I'll keep this short and sweet. This is one of the greatest albums of all time. Unbelievable instrumentation, amazing lyrics, flawless production. You cant go wrong with this CD. Even if you aren't a Cure fan, you should pick this up for the sheer musical brilliance.

disintegration is the ultimate cure album. it has everyhting that makes the cure, well the cure. there are songs of sorrow, heartbreak, lies, but also joy, eternal love and the ideals of word forever. this album was created as an answer to the reaction of "kiss me kiss me kiss me". Robert wrote this while the planning of his wedding to his wife, mary, was going on. Now this might sound bad but u have to know robert and it all makes sense. some of the highlights include: the whole album, there isnt a bad track on here so buy it now and thank me later!!

Disintegration is the quintessential masterpiece album by the Cure. An epic novel in sonic form. Each song is layered with textures and containing a limitless quality, with effortless emotional expression, some of the absolute best lyrics Robert Smith has ever written and surely better then most song writers in any case. Dreamlike, Celtic and timeless. Disintegration cannot be dated like other music of the era. Like a good book it can be recaptured in any time or any place. Those of us that listened to it back then will be immediately catapulted back to the people we were then and the places we listened to it, feel what we felt again, the tastes, the smells, the dreams of all things. Love it!

This entire cd is amazing....period I remember the first time I heard it, I played it like 10 times...this is a "CLASSIC" If you don't have this in your music collection your not a music lover. When Smith and the boys wrote this you can feel every dark brooding note. again I can't say any better...I LOVe this cd.

put on head phones, turn your volume up to the breaking point. Then lay down and press play. There will never be another day that you will ever be the same. This record is one of the finest pieces of music ever recorded. Don't think for a moment that this is a "goth" record anyone who wants to hear what great song writing and production sounds like should own this record.

Not only is this the Cure's best album, it is also one of the best records ever made. It is a classic. every so often, i listen to this cd in its entirety and i feel reborn.

The Cure at their absolute best!!!... I've been hooked on this band since the first time i heard "In-Between Days" as a teen in the early 80's and their music has only gotten better... but this album was without a doubt their best work... from the beginning chimes of "plainsong" through the end of the barely mentioned, but amazing "untitled", this album takes your mind and heart on an unbelievable journey... Robert Smith's lyrics are so deep and thought-provoking, he writes like very few can or have the ability to... like one reviewer wrote, 5 stars is simply not enough...

this is the best album the cure ever recorded every song is great ,i wish i could give more than 5 stars.

I have to say it, after two months I still can't be convinced that this album is all the critics & fans claim it to be. Sure, it's thematically heavy, serious, existential, but for some reason it all seems a little contrived for me. I can allow myself to be moved by the opening track, despite its use of a cheap trick (it starts with some very low level chimes, forcing to turn up the volume, only to be hit by a thunderous opening to the album), and my mind does indeed turn to mortality as I listen to Smiths lyrics; and I can't deny the subtle work of lullaby, but in all it's a patchy album. The obvious highlight of the album is Same deep water as you, a mesmerizing echo back to the heydays of Faith. This song is a deep, slow, lush, dreamy sojourn into the parting of two lovers by the dark curtain that takes us all. Sounds depressing but it's quite a beautiful poetic piece. Could be a forgotten track off Faith.
It has some other decent songs like the airplay Pictures of you, but in all, it's just a darker version of their eclectic pop albums (which are actually more interesting) and doesn't come anywhere near their epic theme album Pornography or the delicately ethereal Faith. I'm afraid it's all hype. Of all the Cure albums I've so far listened to, this would have to be the biggest letdown. Maybe Smiths talents are indeed disintegrating. It does have one fine moment though; a poetic & obtuse lyric: "The shallow drowned lose less than we, you breathe". See? Smith still has it. It's just buried beneath his fame.

This is a must-have album. A wonderful blend of melancholy synth, driving bass, and lilting guitars provide the perfect showcase for Smith's voice. At times soaring, at others low and brooding, Smith grabs you by the heartstrings and squeezes. Sometimes hard. Sometimes soft. This is no quick listen - many of the songs are over 7 minutes long, ensuring the mood of the individual pieces is sustained, thought-provoking, and evocative. But more than this, the album as a whole works. Put it on when you have time to drift, be carried, and feel.

