The List of The Cure Albums in Order of Release Date

All The Cure Albums Available on:  Apple Music 

Also See: Radiohead Albums in Order

How many albums does The Cure have?

The Cure has released fourteen studio albums, six live albums, two remix albums, seven compilation albums, eight box sets, twelve extended plays, and forty-seven singles

The List of  The Cure Albums in Order of Release Date

Here is the list of The Cure Album in Order of Release Date

1. Three Imaginary Boys — 11 May 1979
2. Seventeen Seconds — 18 April 1980
3. Faith — 17 April 1981
4. Pornography — 4 May 1982
5. The Top — 4 May 1984
6. The Head on the Door — 30 August 1985
7. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me — 26 May 1987
8. Disintegration — 2 May 1989
9. Wish — 21 April 1992
10. Wild Mood Swings — 7 May 1996
11. Bloodflowers — 2 February 2000
12. The Cure — 25 June 2004
13. 4:13 Dream — 27 October 2008
14. Songs of a Lost World — 1 November 2024

All The Cure Albums List in Order

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1. Three Imaginary Boys (1979)

 

Tracklist:

1. 10:15 Saturday Night
2. Accuracy
3. Grinding Halt”
4. Another Day
5. Object
6. Subway Song
7. Foxy Lady
8. Meat Hook
9. So What
10. Fire in Cairo
11. It’s Not You
12. Three Imaginary Boys
13. The Weedy Burton

In the three-piece debut album Three Imaginary Boys on May 11, 1979, The Cure made its first post-punk foray. The album was starkly minimal, and wasn’t to frontman Robert Smith’s satisfaction years later when he came to realize that many of the production choices were made without his input. Here, however, it represented a critical breakthrough. Highlights among its tracks include “10:15 Saturday Night” and the post-punk new wave “Grinding Halt.” The album was released in the U.S. with a different track listing and the title had been changed to Boys Don’t Cry, minus the track “Foxy Lady”. This 2004 deluxe edition reissue included early demo recordings of some of the songs, giving even greater insight to the period when the band still learned.

 

2. Seventeen Seconds (1980)

 

Tracklist:

1. A Reflection
2. Play for Today
3. Secrets
4. In Your House
5. Three
6. The Final Sound
7. A Forest
8. M
9. At Night
10. Seventeen Seconds

Seventeen Seconds was the Cure’s second studio album and the point in the history of the band where they turned to the darkly atmospheric sound. April 18, 1980, is marked on Fiction Records, where the band had now included Simon Gallup on bass and Matthieu Hartley replacing Lol Tolhurst on keyboards. Robert Smith and Mike Hedges produced it; it was recorded on a low budget over just seven days, which is probably part of what gives it its raw, minimalist feel. Perhaps it is hardly surprising, then, that a haunting single such as “A Forest” was the Cure’s first Top 40 hit in the UK. Moody, echoing vocals and spare musical style introduce an early example of gothic rock, sealing The Cure’s unique sound and lasting influence with Seventeen Seconds.

 

3. Faith (1981)

 

Tracklist:

1. The Holy Hour
2. Primary
3. Other Voices
4. All Cats Are Grey
5. The Funeral Party
6. Doubt
7. The Drowning Man
8. Faith

Continuing on from the more somber themes set in motion within its predecessor, Seventeen Seconds, The Cure’s third studio album, Faith, was released on 17 April 1981. As the group moved into a darker sound, to really take hold from this point on with Pornography in 1982, Faith went both critically and commercially well, the former reaching number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. Though cuts like “Primary” were making the atmospheric quality of the album so self-reflective, the album itself actually marked a change in the band’s sound as it evolved into an atmospheric gothic sound. Its haunting melodies, one cut inspired by literature, such as Mervyn Peake’s novels Gormenghast, made for an entrancingly melancholy aura, one that would last for the ages within the world of gothic rock.

 

4. Pornography (1982)

 

Tracklist:

1. One Hundred Years
2. A Short Term Effect
3. The Hanging Garden
4. Siamese Twins
5. The Figurehead
6. A Strange Day
7. Cold
8. Pornography

However, within the discography of The Cure and gothic rock lies the album Pornography, released on 4 May 1982. Intense personal struggle, heavy drug use, and emotional turmoil formed the musical soundtrack for the second album of Robert Smith and his bandmates against the internal tensions that brewed during this period. Recorded at RAK Studios and produced by Phil Thornalley, the album was made raw and bleak. Dark lyrics and atmospheric soundscapes helped capture the depressive state of the band. Despite being criticized in the beginning, Pornography gained a permanent influence within days of release, reaching No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart and gaining retrospective acclaim with regard to this gothic rock masterpiece that paved way for subsequent genres in years to come.

