Landrovers, country manors, back combed hair and synthesisers...

December 29, 2009 6:37 PM

Disintegration - Memories of making the album...
posted by Artw (22 comments total)

It's incredible it's been 2o years already.
posted by Skygazer at 6:53 PM on December 29, 2009

That was surprisingly candid; he certainly holds little back when discussing band and band member problems. Interesting how much work went in before any vocals appeared.

The article was good; thanks for that. As for the size of it - I don't usually like multi-page links but yow, that cried out for pagination. That could easily have been a couple of chapters in a memoir.

One little startler:

The restaurant was owned by two gay guys who thought it would be hilarious to cover one delivery of pizzas with magic mushrooms and not tell us, it was quite funny but we had no idea what was going on. I thought I was losing my mind hahah

They must have had previous experiences and/or the forgiveness of saints. If I hadn't tried other psychoactives before 'shrooms, it would have been a nightmare to have the first time sprung on me like that. And there'd be a truckload of free pizzas coming my way if someone'd pulled such a dick move.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 6:57 PM on December 29, 2009

Awesome. Amazing album and a great account of its creation. Thanks for posting.

That much reverb has never sounded so good.
posted by The World Famous at 6:59 PM on December 29, 2009

Sweet, back to high school...
posted by Huck500 at 7:12 PM on December 29, 2009

"Disintegration is the best album ever!"
posted by porn in the woods at 7:18 PM on December 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

Top of the Pops... in the article he says that Top of the Pops had a problem with Robert's makeup, thought it would scare people... so they didn't do any closeups.
posted by Huck500 at 7:22 PM on December 29, 2009

Top of the Pops... in the article he says that Top of the Pops had a problem with Robert's makeup, thought it would scare people...

I'm guessing they had never seen Robert without makeup.
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 7:28 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Wow. This is freakin fantastic.
posted by spicynuts at 7:31 PM on December 29, 2009

Conciseness, look into it.
posted by uni verse at 8:01 PM on December 29, 2009

Excellent post, thank you Artw.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:08 PM on December 29, 2009

Thanks for this.
posted by mistersquid at 8:38 PM on December 29, 2009

Great read. But I hope you got permission from Roger, Artw:

Do not copy or link to this page unless I have given you permission.

posted by ocha-no-mizu at 9:42 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Conciseness, look into it.

OH GOODNESS WHY DID THIS JERK GIVE US SEVERAL POUNDS OF CAVIAR WHEN I ONLY FEEL LIKE EATING ONE SPOONFUL SUCH ATROCIOUS MANNERS
posted by thedaniel at 10:10 PM on December 29, 2009

Artw, this post is mint.
posted by Sphinx at 12:14 AM on December 30, 2009

"Disintegration is the best album ever!"... er, after Faith & Pornography, of course!

Great post - thank you!
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 3:45 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Totally fascinating - I was a massive Cure fan back in the day and this was probably the last album that interested me musically in any way. Thanks!
posted by kittyloop at 7:19 AM on December 30, 2009

Great post. Funnily enough I've been revisiting this album recently after a long time, and it really stands the test of time. Thanks for this.
posted by ob at 7:49 AM on December 30, 2009

After reading this post yesterday evening and feeling all nostalgic for 1989, I retreated for a couple of hours to my home studio and wrote/recorded a Disintegration-y instrumental track inspired by the post. I'll post it on MeFiMusic in a few days since it's not quite mixed right and the next few days are going to be impossible. And if anyone who knew me in 1989 hears it, they will laugh and laugh.
posted by The World Famous at 10:41 AM on December 30, 2009

I started listening to The Cure in 1990, when a friend of mine introduced me first to "Head on the Door", which I liked, and "Disintegration" which made me The Cure's bitch. I still love the Cure, although I think their work after "Disintegration" is very iffy (they had a fe songs I liked, but otherwise a disappointment to me). I appreciate the candor of Roger's entry about this and I indeed did read it in it's entirety.

One thing I was surprised about: how much the band members contributed to, if not flat out wrote the music to, the songs on the album. I know the credits on the album musically are to everyone, but knowing that Simon Gallup wrote a lot of the music itself was a surprise to me. Once again, I love reading these sorts of articles where I learn things I wasn't expecting.

I would have to say "Disntegration" is my 2nd favorite album of all time. The only album IMHO that is better is Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II by Aphex Twin.
posted by Chocomog at 11:21 AM on December 30, 2009

I don't know when I'm going to have time to do a good mix/master, edit, or add other things to it, so here it is. Consider it a comment on the post. I love Disintegration, and this thread and the link to Roger's page are awesome and inspiring. Thank you, Artw.
posted by The World Famous at 12:52 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

Wow.

Well that's the first time I've ever inspired someone to making music by posting a link. Or doing anything, for that matter.
posted by Artw at 12:58 PM on December 30, 2009

When my now-husband and I were definitely Very Serious but still in the throes of that easygoing lovely stage, one night we were driving around in his car and happened to be listening to Disintegration. We chatted and laughed and bonded over our impressions of The Cure generally as well as on that album--the song "Disintegration" is hands down my favorite Cure song and ahem, as someone upthread put it "made [me] their bitch", and he told me about seeing them live, nearly missing the first song and being relegated to the back of the show field during a rain storm, listening to that song under drizzle and just feeling relief and happiness to hear it, just stuff like that...and it was a good and vivid but subtle memory, much like the ones we made bonding over Vonnegut.

Then, a few months later, a major crisis happened in our relationship, and I wasn't sure I would be able to be happy with him; I considered moving and leaving all of what happened between us behind. We tiptoed around each other--we lived together as roommates already; long story--and the apartment was so, so, awkward and silent and lonely, excrutiating So much uncertainty and fear of saying the wrong thing on both our parts, and the silence just highlighted it. We were both tortured by how quiet it was and knew it, knew the other person was too. He came home from work one night a day or so into this silent torture beat we had going and put on Disintegration louder than normal; the apartment filled with the swelling opening of "Plainsong." And I thought about that night earlier, when we talked about it comfortably, easily, happily, and the lyrics and feeling specifically behind "Plainsong," and how when I broke up with my prior boyfriend and thought I was moving then too my now-boy interrupted my harried packing by giving me a mix tape with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's song that namechecks The Cure as the ultimate cathartic break up band. So I knew how he felt about that. And I knew he was, intentionally or no, telling me something, telling me how he felt about everything, remorse and memory and all that. I know this is the most teenage sounding account! But. I was touched knowing he felt the way I did. And we did end up working it out eventually, obvy.

A similar thing happened only one other time, with Bedhead instead of The Cure as the auditory catalyst for empathy, or something.

Music is pretty cool like that.
posted by ifjuly at 3:56 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]