The Cure是一支英国乐队,其灵魂人物Robert Smith生于1959年4月21日,成长于伦敦郊区。自小Robert的父母就鼓励他做自己喜欢的事,努力追求自己的梦想。他们从不要求他做什么,也不禁止他做什么。在13岁那年他哥哥送给他一把电吉他作为圣诞礼物,Robert象是有某种天赋似的,一开始就得心应手地弹起来。时值Punk运动末期,1976年Robert Smith和同窗Lol Tolhurst(鼓手)、Michael Dempsey(贝司)组建了一支乐队"Malice",在Club等公众场合演奏一些David Bowie、Jimi Hendrix的歌曲。Robert因为对老师的宗教言论提出异议和穿绒睡衣上学等怪异行为"影响极坏"而被逐出校门。不久他们将乐队改名为"Easy Cure",并开始自己创作歌曲,又招揽了Porl Thompson作第二吉他手。在1977年Easy Cure争取到德国Hansa唱片公司1000英镑的合约,他们把钱全都用来添置乐器和设备,并在录音室灌录了10首demo,其中最有名的Killing an Arab是受Albert Camus(加缪)的小说The Outsider(《局外人》)启发而作。然而Hansa公司对这10首小样均不满意,尤其害怕Killing an Arab会招致阿拉伯人的抗议,而不批准将其作为Easy Cure的首支单曲发行,并于1978年解除了Easy Cure的合约。不久Robert Smith正式将乐队更名为"The Cure",灌录了四首歌制成样带寄往各大唱片公司。这些样带受到Polydor的A&R负责人Chris Parry的赏识,在看过The Cure的现场演出后Chris Parry将其招入Fiction旗下。1979年The Cure推出首张单曲Killing an Arab / 10:15 Saturday Night,受到乐评人的好评,同时也被一些不明白歌曲原意的人指责为"种族歧视"。同年发行了首张专辑THREE IMAGINARY BOYS,除个别恶评之外,成绩还不错。同期该专辑以BOYS DON'T CRY为名在美国发行。最具争议性的Killing an Arab在吉他和贝司出色营造的阿拉伯舞曲的异国情调中虚构了一个固执而残酷的无知少年的形象。这段时期Robert Smith除了主持The Cure大局之外,曾和Lockjaw乐队的成员Simon Gallup合作了Cult Hero单曲,有时又在Siouxie and The Banshees乐队中客串做吉他手,两支乐队一起巡回演出、参加雷丁音乐节(Reading Festival)。Robert与Siouxie合作了好一段时间,还出了一张单曲Jumping Someone Else's Train / I'm Cold。这时贝司Michael Dempsey越发不满Robert的创作方向,退出了乐队,Simon Gallup取而代之。1980年春,The Cure推出了第二张专辑SEVENTEEN SECONDS,充溢着黑暗的、非主流的声音。Punk式的急促吉他声效,简约的歌词,Robert叹息着人生的短暂和无奈,以及人与人之间的隔阂。Play for Today描写情人之间的不忠诚、互相欺骗和冷酷;在A Forest中Robert回忆起童年时的一个怪梦,他受到一把幻觉声音引诱而迷失在神秘的森林里;而At Night是受卡夫卡 (Franz Kafka,1883-1924,犹太人,奥地利的德语作家) 的同名短篇小说启发所写。可以看出The Cure开始注重整张专辑的整体风格,用貌似欢乐的音乐表达悲伤的主题,揭示人的内心的阴暗、痛苦、哀愁。在欧洲巡演时乐队成员遭催泪弹攻击、因酗酒闹事被捕;在新西兰巡演时键盘手Matthieu Hartley不满乐队创作的歌越来越黑暗、宿命论和具有自杀倾向性,在澳大利亚乐队成员之间因争执而大打出手,Matthieu退出了乐队。1981年中The Cure推出单曲Primary / Descent。第二吉他手Porl成立了一个小型美术设计公司Parched Art,从该单曲起,The Cure的每一张唱片的美丽封套都是由Parched Art设计的。不久The Cure第三张专辑FAITH发行,唱片监制形容其中的歌曲使人想上吊,而Fiction公司老板Chris Parry却认为这些歌很有风格,"棒极了"。该专辑的制作和巡演期间有四名乐队成员的亲人分别身故,使乐队成员的情绪非常低落,创作的歌曲更黑暗、颓废,The Funeral Party正是他们晦暗心情的写照。该专辑引来恶评如潮,却正中Robert下怀。在All Cats Are Grey中Robert描写了一个荡漾着墓地和监狱的回声的噩梦;在The Drowning Man中Robert悼念失落的童真和消逝的爱情;在Faith中Robert表达了信仰破灭后的迷惘和失落。在一场巡演中Robert如此地投入进歌曲中,完场后他哭着离开舞台。队员们大量服食麻醉品,跟观众打架,成为The Cure乐队历史上最糟的一次演出。之后The Cure又发行单曲,其中Charlotte Sometimes是受Penelope Farmer的同名小说启发而作,用意识流的手法生动地刻画了一名精神分裂的女孩的心理活动孤寂生活。1982年The Cure着手录制第四张专辑PORNOGRAPHY。Robert无节制地服食各种各样的麻醉品;有时以报纸当被在唱片公司的地板上或朋友家的地板上过夜;不清楚自己到过哪里、做过什么;在混乱和消极的情绪中放纵自己,切断了同现实生活、同周围的人们的联系。PORNOGRAPHY是The Cure最浓黑的专辑,充斥着愤怒、挑衅和暴戾,愤世疾俗地漠视任何人、任何事。One Hundred Years的首句歌词"It doesn't matter if we all die"充分表达出自我憎恨、空虚和冷漠。在专辑同名歌Pornography里Robert无情地自我嘲笑、自我憎恨,以及同谋杀和自杀的念头作抗争。象是到了绝望悬崖的边缘,Robert在乐队中变得专横无理,在巡演中还和贝司Simon酒醉后挥拳相向,Simon退出了乐队。The Cure的前四张专辑明显具有Punk、Hard Core和Gothic Rock(哥特式摇滚)的特质,音乐主要以吉他、贝司和鼓为主,吉他和贝司的音色带有鲜明的硬核风格,鼓点强劲而沉重,编曲简短紧凑,节奏急促、一气呵成,歌词直接,题材严肃、深沉、富于深刻的哲学性和思想性,年少气盛的Robert唱腔直白单调,毫无技巧可言,完全靠心理活动和情绪来控制声音的表现。