 

5. The Top (1984)

Tracklist:

1. Shake Dog Shake
2. Bird Mad Girl
3. Wailing Wall
4. Give Me It
5. Dressing Up
6. The Caterpillar
7. Piggy in the Mirror
8. The Empty World
9. Bananafishbones
10. The Top

The Top, The Cure’s fifth studio album and supremely eclectic fare, was released on May 4, 1984. It was made during a period when Robert Smith was working simultaneously on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Hyæna and a side project, Blue Sunshine. The Top accurately reflects Smith’s diverse influences and experimental leanings. Cooperating on the album is co-founder Lol Tolhurst with keyboards, and drummer Andy Anderson with less conventional sounds of violin and flute to be found in several cuts. It worked well as it managed to secure a Top 10 place both in the UK and earn critical acclaim for the uniquely psychedelic sound.

 

6. The Head on the Door (1985)

Tracklist:

1. In Between Days
2. Kyoto Song
3. The Blood
4. Six Different Ways
5. Push
6. The Baby Screams
7. Close to Me
8. A Night Like This
9. Screw
10. Sinking

The Cure’s sixth album, The Head on the Door of August 30th, 1985 marked a watershed point in the group’s evolution, as they expanded their market internationally. Lyrically driven by the hit “In Between Days,” it entered the UK charts at No. 7, combining pop sensibilities with The Cure’s moody style. Frontman Robert Smith infused the album with diverse colors inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Human League, delivering some quirky tracks from the oriental feel of “Kyoto Song” to the flamenco infused “The Blood.” Drummer Boris Williams made his debut on the album, and bassist Simon Gallup returned to the fold, making the sound fuller and far more accessible to a wider audience.

 

7. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)

Tracklist:

1. The Kiss
2. Catch
3. Torture
4. If Only Tonight We Could Sleep
5. Why Can’t I Be You?
6. How Beautiful You Are…
7. The Snakepit
8. Hey You!
9. Just Like Heaven
10. All I Want
11. Hot Hot Hot!!!
12. One More Time
13. Like Cockatoos
14. Icing Sugar
15. The Perfect Girl
16. A Thousand Hours
17. Shiver and Shake
18. Fight

The double album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which The Cure released on 26 May 1987, brought the group into the American mainstream. The recording was made at Studio Miraval in France. The album peaked in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 and became a platinum release in the U.S. From a genre standpoint, musically, the band added styles ranging from post-punk to pop, resonating worldwide and peaking at number one in many countries. Critics praised the band’s additional musical depth and emotional diversity after the band “Just Like Heaven” put out hits like showcases of the changed texture. In 2006, it was first released with unreleased demos, live tracks, and the full album of the deluxe reissue.

 

8. Disintegration (1989)

 

Tracklist:

1. Plainsong
2. Pictures of You
3. Closedown
4. Lovesong
5. Last Dance
6. Lullaby
7. Fascination Street
8. Prayers for Rain
9. The Same Deep Water as You
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick
12. Untitled

Disintegration is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Cure, released on May 2, 1989. Hooked at Hookend Recording Studios, it marks a return to the gothic roots for the once introspective The Cure. Front man Robert Smith, affected by personal pressures and the distaste for the commercial success of the band, turned to hallucinogenic drugs that inspired the dark and atmospheric production of the album. Disintegration was a chart-topper in the racks, reaching No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 12 on the US Billboard 200. Among critical accolades, it enters Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” This is the best-selling record of The Cure.

 

9. Wish (1992)

 

Tracklist:

1. Open
2. High
3. Apart
4. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
5. Wendy Time
6. Doing the Unstuck
7. Friday I’m in Love
8. Trust
9. A Letter to Elise
10. Cut
11. To Wish Impossible Things
12. End

Wish is the ninth studio album by the English rock band The Cure. It was released on April 21, 1992, and was their most commercially successful release, reaching number one in the UK and number two in the US; the album sold over 1.2 million copies. This infusion of gothic rock signature style with a lighter, more alternative rock sensibility found some great influences in bands such as Chapterhouse and the sometime hybrid gothic dance outfit The Human League. The following is also well-known: “Friday I’m in Love.” The album saw the band changing their lineup, as the guitar work featured new recruit Perry Bamonte while drummer Boris Williams was also the last recorded for the album. Released in 2022, a 30th-anniversary deluxe edition features unreleased demos and remixes.

