter O'Toole on vocals. The quintet played numerous local spots, but after Peter left the band, it was up to Robert to provide the vocals. The Cure went on the perform in a local talent contest where they were spotted by a producer from Polydor Records and signed shortly thereafter. After a 1978 Peel Session, their debut LP, Three Imaginary Boys, came out in 1979. During this time, Smith was also acting as stand-in guitarist with Siouxsie and the Banshees. For a brief period in 1983, Smith actually left the band to play solely with the Banshees but then rejoined The Cure in '84. Over two decades of recording music the band has seen numerous breakups and rearrangements, with Smith the only surviving original member. Their 20th album, Bloodflowers, is due out in February of 2000.

If I may make an atmospheric suggestion: listen to this album in a dark room. Perhaps that room in the back of the club - the one with a thickly-woven tapestry where the doors should be. And behind it, a secret lair filled with clouds of smoke and shadowy light from a hundred patchouli-scented candles.

On Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, The Cure's classic eleventh album from 1987, Robert Smith serves up a whirlwind of raw emotion on a plate of heavy drum beats and guitar licks that can go from singing to screaming in a matter of seconds. It's impossible to put a definitive label on the sound; not quite Goth, not quite pop or even rock, this album still sounds nothing short of extrordinary.

Kiss Me... has become something of a "best of," containing such signature songs as "Just Like Heaven," "The Kiss," "Why Can't I Be You," and "Hot Hot Hot!!" it successfully compiles the many moods of The Cure across its 17 tracks - from the highest points to what could be considered the lowest ("I'm in the room without a light/The room without a view/I'm here for one more treacherous night/Another night with you " - "Torture"). While Robert Smith's voice remains as captivating as ever, it's the passion behind his lyrics that makes this album so special to so many Cure fans. Truly a treat for the uninhibited ear.

If you like The Cure, check out:
The Cure Bloodflowers
The Cure Galore
Depeche Mode Violator
New Order Technique

-- Johanna Ravich