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==Music career== ===School bands: 1972β1976=== Smith has said that his first band when he was 14 consisted of himself, his brother Richard, their younger sister Janet, and some of Richard's friends. He remarked, "It was called the Crawley Goat Band β brilliant!"<ref name="Smash Hits, May 1986"/> However, while the Crawley Goat Band may have been Smith's first regular group, he would have been just 13 when he and his Notre Dame schoolmates gave their first one-off performance together as the Obelisk, an early incarnation of what would eventually become the Cure. The Obelisk featured Smith (still playing piano at this point) alongside Marc Ceccagno (lead guitar), Michael Dempsey (guitar), Alan Hill (bass), and [[Lol Tolhurst|Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst]] (percussion) and, according to the Cure's official biography ''Ten Imaginary Years'', gave their only performance at a school function in April 1972. Jeff Apter, however, dates the performance to April 1973,<ref name="Apter, p. 26">Apter, Jeff. ''Never Enough: The Story of the Cure'', (2009), Omnibus Press, p. 26; {{ISBN|978-1-84772-739-8}}</ref> which is at variance with Smith and his bandmates having already left Notre Dame Middle School by this time.<ref name="Barbarian, Sutherland & Smith, 1988, p. 121"/> During the latter part of 1972, the nucleus of Smith, Ceccagno, Dempsey and Tolhurst had gone on to secondary school together at St Wilfrid's Comprehensive, where they and their friends continued playing music together. Smith said that they were known simply as "The Group" "because it was the only one at school so we didn't need a name."<ref name="Smash Hits, May 1986"/> Dempsey, who eventually moved from guitar to bassist for the Group, said that another name they toyed with was the Brat's Club β a reference to [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s ''[[A Handful of Dust]]''.<ref name="Apter, p. 26"/> Smith said that "the group" eventually became Malice, "sort of a sub-metal punk group -with Michael Dempsey, Laurence and two other blokes."<ref name="Smash Hits, May 1986"/> According to the band's ''Ten Imaginary Years'' biography, between January and December 1976, the shifting line-up for Malice featured several "other blokes", with founding guitarist Marc Ceccagno being replaced by [[Porl Thompson]], an early drummer known only as "Graham" replaced by Lol Tolhurst, and "Graham's brother" replaced by vocalist Martin Creasy. By 1977, Malice had become [[Easy Cure]]. ===The Cure: 1976βpresent=== {{Main|The Cure}} ====As singer and frontman==== Smith did not intend to become the lead vocalist of the Cure. Bowler and Dray note that the Obelisk had "featured Dempsey and Ceccagno as guitarists and him [Robert] on piano as very much a background player."<ref name="Bowler & Dray, p. 10">Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray, ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 10; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> As the Group gradually became Malice and began regular rehearsals in January 1976, Smith was still one of several floating members.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, p. 10"/><ref>Membership "used to fluctuate between five and fifteen" people according to Smith.</ref> Of their first "proper" rehearsal at St Edwards Church, Smith said: {{blockquote|I think it all came about because Marc Ceccagno wanted to be a guitar hero. Michael had a bass, I had got hold of a guitar and our first drummer, Graham, had a drum kit. His brother had an amp and a mic, so he sang.<ref>Apter, Jeff, ''Never Enough: The Story of The Cure'', (2009) Omnibus Press, p. 33; {{ISBN|978-1-84772-739-8}}</ref>}} By December 1976, Graham's brother had been replaced by vocalist Martin Creasy, a journalist with ''[[Crawley#Media|The Crawley Observer]]'', whose brief tenure with the group was a live dΓ©bΓ’cle according to those involved.<ref name="Barbarian, Sutherland & Smith">Barbarian, L., Steve Sutherland & Robert Smith, ''Ten Imaginary Years'', (1988), Zomba Books; {{ISBN|0-946391-87-4}}</ref> By January 1977 Malice had changed their name to Easy Cure,<ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 6">Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 6; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> partly to distance themselves from these earlier shows. Both drummer Lol Tolhurst and bassist Mick Dempsey are also noted as having performed vocals with the group in the early years. Tolhurst also sang on a cover of "[[Wild Thing (The Troggs song)|Wild Thing]]" at Malice's early shows,<ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'' (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 6; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}})</ref> and Dempsey sang backing vocals on songs like "Killing An Arab", and even recorded lead vocals on one track on the Cure's debut album, their cover of Hendrix's "Foxy Lady".<ref>''Cure News 5'', May 1988.</ref><ref>''Cure News 11'', October 1991</ref> During March 1977, a vocalist named Gary X came and went, and was replaced by Peter O'Toole, described as "a demon footballer and Bowie fan" who made his singing debut in April.<ref name="Barbarian, Sutherland & Smith"/> O'Toole remained Easy Cure's steady front man for several months while the group played the local pub circuit, "building up an enormous local following", and was even the singer on the home demo tapes that landed them their first recording contract with [[Hansa Records]].<ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 6"/> However, by the time Easy Cure entered London's Sound And Vision Studio to record for Hansa in October 1977, O'Toole had left to work on a [[Kibbutz]] in Israel.<ref name="Barbarian, Sutherland & Smith"/> Smith then fell into the vocalist role by default, since no better replacement appeared. He told ''[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]'' magazine in 1989: {{Blockquote|When we started, and were playing in pubs, I wasn't the singer ... I was the drunk rhythm guitarist who wrote all these weird songs. We went through about five different singers β they were fucking useless, basically. I always ended up thinking, 'I could do better than this.' ... I mean, I hated my voice, but I didn't hate it more than I hated everyone else's voice ... So I thought, 'If I can get away with that, I can be the singer.' I've worked on that basis ever since.<ref>Considine, J. D., "What's The Big Idea? Robert Smith's Conception of the Cure", ''[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]'', 1989.</ref>}} On 14 October 2024, Smith announced that he plans on retiring in 2029. "Iβm 70 in 2029, and thatβs the 50th anniversary of the first Cure album [''[[Three Imaginary Boys]]'']. If I make it that far, thatβs it. In the intervening time, Iβd like to include playing concerts as part of the overall plan of what weβre going to do. Iβve loved it; the last 10 years of playing shows have been the best 10 years of being in the band. It pisses all over the other 30-odd years! Itβs been great" Smith said.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fu|first1=Eddie |title=The Cure Will Retire After 50th Anniversary of Debut Album in 2029 |url=https://consequence.net/2024/10/the-cure-retire-50th-anniversary |website=Consequence |access-date=14 October 2024 |date=14 October 2024}}</ref> ====As principal songwriter==== Smith was also not the sole songwriter or lyricist in the group during their early years; the band name Easy Cure came from a song penned by Lol Tolhurst,<ref>Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray. ''The Cure β Faith'' (1995). Sidgwick & Jackson. p. 15; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> while Grinding Halt began as a Tolhurst lyric that Smith shortened to the first half of each line.<ref>Apter, Jeff, ''Never Enough: The Story of The Cure'', (2009) Omnibus Press, p. 90; {{ISBN|978-1-84772-739-8}}</ref><ref group="note">The Easy Cure "group home demo" of "Grinding Halt" from March 1978, with Tolhurst's longer original lyric, was later released on ''Deluxe Edition'' (2004) of ''Three Imaginary Boys''.</ref> Easy Cure condensed its name to the Cure shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite book |last=Apter |first=Jeff |year=2006 |title=Never Enough: The Story of The Cure |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |isbn=1-84449-827-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/neverenoughstory00apte |pages=56β57}}</ref> During 1978β79, Smith composed and recorded demo versions of some of the Cure's definitive early songs on his sister Janet's [[Hammond organ]] with a built-in tape recorder, including "[[10:15 Saturday Night]]".