On 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' and 'Disintegration', The Cure were still very much at the height of their powers; something that almost all of the first 8 tracks included here (with the exception of the funky sounding but ultimately irritating "Hot Hot Hot! ") bear out.

There's the lightweight, infectious pop romance of "Why Can't I Be You" and "Just Like Heaven", and in "Catch", there's a wonderfully quirky love song. "Lovesong", while lyrically straightforward, is emotionally straight and true as an arrow and, together with the brilliantly unsettling, driving song that is "Fascination Street", ranks as one of their best post-'Staring At The Sea' singles.

"Lullaby" is still enjoyable in a kind of comic-book horror sort of way, and still sounds distinctive enough to set it apart from the more mediocre material which follows after "Pictures Of You". "Never Enough", for instance, could be a b-side; and the "Close To Me" re-hash is easily eclipsed by the original.

Other, later songs, such as "High" and "Strange Attraction" for example, lack the distinctiveness of earlier material. "A Letter To Elise", a kind of remake of "Pictures Of You", while pleasant in its way, also plods along interminably. "The 13th" sees The Cure experimenting with a more tropical, jazzy sound and the result is something bordering on unlistenable ("Gone", though unremarkable, is perhaps more successful as an attempt to experiment with a more jazzy sound).

"Mint Car" is buoyant enough, but it's also "Friday I'm In Love" revisited. In the opinion of this writer, it is only in the lyrically throwaway, yet shimmering pop of the latter that the band manage to again recapture something special.

The new track, "Wrong Number", is interesting and gets feet tapping along to its slick 'alternative techno'sound, but, at the same time, is probably more enjoyable than it is memorable .

'Galore' is worth investigating for 7/8 of the first 8 tracks plus "Friday I'm In Love" and "Wrong Number". It's also worth noting that, because of remastering, the earlier songs on "Galore" also sound a lot brighter and clearer than they do on the original albums.


old school   October 30, 2005
 18 out of 28 found this review helpful

When I was in high school the cure was loved by all the goths. To me now its just sweet melodic music. I love the great collection of songs. I think this album pretty much has all there best.


Want to Buy Your First Cure Album? Start Here!   May 29, 2001
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I'm often bemused when I hear people say that the first Cure album one should buy is Pornography, Bloodflowers, etc. Let's face it. Unless you heard one of these albums and know that you like it, you're probably familiar with Cure music that you've heard on the radio...and it surely isn't anything on Pornography or Faith (terrific albums, however). The Cure are in some ways like Queen. Terrific British bands that have never really achieved mainstay status in America-yet I often hear people say they can't believe they know and like so many of their songs. You hear them all the time, you just don't realize it's one great band that has made so much fantastic music. Many people will recognize most, if not all, of the first 13 tracks on this great CD. Robert Smith is at his fizzy best when he sings such songs as "Why Can't I Be You?" "Just Like Heaven," and "Friday I'm in Love." "Love Song," "Pictures of You" and "A Letter to Elise" are among the most popular (and easy to listen to) ballads the band has produced. Songs 13 through 17 are from the largely ignored and underrated "Wild Mood Swings Album" (a perennial least favorite among longtime Cure fans), and the 18th track, "Wrong Number," represents the only new release of this album, and it was the least successful Cure single ever-though personally I think its zany guitar distortion and psychedelic lyrics make for a great song. Unless you already know you want to buy another Cure album, this is the perfect first choice, followed by either "Staring at the Sea" (a collection of singles from earlier Cure albums) or one of the albums that is represented on this disc-"Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me," "Disintegration," "Wish," or "Wild Mood Swings."


Hits the Mark   June 25, 2002
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

"Galore" is a fine collection of latter day Cure songs with a minimum of padding. The first eight tracks are from the band's two most popular albums "Kiss Me, Kiss, Me Kiss Me" and "Disintegration," including radio hits like "Just Like Heaven," "Pictures of You," and "Fascination Street." The next two cuts are from the strange "Mixed Up" collection, including the ace dance floor version of the mid-80s staple "Close to Me." The album then concludes with a number of songs from the less successful 90s albums "Wish" and "Wild Mood Swings," including the band's last big single "Friday I'm in Love." The final song, "Wrong Number" is the only one that is new to this collection. There are no outtakes or rarities for ardent fans, and it is obvious that this collection is intended for more casual listeners.

Combined with their first best of collection, "Staring at the Sea," "Galore" is a excellent overview of The Cure's long musical history.


Galore   November 14, 2003
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

I love The Cure. Their music always brings a smile to my face whenever I throw in their music into my portable stereo or into the hard drive at the office. "Disintegration" is perhaps my favorite of the few albums I own by the legendary band. At one point I did own their greatest hits however I didn't think it was any more different from "Galore" with the exception of the exclusion of my favorite Cure song of all time "Pictures of You". "Galore" on the other hand excluded "Inbetween Days" but that is because this singles collection picks up where "Staring at the Sea" (the band's first singles collection) leaves off. As much as I love "Pictures of You", I can't stand the way it sounds edited for radio. For me, it just sounds incomplete as opposed to its 7 minutes and 24 seconds of bliss. I can never tire of "Just Like Heaven". That song is an old club favorite of mine. Some diehard Cure fans might write off "Friday I'm in Love" but I love that song. I love the acoustic guitars on theat particular song. The only songs I didn't really care for were the songs from "Wild Mood Swings" which I thought was a terrible album from The Cure. Other than those songs, I enjoyed this collection of the band's singles. An ideal cd for beginner Cure fans.