1. What Cure albums should I buy first?

I would recommend buying Staring At The Sea or Galore, which are both singles collections, so you would get a taste of every Cure album.

2. Where can I find B-sides?

Studio recorded B-sides from the years 1979-1985 can be found on the cassette version of Standing On A Beach. Other than those songs, you would have to buy the single There are bootlegs that feature a large collection of b-sides, but those releases are unofficial and unauthorized. Robert also has talked about releasing a collection of b-sides and rarities from The Cures history, and this release may be up to a 3-CD set and may only be available through The Cures Official Website.

3. I've heard of a song, but I can't find it on any album. Where did this song come from?

There are a lot of demos that The Cure recorded but never released, as well as songs that were recorded but never put on a proper studio album and song that have only been played live. A lot of these songs are available on a number of bootlegs.  Here I will explain what each of these songs are; All I Have To Do Is Kill Her :: an alternate version of 'All Mine' that has been played live Another Girl, Another Planet :: an Only Ones cover performed as a soundcheck Ariel :: a track recorded by Robert Smith for the Kid Jensen Radio Show in 1982 Away :: an early live version of 'Cut' performed live and featured on the Play Out video Carnage Visors :: a 27 minute long instrumental that was played as a soundtrack to the film of the same name that was played during the Faith tour in place of a supporting act. This track is available only on bootlegs and the b-side to the Faith cassette Cats Like Cheese :: an early demo version of 'Give Me It' Cold Colours :: an early demo of 'Primary' featuring totally different lyrics Cure83 :: an early instumental version of 'The Snakepit' Desperate Journalist :: a later version of 'Grinding Halt' with completely different lyrics based on a negative review that Paul Morley of NME had given to the Three Imaginary Boys record. This song recorded for the John Peel Show Do You Wanna Touch Me? :: a Gary Glitter cover performed live during the Head tour in 1985 Eyemou :: an instrumental intro played live during the Kissing Tour English Rose :: a Jam cover performed as a soundcheck Faded Smiles :: an early demo from the time of Seventeen Seconds Happy Birthday Simon :: a depressing birthday song played live to the tune of 'M' for Simon's 20th birthday Heart Attack :: an unreleased instrumental demo from the Wish sessions I Hate Rock 'n' Roll :: a 1 minute long instrumental recorded as a soundcheck at a Cure show I Just Need Myself :: a demo recorded by Easy Cure but never released on any album Into The Trees :: an early demo recording of 'A Forest' I Want To Be Old :: a demo recorded by Easy Cure but never released on any album The Last Thing You Should Do :: a duet that Robert Smith did with David Bowie Listen :: a demo recorded by Easy Cure and was later released as 'Pillbox Tales' Mission Impossible :: a cover of the movie theme played as a soundcheck Old England :: an unreleased instrumental demo from the Wish sessions Perish :: I don't know where this track came from, and have only heard one recording of it, which was only a 30-second clip Quicksand :: a duet Robert Smith did with David Bowie See The Children :: a demo recorded by Easy Cure but never released on any album Slury (Slvvy) :: an unreleased instrumental demo recorded during the Wish sessions Two Chord Cool :: an early demo version of 'The 13th' Weedy Burton :: the unlisted instrumental at the end of Three Imaginary Boys Wild Thing :: a Troggs cover performed live You Really Got Me :: a Kinks cover performed live

4. What studio demos were recorded but never released on an album?

I Want To Be Old (Recorded by Easy Cure, 1978) See The Children (Recorded by Easy Cure, 1978) I Just Need Myself (Recorded by Easy Cure, 1978) Forever (1982) Faded Smiles (1982) Slury (Slvvy) (1992) Heart Attack (1992) Old England (1992) (There were many more demos written for each album, but these are the recordings that are available on bootlegs and such)

5. What are the Peel Sessions?

The Peel Sessions are recordings from the John Peel Radio Show, a show that featured such acts as Joy Division, Siouxsie & The Banshees, New Order and many more. The Cure played on the John Peel Show a number of times before 1985

6. What is Lost Wishes?

Lost Wishes was a collection of 4 instrumental tracks recorded during the Wish sessions.