这段时期的Cure音乐被人们称为Mope Rock,这四张黑暗浓重的专辑使The Cure成为Post Punk的代表,更被广大乐迷和乐评人冠以Pope of Mope、Cult Hero、Gothfather (即the Godfather of Goth,哥特教父) 等称号,备受众多有一定文化水平的、热爱思考的愤怒青少年的死心塌地的拥护和追随。Robert Smith还发明了典型的Cure形象:他(以及其他乐队成员)总是穿着黑色的衣服、以一头蜘蛛网般蓬乱竖起的长发、涂成大熊猫般的黑眼圈和血红色的唇膏涂抹的小丑形象出现在观众面前,这是他们自我解嘲的方式,表示他们从不把自己当回事;同时他们也想用这种玩世不恭的姿态使人们目瞪口呆,顺便嘲弄那些装模作样一本正经的人;而且Robert在舞台上总是很害羞、很紧张,化妆能使他觉得变成了另外一个人,从而在表演时变得放松、自信一点。然而Cure迷们却为这种装扮疯狂,并一丝不苟地模仿这种形象,Robert甚至笑说"台下的乐迷比我还象我"。化妆在The Cure的音乐事业中并非无足轻重,似乎已成为The Cure的商标,那些乱发和浓妆就象蜗牛的壳,就好象"变相怪杰"里的面具一样,戴上了就不那么容易摘下来了。后来Robert也说,如果他不化妆就出现在观众面前,会觉得很不自在;有一次上一个电视节目的时候,电视台不准他化妆上镜,他为此很愤怒。Simon离队使The Cure名存实亡。Robert和Lol放假了一段时间后,又走进录音室。Lol不再打鼓,改做键盘。为了从低落情绪的深渊中逃离出来,他们录制了轻快流行的单曲Let's Go to Bed / Just One Kiss。Robert自己却说Let's Go to Bed是他在令人讨厌的商业泡沫影响之下闹着玩儿写出来的"无厘头",认为它违背了The Cure历来的音乐路线,担心会引起Cure迷们的不满。然而该单曲却在排行榜上取得第44名的好成绩。这时英国皇家芭蕾舞团的舞蹈指导Nicholas Dixon请求Robert允许他借用Siamese Twins作为他的舞剧的背景音乐。不久Robert和Siouxie and the Banshees的贝司手Steve Severin组成即兴二人组the Glove,在三天之内录制了15首歌,发行了BLUE SUNSHINE专辑。受到BBC的邀请,Robert在牛津的现场表演中重拾精神,决定要重振The Cure。Robert开始改变创作风格,在随后的单曲The Walk / The Dream和Lovecats / Speak My Language带有爵士和电子舞曲的味道,加入了很多流行的元素,分别在排行榜取得第12和第7名。1983年尾The Cure把几张单曲和一些B面歌曲集成专辑JAPANESE WHISPERS,很受欢迎。1984年Robert挑战自己体力和精力的极限,想做出更多成绩。他既要在Siouxie and the Banshees中做吉他手,录制新专辑HYENA;又要帮导演Tim Pope制作单曲I Want to Be a Tree。他使自己忙得不可开交,又服食麻醉品,他还一如既往地害怕变老,竟觉得受到了中年危机的威胁。在匆忙、混乱的情况下,The Cure同时推出THE TOP专辑和TheCaterpillar / Happy the Man单曲。Robert说THE TOP是他们过量服食麻醉品、神智不清的状态下炮制出来的、Cure史上最糟糕的一张专辑。然后The Cure又和Banshees一起到欧洲作巡演,Robert在两支乐队中来回忙碌,最后他筋疲力尽地意识到他不能"一脚踏两船",便终止了与Banshees的合作关系。休息了一段日子后,Robert将The Cure的欧洲巡演录音集成CONCERT现场专辑发行。随后The Cure又出发到新西兰、日本等地作全球巡演,途中鼓手Andy酒后乱性,攻击其他乐队成员和酒店旅客,Robert解雇了他。很快The Cure招揽Boris Williams入队,这名新鼓手和其他队员很合得来。从THE TOP专辑起,Robert正式参与每一张Cure专辑的混音、制作和策划。回国后Robert和Simon Gallup重修旧好,Simon重新归队。1985年初The Cure又走进录音室,并规定只准喝酒,不许服食其它麻醉品。7月单曲Inbetween Days / The Exploding Boy出炉,在排行榜取得第15名。欧洲巡演后The Cure推出新专辑THE HEAD ON THE DOOR,在Inbetween Days中Robert流露出对衰老的恐惧和对专一爱情的渴望;在反映多重人格的、奇幻的Six Different Ways里,Robert又被六种不同想法搞得意乱情迷;而Close to Me则表达了梦想成真后的失望,Robert用神经质的急促呼吸声伴奏了整首歌。有乐评人形容这张专辑"纯真无邪、难能可贵"。随后The Cure到美国巡演,入场券被乐迷们抢购一空。这时期The Cure的音乐路线开始转变,吉他的音色变得明快起来,贝司则具有Funky风格,Screw开头的贝司竟有点象Nirvana的贝司声效。开始发挥吉他贝司和鼓以外的乐器的功用,加入了较多的键盘效果,有时还用上Saxphone和其它铜管乐器。受80年代Disco风的影响,不少歌曲都有电子舞曲的风格。节奏舒缓了点,Robert的声音也柔和了些。Robert解释说,看到那么多不知所谓的人做出的垃圾音乐也能卖钱,这不公平,他要试验一下换一换方式The Cure的艺术会不会为人们所接受。结果证明他是对的,向Pop靠拢一点的The Cure开始受到音乐界的重视。1986年The Cure将最近的单曲和B面歌曲收录在STANDING ON A BEACH合辑,同时又推出名为STARING AT THE SEA的CD和录象带。他们以英国为起点作巡演,在美国洛杉矶的首场演出中,有一名精神错乱的男乐迷用刀往自己身上不停地刺,招来新闻舆论的批评。The Cure在美国惊奇地发现乐迷中多了很多疯狂尖叫着他们名字的青春少女,她们很可能都是因Lovecats等歌曲中那个会哭的男孩的令人怜爱的形象而喜欢上The Cure的。Robert看到台下那么多跟自己相似的形象有点厌烦,就剪了个水手装(即小平头)在MTV上亮相,又在千万乐迷中引起恐慌。8月他们在法国首次拍摄了整场现场音乐会的录象,导演仍是Tim Pope。1987年The Cure将自己从尘世中完全隔绝开来,搞封闭式创作。新专辑在未完成之前不让任何"外人"试听,包括家属们。数月之后神秘的面纱终于揭开,4月推出了新鲜热辣的单曲,其中Why Can't I Be You?将英式和美式摇滚融合成电子舞曲,再加上高亢的铜管乐器,轻快欢闹得令人想跳舞,其音乐录影更令人忍俊不禁。