<ref>Beebe Lapriore, Elaine. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A245-2004Dec14.html "Rediscovering The Cure: Group's 1979 Debut Arrives at Last"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 15 December 2004; retrieved 15 October 2012.</ref><ref group="note">"Robert Smith home demo" version of "10:15 Saturday Night", recorded in February 1978, appears on the 2004 ''Deluxe Edition'' of ''Three Imaginary Boys''.</ref> By the time the ''[[NME]]'' interviewed the band in October 1979 during their tour with [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], Smith was acknowledged as the principal writer of "almost all of the Cure's songs and lyrics", and stated that he was uncomfortable playing and singing songs that were not his own.<ref>Pearson, Deanne, "No Image, No Style, No Bullshit", ''NME'', 6 October 1979.</ref> Following his return from the Banshees' tour, Smith also composed most of the music for the album ''[[Seventeen Seconds]]'' using the Hammond, a [[drum machine]] and his trademark Top 20 Woolworth's guitar, during a home demo session in his parents' basement. Most of the lyrics had been written in one night in Newcastle.<ref>Apter, Jeff. ''Never Enough: The Story of The Cure'', (2009), Omnibus Press, p. 106; {{ISBN|978-1-84772-739-8}}</ref><ref group="note">Some of the new songs, however, had been debuted live while on the Banshees tour.(Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene, ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 18; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}})</ref> Michael Dempsey, discussing his own departure from the group at this time, later remarked: {{Blockquote|Robert's new songs were more of a personal statement β entirely personal to him β and I couldn't make that statement on his behalf.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52">Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray. ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 52; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref>}} Although Smith wrote most of the lyrics for ''Seventeen Seconds'', many were also rewritten by the group during the recording of the album itself. Dempsey's replacement Simon Gallup described the collective writing process to ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' in 1980: {{Blockquote|When we play new songs live Robert [[Ad libitum|ad libs]] [vocals] a lot until he gets the feel of it. Then when we record it if it's still not right it means everyone sitting around Chris Parry's (their manager's) kitchen all night scrawling sheets and sheets of paper β for "At Night" we got really desperate and finished up at six in the morning with Lol standing on the table pressing his head against the ceiling because he thought that might help.<ref name="Manhattan Interiors">Sutcliffe, Phil, "Manhattan Interiors", ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds (UK)]]'', 3 May 1980</ref>}} Lol Tolhurst later stated that he, Gallup and Smith all wrote lyrics for the Cure's early albums, and that the group dynamic only changed after their 1982 album ''[[Pornography (album)|Pornography]]'': {{Blockquote|Generally as Robert had to sing the words he chose which ones he sang but they were from all of us. He kept a big box of words to which I contributed from time to time (Simon too) and he would use them all for songs.<ref name="Tolhurst hispaCure Interview">{{cite web |url=http://www.hispacure.com/b/prensa/archivo/reportajes/hispacure/HispaCure_interview_to_Lol_Tolhurst_April2007.pdf |title=Lol Tolhurst, el gato gris |publisher=Hispacure.com |date=April 2007 |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208090429/http://www.hispacure.com/b/prensa/archivo/reportajes/hispacure/HispaCure_interview_to_Lol_Tolhurst_April2007.pdf |archive-date=8 February 2012}}</ref>}} Tolhurst claimed to have written the lyrics for "All Cats Are Grey" from the 1981 album ''[[Faith (The Cure album)|Faith]]'', which he later re-recorded with his own project, [[Levinhurst]].<ref name="Tolhurst hispaCure Interview"/> In contrast to Tolhurst's recollection of their songwriting as a group effort until after ''Pornography'', in 1982 Smith claimed to have written "90 per cent of the ''Pornography'' album", and that he therefore could not leave the Cure, because it would not be the Cure without him.<ref name="The Incurables">Sutherland, Steve, "The Incurables", ''Melody Maker'', 18 December 1982.</ref> For their first four albums (''Three Imaginary Boys'', ''Seventeen Seconds'', ''Faith'' and ''Pornography''), all members of the group had received equal songwriting credits. With Simon Gallup's departure reducing the group to a duo, and Tolhurst quitting drums to start taking keyboard lessons,<ref name="The Incurables"/> from July 1982 until Gallup's return in February 1985, according to Smith, much of the writing and recording process within the Cure effectively became a solo effort. Nonetheless, Tolhurst was credited as co-writer of five of the eight songs featured on 1983's singles and b-sides collection ''[[Japanese Whispers]]'' (including "Let's Go to Bed" and "[[The Walk (The Cure song)|The Walk]]"), while "[[The Love Cats (song)|The Love Cats]]", "Lament" and "The Dream" were credited to Smith only.<ref>True, Chris. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/japanese-whispers-mw0000198005 "Japanese Whispers β The Cure"], Allmusic.com; retrieved 29 October 2012.</ref> Of 1984's ''[[The Top (album)|The Top]]'', Smith would say it was "the solo album I never made",<ref>Inskeep, Thomas. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-cure/the-top-the-head-on-the-door-kiss-me-kiss-me-kiss-me.htm "The Cure β The Top/The Head on the Door/Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me"], ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'', 20 November 2006; retrieved 29 October 2012.</ref> having played nearly all instruments himself except for drums (by Andy Anderson),<ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 58; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> with Porl Thompson contributing saxophone to one song ("Give Me It"),<ref name="picturesofyou.us">{{cite web |url=http://www.picturesofyou.us/86/rs-this-is-your-life-1.htm |title=Smash Hits, May 1986 |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref> and Tolhurst contributing keyboards to 3 of the album's 10 songs. In 1985, the band had success with ''[[The Head on the Door]]'', with Smith as the sole songwriter. The line-up also included Gallup, Tolhurst, Thompson and [[Boris Williams]]. In 1987, the double album ''[[Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me]]'', with singles "[[Just Like Heaven (The Cure song)|Just Like Heaven]]" and "[[Hot Hot Hot!!! (The Cure song)|Hot, Hot, Hot!]]" was released to increasing popularity for the band in the US. From that time and on subsequent records, the writing was made by the whole band but still with Smith as the main composer and arranger. ===Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Glove, and collaborations === ====Smith, Severin, and Siouxsie on tour: 1979==== {{Main|Siouxsie and the Banshees}} Robert Smith met [[Steven Severin]] of Siouxsie and the Banshees at a [[Throbbing Gristle]] and [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]] gig at the London [[YMCA]] on 3 August 1979.<ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 15">Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 15; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref name="Sutherland 1">Sutherland, Steve, "History of the Cure β Part 1", ''[[Melody Maker]]'', 1990</ref> Both the Banshees and the Cure had been signed to Polydor and its imprint Fiction, respectively, by [[Chris Parry (producer)|Chris Parry]], and Smith was already a fan of the Banshees.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> The pair hit it off, and Severin invited Smith to accompany the Banshees on a UK tour in support of their second album ''[[Join Hands]]''.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 15"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> The two bands embarked on the tour later in August, and meanwhile in September Banshees singer [[Siouxsie Sioux]] contributed backing vocals to "I'm Cold", the B-side to the Cure's next single "[[Jumping Someone Else's Train]]" (released in November),<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 16">Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 16; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> A few dates into the ''Join Hands'' tour, however, Banshees' guitarist [[John McKay (guitarist)|John McKay]] and drummer [[Kenny Morris (musician)|Kenny Morris]] quit the band hours before they were due to go on stage in [[Aberdeen]], placing the tour in limbo.