I had always liked the singles I heard from The Cure on the radio and MTV, but that was as far as my relationship with them went. Then one day, many years ago when I was still in denial about the dangers of ultra-violet radiation, I went to a tanning salon and checked out this CD to listen to while I laid in the UV cocoon.

The opening track began, but I could barely hear it over the fans. What was that tinkling sound? I need to turn it up... a little more... louder still... and then suddenly without warning...

WHOOOOOSHHH! The organic opening chord of "Plainsong" crashed over me like a tidal wave. Stunned, I laid back and let the music wash over me for the rest of my tanning session. But alas it was only a 20-minute session, and this album is well over an hour long. I anxiously looked forward to my next tanning session, and I continued checking out this CD with each visit until I had listed to the whole thing. And then I listened to it again. And again. Until I eventually wised up and bought my own copy.

You've probably heard the singles from this CD on the radio, or in commercials, or movie soundtracks or what have you: "Lovesong", "Pictures Of You", "Lullaby" and "Fascination Street". Those are the most "accessible" songs on the album, yet they do not stand out like sore thumbs -- they homogenize beautifully alongside the moodier, darker tunes.

I personally like "Prayers for Rain" the best, especially the low, powerful chords and primal drum beats that open the song. It's a tune that would have been perfectly at home on "The Crow" soundtrack (as would a few of the other songs on this album). I can't really quantify the musical genre: is it Moody Pop? Surreal Shoegazing? Trance-infused Alternative? Lushly produced Chill-Out? It's all of these at once, yet it also creates its own unique musical flavor that I've never quite encountered before.

If you like intelligent songwriting, plush mixing, deeply complex layered sounds, all lushly produced, then wrap this thick velvet robe of music around yourself and let it carry you away to undiscovered places. A landmark '80s masterpiece that belongs in everyone's collection.

It is extrememly rare to find an album, by any band or musician, in which the majority of included songs are exceptional. It is even rarer, if not practically impossible, however, to be able to find an album in which every single included song is a masterpiece. Yet The Cure's "Disintegration" is just such an album.

Enchantment, depth, beauty, and darkness all combine into a majestic symphony of sound throughout the entirety of "Disintegration" - which is, essentially, the epitome of a mood-piece, as opposed to the Cure's preceding "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" album, which was a showcase piece.

The opening track on "Disintegration," Plainsong, is perfect in setting the atmosphere into which the listener is enveloped during the remainder of the album (as a side note, Plainsong also happens to be one of the best, and most beloved, of all songs ever recorded by The Cure.)

Next arrives the lighter, though equally as magical, Pictures of You, followed by Closedown, until the listener finds themselves suddenly purged into the graceful simplicity of Lovesong. This lasts briefly, as very soon the deeper and darker overtones of Last Dance begin, followed then by the haunting brilliance of Lullaby - another of The Cure's most beloved songs of all time. The also deep yet more emotionally-driven power of Fascination Street suddenly transitions the album, albeit briefly, into a louder and more raw phase, before setting into the slower-paced, stirring force of Prayers for Rain.

The Same Deep Water As You is a song which combines all the best of 80s music while leaving out all the worst of 80s music. It can in many ways be considered all the positives of a musical decade orchestrated together in the synergy of one song.

Disintegration - the title track - is often played live immediately connected with Plainsong. This is a good strategy, as the former re-inforces with renewed energy and a faster pace the very same atmosphere of the album which was begun by the latter.

Homesick is the "beginning of the end" track, seamlessly and gradually winding the mood piece down, preparing for a conclusion of all things. This conclusion is then consecrated and etched in stone with Untitled, the closing song and musical epilogue of "Disintegration."

Artistic perfection; and, along with Depeche Mode's "Violator," one of the greatest albums ever made.

I just wanted to take a moment to shill for "Untitled", which for some reason hardly anyone else has talked about in their reviews and is the best song on the album. The arrangement is incredibly simple, and the lyrics consist of one verse repeated--yet the emotional and poetic value are the heart of the entire album for me.

There is no better opening than "Plainsong" or closing than "Untitled." What a fantastic concept. And "Lovesong" is a true oddity, reinforcing how melancholic the rest of the songs are. From any other artist, on any other album, "Lovesong" would sound sad. "Disintegration" is another major highlight, a lyrical collage evoking the disintegration of a once-lived life.

I always loved 'Wish' and 'Kiss Me . . . ' for their bizarre variety, each song contrasting the others around it, and this diversity was how I had come to characterize The Cure. But it's amazing what they can do when they drop the happy-tinged sad songs (like "The Perfect Girl," and "Wendy Time") and focus on being relentlessly, overtly lugubrious. It's like coming home.

