The Cure's textured, gothic pop started a revolution. Hundreds of bands picked up their intense, sexually ambiguous standard, and millions of fans imitated Robert Smith's urchin-from-hell couture. Almost two decades later, the Cure have become elder statesmen of Goth. The earliest Cure records are, by comparison, spare and brittle new wave. They are also very good. Boys Don't Cry (an American compilation of fledgling British releases) is an overlooked gem characterized by Smith's unusual guitar figures. As the band developed, they slowly developed pop smarts - though never forsaking their gloomy side - weaving musical tapestries ever more thick with synthesizers and echo-laden guitars. The foreboding Pornography and Head On The Door (featuring "Inbetween Days" and "Close To You") were their best albums during this period. Staring At The Sea: The Singles set the stage for the Cure to become major stars on both sides of the Atlantic.

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and (especially) Disintegration fulfilled this promise in spades, doubly so because they are very good records. The band even had Top 40 hits ("Just Like Heaven" and "Lovesong"). Mixed Up soon followed; a collection of radical remixes, odd bits, and one new song ("Never Enough"), it's a necessary purchase for all Cure devotees. The release of Galore, collecting singles released since Staring At The Sea, brought the group's second chapter to a close. The two singles compilations are a tidy way to collect the Cure, and both of them are truly great records on their own merits. Serious fans, though, will want all the albums mentioned above (and everything else they can lay their hands on). As of this writing, the Cure had just released Bloodsongs.