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> Determined not to let the tour end, Smith volunteered to replace McKay temporarily on condition that the Cure remained the opening act,<ref name="Sutherland 1"/> while ex-[[Slits]] drummer [[Budgie (musician)|Budgie]] joined on drums.<ref>Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray, ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 53; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> The tour resumed on 18 September, with Smith playing in both bands each night.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 16"/> At the tour's end, Smith returned full-time to the Cure. Severin has attributed Smith's transition from a reticent figure to a more enigmatic front person to Smith's early experiences playing with Siouxsie and the Banshees: {{Blockquote|I think he learnt how to be a front person, just by standing next to Siouxsie for a couple of months every night. I think he completely changed his persona on stage because of that; he came out of his shell. I think that he learnt how to be a bit more flamboyant, and how it was okay, and I think he saw how, y'know... how should I put it... Siouxsie's more "diva" moments were kind of acceptable because they were the front person, and I think he learnt how to get away with stuff. And just a bit about stagecraft, and how to use the audience a bit more. Because if you look at early clips of their performances you can see he's sort of much more shy and retiring than he becomes a bit later on, and of course, his whole look changes as well.<ref>''The Cure β Out of the Woods'' (DVD Documentary), Chrome Dreams Studio, 2004.</ref>}} ====Cult Hero and Dance Fools Dance label: 1979β1980==== Smith meanwhile conceived the [[I'm a Cult Hero|Cult Hero]] side-project to collaborate with bassist Simon Gallup of [[the Magspies]], recorded at [[Morgan Studios]] in October 1979.<ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 49">Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray. ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 49; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> With some leftover time in the studio from the Cult Hero sessions, Smith also produced recordings by the Magspies and a young vocal and percussion duo the Obtainers (described by Steve Sutherland of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' as "two 11-year olds banging on pots and pans"),<ref name="Sutherland 1"/> for the fledgling independent label Dance Fools Dance co-founded by Robert Smith and Ric Gallup, elder brother of Simon. The Cult Hero single was released on the [[Fiction Records]] label in December 1979, while the Magspies/Obtainers split single appeared on Dance Fools Dance the following year.<ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 49"/><ref>Gallup, Ric, "A Tale of Incest", ''Clinic'' No. 4, September 1980<!-- ISBN needed --></ref><ref>Butler, Daren, ''The Cure on Record'', (1995), Omnibus Press, pp. 10β15. {{ISBN|0-7119-3867-9}}</ref><ref group="note">Some sources (e.g. Butler's ''The Cure on Record'') suggest that the Magspies/Obtainers single was released in 1979, whereas its release was announced by Ric Gallup of Dance Fools Dance (via the Cure's ''Clinic'' newsletter) as a new single in late 1980.</ref> ====The Stranglers and Associates: April 1980==== On 3 and 4 April 1980 at the [[Rainbow Theatre]] in London, Robert Smith and [[Matthieu Hartley]] (also of the Magspies, Cult Hero and by this time, the Cure) were among the many guest members of a unique line-up of [[the Stranglers]] to play two protest concerts for [[Hugh Cornwell]], who had been imprisoned on drugs charges in late 1979.<ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref>''Clinic'' No. 4, September 1980</ref><ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene, ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 23. {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> [[Joy Division]] were also one of the support bands on the second night. Recordings from the event were later released as ''[[The Stranglers and Friends β Live in Concert]]'' in 1995. Also during April, Smith provided backing vocals for [[Associates (band)|the Associates]]' debut album ''[[The Affectionate Punch]]'', released in August 1980. At the time, the Associates were also signed to Fiction Records, and had been joined in late 1979 by former Cure bassist Michael Dempsey.<ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure-A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, pp. 19, 22; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref>Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray, ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 54; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}.</ref> The Associates' front man [[Billy Mackenzie]] was a friend of Smith's for more than 20 years, and the Cure song, "[[Cut Here]]" (from 2001's ''[[Greatest Hits (The Cure album)|Greatest Hits]]'' album), was written in response to Mackenzie's suicide in 1997. As Smith told ''[[Jam!|Jam! Showbiz]]'' following the release of "Greatest Hits": {{Blockquote|I kept passing on the opportunity to sit down and have a drink with him, have a chat ... I was very regretful. I had never used the words. I wrote them down to get it out of my system ... It is nice to sing a song that meant something, and to think it is going to be a single is a good thing. Strangely enough, it turned out to be the record company's favourite one (of the new songs).<ref>Cantin, Paul, "Robert Smith Talks About New Cure Best-of", ''[[Jam!|Jam! Showbiz]]'', November 2001.</ref>}} ====And Also the Trees: 1981β1982==== {{Main|And Also the Trees}} During 1981, the Cure received a home demo tape from [[And Also the Trees]] and immediately became friends.<ref>Strutt, Anthony, [http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/magsitepages/Article.aspx?id=4788 Lol Tolhurst: Interview], ''Pennyblack Music'', 31 July 2008; retrieved 26 October 2012.</ref> Front-man [[Simon Huw Jones]] later told ''Abstract Magazine'' that the Cure were AATT's "biggest fans, the first people who came up to us and said 'we think you're great'" and that the two groups were mutually influenced by one another.<ref name="Abstract 5">"And Also The Trees" (Interview), ''Abstract Magazine'' Issue 5, March 1985.</ref> The group joined the Cure in support of the ''Eight Appearances'' tour of Scotland and Northern England during November and December 1981, together with 1313, featuring Steve Severin and [[Lydia Lunch]],<ref name="Spiral Scratch, 1992"/><ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene, ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 32; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> and the following year Robert Smith together with Cure/Banshees co-producer [[Mike Hedges]] co-produced And Also the Trees' 1982 cassette release ''From Under the Hill''. Smith was initially to have also produced the band's debut single "The Secret Sea",<ref name="Abstract 5"/> but instead Lol Tolhurst stepped in as producer between 1982β84, both for the band's first two singles, and for their [[And Also The Trees (album)|self-titled debut album]].<ref>Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'' (1988), Omnibus Press, pp. 38, 51; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/and-also-the-trees-mw0000502260 |title=And Also The Trees Review |work=AllMusic |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> Smith would again collaborate with And Also the Trees in 1991. ====Post-''Pornography'' projects: 1982==== In the wake of the Cure's ''Fourteen Explicit Moments'' tour, which culminated in the departure of Simon Gallup and the temporary dissolution of the Cure, in June 1982, Smith began collaborating with Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees again. Although released under the name of the Cure, the only personnel to perform on the original ''[[Flexipop]]'' single release of "Lament" in August 1982 were Smith and Severin, and soon afterwards, Smith admitted that the Cure as a band now existed in name only.<ref name="Spiral Scratch, 1992"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, pp.38-39">Thompson, Dave, and Jo-Ann Greene, ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, pp. 38β39; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, pp. 92-93">Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray. ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, pp. 92β93; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> That August, Smith briefly resurrected the Dance Fools Dance label to record and release the single "Frame One" by Crawley gothic/post-punk outfit Animation.