紧接着5月双专辑KISS MEKISS ME KISS ME发行,The Cure从以前青涩的小男孩摇身变成雍容优雅的贵妇人,渐渐散发出其独有的华丽曲风摇滚的魅力。其中的歌曲风格不一,在The Kiss中The Cure首次使用了俗称的"哇音器"来表达愤怒的情绪;象Torture和Shiver and Shake等歌仍带有以往的自我仇恨和自认没出息、自责的影子;而If Only Tonight We Could Sleep (in a bed made of flowers)、One More Time等歌则柔情似水地充满梦幻、向往,在A Thousand Hours中Robert又悲戚地向苍天哀号。这张专辑为The Cure取得了前所未有的成功。6月The Cure推出又一张单曲,其中Catch让听众尝到初恋般的甜蜜。在专辑录制的时候乐队老将Lol Tolhurst开始不象过去那样投入了,不再为音乐付出自己的一分力量,在巡演的时候Lol跟不上节奏,The Cure便请来Roger O'Donnell担任键盘手。巡演至欧洲时推出了Just Like Heaven单曲,散发着令人眩晕的、喘不过气来的热恋中的幸福感! 连Robert也认为这是Cure史上最棒的一支流行曲。10月The Cure出版了乐队自传《Ten Imaginary Years》。KISS ME专辑最后一张单曲Hot Hot Hot!!!推出,The Cure继续马不停蹄到处巡演。1988年8月,Robert Smith终于和他在15岁时就开始相恋的心上人Mary Poole结婚。Robert写了一首情歌Lovesong送给Mary作为结婚礼物。The Cure又开始创作新专辑。现在有Roger O'Donnell出色地接过键盘的部分,Porl Thompson就能专心于更重的吉他戏分,这样Robert就能全情投入于人声演唱。而Lol总是象征性地到录音室露一小脸,或去取他的分红,他忙于在有钱人和名流堆中打滚,在音乐上他已不再做实际工作了。其他队员对Lol尖酸刻薄地嘲笑和作弄。不久Robert解雇了Lol,也结束了两人长期的友谊。转眼Robert快30岁了,一年一年变老总是令他很不安。他还预感到乐队会解散,认为即将面世的专辑将会是The Cure的绝唱。1989年4月The Cure分别在英、美推出两张单曲Lullaby / Babble和Fascination Street / Babble,均成为热销唱片。不久新专辑DISINTEGRATION发行。Pictures of You以Mary为原型,在Robert那把心爱的6弦贝司和诗韵般的迷幻的西塔琴吉他的伴奏下,Robert用意识流手法款款唱出对照片中女孩的思念,给人的感觉就象在清爽的秋天,甜美的爱情在心中成熟、不断膨胀、不断飘升,最后漂浮在云端,放眼是清澈透明的蓝天... 而Lullaby是将爵士乐和法国Party摇摆舞曲相融合,Robert采取断句式唱法,有时还加点颤舌音,形容了在想象中一只巨大蜘蛛在他睡觉时想把他吃掉的恐惧。Fascination Street非常酷,吉他奏出细碎的金属声,而贝司则气势逼人。专辑同名歌Disintegration是因一则新闻有感而发,在新西兰有两名男孩在The Cure音乐声中自杀,这使乐队成员很震惊。该曲风格和One Hundred Years有点相似,描述人与人之间的互相欺骗、不信任和不负责任DISINTEGRATION从整体情绪看来又回到FAITH和PORNOGRAPHY黑暗严峻时期的风格,然而其音乐元素和表现手法都丰富了许多,声音效果也非常美 (窃以为这张CD用耳机听效果最好,在那些入睡以前的漫漫长夜...),连Robert这个完美主义者也认为这张专辑非常出色,他还说这将是The Cure的最后一张专辑。The Cure即将解散的流言满天飞,Robert甚至在巡演结束时对乐迷们说"Thank you very much and good night, and I'll never see you again!!"然而The Cure并未解散。1990年,键盘手Roger O'Donnell因与Simon和Boris不和,退出乐队,Perry Bamonte取而代之。The Cure在音乐节上表演时,观众太拥挤了,有乐迷受伤被直升机送医院。巡演归来,The Cure自己做了个非注册的电台节目Cure FM,播出他们的重新混音单曲Never Enough,在歌中Robert咬牙切齿地谴责那些贪得无厌的人。其后又将几首老歌重新混音成MIXED UP专辑。1991年初The Cure在MTV电视台做了个"MTV Unpluged",并在BRITS奖中赢得最佳英国乐队奖项。同年Fiction公司将8首DISINTEGRATION中歌曲的现场版收录成ENTREAT专辑,并将其收益捐给慈善机构。The Cure还出版了PICTURE SHOW、PLAY OUT等录影带,包括了乐队专访、神秘出演(The Secret Gig)、MTV Unpluged等珍贵片段。很快The Cure又开始创作。新队员Perry很能干,他在吉他和键盘方面都表现出色,这样The Cure有了三名吉他手,自然地新专辑配器以吉他为主。正在录音室忙着,老Lol写了张便条给Robert,说要把The Cure告上法庭,以争取他作为乐队创始人之一应得的、更多的版权费。TheCure的成员们只好一边不停地跑法庭,一边忙新专辑。1992年WISH问世,开篇Open仍有Mope Rock的影子,描写一名男子在酒吧里喝得烂醉如泥,心中的苦闷却变本加厉,痛恨世界上所有人,包括他自己;长诗般的From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea表达了对永恒的爱情的向往以及山盟海誓消逝后的痛苦和无奈,中间有一段Robert的排山倒海的吉他solo,象在海底搅动起巨大的旋涡;A Letter to Elise向暗恋的女孩诉说他之所以在爱情面前掉头离去,是因为他不想让现实破坏美好的梦想;在Wendy Time和Cut等歌中大量使用"哇音器"和吉他回馈(feedback),Robert少有地用大篇幅的利锯般的Nirvana式的即兴吉他solo形成了狂躁、暴怒的旋涡;End则是Robert对那些热情得令人窒息的乐迷哀求;而专辑中的畅销歌曲High和Friday I'm in Love则洋溢着从心底里满泻出来的幸福和欢乐。从WISH专辑中不难听出,The Cure的编曲手法有了很大转变,Bass不再采取Punk或Funky风格,而更趋近流行曲风格;吉他和键盘也更多地用作背景和声而非主旋律。