Pornography (album)

Untitled

Pornography is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, originally released in 1982 and re-mastered and re-released in 2005. Recorded with the group on the brink of collapse, it represents the conclusion of the musical phase which began with Seventeen Seconds and Faith.

Overview

Often cited as the most disturbing product of The Cure, the album's opening lyrical line is "It doesn't matter if we all die".

Despite the fact that very few critics in the British press gave the album a favorable review, Pornography charted well in the UK and has gained much more respect over the years, now considered one of the key Gothic rock albums of all time.

Pornography is also the last Cure album to feature founding band member Lol Tolhurst as the band's drummer. He became the band's keyboardist and this also marks the first time he played keyboards on a release by The Cure.

In 2002, The Cure performed Pornography live in its entirety, along with Disintegration and Bloodflowers, as part of the Trilogy concerts.

More recently on the 2008 '4 Tour' the band have performed "One Hundred Years", "The Hanging Garden", "The Figurehead", and "A Strange Day" at various shows.

2005 re-release

Pornography was remastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road Studios and reissued in the UK on 25 April 2005 (26th in the US) as part of Universal's Deluxe Edition series. The new edition featured a remastered version of the album on CD One, while CD Two contained demo and live tracks. The bonus disc contains never-before-heard songs (in demo format, all instrumental) and an alternate version of each song on the album. (Demo or Live) It also contains the song "All Mine" from the Curiosity album and the soundtrack from a movie that aired prior to the Cure concerts in 1982, "Airlock". Nothing is known about that movie.

There also exists a one-CD reissue. It was released on September 5, 2005 in the UK and April 4, 2006 in the US. The CD features the original album, but does not contain the bonus disc. It is also released in the standard jewel case, and not a box. In some countries, the "Deluxe Edition" has become a collector's item and the production has phased out, being replaced by the more economic one-CD version.

Track listing

All songs by Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Laurence Tolhurst.

Original 1982 release

1. "One Hundred Years" – 6:40
2. "A Short Term Effect" – 4:22
3. "The Hanging Garden" – 4:33
4. "Siamese Twins" – 5:29
5. "The Figurehead" – 6:15
6. "A Strange Day" – 5:04
7. "Cold" – 4:26
8. "Pornography" – 6:27

2005 "Deluxe Edition"

Disc one

Original album, as above

Disc two: Rarities 1981-1982

1. "Break" (group home demo) - 2:11
2. "Demise" (studio demo) - 2:09
3. "Temptation" (studio demo) - 4:00
4. "The Figurehead" (studio demo) - 6:12
5. "The Hanging Garden" (studio demo) - 5:29
6. "One Hundred Years" (studio demo) - 7:00
7. "Airlock: The Soundtrack" - 13:07
8. "Cold" (live) - 3:54
9. "A Strange Day" (live) - 4:05
10. "Pornography" (live) - 5:55
11. "All Mine" (live) - 2:54
12. "A Short Term Effect" (live) - 4:05
13. "Siamese Twins" (live) - 6:03
14. "Temptation Two" - 3:57

Personnel

• Robert Smith - guitar, keyboard (One Hundred Years, The Hanging Garden, Cold, Pornography), vocals
• Simon Gallup - bass, keyboard (A Strange Day, Cold, Pornography)
• Lol Tolhurst - drums, keyboard (One Hundred Years)

Production

• Producer: Phil Thornalley, The Cure
• Engineer: Mike Nocito, Robert Smith
• Assistant engineer: Phil Thornalley

Artwork

• Photography: Michael Kostiff
• Sleeve design: Ben Kelly

The album's artwork is the first in The Cure's output not to feature the logo for the group's name which was used on their previous releases.

Charts

Country	Date	Peak position
UK Top 40	May 1982	8