 

10. Wild Mood Swings (1996)

Tracklist:

1. Want
2. Club America
3. This Is a Lie
4. The 13th
5. Strange Attraction
6. Mint Car
7. Jupiter Crash
8. Round & Round & Round
9. Gone!
10. Numb
11. Return
12. Trap
13. Treasure
14. Bare

Wild Mood Swings is the tenth studio album by the English rock band The Cure, released on 6 May 1996. The album peaked to number 9 in UK and number 12 in US. The styles covered within the album are extremely diverse-ranging from jangle pop to jazz and mariachi with darker, more introspective parts. It was the first Cure album without drummer Boris Williams and guitarist Porl Thompson. Of the album, Robert Smith has experimented with new sounds, using live strings and brass. Whilst Wild Mood Swings is categorically panned for its disjointed nature, the album has been commented upon favourably for its diversity, though it is the band’s lowest-selling album in 12 years.

 

11. Bloodflowers (2000)

Tracklist:

1. Out of This World
2. Watching Me Fall
3. Where the Birds Always Sing
4. Maybe Someday
5. Coming Up
6. The Last Day of Summer
7. There Is No If…
8. The Loudest Sound
9. 39
10. Bloodflowers

Bloodflowers is The Cure’s eleventh studio album, released in 2000. Initially intended to be a 1999 release, the album was shelved in the hopes of not succumbing to “post-millennial fever.” The record company also hoped that some singles could be pulled from the album, although lead vocalist Robert Smith refused. He did send two promotional tracks- “Maybe Someday” and “Out of This World”- to radio stations though. He delved deep into the album’s emotional pursuits without thinking of making it a product, yet creating an album of substance rather than hits. Heaped praise was on the production aspects, though; Bloodflowers did little to launch Smith to stratosphere, only peaking to No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart while bringing him a Grammy nomination.

 

12. The Cure (2004)

Tracklist:

1. Lost
2. Labyrinth
3. Before Three
4. Truth Goodness and Beauty
5. The End of the World
6. Anniversary
7. Us or Them
8. Fake
9. alt.end”
10. (I Don’t Know What’s Going) On
11. Taking Off
12. Never
13. The Promise
14. Going Nowhere

The Cure is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band of the same name, released June 25, 2004. It was co-produced by frontman Robert Smith and American producer Ross Robinson, which makes the album generally heavier than their previous output. Songs like “The End” and “The Promise” appear on the album, healing dark emotional themes into bright musical outlooks. Reception was mixed, but even those who trashed it called the work experimental and the performing talent superb. The Cure hit the top 10 in several countries and sold more than 300,000 copies in the US.

 

13. 4:13 Dream (2008)

 

Tracklist:

1. Underneath the Stars
2. The Only One
3. The Reasons Why
4. Freakshow
5. Sirensong
6. The Real Snow White
7. The Hungry Ghost
8. Switch
9. The Perfect Boy
10. This. Here and Now. With You
11. Sleep When I’m Dead
12. The Scream
13. It’s Over

4:13 Dream is the thirteenth studio album by Cure, which was released on 27 October 2008. The original concept of the double album had been downsized to a single disc after Robert Smith ran through many songs that were largely completed, including some recycled from their earlier sessions -’80s and ’90s. Keith Uddin co-produced the album to keep the close and sharply-defined recording atmosphere. The album received generally positive reviews, though it was highly praised for its confident guitar playing and emotional resonance. While it received some negative reviews, 4:13 Dream did appear at number 16 on the Billboard 200, which helped re-establish the band in the rock scene.

14. Songs of a Lost World (2024)

Tracklist:

1. Alone
2. And Nothing Is Forever
3. A Fragile Thing
4. Warsong
5. Drone:Nodrone
6. I Can Never Say Goodbye
7. All I Ever Am
8. Endsong

Songs of a Lost World is The Cure’s fourteenth studio album. This album marks the first new material in 16 years since being released on November 1, 2024. It was written entirely by Robert Smith and gives off a darkly emotive sound about loss, isolation, and mortality. Lyrics of such depth and atmosphere that Smith’s distinctive vocals and expansive production needed little enhancement for an album so highly praised. Additionally, it brings Reeves Gabrels aboard as a full-time guitarist to the band. Upon its release, the album received huge critical acclaim and entered charts in many countries; it reached #1 status in both the UK and France. The sleeve contains Janez Pirnat’s sculpture; the deluxe edition also includes instrumental and live versions of some of the tracks.

Conclusion:

Tracing the unique journey of musical evolution married to cultural influence embedded in The Cure Albums in Order, one discovers a uniqueness ranging from raw post-punk sound in Three Imaginary Boys and dark allure in Seventeen Seconds through the gothic profundity into Pornography, with each album capturing a stage in the band’s growth. Success reached an apex with Disintegration and Wish, balancing somber depth with mainstream appeal to the global youth. Their latest work, Songs of a Lost World, confirms greatness. With the book The Cure Albums in Order, an embodiment of a profound evolution process, the band becomes one of the most iconic in rock and gothic history.

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