WISH成为The Cure最成功的专辑,在英、美排行榜分别取得第1和第2名,其欢快活泼的整体基调令许多老乐迷和乐评人大跌眼镜,也为The Cure吸引了更多新乐迷。紧接着The Cure开始了大规模的世界巡演,满足了美国、澳大利亚、欧洲等地的乐迷。1993年Robert把这次巡演的现场录音制成两张专辑SHOW和PARIS以及一辑录影。同年华纳唱片公司的一个子公司REPRISE发行了一张向Jimi Hendrix致敬的专辑,第一首歌就是The Cure演绎的Purple Haze,本来就迷幻色彩浓烈的歌曲经The Cure重新演绎就更加紫雾迷朦了。同时The Cure的一首歌Burn被用作电影"The Crow"的原声音乐,该片由李国豪主演。1994年是艰难的一年。Porl Thompson与Robert的妹妹了结婚,又与大名鼎鼎的Led Zeppelin的Jimi Page和Robert Plant合作,后两人称Porl为“吉他教父”(The Guitar God),这样Porl退出了The Cure。6月The Cure参加了Fiction老板Chris Parry开办的XFM电台的音乐节。之后Boris Williams也退出了The Cure,而跟他的女友组建乐队。10月Fiction限量发行LOST WISHES卡带,包括了在WISH专辑制作时期录的4首纯器乐音乐。这时Lol与The Cure的官司终于结束了,Lol什么也没得到,还得付巨额的诉讼费。The Cure虽然赢了,但也浪费了许多时间和花费了不少法律费用。The Cure失去了两员大将,得招兵买马。他们在一本音乐杂志上匿名登了招聘鼓手的广告。有7人过关斩将进入最后甄选,他们要与The Cure相处一周,其中有一人获知自己能与偶像The Cure如此接近,竟幸福得晕了过去。最后Jason Cooper脱颖而出,成为The Cure的新鼓手。同时Roger O'Donnell重新归队,全权负责键盘,而Perry Bamonte专心于吉他。这样The Cure以全新的面貌出现在一些音乐节和XFM的节目上。1995年,为了摆脱“录音-巡演-录音-巡演”的单调,和不受专业录音室的时间限制,The Cure决定以新的方式制作新专辑。他们购置了整套便携录音设备,在乡间租借了Jane Seymour(简·西摩)的庄园,乐队成员住在一起,悠游自在地进行创作。由于大家的作息时间不同,例如Robert总是快天亮才睡觉,而有些队员则在白天活动,因此每天大家聚在一起的时间并不多,而且他们也不着急,所以工作进度很慢,The Cure这回要精雕细琢。以往在音乐创作中,什么声音该出现在专辑上几乎是Robert一人说了算;这回The Cure更象是一个乐队地进行集体创作,每个人都可以提出音乐动机或构思,然后大家一起讨论其可行性。每天一起吃饭时他们都听不同的来自世界各地的音乐,这为新专辑注入了不少异国情调。Robert花了不少心思琢磨自己的唱腔,一会儿是The 13th里热辣辣的拉丁歌舞女郎,一会儿在Treasure里模仿垂死的女人的声音。在录音的时候他把他的所有吉他全部用上,看那一把的音色最适合不同的歌曲。整张专辑中他使用了吉他、贝司、西塔琴(sitar)、曼陀琳琴等将近50件乐器。The Cure还大量起用了高科技产品,Roger O'Donnell说,90年他离队的时候The Cure还没有电脑,现在电脑满屋都是。他们主要使用计算机来记谱、对不同的音色进行采样和处理、把采样数据储存进键盘、制作数字录音带等等,还创办了The Cure的官方网站,队员们亲自参与制作。1996年4月推出了新专辑的首张单曲,其中拉美情调十足的The 13th是乐队的大胆创新之作。不久,花费了长达一年的新专辑WILD MOOD SWINGS终于问世,但成绩并不如WISH理想,在英国排行榜只获得第8名,在美国没能打入前10名。WILD MOOD SWINGS象以往的每一张专辑那样,各首歌曲风格不一,叫喊和欲望的Want表达出Robert经常对自己和周围的一切不满意;Club America用懒洋洋的男低音唱出他在巡演和在酒吧流连时的见闻;在This Is a Lie中Robert对人与人之间的专一关系提出疑问;Jupiter Crash是受木彗相撞的天文奇观所启发(Robert一向对天文很感兴趣,老想去月球旅行);Numb是献给Kurt Cobain的。The Cure又开始巡回演出,并陆续发行单曲。新专辑为The Cure吸引了许多新乐迷,却也有不少老Cure迷受不了其欢快热情的气氛。1997年The Cure在他们的官方网站上限量发行FIVE SWING LIVE,仅在网站发行,这是摇滚史上绝无先例的创举。1997年是The Cure出道20周年,The Cure将1987至1996年的众多单曲集成GALORE专辑,其中Wrong Number是Robert和David Bowie的吉他手合作的、techno味道十足的新曲,旨在反映人们身处现代社会的越来越复杂的人际关系网中所感到的无所适从、迷惘、无助和绝望。(窃又以为该CD用音响大声播放最佳,若加上超低频音箱就更好)。然后The Cure参加了不少音乐节、作现场和在电视上表演。1998年,除了为电影"The X Files"创作了一首电影原声歌曲More Than This和观看世界杯以外,The Cure又开始准备新专辑,本来打算在1999年春发行,后来说推迟至10月,到10月1日Robert Smith在网站上发布消息,新专辑正式命名为BLOODFLOWERS,正式定于2000年2月14日发行。20年的风雨,The Cure不断经历着走马灯似的人事变动,唯一屹立不倒的是乐队的灵魂人物Robert Smith。如果谁说The Cure等于Robert Smith,Robert会第一个反对,然而没有Robert就没有The Cure,这点无人能否定。The Cure的音乐至少95%以上是由Robert Smith创作,歌词更是全部出自他的手笔。从乐队初出茅庐至今,The Cure的唱片收入一直是平均分帐,Robert不想在金钱问题上婆婆妈妈,他有更多更重要的事情要考虑。The Cure从来不是一支功利性的乐队,他们总是用最真挚的热情追求摇滚艺术的美的极致,他们从不会为了讨好听众而刻意改变自己。唱片赢利和商业策略有唱片公司去操心,无论在千万尖叫着的乐迷面前或只剩一名将信将疑的听众面前,The Cure的音乐都是坚持真我而不会改变哪怕一个音符的。Punk精神根植在The Cure的骨子里,你喜欢不喜欢我们的音乐,我们都不在乎。行走"江湖"多年,围绕The Cure有过多少或赞或弹的纷纷议论,他们的古怪打扮是耐人寻味的亚文化还是哗众取宠?