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Track Listings
| 1. Boys Don't Cry |
| 2. Forest |
| 3. Let's Go To Bed |
| 4. Lovecats |
| 5. Caterpillar |
| 6. In Between Days |
| 7. Close To Me |
| 8. Why Can't I Be You |
| 9. Just Like Heaven |
| 10. Lullaby |
| 11. Love Song |
| 12. Never Enough |
| 13. High |
| 14. Friday I'm In Love |
| 15. Mint Car |
| 16. Wrong Number |
| 17. Cut Here |
| 18. Just Say Yes |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
As Greatest Hits--and particularly the busking pavement jazz of "Lovecats"--reminds us, the best Cure singles were very often tangential exercises; halcyon playtime divergences offering a Goth-free contrast to some of the weightier studiousness of some of those early albums. Or, as smudged frontman Robert Smith says of this 18-track collection, "Songs that are sung with a smile." This wasn't always true--witness the refrigerated fogginess of the classic "A Forest", the Blair Witch Project of it's day. What this compilation does is focus attention on the Cure's perennial unpredictability--the nursery school bonkers-ness of "The Caterpillar", the breathless claustrophobia of "Close to Me", the New Order-lite of "The Walk", the brass-section embellished thrust of "Why Can't I Be You". Oddly, chart-wise, the Cure's Lost Weekend began immediately after "Friday I'm in Love", their most ebullient melodic moment and the ultimate clocking-off to kick-those-heels! anthem. But at least the inclusion of two new songs "Cut Here" and "Just Say Yes" (with Saffron from Republica) indicate that the Cure remain a healthy ongoing concern. --Kevin Maidment
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Demob Happy
Format:Audio CD
While some of The Cure faithful may feel aggrieved by the absence - 'A Forest' notwithstanding - of tracks from their gloomiest period (Faith, Seventeen Seconds, Pornography), the more casual listener will find much to enjoy here. Having had a big Cure phase in my teens, I might quibble that the Boys Don't Cry/Three Imaginary Boys era is under-represented. 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' and 'Killing An Arab', for instance, would have been preferable to some of the relatively non-descript material post-'Friday I'm In Love'. It seems odd also given how fashionable angular post-punk has been in the 00s to skimp on this early period, but ultimately you can't fault this as an introduction to the band.
What is great about this colllection is that The Cure had a habit of reinventing themselves and releasing their most resonant and accessible material as singles. This is not to say that they were a singles band - far from it, your next purchase ought to be 'Disintegration' if you don't own it already - but that this captures the band at their most varied, eccentric best. Whereas some Best-Ofs can seem fairly by-the-numbers, soulless experiences, 'Greatest Hits' is a joy for its vivid eclecticism.
Despite their reputation (not always unfounded) for bleak introspection, 'Greatest Hits' reveals Robert Smith to be one of the best pop songwriters of his generation. 'In Between Days', 'Close To Me', 'Just Like Heaven' are pop perfection, while 'A Forest' and 'Lullaby' harnesses the band's predilection for acid-spiked paranoia in a universably accessible form. Meanwhile the deranged, off-kilter pop of 'The Lovecats' and 'The Caterpillar' straddles the unlikely territory somewhere between these two poles: too saccharine to be goth, too bonkers by most pop tastes. Then you have the raw energy of 'Boy's Don't Cry' and the comparatively lush and expansive pop sensibility of 'Lovesong' and 'Pictures of You'. Thankfully, the collection is also chronological, so you get (almost) the whole Cure story - and a fantastic journey it is.
What is great about this colllection is that The Cure had a habit of reinventing themselves and releasing their most resonant and accessible material as singles. This is not to say that they were a singles band - far from it, your next purchase ought to be 'Disintegration' if you don't own it already - but that this captures the band at their most varied, eccentric best. Whereas some Best-Ofs can seem fairly by-the-numbers, soulless experiences, 'Greatest Hits' is a joy for its vivid eclecticism.
Despite their reputation (not always unfounded) for bleak introspection, 'Greatest Hits' reveals Robert Smith to be one of the best pop songwriters of his generation. 'In Between Days', 'Close To Me', 'Just Like Heaven' are pop perfection, while 'A Forest' and 'Lullaby' harnesses the band's predilection for acid-spiked paranoia in a universably accessible form. Meanwhile the deranged, off-kilter pop of 'The Lovecats' and 'The Caterpillar' straddles the unlikely territory somewhere between these two poles: too saccharine to be goth, too bonkers by most pop tastes. Then you have the raw energy of 'Boy's Don't Cry' and the comparatively lush and expansive pop sensibility of 'Lovesong' and 'Pictures of You'. Thankfully, the collection is also chronological, so you get (almost) the whole Cure story - and a fantastic journey it is.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By "catskii"
Format:Audio CD
Every rock fan will be able to pick this album up and find at least a couple of songs that appeal to them. Ever a versatile band, Robert Smith's voice and the underlying bass guitar riffs are the only real constants throughout this greatest hits package. 'Never Enough' is pure guitar stomp, 'Lovecats' the grooviest of white jazz, and 'Love Song' the most poignant example of Smith's lyric-writing.
What more can I say that hasn't already been said in previous reviews? Even for established Cure fans, this is a very handy condensed package which I would genuinely recommend to anyone around.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Excellent best of compilation from The Cure. Covering the greater part of their career, and showing just what they were capable of from the breezy catchiness of Lovecats through the full gamut of experimentalism and pop through to the moody A Forest. A great place for beginners (such as myself) to start with their music, though it has left me wanting more fo their actual album releases. To be honest, at this price it's worth getting just for the classic that is Lovecats.
Mastering and production are good, with a decent sound and good liner notes. An excellent release, 5 stars.
Mastering and production are good, with a decent sound and good liner notes. An excellent release, 5 stars.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The 80's produced more than juts Wham! ;0)
I think the 80's gets a bad rap music-wise and listening to band like The Cue remind us of the great music produce in a decade that is mostly remembered for being naff. Read more
Published 18 hours ago by Layla
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but.......
I'd advise buying the Bestival cd rather than this version - it's rather flat by comparison, the live cd is different class
Published 27 days ago by Steve08
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
My niece has started getting into and listening to the cure and really likes this cd, very happy with it
Published 1 month ago by Mrs
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
Great album, and the words in the songs are great, takes me back some years, and the good times listening to the Cure......Boys dont cry brilliant song
Published 1 month ago by Ms. Alison J. Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good
Very good cd, loaded onto iPod music for all ages, good for driving or relaxing, timeless classic, great addition to cd case
Published 1 month ago by O
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant high energy CD
Brilliant CD all the tracks are classic. I had forgotten how many songs the Cure had produced and are so well known now. High energy music makes you want to dance . Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rachael
5.0 out of 5 stars
The CURE
If you Love THE CURE then you will definately love this album! What's not to love if you are a fan!
Published 2 months ago by N. Barnes
4.0 out of 5 stars
as expected
good quality disc would buy again. whats with having to write so much stuff i was happy with my cd
cheers
cheers
Published 3 months ago by RB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album
I'm 21 my dad likes the cure and I heard them on his Hifi fort they was catchy to hear. Fav track just like heaven
Published 3 months ago by cjsays
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgia
Enjoy the music and the particularly individual sound of the lead singers voice. It is more of an album for retro music fans but would stand alone in todays poor pop scene.
Published 4 months ago by D Grogan
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