<ref name="Pat Gilbert, Part 2">Gilbert, Pat, "A History of The Cure (Part 2)". ''[[Record Collector]]'', August 1993.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/videos-and-slideshows/when-crawley-ruled-the-music-world-1-3874124 |title=When Crawley ruled the music world! |publisher=Crawleyobserver.co.uk |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/8zRu6mQzfHo |title=ANIMATION β Foreign Lands |work=NME.COM |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> In September, Smith with Tolhurst (now on keyboards) and session drummer Steve Goulding went into the studio to record a "blatant pop single" at the instigation of Fiction Records manager Chris Parry. Smith was reportedly so unhappy with the resultant track "[[Let's Go to Bed (The Cure song)|Let's Go to Bed]]" that he attempted to have the single released under the name of Recur, feeling that the single let Cure fans down.<ref name="Thompson & Greene, pp.38-39"/><ref name="Sutherland 2">Sutherland, Steve, "History of The Cure Part 2", ''Melody Maker'', 1990.</ref><ref>Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray. ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, pp. 94β97; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> During October, Smith and Severin also recorded early demos for what would become [[the Glove]]'s "Punish Me With Kisses" single, at Mike Hedges' studio "The Playground". Smith also returned to touring as a live guitarist with Siouxsie and the Banshees from November, following the collapse of then-Banshee [[John McGeoch]] from nervous exhaustion one week before the band were due to go on tour.<ref name="Thompson & Greene, pp.38-39"/><ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, pp. 92-93"/><ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref>"Say Fast 12 Times: British Switch Hitters", ''Trouser Press'', 2 January 1983.</ref> His return to guitar duties with the group prompted Smith to remark: {{Blockquote|Once a Banshee, always a Banshee.<ref name="Greene, 1986, p. 33">Greene, Jo-Ann. ''The Cure'', (1986), Bobcat Books, p. 33. {{ISBN|0-7119-0805-2}}</ref>}} He later said that he was "fed up" and "really disillusioned" with the pressures of playing in the Cure, and that "the Banshees thing came along and I thought it would be a really good escape".<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, pp. 92-93"/> Journalist/biographer Jo-Ann Greene noted that Smith's replacement of McGeoch "left a bad taste in many people's mouths, as [McGeoch] was informed of his sacking only a week after his recovery from a brief spell of clinical depression".<ref name="Greene, 1986, p. 33"/> ====The Venomettes and Marc and the Mambas: 1983==== Returning to England from the Banshees' tour of [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], and [[Japan]] in January 1983, Smith was approached the following month by Nicholas Dixon, a young choreographer with [[the Royal Ballet]], to score a choreographed adaptation of ''[[Les Enfants Terribles]]''. To test the idea, Smith and Severin recorded a reworking of the Cure's "Siamese Twins", with Tolhurst on drums, and Anne Stephenson and Virginia Hewes (later known as Ginni Ball) of the Venomettes on violins, which was performed on [[BBC Two]]'s music programme Riverside in March 1983, featuring two dancers choreographed by Dixon. Despite a positive critical reception, however, neither Dixon nor Smith were happy with the results, and the ''Les Enfants Terribles'' project was shelved indefinitely.<ref name="Pat Gilbert, Part 2"/><ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 42">Thompson, Dave, and Jo-Ann Greene, ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 42. {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref group="note">Severin was unavailable for the television appearance, so Porl Thompson appeared miming the bass, disguised in a long coat and hat.</ref> Smith and Severin meanwhile co-wrote the music to [[Marc and the Mambas]]' song "Torment", which appeared on the album ''[[Torment and Toreros]]''.<ref>Almond, Marc. ''Tainted Life: The Autobiography'', Sidgwick & Jackson, (1999), p. 205; {{ISBN|978-0-28306-340-4}}</ref> Between March and June 1983, Smith recorded with the Glove and (ostensibly) the Cure; prompting him to remark: "I need a holiday ... I keep making plans to go every week, but every week I'm in another group."<ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 42"/> ====The Glove: 1983==== {{Main|The Glove}} Smith and Severin had first discussed collaborating on an external side-project in 1981, although their respective commitments to the Cure and the Banshees had previously left no time for the project.<ref name="Greene, 1986, p. 33"/> From May 1983, however, with the Cure on hold and Siouxsie and Budgie working together as [[the Creatures]], recording of the Glove's album ''[[Blue Sunshine (album)|Blue Sunshine]]'' began in earnest.<ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 42"/> Budgie's then girlfriend Jeanette Landray, formerly a dancer with [[Zoo (dance troupe)|Zoo]], was recruited to perform vocals, while [[Andy Anderson (drummer)|Andy Anderson]] from [[Brilliant (band)|Brilliant]] was brought in to play drums.<ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref name="Greene, 1986, p. 33"/> The Venomettes with [[Martin McCarrick]] were hired to perform strings in studio. The Glove took its name from the "murder mitten" from the Beatles' animated feature ''[[Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine]]'', while the album title came from [[Blue Sunshine (film)|a B-movie by the same name]] about a potent strain of [[LSD]] that caused people to lose their hair and turn into homicidal maniacs many years after their first trip.<ref name="Sutherland 3">Sutherland, Steve, "The Glove Will Tear Us Apart", ''Melody Maker'', 3 September 1983.</ref> Severin said of the project: {{Blockquote|Obviously there was an interest in [[psychedelia]]. We didn't have any set idea of what we wanted to do. After a few pointless discussions we just went in and started writing songs, and eventually honed in on shared interests, one of which happened to be late 60's garbage, but nothing hippy-dippy. The problem for us was how can we get ''[[Barbarella (film)|Barbarella]]'' onto a record sleeve and not be seen as idiots.<ref>Hoskyns, Barney, "Don't Look Back", ''[[NME]]'', 24 December 1983.</ref>}} Smith described the creation of the album by saying: {{Blockquote|I thought it was a real attack on the senses when we were doing it. We were virtually coming out of the studio at six in the morning, coming back here and watching all these really mental films and then going to sleep and having really demented dreams and then, as soon as we woke up at four in the afternoon, we'd go virtually straight back into the studio, so, it was a bit like a mental assault course towards the end ... I mean, God, we must have watched about 600 videos at the time!<ref name="Sutherland 3"/>}} As well as ''Barbarella'', ''Yellow Submarine'' and the eponymous ''Blue Sunshine'', films cited as having fuelled the project included ''[[The Brood]]'', ''[[Evil Dead]]'', ''[[The Helicopter Spies]]'' and ''[[Inferno (1953 film)|Inferno]]''.<ref name="Sutherland 3"/> Retrospectively, the ''Melody Maker'''s Steve Sutherland described the Glove as "a manic psychedelic pastiche".<ref name="Sutherland 2"/> ====Member of the Banshees, single with Tim Pope: 1983β1984==== The Glove's ''Blue Sunshine'' album and its lead single "[[Like an Animal (The Glove song)|Like an Animal]]" were both released in August 1983,<ref name="Butler, Glove">Butler, Daren, ''The Cure on Record'', (1995), Omnibus Press, pp. 47β50; {{ISBN|0-7119-3867-9}}</ref> followed by the Siouxsie and the Banshees' single "[[Dear Prudence]]" (a cover of the Beatles' song) in September, all on the Banshees' own label Wonderland Records.<ref name="Spiral Scratch, 1992"/><ref name="Sutherland 2"/> Smith officially became a member of the Banshees. According to the Banshees' authorised biography, "Dear Prudence" had been recorded at Smith's insistence to document his time with the group, and it became their biggest UK hit, reaching number 3 on the [[UK Singles Chart|Singles Chart]].<ref>Paytress, Mark. ''Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography'', (2003), Sanctuary, pp. 137, 143; {{ISBN|1-86074-375-7}}.