This is an album that simply transcends the boundaries of 80's pop, goth, or whatever little label you want to put on it. The Cure were masters of dark, ambient beauty, and "Disintegration" is one of the finest albums you can hope to hear. You might know the single "Love Song", which of course is great, but it's not really a good example of what to expect. Most of the other songs here are longer, and more atmospheric (except for "Lullaby", which has a sort of odd, funky groove). Each track draws you in with its enveloping, inescapable melodies. Chief among them is "Prayers for Rain", with its huge, powerful sense of atmosphere, and perfectly haunting vocals. It's really just one of those songs you have to hear to believe.

And hey, how cool is Robert Smith? No matter how goofy his hair may have looked back in the day, his voice is just incredible. Simple yet commanding, sullen and fragile, yet undeniably powerful. The passion with which he drives these tracks is enough to crush you flat.

Now, of course, this album is not for everyone. There are those that may dismiss it as too slow, too long, too repetitive, or whatever, but oh well. This is definitely something that requires an attention span, but if you're into this kind of thing, then "Disintegration" is beyond essential.

Honestly, I've never been a Cure fan considering I purchased their greatestt hits album and was somewhat disappointed. Sure, there were a few good songs on their greatest hits album, but "Disintegration" is not the same case at all! I purchased this album upon a friends recommendation and I was incredibly pleased and in awe of Robert Smith's genius. This album is not upbeat, fun, Cure pop, it's a journey through heart-break that is so enthralling and captivating I can't stop listening to it! I consider this to be a classic album not only for The Cure, but in general.
The most upbeat song on the album is "Love Song" (I'm positive you know this song) but songs such as the title track, "Lullaby", "Prayers For Rain", and "Pictures Of You" are the true gems on this album. Robert Smith's talent shines through on each track.
I can't recommend this album to you enough. I am extremely discriminating when it comes to music, and it is so hard to find an album from an artist that resonates originality, honesty, and has you going back for a listen continuously.
I do consider myself a casual Cure fan, but if there is one album you must own from The Cure, this is it! It got me hooked on them, and I have been pleased ever since.

Love the Cure, enough said. This is their best album, and anyone looking for some music when they just want to be in the dark, it's a great pick.

My sister was way into The Cure in her high school days. Being her sibling, I had to rebel in some way. I always teased her about her love of The Cure (and The Smiths), but in secret, I actually liked these bands a lot. While I love The Smiths more, The Cure is still quite good. This is probably my favorite album of theirs. It came on the heels of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, their most commercially successful album. People were surprised by such a bleak, melancholy followup. When will people learn that money doesn't make you happy, especially if you're Robert Smith? This album has an epic quality about it, with many of the songs reaching the 8 or 9 minute mark. My favorite song has to be The Same Deep Waters as You and the opening track, Plainsong. I used Plainsong once in a student film, and a girl said to me "why did you use such an upbeat song for your film?". I shudder to think what she would consider downbeat. I usually reach for this album when I want some Cure music. I find it bleak and melancholy for sure, but I find it relaxing and sweet at the same time, like someone shares my pain....

Released in 1989, this is The Cure's eighth album (depending on how you are counting). It is 71 minutes long, and the sound quality is very good. It is a bit muddled and indistinct at times, but it exentuates the texture of the music.

Tracks 7 through 11 are absolutely fantastic. They create an atmosphere that is a little dreary and dark, but is still very interesting. As far as setting a mood and the music flowing throughout, this is similar to Santana's Caravanserai.

The only problem with the first 6 tracks, is that atmosphere and mood is disrupted by pop hooks being thrown in. These are little bits of music you expect to hear on a pop record or maybe even an advertising jingle. They really impact the full force of the music.

Unlike many goth, progressive or atmospheric albums, the song writing is very good. There are deep and meaningful lyrics throughout.

If you are the type that likes "Friday I'm In Love", than you will probably enjoy the first 6 tracks more than the rest of the CD.

NOTE THAT SOME PEOPLE REALLY, REALLY LOVE THIS CD AND GET MAD IF YOU DON'T GIVE IT 5 STARS AND SAY IT IS THE BEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME. THEY GET EVEN BY MARKING THE REVIEW AS NOT HELPFUL.