他们在WISH专辑中Friday I'm in Love等歌所流露的欢乐是真心的还是为了吸引更多的听众?...面对这些问题TheCure总是很清醒,"如果我们没有好的歌曲,其他一切都是废话。听众是骗不倒的。" 闲言碎语不能使他们困扰,越来越大的名气也没有使他们高处不胜寒,因为他们从不把自己太当回事,他们只是尽情享受创作音乐的整个过程,闲来喝喝酒或看看足球,对于其它无关重要的事可以抱着玩世不恭的态度一笑置之。他们早已学会老练地应付好事的记者,当被问到一些无关紧要的或"八卦"的问题时,在不同场合,对不同的记者,他们的同一个故事会有不同的版本,比如有个记者问他们怎样认识Lol Tohlurst的,他们就说是在非洲的一个荒野里发现了由食蚁兽养大的Lol,等等。用巧妙的谎言来搪塞记者并娱自乐。聪明的乐队。不过在谈到音乐创作等严肃的话题时他们会很认真、坦率,在批评摇滚圈里一些伪善的音乐人时也直言不讳。The Cure非常重视在现场音乐会中与听众的面对面的交流。从出道时起他们就经常到各地巡演,这跟许多流行歌星为了促销唱片而开演唱会可不同。他们在现场中把自己的作品如数家珍地重新演绎,乐队成员默契的配合简直天衣无缝,每一首歌都那么忘我地投入,创作和录制这些歌曲时的感觉和情绪又涌上心头,每一滴血汗、每一下痛苦的抽搐、每一串欢笑,他们把自己对艺术的赤诚和热情毫无保留地展现出来,他们用音乐拉过现场观众的手放在自己的胸膛上,让观众感受到他们的每一下心跳、每一根神经的冲动。The Cure有好几个成员都惧怕飞行,每次巡演的旅途颠簸总使他们筋疲力尽甚至生病,有几次他们宣布只在英国和欧洲巡演,但澳大利亚、新西兰和巴西等地的数以万计的乐迷联合签名请愿,The Cure又想办法在飞机上睡觉来熬过漫长的飞行,或坐豪华油轮飘洋过海。旅途中再怎么受尽折磨,一到台上The Cure就精神了,灯光变幻交错,大功率音箱使现场回荡着轰隆震撼的声浪,当Robert一开腔,全场尖叫欢呼的乐迷立即静下来。每到一地都有无数乐迷想尽办法买入场券,买不到的甚至自己伪造;为了进入后台见一见心中的英雄,有的乐迷对保安人员说自己就是The Cure的队员,也难怪,他们打扮得跟Robert一模一样。头发如蜘蛛网般凌乱,熊猫般的黑眼圈,血红的嘴唇,希奇古怪、宽松不合身的衣服,一双奇大无比的运动鞋。害怕毛茸茸的大蜘蛛。恐飞症。幽闭恐怖症。喜好杯中物。超级夜猫子。在一大群乐迷面前会紧张地咬指甲。有时爱滔滔不绝地说话。每出一张专辑都说是最后的、最好的一张,每次巡演都宣称是最后一次。对各式采访者说不同版本的、富于幽默感的故事。讨厌改变,又害怕一成不变。乐队中最聪明和最富才华的人当属Robert Smith。他从未上过艺术学校。他是个天生的音乐家。他用异常敏锐的触觉感受人生,探索人性的最隐秘的角落,然后用独特的、尽善尽美的音乐手法,以最真诚的方式表现出来。The Cure的每一首歌细腻清楚地反映了Robert在不同时期对事物的理解和感受、他的心境和精神状况,就象日记那样真实。他写的诗句既浅显易懂又带有英式的儒雅气质,不象Nirvana的歌词那么口语化,也不象Smashing Pumpkins的某些歌词般具有莎士比亚式的古英语的文绉绉。他喜欢在情绪起伏不平的时候创作,尤其是忧郁、伤感、压抑、悲愤的时候。很多歌都是躺在床上发呆、在花园里散步、喝醉酒、在沙滩上呆望大海、或漫步雨中的时候写成,只有Lullaby和Lovesong两首歌是在桌子前正儿八经地坐下来写的。他演唱的嗓音很特别,象变声期前的男孩的嗓音,象绷得紧紧的橡皮筋,有点病态和神经质,就如凯瑟琳和希思克里夫之间的爱情般奇特、扭曲、痛苦、热烈、激情。他的创作灵感有不少来自于书本,不同时期不同的人去采访他会发现他在读不同的书。他热衷于诗歌、跟哲学和心理学有关的书籍,而谈起《爱丽丝漫游奇镜》和《彼得·潘》来又津津有味。他总是害怕变老,不是担心岁月在身体上留痕,而是害怕会象许多成年人一样,永远失去童真,不再对任何事物好奇,不再为任何事情激动、兴奋,不能做自己想做的事情。事实上他的心态一直都可贵地保持年轻,有时他会觉得有些年纪轻轻的人比他老得多。他还是个很棒的uncle,他有廿多个侄和外甥,他常常带他们去迪斯尼乐园玩、带他们做一些有趣而又刺激的事,甚至接送他们上、下学,他们全都喜欢这个疯疯癫癫的、大孩子似的uncle,愿意跟他分享青春的快乐。"如果是父母的身份又不同了,要承担那么多责任," Robert和Mary还没有自己的孩子,也许Mary觉得Robert就是个孩子吧。他们俩这么多年的忠贞不渝的专一爱情,一直是乐迷们津津乐道的话题。Mary给了Robert无可比拟的幸福(真值得Courtney Love学习),这从WISH和WILD MOOD SWINGS可以看得出来。Robert和The Cure一起成熟了,象香醇的美酒。在世界各地有众多的乐迷对The Cure和Robert Smith程度不一地迷恋献给The Cure的网站和网上俱乐部。在这个以The Cure为核心的虚拟世界里,你可以找到The Cure的传记、专访文章、唱片目录、录象目录、歌词、吉他谱、照片、专辑评论、现场音乐会回顾、各种流言、MiDi和Mp3音乐、唱片交换、电子明信片、自由论坛聊天室...让人流连忘返的Cure世界!Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late '70s, the Cure was one of the most enduring and popular. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith (born April 21, 1959), the band became notorious for their slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance. But the public image often hid the diversity of the Cure's music. At the outset, they played jagged, edgy pop songs and they slowly evolved into a more textured outfit. As one of the bands that laid the seeds for goth rock, the group created towering layers of guitars and synthesizers, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-'80s, the