The recording process behind Disintegration by The Cure, which is re-released this week, was so troubled, the album almost never made it into creation. But in the end, Disintegration established the band as one of the biggest in the world.
After the end of 1987s Kiss Me tour, the band had become hugely successful, unfortunately there were internal ructions starting to show, with leader Robert Smith starting to get fed up with original member Lol Tolhurst partying a little bit too hard, and somewhat unbothered about actually making music.
After the tour, Smith sacked Tolhurst, moved to London, and soon fell into a depression fuelled by increased use of LSD. Somewhat down about the band being ‘misunderstood’, he originally began the sessions that became Disintegration as a solo project. Eventually he decided to record the songs with the band, and it went on to become their biggest album internationally, sealing their breakthrough in America.
Disintegration is reissued as a three-disc affair this week, with live album Entreat expanded along with sessions, demos and B-sides, what originally was quite good, has become really very good indeed.
Disintegration isn’t the only album created in troubling circumstances, so let’s showcase a few other classic albums with equally as nightmarish births.
Sly & The Family Stone – There’s A Riot Going On
After becoming hugely successful via a succession of bright and groovy albums such as Stand!, an a career highlight performance at Woodstock, Sly Stone was due to deliver a new album to the record company, but instead became waylaid – along with his bandmates – on a diet of PCP and cocaine, started getting in with the militant Black Panther movement, bought a house in Bel Air, hired some nutjob “security” and started going a bit mad and firing his bandmates.
He would regularly lure ladies back to the studio in his mansion promising them a chance of joining the band, and would record their “input” over the tapes that contained the likes of Running Away, which explains its slightly muddy worn production. When the album was released in 1971, despite mixed critical reaction, both the album and lead single Family Affair hit the top spot, although the damage had been done and the band started to fall apart.
Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
It can’t really have been easy being in Fleetwood Mac. First up you’re an English blues band but before you know it, you have to replace the band Sugababes-style with your wife and a couple going through some issues. Throw in the sort of insane success that the 26 million-selling Rumours gave them, start getting into drugs and sleeping with each other and it’s no surprise you end up with a wonky double album of mad chants, dabbles with the then emerging new wave sound, and the usual madness achieved when no one wants to be in the same room as each other. Then you have what has gone on to be seen as a classic, and Mick Fleetwood’s personal favourite, too. It sold two million, which is not bad, but must have caused a few redundancies at the label at the time.
Oasis – Be Here Now
After the astronomical highs achieved by the sales of their first two albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, Oasis were one of the biggest bands on Earth in 1997, and being the Gallagher brothers, a period of tensions, walk outs and other queeny behaviour, like cancelling US tours because one of them didn’t like their hair, probably, it’s astonishing that Be Here Now made it on to the shelves at all. With all sorts of things and habits at their disposal, it’s no wonder the album has been declared ‘The Sound of Cocaine’. Unlike some others on this list that have become classics, this self-indulgent , it shifted units on day of release, only to find itself in numerous Record and Tape Exchanges a few weeks later. Some might say (arf) they’ve never quite recovered since.
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