...I must disagree with him. He has obviously put up a mental wall to anything by the Cure, but someone who ruminates on depression (in fact, makes a living off of it) so intensely can surely appreciate the level of intensity and emotional impact of Robert Smith's outlet, especially this album. Disintegration is flat out one of the most amazing albums of all time, by anyone. One thing I noticed while listening even for the first time was the visual impact it had. Not so much in the form of reality based images, but more like paintings. It's also one of the shortest long albums I own, meaning that it's 70-some minutes seem much shorter due to the album's ability to keep you mesmerized the whole time. As someone who generally listens to hardcore, extreme metal, and grind, I can tell you that all of those genres have nothing on this album in terms of intensity.
There is sometimes a fine line between love and hate, and I think if some of the haters (like Rollins) would let this album sink in, they would find a whole new appreciation for the word "intensity".

The last 3 tracks on this album are as perfect for my soul as anything I've ever listened to. It's like Smith found a Chakra for our modern existence. If you are deep and contemplative, then turn the lights out, lie down, and put this record on.

And, it should ne noted "Love Song" was a very courageous song, in terms of its sexual content.

They just don't make music this good anymore. This is one of the few albums that I could listen to over and over and was one of the last great albums of the 20th century. Great stuff!

Not much can be said about this album that hasn't been said, so I will just relate my personal expierence with the Cure. A couple of years ago, my friend called me telling me he had a album that I just had to hear. So we went out and got some food and listened to Disintergration in his car. I could barely believe how amazing what I was hearing was. I ended up quickly snatching up every Cure album I could get my hands on and in a few months me and the same friend made an extensive road trip in order to go see them play live. This was the album that opened me to a world of interesting music that I may not of heard otherwise, Joy Division, the Smiths, Depeche Mode, etc.
In my opinion this is one of the greatest albums of all time, hands down. I'm so glad that the Cure has came back as such an influence on much of the music today.
Thank You Robert Smith.

This has got to be my favorite from them, then kiss me kiss me kiss me. I pratically grew up on these songs...so i'm slightly biased when it comes to this album...fond, nostalgic memories. Every cut on this album is extraordinary!

Why write another review of this album? Is it proper even to use the word "review" in this context? One of the best things Roger Ebert ever said was that Prospero's Books (Greenaway) "stands above criticism". I feel the same way about Disintegration. It's difficult to believe that Robert Smith really wrote this, easier to imagine that Mozart-like this music always was and he just scribbled it out.

Not true of course, this music obviously came from the depth of a human soul, and Smith has more than proven his genius. What amazes me is how few people understand what a miracle the Cure is, how long the love between the fans and this band (well, Bob and Simon anyway) has gone on. No other artist I am aware of has produced great music in four decades. Oh sure, there are singers with that kind of longevity, but writing, performing, engineering and producing, plus touring behind it all? Maybe Neil Young? At least he still writes. Oldsters that perform with 86-piece backing bands are disqualified, so that leaves out Bruce, the Stones, etc. Otherwise, forget it, unless there's some country western artist I'm ignorant about, Smith has no competition. So if there are only 283 reviews posted here, why not? Maybe Cure fans shouldn't be so shy in talking about the holy grail, then there'd be tens of thousands and they'd need a new server to hold them all.

Now, let's defend that title, the best album ever. I don't need to preach to the converted and mention that every song on this album is a solid, A-class song do I? Anything weak at all? "Closedown" could be criticized as being less than an independent song due to the paucity of lyrical content, but it's a wonderful piece of music in context. My least favorite song might be "Disintegration", just due to the shattering noise it makes in disgorging Bob's relationship guilt, but I'm being silly aren't I? Great song. My favorite is "Last Dance", which oddly enough wasn't on the vinyl, though thank goodness Smith recognizes it, and included it on Trilogy, or I'd die.

But I digress. Let's look at the other contenders. The White Album? No way, a good 50% of that album is [...], I don't care what Paul says. And some of the rest are novelty songs that don't really make for serious listening. The Doors? Worthy indeed, but do you really like "Whiskey Song"? I hate it myself, and the album is not a complete effort, despite the overall greatness that cannot be denied. Let's defer to Rolling Stone and pass right over Sgt. Pepper's, some of which is not even listenable, be honest! Pet Sounds? Very dated, not a uniform effort by any means. Revolver? Great songs, but there is a lot of filler on that album, unless you can whistle "And Your Bird Can Sing" for me . . . right now. It's the same for the rest of the top ten, which includes Exile on Main Street, a album loaded with undistinguished blues stuff, even Stones fans will admit. Quick, name one song on that album other than "Tumbling Dice". I'm waiting. Rumours? No, about a 50% great effort, several songs to the scrap bin.