</ref> Shortly before the group's scheduled [[Royal Albert Hall]] concerts in September and October 1983, Siouxsie and the Banshees were also invited to participate in an episode of [[Channel 4]]'s television series "Play at Home", which they agreed to in order to take advantage of having the upcoming concerts filmed. Smith had previously suggested to Severin that "the Banshees shouldn't be doing tours, they should be doing something really ambitious like ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|The Wizard of Oz]]'' on stage", and Severin decided to adapt this idea for the "Play at Home" episode, substituting the Wizard of Oz concept with ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' to tie the theme with the Banshees' Wonderland recording label. The result was a 45-minute television programme featuring performances from Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Glove and the Creatures, in which all four members of the Banshees appeared in a recreation of the [[The Hatter|Mad Hatter's Tea Party]] dressed as [[Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Alice]], while each individual member scripted their own solo character performance and monologue. Musical interludes included the Glove performing "A Blues in Drag", the Creatures playing "Weathercade" and the whole band performing "Circle". The programme (which did not air on television until the following year) concluded with live footage of Siouxsie and the Banshees playing "Voodoo Dolly" and "Helter Skelter" live at the [[Royal Albert Hall]].<ref>Houlston, Billy. "Play at Home", ''The Siouxsie and the Banshees File: Phase Three, Issue 3 & 4'', October 1984.</ref> Meanwhile, both the Glove's second single, "[[Punish Me with Kisses]]", and the Banshees' live double album and companion video, ''[[Nocturne (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)|Nocturne]]'' from the Royal Albert Hall shows, appeared in November.<ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref name="Butler, Glove"/> In March 1984, the next Banshees single to feature Smith on guitar and keyboards, "[[Swimming Horses]]" was released; Smith co-composed the new material with them. This was followed by "[[Dazzle (song)|Dazzle]]" in May, and finally the album ''[[HyΓ¦na]]'' in June β Smith having left the Banshees the month prior to release, citing health issues due to his overloaded schedule.<ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref>Thompson, Dave, and Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure β A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, pp. 51β58; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref>Paytress, Mark. ''Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography'', (2003), Sanctuary, pp. 142β143; {{ISBN|1-86074-375-7}}.</ref> Meanwhile, in between commitments to the Cure, the Glove and the Banshees, Smith also found time to perform on [[Tim Pope]]'s [[Syd Barrett]]-inspired<ref name="timpope.tv">[http://www.timpope.tv/projects/tim-pope-i-want-to-be-a-tree-video] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116230602/http://www.timpope.tv/projects/tim-pope-i-want-to-be-a-tree-video|date=16 November 2012}}</ref> "I Want To Be A Tree" single.<ref name="Sutherland 2"/><ref>Butler, Daren, ''The Cure on Record'', (1995), Omnibus Press, p. 56. {{ISBN|0-7119-3867-9}}</ref> Pope at the time was the regular director of promotional videos for the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Marc Almond, among others, but was taken aback when his fame on American MTV as a video director began to rival that of the bands he worked for.<ref name="timpope.tv"/><ref name="Pope 1984">"Tim Pope β I Want To Be A Tree" (Fiction/Polydor Promotional Folder), 1984.</ref> He described the project as "a real [[Pisstake|piss-take]] of what was going on in America", prompted by people referring to "Tim Pope Videos", and said that he "felt really strongly that they were not Tim Pope videos, they were Cure videos or Siouxsie videos or whatever".<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 108">Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray, ''The Cure β Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 108; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> Over the 1983 Christmas holidays, Pope and a friend, Charles Gray, recorded what Pope described as "this really stupid song" that they had co-written years earlier as teenagers.<ref name="timpope.tv"/><ref name="Pope 1984"/><ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 108"/> Pope made an accompanying video for his [[Showreel (actors)|showreel]], asking several of the artists he worked with (The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, [[Soft Cell]], [[Talk Talk]], [[the Style Council]], [[Paul Young]] and [[Freur]])<ref name="Pope 1984"/> to "come along and slag me off on the showreel".<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 108"/> He then played the artists the song, while filming their reactions to it. ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' screened the video, which Pope says resulted in several record deals being offered. The song was re-recorded with Robert Smith playing most instruments in January 1984,<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 108"/> produced by Chris Parry, and was released on Fiction Records (with a new video) in June.<ref name="Pope 1984"/> ====Remixes, Cranes, Pirate Ships, And Also the Trees: 1984β1993==== [[File:PrayerTour89.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Smith with the Cure during the 1989 Prayer Tour]] With the completion of the ''Blue Sunshine'' project and his departure from Siouxsie and the Banshees, by 1984 Robert Smith had returned to recording and touring with the Cure as his full-time primary band. Between 1985 and 1996, his musical outings beyond the Cure were comparatively rare, with notable exceptions including remix work for And Also the Trees and [[Cranes (band)|Cranes]]. During 1989, Smith and producer [[Mark Saunders (record producer)|Mark Saunders]] remixed 7{{''}} and 12{{''}} versions of the song "The Pear Tree", by And Also the Trees. The "Round Mix" of the song also appeared on the band's album ''Farewell to the Shade'' in 1989, followed by a US-only release of ''The Pear Tree EP'' the following year.<ref name="Cure News 10">"Questions and Answers", ''Cure News 10'', December 1990</ref><ref>Raggett, Ned,[https://www.allmusic.com/song/the-pear-tree-mt0032962295 "The Pear Tree" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 9 October 2012.</ref><ref>Raggett, Ned, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/farewell-to-the-shade-mw0000690833 "Farewell to the Shade" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 9 October 2012.</ref> In December that year while mixing the Cure's live album ''[[Entreat]]'', he also recorded a solo cover version of [[Wendy Waldman]]'s "Pirate Ships",<ref group="note">Credited by Smith to [[Judy Collins]], who had previously also recorded a version of the song β see [https://www.allmusic.com/album/judith-mw0000193332 "Judith β Judy Collins" (review)], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> originally intended for ''[[RubΓ‘iyΓ‘t: Elektra's 40th Anniversary]]''; a compilation album celebrating the history of the Cure's US label [[Elektra Records]].<ref name="NME, Kiss Me FM">Smith, Jerry, "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me FM", ''NME'', 15 September 1990.</ref> Instead, however, the full band line-up of the Cure recorded "[[Hello, I Love You]]" by [[the Doors]] for Elektra,<ref name="NME, Kiss Me FM"/> and "Pirate Ships" did not see official CD release until ''[[Disintegration (The Cure album)|Disintegration]]'''s "Deluxe Edition" reissue in 2010.<ref name="Eyeballs, August 2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2009/10/08/the-cure-disintegration-tracklist-reissue-remaster-deluxe-edition |title=The Cure's 'Disintegration' gets 3CD deluxe reissue in 2010, plus 'In Orange' on DVD |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2009-10-08}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thecuredisintegration.com/bin/#/about/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529140438/http://www.thecuredisintegration.com/bin/#/about/|date=29 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecure.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=25518 |title=The Cure β Disintegration... THE PUFF |author=The Cure |publisher=Thecure.com |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018030023/http://www.thecure.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=25518 |archive-date=18 October 2013}}</ref><ref group="note">"Pirate Ships" did, however, see release as a download from the Cure's website in 2001 β see [http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2009/10/08/the-cure-disintegration-tracklist-reissue-remaster-deluxe-edition "The Cure's 'Disintegration' gets 3CD deluxe reissue in 2010, plus 'In Orange' on DVD"], ''[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]]'', 8 August 2009; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> In 1992, Smith invited Cranes to support the Cure live on the [[Wish (The Cure album)|Wish]] Tour.