Cure had moved away from the genre. By the end of the '80s, the Cure had crossed over into the mainstream not only in their native England, but also in the United States and in various parts of Europe.Originally called the Easy Cure, the band was formed in 1976 by schoolmates Smith (vocals, guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass), and Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (drums). Initially, the group was playing dark, nervy guitar pop with pseudo-literary lyrics, as evidenced by the Albert Camus-inspired "Killing an Arab." A demo tape, featuring "Killing an Arab," arrived in the hands of Chris Parry, an A&R representative at Polydor Records; by the time he received the tape, the band's name had been truncated to the Cure. Parry was impressed with the song and arranged for its release on the independent label Small Wonder in December 1978. Early in 1979, Parry left Polydor to form his own record label, Fiction, and the Cure was one of the first bands he signed to the label. "Killing an Arab" was re-released in February of 1979, and the Cure set out on their first tour of England. The Cure's debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, was released in May 1979 to good reviews in the British music press. Later that year, the group released the non-LP singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train." That same year, the Cure embarked on a major tour with Siouxsie and the Banshees. During the tour, the Banshees' guitarist, John McKay, left the group and Smith stepped in for the missing musician; for the next decade or so, Smith would frequently collaborate with members of the Banshees.At the end of 1979, the Cure released a single, "I'm a Cult Hero," under the name the Cult Heroes. Following the release of the single, Dempsey left the band to join the Associates. Dempsey was replaced by Simon Gallup at the beginning of 1980. At the same time, the Cure added a keyboardist, Mathieu Hartley, to their lineup. The band's second album, Seventeen Seconds, was released in the spring of 1980. The addition of a keyboardist expanded the group's sound; it was now more experimental, and frequently they would immerse themselves in slow, gloomy dirges. Nevertheless, the band still wrote pop hooks, as demonstrated by the group's first U.K. hit single, "A Forest," which peaked at number 31. After the release of Seventeen Seconds, the Cure began their first world tour. Following the Australian leg of the tour, Hartley left the band and the group chose to continue without him. In 1981, they released their third album, Faith, which peaked at number 14 in the charts and spawned the minor hit single "Primary." The Cure's fourth album, the doom-laden, introspective Pornography, was released in 1982. Pornography expanded their