THE CURE Vinyl Records and CDs

Endurance and validity have long been words attributed to the music and career of England's most legendary alternative band. Going on almost 25 years together and almost as many lineup changes, the band have gone from being the closet secret of the goth crowd to popular acceptance to sold-out stadium tours with nary a break in quality. Robert Smith's romanticism with all things morose was exemplified on their sparse early releases like Pornography and Faith. Smith's formerly monotone vocals took a turn upon the release of The Top in '84 and suddenly he had adopted a kind of feline yelp in his vocals, and tracks like "The Caterpillar" bubbled with an odd, lively energy. Through the end of the '80s the band honed their incredible pop skills to much acclaim as "In Between Days" and "Just Like Heaven" piped out of every incense-lit bedroom from here to Calcutta. Just as their early fan base had begun to drift as the band explored the exceedingly vibrant pop of "Why Can't I Be You" and "Hot Hot Hot!!!," they released Disintegration in '89. A wonderfully dark and beautiful record, marked by Smith's relentlessly stunning guitar work and fluid imagery, it proved to be the band's biggest success. It also laid the groundwork for how the band would spend most of the '90s. Spiking their work with an almost irritating giddiness and melodic melancholy, the band continue to be masters of lush, crimson-hued pop.