The Cure - Faith

 

Faith remains my favourite Cure album of all time, and much to the annoyance of my flat mates at University, it was constantly played on my record player after its release in 1981. Whereas they found it gloomy and depressing,  on the other hand, I found joy and cheerfulness from the majestic, beautiful melodies and hypnotic rhythms of the 8 tracks on the LP. The fact that the album cover is grey, with a blurred image of a church is apt, and a strong indication of what you will find on the record. At times it could also be a sound track to a horror movie.

Apart from perhaps "Plainsong" from the Disintegration LP, "The Holy Hour" and "The Funeral Party" are, in my opinion, arguably the finest songs ever recorded by the band whilst "The Drowning Man" is mesmerizing. "Primary" is memorable for the two basses playing the riff instead of a guitar. It is one of the few albums were I can recall all of the songs.

"The Holy Hour" commences with just the bass riff before being joined by the drums and a synthesizer low in the mix. The guitar enters after just over a minute building to a crescendo from which the wailing vocal comes in after over a minute and a half into the song. The track ends with two gongs of a bell just to emphasize the dark, unsettling mood built up by this epic piece of music.

The single "Primary" follows, with the manic two basses generating a totally different pace to the rest of the album, apart from "Doubt",

"Other Voices" returns to the general feel of the LP. Again the bass line dominates over the drums, with the jangly guitar in the background. Smith's sparse vocal conjures up the feeling of desperation and there is a nice ending, with just the drums until an abrupt stop,

In "All Cats Are Grey" the keyboard slowly plays the melody although the bass and drums remain distinctive with a slightly creepy feel to it. The track ends with just a solemn piano playing the main motif. "In the caves all cats are grey, in the caves the texture coats my skin. In a death cell the single note rings on and on and on".

Side two opens with "The Funeral Party" which has a glorious keyboard intro over slow, rhythmic drumming, and like "The Holy Hour", gradually builds into the introduction of the vocal. Again, its eerie but totally suited to the sad atmosphere, It manages to be bleak but uplifting at the same time. The title of the song is very appropriate. "I heard a song and turned away as piece by piece you performed your story. Noiselessly across the floor, dancing at the funeral party".

"Doubt" changes the mood, being the second up-tempo number. Similar to "Primary" but with a guitar instead of the second bass, the anger and hatred clearly come across. "Tear at flesh and rip at skin, and smash at doubt I have to break you. Fury drives my vicious blows, I see you fall but still I strike you".

"The Drowning Man" is another suitably titled song, with the swirling rhythm of the guitar and hypnotic drums painting the picture of struggling to keep one's head above water in the maelstrom of life. "The words all left me lifeless, hoping, breathing like the drowning man".

The final track "Faith" again has the bass as the dominant instrument with the pace and feel of the song being not to dis-similar to "All Cats Are Grey". The intro is over 2 minutes before Smith's sad vocal joins the fray.

Forty years after its release. "Faith" remains a masterpiece and a rarity in that there is not a bad track on the album.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Holy Hour
2. Primary
3. Other Voices
4. All Cats Are Grey

Side Two :

1. The Funeral Party
2. Doubt
3. The Drowning Man
4. Faith

Released : 1981

UK Chart Position : 14

Singles : Primary ( No 43 - 1981 )