<ref>Laurence, Alexander, [http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/june_2002/cranes.html "Cranes β An Interview with Alison Shaw"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828103347/http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/june_2002/cranes.html |date=28 August 2013 }}, at [http://www.freewilliamsburg.com FreeWilliamsburg.com], June 2002; retrieved 10 October 2012.</ref><ref name="Loved Cranes">"Loved Cranes" (Dedicated/Arista Press Release), 1994.</ref> For one of the French dates of the tour ([[Stade Couvert RΓ©gional]], [[LiΓ©vin]], 15 November 1992), Cranes' vocalist Alison Shaw was ill and the group had to revise their entire set, with Robert Smith replacing Alison's vocal melodies on [[Fender Bass VI|6-string bass]], and joined by the Cure's guitarist Porl Thompson.<ref name="Loved Cranes"/><ref name="Hartmann & Fabien, 1993">Hartmann, Olivier, & Laurence Fabien, "Forever Interview", ''PrΓ©monition (No. 14)'', September 1993.</ref><ref group="note">Thompson had also joined the group on stage on 8 November, and on the final night of the tour in Ireland on 3 December, Cranes joined the Cure on stage for the final encore of the Cure's "Forever".</ref> Cranes wrote most of their next album (1993's ''[[Forever (Cranes album)|Forever]]'') while on the Wish Tour,<ref>Moed, Alison, "Cranes", ''NET Magazine'', June 1993.</ref> and the album's title was partly influenced by touring with the Cure.<ref name="Hartmann & Fabien, 1993"/><ref name="Raggett, Forever">Raggett, Ned, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/forever-mw0000096240 "Forever" (Review)], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved 10 October 2010.</ref> In 1993, Smith and Bryan "Chuck" New remixed the extended 12" version of Cranes' single "Jewel" from the album; Smith again contributing his trademark [[Fender Bass VI]] sound and additional guitars to the remixed track. The single gave Cranes their first Top 30 single in Britain and Norway,<ref name="Loved Cranes"/> and also became their biggest commercial breakthrough in the US.<ref name="Raggett, Forever"/><ref>Raggett, Ned. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/jewel-mw0000108264 Jewel (CD Single Review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 10 October 2012.</ref> ====Bowie, Reeves Gabrels, Mark Plati, and COGASM: 1994β1999==== From 1993, Smith's primary musical engagement was the recording of The Cure's album ''[[Wild Mood Swings]]'', released in 1996 and followed by the Swing Tour, concluding in early 1997. He was meanwhile invited to perform at [[David Bowie]]'s 50th Birthday concert at [[Madison Square Garden]] (9 January 1997), where he duetted with Bowie on "[[The Last Thing You Should Do]]" and "[[Quicksand (David Bowie song)|Quicksand]]".<ref name="Three Imaginary Decades">Lindsay, Cam, [http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline/cure-three_imaginary_decades "Three Imaginary Decades"], ''[[Exclaim!]]'', July 2004. (Part of ''Exclaim!'''s [http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline "Timeline"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018145915/http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline |date=18 October 2012 }} Features); retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref> Here Smith met Bowie's guitarist [[Reeves Gabrels]] and co-producer [[Mark Plati]], leading to their collaboration on the single "[[Wrong Number (The Cure song)|Wrong Number]]".<ref>Sullivan, Jim. "Robert Smith Gets Happy", ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', 28 November 1997</ref><ref>"The Cure "Galore β The Singles 1987β1997": 'Song Thoughts' by Robert", [http://www.thecure.com www.thecure.com], November 1997. (Smith's "Song Thoughts" no longer appears on the band's official site, but have been archived by the [http://www.chainofflowers.com/robertgalorethoughts.html chainofflowers.com] fan-site; retrieved 11 October 2012).</ref> Although released under the name of the Cure, "Wrong Number" was one of several "one-off" studio projects recorded during this period by Robert Smith either performing solo, or with guest musicians from outside the full-time line-up of the Cure. Earlier versions of the song had already been recorded by the band, but Plati and Smith completely reconstructed the track, built around a [[Sampling (music)|sampled]] [[drum loop]] by Cure drummer [[Jason Cooper (musician)|Jason Cooper]]. Smith and Plati added keyboards, effects and new vocals, while Gabrels laid down "a gazillion guitar tracks".<ref>Apter, Jeff. Never Enough: The Story of The Cure, (2009), Omnibus Press, pp. 279β280; {{ISBN|978-1-84772-739-8}}</ref> In February 1998, Robert again collaborated with Reeves Gabrels in the studio, co-writing, singing and playing on the song "Yesterday's Gone" (eventually finding its way to CD release in 2000).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chainofflowers.com/robertint.html |title=''Chain of Flowers'' Interview with Robert Smith |publisher=Chainofflowers.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> The following month, Smith was again recording solo between [[RAK Studios|RAK]] and [[Outside Studios|Outside]] studios, assisted this time by co-producer Paul Corkett, whose production credits included [[Nick Cave]], [[BjΓΆrk]], [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]], [[Tori Amos]] and [[Suede (band)|Suede]]. These sessions produced "More Than This" (not to be confused with the [[More than This (Roxy Music song)|Roxy Music song]]) for ''[[The X-Files: The Album]]'',{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} and a cover of [[Depeche Mode]]'s "[[World in My Eyes]]" for the [[tribute album]] ''[[For the Masses]]''.<ref name="Three Imaginary Decades"/> Again, both were released under the name of the Cure, but were essentially Robert Smith solo recordings. Having made a guest appearance on an episode of ''[[South Park]]'' earlier in the year, Smith again collaborated with [[Trey Parker]] under the name [[COGASM]], featuring Reeves Gabrels and Jason Cooper, releasing the track "A Sign from God" for the film ''[[Orgazmo]]''.<ref name="Three Imaginary Decades"/> Smith's contribution to "Yesterday's Gone" appeared on Gabrels' solo album ''Ulysses (Della Notte)'' released in 1999 via Internet and in 2000 on CD by E-magine Music.<ref>Parker, Lyndsey, [http://www.music.yahoo.ca/read/interview/12048571 Reeves Gabrels Interview] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130101131934/http://www.music.yahoo.ca/read/interview/12048571 |date=1 January 2013 }}, LAUNCH.com/Yahoo! Music, 29 November 2000; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> ====More collaborations: 2003β2007==== [[File:Robertsmith.jpg|thumb|right|Smith performing as part of The Cure in 2004]] In 2002, as ''[[Exclaim!]]'' magazine's Cam Lindsay later observed, the Cure became "the band to namedrop as a musical influence, sparking rejuvenation for their career. Artists such as [[Deftones]], [[Mogwai]], [[Tricky (musician)|Tricky]] and [[Thursday (band)|Thursday]] praise the band and stress their influence, while others like [[Hot Hot Heat]] and [[The Rapture (band)|the Rapture]] receive constant comparisons".<ref name="Three Imaginary Decades"/> From 2003β2004 a steady succession of guest vocal performances were released with other recording artists "feat. Robert Smith". Smith wrote the words and sang "Perfect Blue Sky (feat. Robert Smith)" for Dutch electronic music producer [[Tom Holkenborg|Junkie XL]]'s album ''[[Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin]]'', released in June 2003;<ref>Hubbard, Michael. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2982354.stm "JXL prepares to broadcast"], ''[[BBC News Online]]'', 12 June 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2012.</ref> "All of This (feat. Robert Smith)" for [[Blink-182]]'s [[Blink-182 (album)|self-titled album]] released in November,<ref>Kot, Greg [https://ew.com/article/2003/11/21/blink-182/ "Blink-182 (2003)" (review)], ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', 21 November 2003; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> and "Believe (feat. Robert Smith)" on veteran Bowie guitarist [[Earl Slick]]'s ''Zig Zag'' album, released 9 December 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/zig-zag-mw0000322135 |title=Zig Zag β Earl Slick |work=AllMusic |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> Slick meanwhile contributed guitars to the [[Mark Plati]] mix of "[[A Forest]]" featured on the ''[[Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978β2001 (The Fiction Years)|Join the Dots]]'' box-set on 27 January 2004.