7. What is the difference between Three Imaginary Boys and Boys Don't Cry?

Three Imaginary Boys was The Cures first album, but The Cures US distributors thought that many of the songs wouldn't do to well, so they took the songs they thought were best from the album, some singles and b-sides, and placed them on an LP called Boys Don't Cry.

8. What symbols go with which songs on Three Imaginary Boys?

10.15 Saturday Night :: Telephone Accuracy :: Eyes with gun lens Grinding Halt :: 'Don't Walk' signal Another Day :: Bed Object :: Collage of woman Subway Song :: Body tracing Foxy Lady :: Woman walking on the street Meathook :: Meat hanging on hook So What? :: Sugar packets Fire In Cairo :: Burnt picture of pyramid and palm trees It's Not You :: Large crowd of people on beach

9. What songs have The Cure covered?

David Bowie 'Young Americans' Xfm 104.9 Depeche Mode 'World In My Eyes' For The Masses The Doors 'Hello, I Love You' Rubáiyát Gary Glitter 'Do You Wanna Touch Me?' (Live, The Head Tour 1985) Jimi Hendrix 'Foxy Lady' Three Imaginary Boys Jimi Hendrix 'Purple Haze' Stone Free The Jam 'English Rose' (Soundcheck, Frankfurt 10.29.87) The Kinks 'You Really Got Me' (Live, 9.16.85) The Only Ones 'Another Girl, Another Planet' (Soundcheck, Pittsburgh 8.4.87) The Troggs 'Wild Thing' (Live, '87, with Lol on vocals)

10. Who has covered The Cure?

30 Foot Fall 'Just Like Heaven' AFI 'The Hanging Garden' A Fire Inside Alkaline Trio 'The Exploding Boy' Pocket Bomb Tori Amos 'Lovesong' (Live) Area 7 'Boys Don't Cry' Bitter And Twisted The Ataris 'Just Like Heaven' (Live) The Bates 'The Wailing Wall' (Live) Battery 'All Cats Are Grey' Aftermath Blame 'There Is No If...', ''Just Like Heaven' (Live) Blaquebetty 'Siamese Twins' (Internet Release) Camouflage 'Cold' Areu Areu Carpathian Forest 'A Forest' Black Shining Leather Coaltar Of Deepers 'Killing An Arab' Naimee Colman 'Lovesong' Counting Crows 'Six Different Ways' (Live) Creaming Jesus 'A Forest' Gothic Rock 3, Bark, The End of an Error Dart 'A Few Hours After This' Dead End 'It's Not You' What's My Punk? Deadsy 'Just Like Heaven' (Internet Release) Dinosaur Jr. 'Just Like Heaven' Blast First, Fossil, Just Like Heaven John Eddie 'Inbetween Days' Rubáiyát The Eye 'Killing An Arab' The Joy Of Diving Face To Face 'Inbetween Days' Before You Were Punk V.1 Faith and Disease 'All Cats Are Grey' Fortune His Sleep The Fearful Porpentines 'A Forest Fiction 'Charlotte Sometimes' The Fragment of Pale Memories Garden Variety 'Push' Gossamer 'Babble' Get Up Kids 'Close To Me' Before You Were Punk V.2 Glo Worm 'Friday I'm In Love' Glimmer Goldfinger 'Just Like Heaven' Darrin's Coconut Ass - Live from Omaha Hemisferios 'A Strange Day', 'A Night Like This' (Live) Jack Off Jill 'Lovesong' Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers Jawbox 'Meathook' The Junk Monkeys 'Boys Don't Cry' Bliss Die Krauts 'A Forest' This Is A Song We Never Played Kriegbereit 'A Forest (Boom Boom Mix)' Nathan Larson 'Boys Don't Cry' Boys Don't Cry Motion Picture The Living End '10.15 Saturday Night' It's For Your Own Good LUNA 'Just Like Heaven' (Live) M 'Close To Me' Je Dis Aime Madaski 'A Forest' Da Shit Is Serious Maniatica 'The Figurehead', 'Lullaby', 'Let's Go To Bed', 'If Only Tonight We Could Sleep' (Internet Releases) Matchbox 20 'Fascination Street' (Live) Misery Loves Co. 'The Drowning Man' Your Vision Was Never Mine To Share The Mission 'Inbetween Days' (Live, 1990) Obnoxious! 'Boys Don't Cry' Punk Till Death Oleander 'Boys Don't Cry' February Son Page and Plant 'Lullaby' (Live) Pato Fu 'Just Like Heaven' A Perfect Circle 'Lovesong' (Live, 10.99) Philtron 'A Forest' Philtropolis Plastiko 'Icing Sugar', 'Gone!' (Live) Poesie Noire 'A Night Like This' Oblivion Porcelain Rockstar 'Catch', 'Numb', 'Ocean', 'Treasure' (Internet Releases) Prozac+ 'Boys Don't Cry' Racer 'Just Like Heaven' Rectal Pizza '10.15 Saturday Night' Cavity Search Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Boys Don't Cry' (live) Red Pepper 'The Lovecats' Megamouth Reel Big Fish 'Boys Don't Cry' (Live) The Scaries 'Pictures Of You' Secondhand 'Boys Don't Cry' Sharp 'The Lovecats' Yeah, I Want You Sheer Terror 'Boys Don't Cry' (Live) Silver Scooter 'Inbetween Days' Sleeper 'Inbetween Days' (Live) Smashing Pumpkins 'Boys Don't Cry' (Live) Smashing Pumpkins 'A Night Like This' The Aeroplane Flies High (Box Set) Snake River Conspiracy 'Lovesong' Sonic Jihad Stabbing Westward 'Give Me It' (Live) Stevesacre 'Fascination Street' Speakeasy Tekno Mafia 'Boys Don't Cry' Tufts Amalgamates 'Just Like Heaven' Voice Of Reason 'Lullaby' Waltari 'A Forest' So Fine! Younger Younger 28's 'Inbetween Days' Soap Zeitmahl 'A Forest' Boy Gun Damn V.1

