The Cure "Disintegration"

The Cure's eighth studio album "Disintegration" was released in 1989 by Fiction Records. It marks the band's return to its early gothic rock style, which was established in the early 1980s. The pressure on vocalist and guitarist Robert Smith to produce a more meaningful work, along with his dislike of the band's newfound popularity, led him to resume his use of hallucinogenic drugs, which had a strong influence on the production of the album. The band recorded the album at Hookend Recording Studios in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, with co-producer David M. Allen.

Following the mixing, founding member Lol Tolhurst was fired from the band. The album became the band's first commercial peak, charting at number three in the UK and number 12 in the US. It remains the band's highest selling album to date with over four million copies sold worldwide and was met with a warm critical reception. The album was later placed at number 116 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The Cure's early works such as "Seventeen Seconds" (1980) and "Pornography" (1982) established the band as a prominent gothic rock band. However, a shift towards pop-oriented themes in the release of "The Love Cats" (1983) was a response to Smith's frustration with being labeled as a predictable gothic rock band. The 1987 double album "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" resulted in further commercial success, but also led to increasing internal friction due to Tolhurst's increasing alcoholism. Smith's depression before the recording of "Disintegration" was partly due to the realization that he was about to turn 30, a frightening thought for him, as he felt all the masterpieces in rock and roll had been completed well before that age. Smith wrote the music for "Disintegration" without the rest of the band and the material he wrote was dismal and depressing. The band recorded a total of 32 songs of which 12 made it onto the final album. When the band entered Hook End Manor Studios, Smith was displeased with Tolhurst's escalating alcohol abuse, and he sought to recreate the atmosphere of the band's fourth album "Pornography". Despite the serious subject matter of the album, the atmosphere in the studio was still upbeat during the sessions.