It's a mark of an ultimately vintage band that even complete novices recognise the indelible mark left by that voice, those basslines, and that hair! For fans past and present the wound goes deeper than that - the soundtrack to light and dark, day and night. In a word, life.
'Greatest Hits' starts with the unsurpassable 'Boys Don't Cry' released in 1979. NINETEEN SEVENTY NINE! It's incredible that in 22 years the skinny tied, proto punksters have morphed into funeral-obsessed genre-defining gods of goth not to mention household names, selling millions of albums and filling stadiums along the way. True, age has finally caught up with Sir Bob to the point where he's an easily ridiculed figure from a bygone era but that's no disgrace. Just look at the sumptuous delights they've left behind.
Firstly, ignore the fact The Cure's past have already been recycled to death - 'Standing By the Sea', 'Galore' plus the two fairly recent live albums 'Paris' and 'Show' - this definitive 'Greatest Hits' is another reminder of what we are sadly short of at present - a globally adored and bloody marvellous British band.
Lest we forget that Robert Smith was the man who launched a nation of teenage goths; who smeared a million faces with shocking red lipstick; who single-handily sustained the UK baggy jumper industry for two decades; who built the Doc Martens empire; and who wrote some of the finest British pop songs of the last twenty years.
The king of bedroom doom-and-gloom survived the multi line-up changes, the drugs, the fades and the odd commercial downturn to produce a enormous creative output rivalled by few. 'Greatest Hits' obviously selects the lighter moments of their career rubber-stamping the notion that The Cure were a prolific singles band throughout. There's a wealth of variety here from 'Head On The Door' dream-induced beauties ('Inbetween Days', 'Close To Me') to some of 'Disintergration's' finest moments and even the latter day pop gems, most notably 'High', glisten.
Without question Sir Bob deserves a place on the list of the twentieth centuries truly great lyricists. Listen to the lovesick tale of 'Boys Don't Cry', the surreal feline musing of 'Lovecats', the unbridled joy of 'Friday I'm In Love', the 'if only' sentiments of 'Pictures Of You', and the mind curdling 'Lullaby' then try tellling me different.
It's a pity that there's two new songs included here. Why? They conclusively prove that it's time to move on for all concerned and not tarnish The Cure's name further but instead look forward to Smith's debut solo album promised for 2002.
Style is temporary, class is permanent. It's just like heaven.
