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| Disintegration | 
 enlarge | Artist: The Cure
Label: Elektra / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $1.79
You Save: $17.19 (91%)
New (37) Used (41) Collectible (3) from $1.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  303 reviews
Sales Rank: 956
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.8 x 0.5
MPN: 60855
UPC: 075596085526
EAN: 0075596085526
ASIN: B000002H70
Release Date: May 1, 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Blossomization. February 28, 2000
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
Until 1989's Disintegration, The Cure had always been underground music. This cd is an epic somber masterpiece. Sonically, I can't think of another band that has achieved what Robert Smith did with this recording. It's long, very long, but on rainy days, this is the one to listen to. I pick Disintegration of all the Cure's albums because there isn't anyone who likes the Cure that doesn't already know that this is a great album. I like all of the Cures' recordings, and I could have easily reviewed Faith, Pornography or The Head on the Door, but none of those comes close to this one. If you're not a Cure fan then get this one. The hits "Fascination Street", "Love Song" and "Pictures of You" are here as well as 9 other Cure classics. Now that Robert has decided to disband the Cure, they will go down in music history like Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits will/have.
From 1989: an ambitious closer for the decade April 16, 2003
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Ambitious, emotional, utterly brilliant; those are just a few adjectives to describe this Cure masterpiece from 1989. The aura is evident right away on "Plainsong," from the ethereal sound to the echoey vocals, to the way it seems to take the album a while to get going, this is one special piece of music, which continues the entire way through. Robert Smith takes a long time before singing on most of these tracks, as if he's purposely hoping to lull listeners into the sound and mood he's in. The drums on most of these tracks are simply played, big and booming, '80s style, amid a whirlwind of more complex music that is consistently grandoise and sweeping.
A hopeless romantic, lead singer Smith wears his heart on his sleeve when he passionately sings. Musically, the guy is pretty boundless: The quiet guitar hooks are honest-to-God hooks that sweep you in, and the same can be said for the more important keyboard work on the album from Roger O' Donnell, which makes for an extremely catchy combination, despite the overall dark ambiance. At 73 minutes long, nothing on this album is chintzy; it doesn't skimp out on anything, and thus, listeners will get a lot out of it in more ways than one.
Not surprisingly, the dark pop radio hit "Lovesong," at three minutes, 28 seconds, is sort of an oddity on "Disintegration," as much for its short time span as its quick, get-to-the-point message. Another anamoly is the fabulous "Lullaby," a quirky tune with breathy vocals. From the fragments of an anxiety-filled dream, the song comes off as entertaining and humorous, especially given the generally somber mood of the rest of the album.
The meat of these outstandingly created, brilliantly windy songs takes place at the dark but somehow joyous and experiment-seeking "Fascination Street." From that point on, no song is under six minutes. "Prayers for Rain" is bold but majestically hopeless and desperate-sounding; "The Same Deep Water As You" owes a debt to the Doors' lulling rain-drenched intro and outro heard on "Riders on the Storm." Actually, both songs possess the same seductively mellow vibe that slowly draws listeners in. The title track has a much more immediate effect, an apologetic urgency, a sound of admittance, shame and guilt. Its simple piano hook is repetative and beautiful, making the long song perhaps the best one on the album.
Though the final two tracks sound a bit tacked on, they're outstanding tunes, and they fill out "Disintegration" with grace, surely what Smith was going for. "Homesick" retains the spacey, atmospheric vibe of earlier songs, while "Untitled" might be the prettiest, most stripped-down tune on the entire record. Overall, this album is best heard as an entire entity -- if you have the time, that is. No doubt, if you're seeking solace on an endless windswept prairie of sounds, this is the music for you.
there aren't enough superaltives for this album June 1, 2006
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
i admit i was never the biggest cure fan in the world. i thought kiss me, kiss me, kiss me had some great songs ('hot, hot, hot,' 'catch,' 'like cocatoos,' 'why can't i be you?' and, of course, 'just like heaven') and i was mildy amused by songs like 'the walk,' 'let's go to bed' and 'inbetween days.' i remember being in high school and watching postmodern MTV (when MTV actually had a redeeming quality) every night with that goofy host, kevin seal, and ocassionally catching a cure video (me, well, i was more in the DM camp instead of the cure). don't get me wrong, i liked the cure, but to my adolescent mind they couldn't top the mighty mode.