cult audience even further and it cracked the U.K. Top Ten. After the Pornography tour was completed, Gallup quit the band and Tolhurst moved from drums to keyboards. At the end of 1982, the Cure released a new single, the dance-tinged "Let's Go to Bed."Smith devoted most of the beginning of 1983 to Siouxsie and the Banshees, recording the Hyaena album with the group and appearing as the band's guitarist on the album's accompanying tour. Smith also formed a band with Banshees bassist Steve Severin called the Glove that same year. The Glove released their only album, Blue Sunshine, later in 1983. By the late summer of 1983, a new version of the Cure — featuring Smith, Tolhurst, drummer Andy Anderson, and bassist Phil Thornalley — was assembled and they recorded a new single, the jaunty "The Lovecats." The song was released in the fall of 1983 and became the group's biggest hit to date, peaking at number seven on the U.K. charts. The new lineup of the Cure released The Top in 1984. Despite the pop leanings the number 14 hit "The Caterpillar," The Top was a return to the bleak soundscapes of Pornography. During the world tour supporting The Top, Anderson was fired from the band. In early 1985, following the completion of the tour, Thornalley left the band. The Cure revamped their lineup after his departure, adding drummer Boris Williams and guitarist Porl Thompson; Gallup returned on bass. Later in 1985, the Cure released their sixth album, The Head on the Door. The album was the most concise and pop-oriented record the group had ever released, which helped send it into the U.K. Top Ten and to number 59 in the U.S., the first time the band had broken the American Hot 100. "In Between Days" and "Close to Me" — both pulled from The Head on the Door — became sizable U.K. hits, as well as popular underground and college radio hits in the U.S. The Cure followed the breakthrough success of The Head on the Door in 1986 with the compilation Standing on a Beach: The Singles. Standing on a Beach reached number four in the U.K., but more importantly it established the band as a major cult act in the U.S.; the album peaked at number 48 and went gold within a year. In short, Standing on a Beach set the stage for 1987's double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The album was eclectic but it was a hit, spawning four hit singles in the U.K. ("Why Can't I Be You," "Catch," "Just Like Heaven," "Hot Hot Hot!!!") and the group's first American Top 40 hit, "Just Like Heaven." Following the supporting tour for Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, the Cure's activity slowed to a halt. Before the Cure began working on their new album in early 1988, the band fired Tolhurst, claiming that relations between him and the rest of the band had been irrevocably damaged. Tolhurst would soon