Melody Maker Clippings

1/21/89---Simon Gallup of The Cure is now a skinhead--official! 'Twas
about 4 o' clock in the morning last weekend and he and the fellows
were well into their cups.It was at this point that Simon decided it was
really time he had a haircut,and,there being no barber open at that 
hour in the immediate vicinity,plucky Steve Sutherland volunteered
to relieve la Gallup of his offending looks.Wielding a pair of shears in
the vague direction of his head and lopping off an inadvertent ear
or two,our Steve managed to reduce Gallup to billiard ball status and
bring about the biggest baldy rock star sensation to hit the pop world
since Dave Hill of Slade lawnmowered his own bonce for their
"comeback" tour in 1977...

1/28/89---The Cure are in London putting the finishing touches to their
new album which should hopefully be out by May.According to sources
close to the band,a lot of the material is very much "old-style Cure" and
not at all commercial.Due to the nature of the songs,there are no plans
as yet to put out a single.There's little chance of the band touring this
year,though there's a slim chance they may play a handful of open-air
dates in the summer.

3/25/89---The Cure release a new album,"Disintegration", on Fiction in
May,and follow with a three-month tour of Europe and the UK.
Co-produced by Robert Smith and David M. Allen,the team responsible
for most of the band's recent work,the album contains:"Plainsong",
Pictures of You","Closedown","Lovesong","Lullaby","Fascination St.",
"Prayers for Rain","The Same Deep Water As You","Disintegration",
"Untitled".The CD and cassette formats contain two extra tracks.
Robert Smith said this week:"It's a thematic album,written for people to
sit down and listen to from beginning to end,on their own.When we
started recording,I wanted the record to have an atmosphere of
disintegration,but it's more coherent and more uplifting to listen to than I
thought it would be."
"We wanted it to be at least an hour long--a CD album rather than side
one and side two--because that gives you more time to underplay
sections,not simply write pop songs."
"With 'The Top' and 'Head on the Tour',we crammed everything into
three minutes,and 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' was more of a party
record.This one is back to the minimal style of recording,like 'Faith'."
The first single from the album is "Lullaby",due for an April release.
The 50-date European tour,which includes the Eastern Bloc,will play to
more than 600,000 people.The Sugarcubes will appear at selected
dates,and The Mission will be special guests at some of the shows.All
About Eve may play in Paris,Dublin and Newcastle dates.The British leg
of the tour is in July,and dates and final support details are expected
shortly.

4/8/89---The Cure release a new single,"Lullaby",on April 10 on
Fiction.Taken from the forthcoming Cure album "Disintegration",
"Lullaby", in normal and limited edition gatefold seven-inch versions,is
backed with the otherwise unavailable "Babble".
The 12-inch and gatefold three-inch CD formats additionally contain
another new song, "Out Of Mind".There will,finally,be a limited edition
pink vinyl 12-inch containing all three tracks.

Laurence Tolhurst will not be appearing with the band when they tour.
He is featured on the album's writing credits but does not appear in any
of the publicity material and photographs accompanying it. A
spokeswoman for Polydor said that he would not be replaced and had
no immediate plans for a solo career.

4/29/89---The Cure Disintegrate
The Cure have confirmed the release of their new Polydor album,
"Disintegration",for May 2.As previously reported,the album,The Cure's
eleventh,contains "Plainsong","Pictures of You","Closedown","Lovesong",
"Lullaby","Fascination Street","Prayers for Rain","The Same Deep Water
As You","Disintegration" and "Untitled".
The band have this week also announced that the cassette and CD versions
will additionally contain "Last Dance" and "Homesick".Both offer more
than 70 minutes of music.
Robert Smith said:"I wanted to be able to stretch an idea over an hour
and keep a theme running through it without having to worry about the
constraints of 20 minutes a side."
The Cure,supported by Shelleyan Orphan,begin a three month tour of Europe
on May 1.Beginning in Scandinavia,the "Prayer Tour" will include shows
in Hungary and Yugoslavia,plus an open-air concert in Lorelei,Germany,
where they will be supported by the Mission,the Sugarcubes and Eat.The
tour arrives in the UK in mid-July.Dates are still to be confirmed.

5/6/89---The Cure Confirm Prayer Tour
The Cure who this week release their new album,"Disintegration",on
Fiction,have announced four british concerts--their first since
December 1987.
The shows,part of The Cure's worldwide Prayer Tour,takes place at
Glasgow SECC on July 18,Birmingham NEC (20) and London Wembley
Arena (22 and 23)
The Cure,currently in the singles chart with "Lullaby",have just started
the European leg of the tour,supported by Shelleyan Orphan.

5/20/89---Congratulations to Lol Tolhurst,who tied the knot with one
Lydia (not Lunch,we presume) at Buckfast Abbey last weekend.
Meanwhile,among those spotted at his ex-mates The Cure's European
concerts were tennis player Steffi Graf and Sabrina.What a pair!
Steffi Graf and Sabrina that is!

6/10/89---Extra Cure
The Cure have added another date at Birmingham NEC due to ticket
demand for the show on July 20.The new concert is on July 21,and
tickets are on sale now.
The Cure,who are currently on the Italian leg of their European tour,
have sold out Wembley Arena on July 22.Tickets are still available for
Glasgow SECC (July 18) and Wembley Arena (July 23rd) as well as the
new Birmingham date.