You can argue about impact, history, influence, sure. In that context maybe Elvis did have the #11 album of all time, and Sgt. Pepper is #1 (I guess). But just as a piece of music, start to finish, what really compares to this? Damn little. If great men stand on the shoulders of others, maybe in that context Disintegration is the result of integrating all those prior great albums. But it stands on top regardless. The best album ever made.

Perhaps the moodiest and most claustrophobic album in history (although the latter may be fixed by the eventual remastering-- it's tough to say whether it's poor fidelity or design that made it this way), "Disintegration" is also the album on which the Cure's reputation for depressing music is built and an album upon which endless hyperbole is lauded-- this was the soundtrack for high school outcasts in the early '90s and is looked on fondly in retrospect for its place in their lives.

For me, regardless of how my tastes in music have spread in the decade plus since I've finished high school, invariably I'm a child of alternative music, and I'll reach for Pearl Jam's "Ten" or Alice in Chains' "Dirt" for that bizarre comfort in not feeling alone in being alone-- my discovery of the Cure came in college and "Disintegration" lacks that odd association for me. Given that, it's still a fine record, but it's so bleak, and quite frankly, so long (clocking in at 72 minutes) that without a history for me and the album, it doesn't quite work as well for me as it does for others.

It's safe to say that about an hour of those 72 minutes is built of mid-tempo, synth string-laden, crackling-yet-rumbling bass-driven, riff-based moody ruminations, sometimes utterly fantastic in its bleakness (somewhat placid "Plainsong", bizarrely lilting "Disintegration"), sometimes after 30 seconds, you sort of wish the piece would end (9 minutes plus of "The Same Deep Water As You" will get you every time), and certainly there's at least one masterpiece in this (probably the extended "Pictures of You", with it's irresistible hook and singer/guitarist/leader Robert Smith's downright desperate vocal, but moody, piano-driven "Homesick" could give just about anything a run for it's money). But with only one deviation from this formula (the altogether brief and still-moody-but-uptempo "Love Song"), it's hard to sustain interest in the record.

Admittedly, I am a bit critical of this one and there's a lot to enjoy here, that shouldn't be understated, but I think if I discovered this a few years earlier, I'd be on board the "Disintegration is the best album ever" camp. If you're a bit out of place and you're of the right age, this one is probably the soundtrack you've been looking for.

i have to say when i first got this album when it came out, i was extremely disappointed. i was expecting something in the same line as 'KMKMKM' and this just seemed far too slow on first listen. luckily i did not give up, because after a few weeks it finally clicked and the brilliance of the album shone through. i have rarely heard such deeply profound and moving music and lyrics, and i have to say that RS just hit everything perfectly here. from the opening notes of 'plainsong,' to the swirling dark beauty of 'fascination street' to the awe-inspiring opening of 'homesick.' the album just has too many wonderful moments to discuss here. sigh............... perfection. cannot wait for the deluxe edition--bring it on!

I was introduced to The Cure in 2004, when I heard "Pictures of You" in an HP commercial, and liked the song. If I get a Cure CD, I might get this or "Galore." I think this is their signature album!

From the opening notes of Plainsong to the final bits of Untitled, Disintegration grabs the listener and envelopes them in its own dark atmosphere. Everyone has heard of Pictures of You and Love Song, But the true gem is the incredible Same Deep Water as You. Each note is clear and distinct, without distraction and overlapping sounds. Every instrument is precise and vibrant. In Lullaby, Robert Smith practically exhales every word as beautiful strings play in the background. This is an album that brings the listener into its world and shares its wonderful story.

i admit i was never the biggest cure fan in the world. i thought kiss me, kiss me, kiss me had some great songs ('hot, hot, hot,' 'catch,' 'like cocatoos,' 'why can't i be you?' and, of course, 'just like heaven') and i was mildy amused by songs like 'the walk,' 'let's go to bed' and 'inbetween days.' i remember being in high school and watching postmodern MTV (when MTV actually had a redeeming quality) every night with that goofy host, kevin seal, and ocassionally catching a cure video (me, well, i was more in the DM camp instead of the cure). don't get me wrong, i liked the cure, but to my adolescent mind they couldn't top the mighty mode.