however, my opinion of the cure forever changed when i saw the 'world premiere' of the video for 'fascination street.' who was this new cure? robert smith and co. always gleefully played in the darkness, but 'fascination street' seemed more purposeful and direct than previous cure songs i'd heard. it kept the cure's trademark darkness, but there was something else to it. what was it? 15 years on i still don't know.
i went to the sadly defunct crandall audio in orem, utah and bought 'disintegration' with my hard-earned lawnmowing money that week (i still have the old cd 'longbox' cd's used to come in). nothing could've prepared me for the beauty of the album's opener (and standout, in my opinion), 'plainsong.' everyone who's said 'disintegration' (appropriately titled, by the way) is a moody, atmospheric album is spot-on. few albums drum up the raw emotions we all feel inside quite like 'disintegration.' it was an interesting blend of peddled-guitars, tinny bass, spooky synths, and robert smith's trademark yalps.
it was shortly thereafter i saw the video for 'lullaby.' i thought i was having a nightmare. it's still a brilliant song and the second best song on the album (in my opinion). most of us will also probably feel some nostalgia for 'pictures of you,' and 'love song,' too. they're the kind of love songs that could only come from the cure.
as someone else correctly noted, 'disintergration' is very much a concept album. how else do you explain every song coming in at 5+ minutes? (well, most anyway). in short, 'disintegration' is indeed the cure's defining moment, much like 'violator' was depeche mode's, 'the innocents,' was erasure's, 'earth sun moon' was love and rocket's, and 'technique' was new order's. now that i think about it, the late 80's and early 90's had some truly great music. 1989, the year of 'disintegration,' is particularly noteworthy.
if you're new to the 'movement,' 'disintegration' is essential listening. it's huge, bold, experimental, purposeful, direct, nebulous, moody, eerie, creepy, spooky, heartbreaking and ultimately beautiful.
i'm still not a huge cure fan, but i'll disintegrate anytime.
Inspired, transcendental, poignant, sublime. September 17, 2001
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I can still remember the first time I heard this album. The day it hit the shelves, I borrowed the disk from a friend and sampled it while on break. Like no other album before or since, the brilliance of this work immediately overwhelmed me. I listened to the first 30-45 seconds of each song, track by track, through the whole disk. I kept waiting for weak songs to skip over, but they never came...
I bought a copy for myself immediately after work and listened to it in it's entirety, twice, that very night.
To this day, so many years later, Disintegration remains one of my favorite albums. It is pure, raw, distilled emotion set in an environment that encompasses such a depth and breadth of feeling that you could lose yourself there. For a time.
For me, this is the Cure's Magnum Opus. If you don't own it, get it.
If you have it, go listen to it again.
If you listened to it and don't like it, try again. You didn't hear it first time around.
One of the most complete albums ever!! February 17, 2004
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Usually a band's most popular album is not their best work; this one is. The Cure made no compromises on 'Disintegration' yet managed to create their biggest seller to date. It is no accident. From start to finish the album is complete in its ability to creating sweeping, atmospheric music that totally envelops the listener without ever becoming boring. Many of the songs require 7+ minutes to unfold yet never is there a dull moment."Plainsong", the opener, is a soaring, orchestral piece that is both forceful and beautiful; it begin the album with a flourish. "Pictures of You", the 4th single from the album and featured today in a TV ad (there must be 100 ads w/ 80's songs in the last 4 years), is a charming ballad that was accompanied by an equally charming video. The video juxtaposed a band in the cold of the Arctic surrounded by palm trees; like the palm trees in the Arctic the pictures provide no warmth or feeling despite what they represent - a great pop song. Skipping ahead, "Lovesong" was the smash hit that catapulted the band to mainstream success, but that doesn't mean it was a sellout by any means. Lovesong was a minor-chord miracle full of plaintive keys, a sad bassline and bittersweet lyrics. "Last Dance" is the ultimate if atypical breakup song - the perfect ode to ending it on mournful yet respectful terms. "Lullaby", creepy but catchy, was the 3rd chronological single - the video was a masterpiece and had a strange hidden (and perhaps unintentional) statement on Smith's relationships with women... at one point he is being swallowed by, well "it" (he may say "Spiderman" but we ain't buyin' it). "Fascination Street", the lead single, is a powerhouse Goth jam highlighted by one of the best bass rhythms to be found anywhere; it just throbs and emanates energy. The song may be eerie but you can certainly jam to it. The best may be "The Same Deep Water As You" which will totally immerse you is its wet, multi-layered depths; it is a complex and haunting song. Simply said, this is the Cure's best, the best of the decade and likely a top 10 ever for any genre.
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