file a lawsuit, claiming that his role in the band was greater than stated in his contract and, consequently, he deserved more money.In the meantime, the Cure replaced Tolhurst with former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and recorded their eighth album, Disintegration. Released in the spring of 1989, the album was more melancholy than its predecessor, but it was an immediate hit, reaching number three in the U.K. and number 14 in the U.S., and spawning a series of hit singles. "Lullaby" became the group's biggest British hit in the spring of 1989, peaking at number five. In the late summer, the band had their biggest American hit with "Love Song," which climbed to number two. On the Disintegration tour, the Cure began playing stadiums across the U.S. and the U.K. In the fall of 1990, the Cure released Mixed Up, a collection of remixes featuring a new single, "Never Enough." Following the Disintegration tour, O'Donnell left the band and the Cure replaced him with their roadie, Perry Bamonte. In the spring of 1992, the band released Wish. Like Disintegration, Wish was an immediate hit, entering the British charts at number one and the American charts at number two, as well as launching the hit singles "High" and "Friday I'm in Love." The Cure embarked on another international tour after the release of Wish. One concert, performed in Detroit, was documented on a film called Show and on two albums, Show and Paris. The movie and the albums were released in 1993.Thompson left the band in 1993 to join Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's band. After his departure, O'Donnell rejoined the band as a keyboardist, and Bamonte switched from synthesizers to guitars. During most of 1993 and early 1994, the Cure was sidelined by the then-ongoing lawsuit from Tolhurst. Following the settlement in the band's favor in the fall of 1994, the group was set to record a follow-up album to Wish, but drummer Boris Williams quit just as they were about to begin the record. The Cure recruited a new drummer through advertisements in the British music papers; by the spring of 1995, Jason Cooper had replaced Williams. Throughout 1995, the Cure recorded their tenth proper studio album, pausing to perform a handful of European musical festivals in the summer. The album, titled Wild Mood Swings, was finally released in the spring of 1996. A second singles collection, 1997's Galore, yielded the new "Wrong Number," and the original album Bloodflowers followed in early 2000. An all-encompassing Cure retrospective entitled Greatest Hits, which included two brand-new songs, was issued in fall 2001. The band returned with another original album, self-titled, in 2004. Prior to commencing work on a follow-up in 2006, Bamonte and O'Donnell departed, only to leave room for Thompson's third stint.