11. Is there a difference between the Flexipop! version of La Ment and the regular version?

The Flexipop! version of La Ment was an earlier version recorded by Steve Severin and Robert Smith. This version has different vocals as well as different music.

12. What literature has inspired Robert's songwriting?

Killing An Arab :: 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus So What? :: An offer for a cake decorating set from the back of a sugar packet. The Weedy Burton :: 'Play In A Day' Guitar Tutorial by Burt Weedon In Your House :: 'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake M :: 'A Happy Death' by Albert Camus At Night :: 'At Night' by Franz Kafka Other Voices :: 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' by Truman Capote All Cats Are Grey :: 'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake The Drowning Man :: 'Gormenghast' and 'Titus Groan' by Mervyn Peake Charlotte Sometimes :: 'Charlotte Sometimes' by Penelope Farmer The Lovecats :: 'The Aristocats' Film Bird Mad Girl :: 'Love in the Asylum' by Dylan Thomas Give Me It :: 'Bad Timing' Film by Nic Roeg Piggy In The Mirror :: 'Bad Timing' by Nic Roeg The Empty World :: 'Charlotte Sometimes' by Penelope Farmer Title of Bananafishbones :: 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' by Jerome David Salinger Splintered In Her Head :: 'Charlotte Sometimes' by Penelope Farmer A Perfect Murder :: 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov How Beautiful You Are :: 'The Eyes of the Poor' by Charles Baudelair Like Cockatoos :: 'The Cockatoos' by Patrick White Ending line for Lullaby :: 'The Spider and the Fly' by Mary Howitt Disintegration :: 'Party Piece' by Brian Patten A Letter To Elise :: 'Les Enfants Terribles' by Jean Cocteau and 'A Letter To Felice' by Franz Kafka A Foolish Arrangement :: 'Cristabel' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Treasure :: 'Remember' Poem by Christina Rossettii Adonais :: 'Adonis' by Percy Bysshe Shelley Where The Bird Always Sing :: 'The Crow Raod' by Ian Banks

13. Why does Robert change the lyrics to songs when performing them live?

Robert has stated in interviews that he simply rewrites them as he goes along, but it seems to me that he may just forget. Also, songs such as 'Forever', 'All Mine', and sometimes 'Faith' are completely rewritten having no similar lyrics to the original but keeping the same beat.

14. What is the sample at the beginning of the song 'Pornography' from?

According to Robert Smith, it's just a sample of a random radio show that happened to be playing during the Pornography recording sessions. The recording was also played backwards.

(c) of these faq: craig and jason. mirrored here because both sites are down.