<ref>True, Chris, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/join-the-dots-b-sides-rarities-1978-2001-mw0000695284 "Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978β2001 β The Cure" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 13 October 2012.</ref> Although issued under the [[moniker]] of the Cure, the "Mark Plati mix" was in fact an entirely new recording resulting from the studio collaborations between Slick, Plati and Smith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.concertlivewire.com/interviews/earl.htm |title=Livewire's One on One: Earl Slick's 30-year affair with The Thin White Duke |author=Phil and Tony Bonyata |publisher=Concertlivewire.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> Smith had also recorded vocals for another completely new version of "A Forest" during 2003, this time billed as a cover version by the German electronic duo "[[Blank & Jones]] (feat. Robert Smith)".<ref>Jeffries, David, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-forest-mw0000376811 "A Forest β Blank & Jones" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> Released in September 2003, the single reached number 14 in the German [[Top100 Singles]] charts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=Blank+%26+Jones+feat.+Robert+Smith&title=A+Forest&cat=s&country=de |title=Blank & Jones feat. Robert Smith, A Forest @ charts.de |publisher=Officialcharts.de |access-date=28 September 2014}}{{dead link|date=December 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and three separate remixes later appeared on the 2004 album ''[[Monument (Blank & Jones album)|Monument]]''; "A Forest" being described by ''[[AllMusic]]'''s Rick Anderson as "the centerpiece of the album".<ref>Anderson, Rick, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/monument-mw0000714919 "Monument β Blank & Jones" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> January 2004 also saw the single release of [[Junior Jack]]'s "Da Hype (feat. Robert Smith)",<ref>Hogwood, Ben, [http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=1595 "RA Reviews: Junior Jack β Da Hype (Single)"], ''Resident Advisor'', 24 December 2003.</ref> which also appeared on the [[Belgium]]-based Italian house music producer's album ''[[Trust It]]'' in March.<ref>Jeffries, David, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/trust-it-mw0000745911 "Trust It β Junior Jack" at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 13 October 2012.</ref> During the same month, an exclusive re-recording of the Cure's "Pictures of You", remixed by Australian electronic musician/producer [[Paul Mac]] and released under the banner "Robert Smith β Pictures of You (Paulmac mix)", featured in the soundtrack to the Australian "[[rave culture]]" film ''[[One Perfect Day (2004 film)|One Perfect Day]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvd.net.au/news.cgi?id=4674 |title=INTERVIEW: One Perfect Day Executive Producer and Sound Editor |publisher=Dvd.net.au |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> "Truth Is (Featuring β Robert Smith)" appeared on former [[Nine Inch Nails]] drummer and co-founder [[Chris Vrenna]]'s second [[Tweaker (band)|Tweaker]] album ''[[2 a.m. Wakeup Call]]'', released 20 April 2004.<ref>Anderson, Rick [https://www.allmusic.com/album/2-am-wakeup-call-mw0000697168 "2 A.M. Wakeup Call β Tweaker" (review) at Allmusic.com]; retrieved 13 October 2012.</ref> In 2004, on 17 September at [[Old Billingsgate Market]] in London,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3571118.stm |title=The Cure receive MTV icon honour |publisher=News.bbc.co.uk |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2004-08-16}}</ref> Smith joined Blink-182 live onstage to perform "All of This" during the [[MTV Icon]] tribute to the Cure.<ref>Weber, Tim, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3672350.stm "The Cure take the icon test"], ''BBC News Online'', 20 September 2004; retrieved 13 October 2012.</ref> On 21 October, Robert stood in as one of three guest presenters for [[John Peel]] on [[BBC Radio 1]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chainofflowers.com/oct04.html |title=Cure News Archive 2004 |publisher=Chainofflowers.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> just days before Peel's death.<ref group="note">[[Underworld (band)|Underworld]] presented the show on 19 October, and [[Siouxsie Sioux]] on 20 October. Peel died on 25 October 2004.</ref> Near the end of the year, Robert Smith made two guest appearances live at [[Wembley Arena]]; first joining [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]] on 5 November on their song "[[Without You I'm Nothing (song)|Without You I'm Nothing]]" and the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry",<ref>[http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/mynews.php?id=204] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225055224/http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/mynews.php?id=204|date=25 December 2011}}</ref> followed by Blink-182 on 6 December to perform "All of This" and again, "Boys Don't Cry".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chainofflowers.com/dec04.html |title=News Archive β Dec. 2004 |publisher=Chainofflowers.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> In June 2005, Smith appeared on [[Smashing Pumpkins]]/[[Zwan]] front man [[Billy Corgan]]'s solo debut ''[[TheFutureEmbrace]]'', sharing vocal duties during the refrain for Corgan's cover of the [[Bee Gees]] song "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]".<ref>Sylvester, Nick, [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1810-the-future-embrace "Billy Corgan: The Future Embrace" (review)], ''[[Pitchfork Media]]'', 19 June 2005; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> In November 2006, Robert appeared on UK trance and trip hop act [[Faithless]]'s album ''[[To All New Arrivals]]'', on the track "Spiders, Crocodiles & Kryptonite", featuring prominent samples of the Cure's "[[Lullaby (The Cure song)|Lullaby]]", for which Smith recorded a new performance of the original vocal.<ref>Mawer, Sharon, [https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-all-new-arrivals-mw0002006957 "To All New Arrivals (review)], ''Allmusic''. Retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> Another guest vocal on [[Paul Hartnoll]] of [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]]'s song "Please" was released as a single<ref>[http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=21455_0_2_0_C] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906012459/http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=21455_0_2_0_C|date=6 September 2013}}</ref> and appeared on ''[[The Ideal Condition]]'' in May 2007.<ref>Petch-Jex, Andy, [http://www.musicomh.com/albums/paul-hartnoll_0507.htm "Paul Hartnoll β The Ideal Condition" (review) at Music OMH]; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> Placebo's [[Steve Hewitt]] meanwhile announced plans to launch a solo dance/[[drum'n'bass]]-influenced album under the working title of ''Ancient B'' to feature Smith singing some tracks, and bassist [[Jon Thorne]] of [[Lamb (electronic band)|Lamb]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sucker-love.com/placebonews/?p=128 |title=Steve Hewitt, Robert Smith and Jon Thorne team up for Star-Studed{{sic |hide=y}} Side Project |publisher=Sucker-love.com |access-date=28 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605174707/http://sucker-love.com/placebonews/?p=128 |archive-date=5 June 2013}}</ref> ====More guest vocals, plus solo cover versions: 2010β2021==== [[File:150-minute almost non-stop show not enough for The Cure at Frequency Festival (7815842118).jpg|thumb|right|Smith performing as part of The Cure at [[Frequency Festival]] in 2012]] From 2010 to 2012, as well as continuing to collaborate with other artists as a guest performer, many cover versions were released by Robert Smith performing solo. Unlike his previous solo covers (such as "Pirate Ships" and "World in My Eyes"), these were officially released under the name of Robert Smith, rather than the Cure. In 2010, he contributed a cover of "Very Good Advice" from the [[Alice in Wonderland (1951 Film)|1951 film adaptation]] of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' to the album ''[[Almost Alice]]''; a companion release to [[Tim Burton]]'s adaptation of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2010/01/12/robert-smith-cure-alice-wonderland-very-good-advice/ |title=The Cure's Robert Smith contributes rare solo song to 'Alice in Wonderland' soundtrack |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2010-01-13}}</ref> while "Pirate Ships" from 1989 also saw release on CD for the first time.