The 10 Best The Cure Albums Ranked

The Cure have been a hugely influential rock band for the past thirty years. They have been in the forefront of musical evolution from gothic rock to synth pop and new wave, and their ever-changing musical styles have influenced countless bands. The Cure’s album sales have had a total of 30 million sales worldwide and they were awarded with BRIT Awards for Best British Album three times, as well as many international accolades. In this article, we’ll rank the 10 best albums from The Cure’s 13-album catalog in order.

10. 4:13 Dream (2008)

 

4:13 Dream was the last album by this British band which had peaked at number-one in Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and was also certified as Double Platinum in Sweden. There are 13 new tracks on this album which is about the story of a dog named Simon and his owner’s dream of walking home together. The lead single “The Only One” was a massive success in France and was placed in the top-ten of the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it charted at number-19 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. Other brilliant songs on this album include “Freakshow”, “Sleep When I’m Dead” and “Switch”.

9. The Cure (2004)

 

This album by the British band was their 12th studio-album and it was released in 2004. The Cure did not have a good commercial reception, but it has been one of their most commercially successful albums with more than 1 million copies sold worldwide. It has also been certified as Gold in Canada and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2005. This album offers many great songs such as “The End Of The World”, “Taking Off”, and “Anniversary”.

8. Wish (1992)

 

This is another album by the band which was commercially not very successful but contained some of their most beloved songs. It is one of the band’s most famous releases and the song “High” has been released on singles and it was also included in the compilation album Galore in 1996. This albums also included the hit singles “Friday I’m In Love” and “A Letter To Elise”. “Friday I’m In Love” wasn’t explosive at the beginning in terms of critical acclaim, but it went on to be their biggest and most recognizable song out of their entire discography.

7. Disintegration (1989)

 

This is the ninth studio album by The Cure and it was released in 1989. It has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and about 1.89 million of those sales came from the US alone. This album offered a different sound than their previous releases, but it still received critical acclaim from their fans and listeners alike. At the time it was released, the band had already been established as one of the most influential bands of current rock music. It received a platinum certification from the RIAA for selling over 1 million copies and was ranked at number-38 on “NME’s” best albums of the year. It also received a diamond certification from the ARIA Charts based on digital sales in Australia. Another hit song that was released as a single from this album was “Lullaby”.

6. Bloodflowers (2000)

 

This album by The Cure was released in 2000, and was met with some particularly harsh critical acclaim. However after some time to ruminate, fans have clung to this record for its revered deep cut tracks that many have come to love. Songs such as “A Night Like This” and “Lovesong” have gained a notable following in the indie rock community, with many fans having come to associate the band with this album. The Cure’s sound on Bloodflowers is drastically different from their previous releases, but it’s undeniably catchy. They received criticism for not putting out any singles with this record, which did affect it’s performance in terms of charting.

5. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987)

 

This is the seventh studio album for The Cure. It was released in 1987 and was met with critical acclaim and positive reviews. The success of this album did not translate into commercial success, but the album has been certified as Gold in Canada and Platinum in the US. The singles that were released from this album included “Just Like Heaven”, “Why Can’t I Be You?”, “Hot Hot Hot!!!”, and “Catch”.

4. Pornography (1982)

 

This was the fourth album by The Cure and it was released in 1982. It is their first album to be co-produced by the band’s frontman Robert Smith, so it’s considered to be a defining moment for the group. As opposed to their previous albums, this album focused less on melody and more on heavy guitar riffs. It received some harsh reviews from critics, but fans have had an entirely different response. This world-class record has been ranked as one of history’s greatest albums ever made by several different publications.

3. Seventeen Seconds (1980)

 

This was the second album released by The Cure in 1980. They found success from this record that they were lacking from their previous release, but they were not yet a mainstream act. They toured more heavily behind this record and it began to gain attention and critical acclaim alike. This album was the highest-charting for The Cure at the time, debuting at number-26 on the UK Albums Chart on initial release and eventually climbing as high as number-eighteen.

2. The Head On The Door (1985)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMDb8unsIA&list=PLDZmtI4GBWqyEsugBUfpW5cNwka3VRYaZ

 

This was the sixth studio album by The Cure, and it was released in 1985. It was met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and it still holds a massive following today. This album included the singles “Inbetween Days” and “Close To Me”.

1. Three Imaginary Boys (1979)

 

The Cure’s debut album is considered to be one of the best, because it launched the career of a legendary rock band. This album is considered by fans to be one of the most influential indie rock records to date. The Cure were a new band at this time, and they were just beginning to gain popularity. As a result, it didn’t do as well commercially as their other albums did, but it’s now considered as one of the greatest albums of all time. The Cure received criticism for how lyrically dark this record was, but they made up for it with their catchy pop-rock sound.