however, my opinion of the cure forever changed when i saw the 'world premiere' of the video for 'fascination street.' who was this new cure? robert smith and co. always gleefully played in the darkness, but 'fascination street' seemed more purposeful and direct than previous cure songs i'd heard. it kept the cure's trademark darkness, but there was something else to it. what was it? 15 years on i still don't know.

i went to the sadly defunct crandall audio in orem, utah and bought 'disintegration' with my hard-earned lawnmowing money that week (i still have the old cd 'longbox' cd's used to come in). nothing could've prepared me for the beauty of the album's opener (and standout, in my opinion), 'plainsong.' everyone who's said 'disintegration' (appropriately titled, by the way) is a moody, atmospheric album is spot-on. few albums drum up the raw emotions we all feel inside quite like 'disintegration.' it was an interesting blend of peddled-guitars, tinny bass, spooky synths, and robert smith's trademark yalps.

it was shortly thereafter i saw the video for 'lullaby.' i thought i was having a nightmare. it's still a brilliant song and the second best song on the album (in my opinion). most of us will also probably feel some nostalgia for 'pictures of you,' and 'love song,' too. they're the kind of love songs that could only come from the cure.

as someone else correctly noted, 'disintergration' is very much a concept album. how else do you explain every song coming in at 5+ minutes? (well, most anyway). in short, 'disintegration' is indeed the cure's defining moment, much like 'violator' was depeche mode's, 'the innocents,' was erasure's, 'earth sun moon' was love and rocket's, and 'technique' was new order's. now that i think about it, the late 80's and early 90's had some truly great music. 1989, the year of 'disintegration,' is particularly noteworthy.

if you're new to the 'movement,' 'disintegration' is essential listening. it's huge, bold, experimental, purposeful, direct, nebulous, moody, eerie, creepy, spooky, heartbreaking and ultimately beautiful.

i'm still not a huge cure fan, but i'll disintegrate anytime.

There is a positive and a negative side to this being the best album of all time. The positive is that Disintegration is the only thing I will ever need in the realm of music. The negative is that everything else I listen to is filler for this album.

The Cure is probably the best Goth-rock band ever! Robert Smith has a cool voice that suits their down-tempo yet bleak music. Disintegration is (arguably) one of the best albums ever written. I think every decade has its "album of the decade". The 60s had its Revolver, the 70s had its Dark Side Of The Moon, and the 80s had Disintegration (oh, and the 90s and Ok Computer). I'm sure many people would disagree with me on those, but whatever.

Disintegration is mainly down-tempo, dark Goth Rock with lyrics that can make someone feel better. The melodies are actually quite catchy, such as in Last Dance and Fascination Street. But the lyrics.... so hopeless.... so bleak. Naturally, I love it. The synth gives a very cold atmosphere to the music, which sends chills down my spine every time I listen to it.

If you want to hear the band that started (at least popularized) goth, buy this album to start out with. Then, move to other classics like Pornography and The Head on The Door. An amazing album indeed.

This is probably the best Cure album and one of the best goth-rock albums ever, IMO. The sound in here epitomizes the word "gothic" perfectly: anguished, bleak and depressive but, amidst all that despair, there's a certain feeling of light at the end of the tunnel. There's sadness but, at the same time, hope. Smith and his boys picked up where they had left in "Pornography" and came up with better arrangements and a cleaner production.

The album is, overall, very consistent and i personally loved the atmosphere of songs like "Lullaby", "Prayers for Rain", "Pictures of You", the title track and, of course, "Lovesong" (a wonderful dream-pop gem, makes the perfect pair with "Just Like Heaven"). Heck, the whole album is great! There's not a single song in it that you'll consider boring (except, perhaps, "The Same Deep Water as You", who could have a couple of minutes less but, then again, it wouldn't probably have the effect desired by Smith and his boys).

While The Cure's extensive catalog of releases has on many occasions, depending on what era of the band you are listening to, been hit-or-miss, it was during this late 1980's period that The Cure were hitting their creative stride, climaxing with Wish, Disintegration's follow-up just a few years later, and in my opinion the peak of creativity for the once-upon-a-time kings of synth pop. While Disintegration doesn't quite live up to Wish's superior musically technical performances and production, it doubtlessly lays the roots for Robert Smith's ever advancing songwriting, more than a mere necessity to the music than technical proficiency as atmosphere has always been at the core of a Cure peformance before being able to play fast.

