Hanging Gardens of Pornography

On this day in music history: May 3, 1982 - “Pornography”, the fourth studio album by The Cure is released. Produced by Phil Thornalley and The Cure, it is recorded at RAK Studio One in London from January - February 1982. Part three in a trilogy of albums that includes “Seventeen Seconds” and “Faith”, much of the material is written and recorded while The Cure is in a state of flux. With leader Robert Smith battling depression, drug use and in-fighting threaten to tear the band apart. The situation becomes so intense that it drives bassist Simon Gallup to quit after the sessions conclude, reducing the band to a duo of just Smith and Laurence Tolhurst. At first, The Cure’s label Fiction Records is not enamored of the record and feels that it will not sell. The band’s manager Chris Parry has co-producer Phil Thornalley “polish up” the track “The Hanging Garden” (#34 UK) for single release, feeling it has the best chance of being a potential hit. In spite of the labels doubts, it becomes a career defining release for the band, and a high water mark for the goth music genre and subculture. Only The Cure’s second album to receive a release in the US, it is licensed to A&M Records, before being reissued by Elektra Records in 1988 who acquires the band’s back catalog after signing with them. The album is remastered and reissued on CD in 2005, as a two disc Deluxe Edition. The first disc features the original eight track album, with the second disc containing fourteen bonus tracks including demos and live performances from the time of its original release. “Pornography” peaks at number eight on the UK album chart.

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