Pornography
The sound of a band hitting rock bottom and digging.
Pornography is the fourth studio album by The Cure, released in 1982. It represents the band's final, desperate plunge into their early dark post-punk sound, a suffocating masterpiece that helped define gothic rock. The album's dense, claustrophobic production and lyrics—obsessed with despair, isolation, and emotional collapse—were forged in a period of intense turmoil for frontman Robert Smith, who later called it 'the most extreme album we ever made.'
Quick Facts
- Artist
- the Cure
- Released
- 3 May 1982
- Recorded
- January–April 1982
- Studio
- RAK, London
- Genre
- Gothic rock
- post-punk
- neo-psychedelia
- Length
- 43:30
- Label
- Fiction
- Producer
- Phil Thornalley; The Cure
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Pornography stands as the bleakest chapter in The Cure's early discography, a sonic and emotional nadir born from exhaustion, substance abuse, and creative friction. Recorded at RAK Studios in London, the sessions were notoriously fraught: Smith, fueled by amphetamines and insomnia, pushed the band into a maelstrom of noise and despair, often demanding endless takes until the music felt like a slow-motion car crash. The album's title was chosen to provoke—a deliberate 'pornography of misery' that exposed pain without a single flicker of redemption, like a wound left open to the air.
Reader's Guide
Pornography was released on 4 May 1982 via Fiction Records. The album features eight tracks, including 'One Hundred Years,' 'A Short Term Effect,' 'The Hanging Garden,' 'Siamese Twins,' 'The Figurehead,' 'A Strange Day,' 'Cold,' and the title track 'Pornography.' It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart but received mixed reviews initially for its abrasive sound. Over time, it has been hailed as a masterpiece of gothic rock. The production is dense and layered, with Smith's vocals often buried in the mix. The album was recorded at RAK Studios in London with producer Phil Thornalley. The era is defined by the band's shift from post-punk to a darker, more atmospheric style, influencing countless artists in the goth and alternative scenes.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One Hundred Years | 6:40 |
| 2 | A Short Term Effect | 4:22 |
| 3 | The Hanging Garden | 4:33 |
| 4 | Siamese Twins | 5:29 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Figurehead | 6:15 |
| 2 | A Strange Day | 5:04 |
| 3 | Cold | 4:26 |
| 4 | Pornography | 6:27 |
2005 Deluxe Edition bonus disc: Rarities 1981–1982
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Break (Group Home Instrumental Demo 11/81) | 2:11 |
| 2 | Demise (Studio Instrumental Demo 12/81) | 2:09 |
| 3 | Temptation (Studio Instrumental Demo 12/81) | 4:00 |
| 4 | The Figurehead (Studio Demo 12/81) | 6:12 |
| 5 | The Hanging Garden (Studio Demo 12/81) | 5:29 |
| 6 | One Hundred Years (Studio Demo 12/81) | 7:00 |
| 7 | Airlock: The Soundtrack (3/82) | 13:07 |
| 8 | Cold (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 5/82 - bootleg audience recording) | 3:54 |
| 9 | A Strange Day (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 5/82 - bootleg audience recording) | 4:05 |
| 10 | Pornography (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 5/82 - bootleg audience recording) | 5:55 |
| 11 | All Mine (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 5/82) | 2:54 |
| 12 | A Short Term Effect (Live in Brussels 6/82) | 4:05 |
| 13 | Siamese Twins (Live in Brussels 6/82) | 6:03 |
| 14 | Temptation Two (AKA Let's Go to Bed) (RS Studio Demo 7/82) | 3:57 |
Track listing from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The album was recorded in just six weeks, a period of intense personal struggle for the band.
- The cover art features a distorted photo of the band, created by manipulating a negative through heat and chemicals.
- The album's title was chosen to shock and challenge listeners, reflecting the band's confrontational stance at the time.
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