The album has a dark feel both musically and lyrically, but I disagree with most who call this album or the Cure gothic. The Cure just sing about life. This includes love, happiness, sorrows, and a lot of other emotions and subjects.

I think the strongest tracks were the ones that were played on the radio when I was a teen. These would be "Pictures of You", "Love Song", "Lullaby", "Fascination Street", and the title track. They had a lot of hits from this album. I feel that they where well deserved.

I also recommend "Bloodflowers" the Cure's latest cd. This album has darker heavier music while the latter album has darker lyrics.


One of the most complete albums ever!!   February 17, 2004
 5 out of 5 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.


My favorite album of all time   March 9, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

At the time of the recording of Disintegration, the Cure were just beginning to be noticed in the U.S. as a result of several minor hits off of their "Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me" album in the late 80s. 1989, the year Disintegration was recorded and released, was not a particularly good year in Robert Smith's life, so he naturally wasn't going to be making music akin to the poppy, upbeat, Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me sound. When he first played the new album in front of a test audience, it was met with some mild applause, but mostly disappointing silence. Smith thought he'd committed career suicide and had chosen the worst possible way to follow Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me. Little did he realize at the time that he and his band had created a masterpiece, which would go on to be the Cure's best-selling album as well as my favorite album of all time.

From the majestic opening of "Plainsong" to the closing chords of "Untitled", Disintegration is a beautiful, very cohesive masterpiece. Lush keyboards, soothing bass lines, complex drum patterns, and absolutely amazing guitar lines create a beautiful, melancholic atmosphere that totally envelops the listener. Backing it all up are Robert Smith's reedy, plaintive vocals, which are phenomenally emotional, passionate, and sincere. With few exceptions, the songs on Disintegration hover for gorgeously extended lengths of time, taking their time to unravel and inspire awe. Every single one of them is wondrous work of art, and their consistency in quality and theme is amazing. The album is 72 minutes long, and there is not one minute of filler. That statement, plus the fact that this album has only received three negative reviews out of 197, should speak volumes about the quality of Disintegration.

This album is simply the best thing I've ever heard. If you have patience, an open mind, and the desire to experience something simply and utterly beautiful, Disintegration is for you.


What's the Phrase? Oh yeah. As good as it gets   October 13, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

There are a few records that you wish you could hear again for the first time, to remember that feeling of pure ecstasy you feel when you hear a record that pretty much changes the way you look at things. And for me, "Disitigration" is one of those records.
"Disinitgration" was the third Cure record that I heard, friends having played me the horrid "Wild Mood Swings" and the uninspired "Blooflowers", so I wasn't a fan of the Cure. But a friend of mine insisted that I burn this record and give it a listen, so to make him shut up and leave me alone, I did, but waited nearly two months to listen to it. And when I did, my jaw feel on the ground and stay fixed there until the end. It took me two and a half hours to listen to this record, because I couldn't believe what I had just heard and I had to hear it again. And since that day, almost two years ago, this record is rarely away from disc changer.
What you can expect from "Disintigration" is pop music played on a truly epic scale. Most of the songs go over four minutes but its too the Cure's credit that nothing on this record that should've been changed even by a single note. "Pictures of You" is the perfect example of how this record works: If you've heard the single version of it, that runs four minutes rather than seven, the song is nice, but not great. But the real version on this record builds to a point over two minutes of euphoria, so once it actually starts with Robert Smith's impecable singing, your all ready hooked.
The songs are gothic psychedelic, cold and dark, but not as much so as "Pornography" or "Faith". "Disintigration" invites you into its sadness to make you feel better about it all. This record is like a friend with good advice on a bad day: everything might be bad now, but it has to get better than this.
There aren't enough words to say how strongly I feel about this record. To me, the songwrittng, the lyrical content, the production, to packaging, the whole thing is flawless.
Even if I can't hear it again for the first time again, everytime I hear "Disintigration" it reminds me of why I love music: it can give you hope.


Incredible   May 30, 2005
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Few bands have had as much impact on the alternative rock scene as England's The Cure. Their 1989 release "Disintegration" is a masterpiece of gloomy goth-rock.

There are two basic types of Cure songs: happy-sad pop gems like "Friday I'm in Love" and accessible dirges like "Out of this World." "Disintegration" is made up almost solely of the latter; even upbeat tracks like "Fascination Street" could hardly be called flat-out pop.

Of course, real Cure fans prefer darker fare.

"Disintegration" is a great album all the way through, but there are a few standout tracks. "Fascination Street," as previously mentioned, is unique for its moderately fast tempo and frantic bass line, while "Lovesong" is a high-quality track that artistically puts optimistic, cliche love lyrics over a dreary background.

"Plainsong," "Lullaby" and "The Last Dance" are typical to the album in style - slow and bleak - but are of an above-par quality.

The album's best track, however, is "Pictures of You"-perhaps the best Cure song ever, both the lyrics and music evoke the ecstasy-meets-depression mood that defines the band's sound. It's a bit too long for its own good (a shortened, poppier, near-perfect version appeared on the greatest-hits collection "Galore"), but the power and allure of the song come across well.

The Cure has had plenty of great records including, most recently, 2000's "Bloodflowers" (the self-titled release of '04 was pretty mediocre), but "Disintegration" is most memorable because of its gloomy atmospheres and high quality. Any fan of dark, melodic music would be well-advised to buy it.