Disintegration

After the expansive pop success of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987), Robert Smith felt pressure to produce a more enduring work as he approached his 30th birthday; he deliberately moved back toward the darker aesthetic of earlier Cure records. Recording took place November 1988–February 1989 at Hookend (Hook End Manor) in Oxfordshire. Sessions were fraught with interpersonal tension, largely due to Lol Tolhurst’s escalating alcoholism; Tolhurst was effectively dismissed from the band by the time mixing finished. The album’s title and themes reflected a sense of things falling apart in Smith’s life and in the band dynamic.

Contemporary: welcomed warmly on release — Rolling Stone’s contemporary review praised its focused mood and craftsmanship. The album became The Cure’s highest-charting LP to that point (UK #3; US Billboard 200 #12). “Lullaby” and “Lovesong” became major hits (see singles). Retrospective: widely acclaimed as the band’s high-water mark — AllMusic, Pitchfork and many publications have called it among Robert Smith’s masterpieces; it appears on multiple “best of the 1980s/Greatest Albums” lists and was placed on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list (ranking improved in later editions). Featured as the 56th album, of Apple Music's 100 best albums of all time ranking.