<ref name="Eyeballs, August 2009"/> Further guest vocalist/lyricist collaborations "feat. Robert Smith" during 2010 included the single "J'aurai tout essayΓ©" (a reworking of Smith and Earl Slick's "Believe") by [[French Canadian]] rock singer, guitarist and fellow Bowie/Mark Plati/Earl Slick collaborator Anik Jean<ref>{{cite web |url=http://craigjparker.blogspot.co.nz/2010/01/robert-duets-with-anik-jean.html |title=Robert duets with Anik Jean |publisher=Craigjparker.blogspot.co.nz |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2010-01-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spirit-of-rock.com/biographie-groupe-Anik_Jean-id_bio-5846-l-ru.html |title="Anik Jean" (artist profile) |publisher=Spirit-of-rock.com |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> and the single version of [[Crystal Castles (band)|Crystal Castles]]' "[[Not in Love (Crystal Castles song)|Not in Love]]", a cover of [[Platinum Blonde (band)|Platinum Blonde]]'s "[[Not in Love (Platinum Blond song)|song of the same name]]", released on Fiction Records, 6 December 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12025-not-in-love-remix-ft-robert-smith |title=Pitchfork: The Playlist: Crystal Castles: "Not in Love" ft. Robert Smith |website=Pitchfork |date=27 October 2010 |access-date=29 October 2010}}</ref> In June 2011, electronic dance act [[the Japanese Popstars]] from [[Northern Ireland]] released their album ''Controlling Your Allegiance'' in the UK, including the track "Take Forever (Ft. Robert Smith)",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2011/06/13/japanese-popstars-robert-smith-take-forever-stream/ |title=The Japanese Popstars featuring The Cure's Robert Smith, 'Take Forever' |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2011-06-13}}</ref><ref group="note">The album was released in Japan in March 2011, and teasers of the Robert Smith track were available from the Chain of Flowers fan-site. See: [http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2011/03/19/robert-smith-japanese-popstars-take-forever-stream/ "Teaser: The Cure's Robert Smith and the Japanese Popstars, 'Take Forever'"], ''[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]]'', 19 March 2011; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> and the following month, a solo cover version of "Small Hours" by British singer-songwriter and guitarist [[John Martyn]] (1948β2009) was released on the tribute album ''Johnny Boy Would Love This''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2011/07/05/robert-smith-small-hours-john-martyn-tribute-download-stream/ |title=The Cure's Robert Smith covers 'Small Hours' by John Martyn for tribute CD |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2011-07-06}}</ref> On 25 October 2011, instrumental rock band [[65daysofstatic]] released the track "Come to Me" featuring Robert Smith as a free download, coinciding with the release of their album ''[[We Were Exploding Anyway]]''.<ref>Fuentes, Caroline, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/free-download-65daysofstatics-electric-rock-track-come-to-me-20111026 "Free Download: 65daysofstatic's Electric Rock Track 'Come To Me'"], ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', 26 October 2011; retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref> In 2012 Robert again recorded a solo cover version for a [[Tim Burton]] project; {{Clarify|date=September 2013}} this time covering [[Frank Sinatra]]'s 1957 hit song "[[Witchcraft (1957 song)|Witchcraft]]" for ''[[Frankenweenie (soundtrack)#Frankenweenie Unleashed!|Frankenweenie Unleashed!]]'', a 14-track collection of songs "inspired by" the filmmaker's stop-motion film, ''[[Frankenweenie (2012 film)|Frankenweenie]]'', released on 25 September 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2012/09/25/robert-smith-witchcraft-frankenweenie-unleashed/ |title="Robert Smith covers Sinatra standard "Witchcraft" for 'Frankenweenie Unleashed!' |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |access-date=28 September 2014 |date=2012-09-26}}</ref> In 2015, Smith contributed vocals to the song "Please" from the album [[8:58]], a project by [[Paul Hartnoll]]. The track is in fact a reworking of the track of the same name from [[the Ideal Condition]], which he also contributed vocals for.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/8-58-deluxe/id965261837 |title=8: 58 by Paul Hartnoll |website=[[iTunes]] |access-date=2015-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403065403/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/8-58-deluxe/id965261837 |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> On 15 June 2015, [[the Twilight Sad]] released a single featuring Smith covering "There's a Girl in the Corner", originally from the Twilight Sad's album ''[[Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/22/the-cure-robert-smith-cover-the-twilight-sad-theres-a-girl-in-the-corner-listen-to |title=Listen to The Cure's Robert Smith cover the Twilight Sad |first=Harriet |last=Gibsone |date=22 May 2015 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=6 April 2018}}</ref> In 2015, Smith also contributed vocals to "In All Worlds", a single from [[Eat Static]]'s album ''Dead Planet''. [[File:The Cure - Southside Festival 2019 5072 - 60.jpg|thumb|upright|Smith performing as part of The Cure at [[Southside Festival]] in 2019]] In September 2020, Smith appeared on the [[Gorillaz]]' song "[[Strange Timez]]" from their ''[[Song Machine]]'' series and also appeared in the song's animated music video.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2020/09/gorillaz-new-song-machine-robert-smith/ |title=Gorillaz announce new song with the Cure's Robert Smith |date=7 September 2020}}</ref> In December 2020, Smith took part in two live stream charity events, including The Cosmic Shambles Network's "Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People" 24-hour charity live stream, 12 December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People |url=https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ninelessons |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=Crowdfunder UK |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-07 |title=Nine Lessons and Carols for Socially Distanced People |url=https://cosmicshambles.com/ninelessons/ |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=The Cosmic Shambles Network |language=en-US}}</ref> Smith played three songs from the ''Seventeen Seconds'' album: "In Your House", "M" and "Play for Today".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-13 |title=Robert Smith performs 3 songs off The Cure's 'Seventeen Seconds' for charity livestream |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2020/12/12/robert-smith-seventeen-seconds/ |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-13 |title=Watch The Cure's Robert Smith perform three songs as part of charity livestream |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/watch-the-cures-robert-smith-perform-three-songs-as-part-of-charity-livestream-2837917 |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=NME {{!}} Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News |language=en}}</ref> On 22 December 2020, Smith played three songs from the ''Faith'' album, "The Holy Hour", "The Funeral Party", and "The Drowning Man", for the live stream the annual [[Second City comedy troupe|Second City]] 24-hour improvisation charity event for "Letters to Santa"<ref>{{Cite web |title=24HR |url=https://www.24hourimprov.com/ |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=24hourimprov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-28 |title=The Cure's Robert Smith plays three Faith songs for charity livestream: Watch |url=https://consequence.net/2020/12/robert-smith-faith-solo-livestream/ |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=Consequence of Sound |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-28 |title=Robert Smith Performs Songs From 'Faith at Second City Fundraiser |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/12/robert-smith-performs-songs-from-faith-on-second-city-fundraiser/ |access-date=2021-02-02 |website=Spin}}</ref> In June 2021, Smith appeared on the [[Chvrches]] song "How Not To Drown" from their album ''[[Screen Violence]]''. In October 2023, Smith appeared on the [[Crosses (band)|Crosses]] song "Girls Float β Boys Cry" off the album [[Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete.]]
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