Retro Spins: The Cure - Faith

Today we continue the contest, which I have officially dubbed, The Cure For Siouxsie And The Banshees. We skip over the latter's Juju, because I had already heard it prior to kicking off this rotating listening session of albums, and instead move on to The Cure's 1981 released, Faith.

Though the band were no strangers to the studio at this point, the album proved difficult for them to record. Despite jumping from studio to studio, lead singer, Robert Smith wasn't happy with the end results of tracks being recorded. Smith points out the example of how he was going for a funeral sound on tracks Primary and All Cats Are Grey, but the end result were songs that just sounded dull. As a result, neither original recordings were ultimately utilized.

Despite the challenges, The Cure released Faith on April 17, 1981, which divided critics. While some praised it for its new sounds, others panned it for that same reason, comparing it to 60's Pink Floyd and The Doors, essentially calling it "dated".

Personally, I was in to the whole thing. I dug the use of the six string bass from Smith, and the overall gloomy undertone it followed. It was dark and moody, but with its own sense of fun. Basically, it was the sound I though of when contemplating The Cure.

While I won't call the album perfect, there were some standout tracks for me, those being The Holy Hour, Primary, Other Voices, and All The Cats. Basically, the first half of the album.

I would also say, in retrospective review of Siouxsie And The Banshees' Juju, that Faith is today's contest winner.

In light of that, it puts it head to head with the Banshee's Kaleidoscope for winner of the next round. In careful consideration, I have to give that victory to Faith as well, which makes it our first to advance to round two.

And since it always makes me laugh, I'll also post my all time favorite Robert Smith response to an interviewers question.

Classic!

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 18, 1981

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 18, 1987

Retro Spins: George Michael - Faith

Sick of singing bubblegum pop songs, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley called it quits with Wham in 1986. Michael went on to pursue a lucrative solo career, while Ridgeley opted to step out of the limelight and lead a quite life, something which can be easily done when you report that you've amassed ten million plus dollars since 1982.

Faith, George Michael's first solo album, and the subject of today's Retro Spins, took the world by storm in 1987. Lead by the title track, which peaked at number one in December of 1987, the album would go on to sell more than twenty million copies to date. Additional singles to peak included, I Want Your Sex (peaked at number 2), One More Try (peaked at number 1) and Father Figure (peaked at number 1).

It's worth noting that the version of I Want Your Sex which charted wasn't actually the nine minute Part 1 and 2 album version. Rather, it was the single version used for the film Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack.

Listening to the album, I guess I could say it's more mature than what Wham was peddling, which don't get me wrong, I liked. However, I still see his first solo attempt as nothing more than a pop record. Nothing more or less than what the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and even Prince (to an extent) were delivering in the late 80's.

It seems to unload the best of what it has with the first four songs, which are the above noted chart toppers. Mind you, that's taking One More Try with a very large grain of salt. There were also two additional stand out tracks for me, Monkey, which is probably my favorite from the record and Hard Day. Overall, it was a pretty solid album. I didn't hear anything I didn't like.

Admittedly, I was never really a major George Michael fan, and if I'm being honest, I didn't keep track of him beyond this album in the eighties, or even now. I don't know what else he's done in his career, song wise. I'm not particularly interested in finding out either. Faith is an 80's staple, and I'll take it for what it is.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.