While the whole album is listenable, over time my constant replays have slowly begun to tend towards the second half of the album, beginning with Lullaby, as the songs begin to take on a consistently more haunting feel with the progression of the record as a whole, mainly due to the ever-increasing gloom with each track, giving the listener the feeling that they are constantly slipping further into Smith's love-battered mind, away from the cheery, almost too cliche 80's keyboard sounds of Plainsong until the bleak and dreary picture of lost love on The Same Deep Water As You. As with almost all music released in the 80's, Disintegration's atmospheric tracks are built around the synths of Roger O'Donnell, which while they are entrancing during the latter half of the album, are often grating on the ears during Plainsong and Closedown, maybe just being to cheesey for my picky keyboard tastes.

The production tends to get a bit too glossy on some tracks, the overpowering amount of overdubbed guitars being a little much to take in at points while contributing to the dense atmospheres of other songs such as the title track, one of the albums highpoints along with Homesick, which sounds like an early 80's take of Wish's Trust, and the creepy drug detox anthem of Lullaby, which skips along behind a plucked violin with a unique descending synth track.

As far as technical performances go, some members shine while others lack the dark, emotional drive required of such moody tunes, Robert Smith's incredible vocal performance, Roger O'Donnell's mood-shifting keys and Simon Gallup's fluid basslines which carry many of the songs from start to finish taking the top notches in the performance department, whereas founding Cure member Laurence Tolhurst's presence is essentially at zero and drummer Boris Williams delivers a performance which could easily (and more cost-effectively) have been played on a drum machine, only choosing a select few tracks to deliver any live drum sounds.

Complaints aside, Disintegration is one of the best mood-pieces of the 80's, and Homesick, Untitled, and Pictures Of You are simply blissful. Regardless of the less-than-technical playing, this album cannot be missed, by either the Cure fanatic or casual fan, and the live DVD Trilogy showcases a performance of these songs with more advanced musicianship, so be sure to pick that up as well, but before all else, get Wish, The Cure's finest hour.

I often times don't agree with reviews that all say this is the greatest album that this artist ever made. In the case of "Disintegrtion" I have to agree. This is The Cure at its very best. Three of my favorite songs ever(Love Song, Lullaby, and Desintegration) are all on this album. The entire album has excellent replay value. Anybody that is interested in listening to The Cure absolutly must listen to Disintegration.

This album is probably the most beloved in their oeuvre by Cure fans and with justification: it's possessed of some of their most sterling songs ("Pictures of You","Lovesong","Lullaby") along with a strongly pervasive feel. When you put this on, the whole disc coalesces from the delicate chimes leading into "Plainsong" to the somber accordion that precedes "Untitled". The album doesn't so much play as wash over you, a richly dense orgasm of finely orchestrated texture and effusive emotion. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to hear these songs during the melodrama of teen life..they're dangerously somber even now, in my mid-30s.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Pictures of You" makes the prospect of living with vanishing memories of love lost bearable if only thanks to its insistent yet mellow guitar drive and glistening chimes. ("If only I had thought of the right words/I could have held on to your heart/If only I'd thought of the right words/I wouldn't be breaking apart") Parade marching drum meets horror movie organ on "Closedown". "Lovesong" is a great evocation of how it feels to find your "other half". ("Whenever I'm alone with you/You make me feel like I am home again/Whenever I'm alone with you/You make me feel like I am whole again") It's probably as sentimental as Robert Smith's ever allowed his writing to get and he was rewarded with still strong airplay years later. If there's a more disturbing bedtime tale than Smith's whispered "Lullaby", I don't want to hear it. ("And his tongue in my eyes, 'Be still, be calm, be quiet now'/'My precious boy, don't struggle like that or I will only love you more'/For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light/The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight") The pizzicato violin sound that embellishes the melody ups the creepiness factor. Shattering glass welcomes you into the title track. ("So it's all come back round/to breaking apart again/Breaking apart like I'm made up of glass again")

LOWS:
Smith and company start things on a bit of the wrong foot by overplaying their hand with the Phil Spectoresque echo on the vocals for "Plainsong". I like the song, but it would have been better had the reverb been a bit more restrained. Please note..my calling it a "low" is comparison against the rest of the tracks here more than my suggesting that it's not worth your time to listen to.

BOTTOM LINE:
If you've just found the Cure from their GALORE disc, this is the one to get next.