Wild Mood Swings
Encyclopedia
Wild Mood Swings is the tenth studio album
by British
band The Cure
, released in 1996 (see 1996 in music
).
was on the brink of being disbanded due to the departure of Porl Thompson
and Boris Williams
. Simon Gallup
was also forced to take a vacation due to health problems, which narrowed the lineup down to Robert Smith
and Perry Bamonte
. Nevertheless, it seems the two of them managed to keep things afloat long enough for Gallup to return once he recovered and convinced Roger O'Donnell
to rejoin the band. This is also the first album featuring drummer Jason Cooper, who played on 9 of the 14 tracks on the album, because several drummers were auditioning for the job at the time it was being recorded. (See below.)
This album was poorly received by many Cure fans, with Wild Mood Swings selling just one million copies worldwide compared to the estimated four million sales of Wish. As of 2005, US sales stand at 363,410 according to SoundScan
. However, Smith has gone on record to say, "It's one of my top five favourite Cure albums."
Wild Mood Swings also joins The Top
as one of the least performed albums in the Cure's repertoire.
On the recent 2008 4Tour
, the band only performed "Want" at a few dates and "Club America" in Mexico City.
"Jupiter Crash" was played on the 2004 Curiosa
Tour, and "Want" was usually played as the third song during the 2000 Bloodflowers Tour.
All other songs were last played live at the 1996 Swing Tour, with a few festival performances in 1998 of "Treasure".This is a Lie was the most welcome by the audience, because it was close to their previous albums.
Bonus track
Strings
Percussion
(North America)
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
band The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, released in 1996 (see 1996 in music
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
).
History
After Wish, it seemed The CureThe Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
was on the brink of being disbanded due to the departure of Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:Thompson is the oldest of four children; he has two brothers and one sister...
and Boris Williams
Boris Williams
Boris Peter Bransby-Williams is an English drummer best known for his extensive work with The Cure . He had previously worked with various artists, including Thompson Twins, Kim Wilde, Strawberry Switchblade and Tomato City...
. Simon Gallup
Simon Gallup
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
was also forced to take a vacation due to health problems, which narrowed the lineup down to Robert Smith
Robert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
and Perry Bamonte
Perry Bamonte
Perry Archangelo Bamonte is an Anglo-Italian musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:...
. Nevertheless, it seems the two of them managed to keep things afloat long enough for Gallup to return once he recovered and convinced Roger O'Donnell
Roger O'Donnell
Roger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in the Psychedelic Furs, the Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.- Background :...
to rejoin the band. This is also the first album featuring drummer Jason Cooper, who played on 9 of the 14 tracks on the album, because several drummers were auditioning for the job at the time it was being recorded. (See below.)
This album was poorly received by many Cure fans, with Wild Mood Swings selling just one million copies worldwide compared to the estimated four million sales of Wish. As of 2005, US sales stand at 363,410 according to SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. However, Smith has gone on record to say, "It's one of my top five favourite Cure albums."
Wild Mood Swings also joins The Top
The Top (album)
The Top is the fifth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1984.-Overview:The Top was the studio album to follow Pornography. After Pornography, Robert Smith found himself without his friend Simon Gallup, who departed the band due to a fight.Smith then took a radical shift in his music...
as one of the least performed albums in the Cure's repertoire.
On the recent 2008 4Tour
4Tour
4 Play Tour is the name of The Cure's 2007-2008 concert tour. It began with their first concert in Japan in over 22 years at the Fuji Rock Festival on 27 July 2007 and ended at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on 21 June 2008...
, the band only performed "Want" at a few dates and "Club America" in Mexico City.
"Jupiter Crash" was played on the 2004 Curiosa
Curiosa
Curiosa is the name of a 2004 concert tour in the United States and Toronto , organized by Robert Smith of The Cure. It began with a concert in West Palm Beach, Florida on July 24 and ended in Sacramento, California on August 29....
Tour, and "Want" was usually played as the third song during the 2000 Bloodflowers Tour.
All other songs were last played live at the 1996 Swing Tour, with a few festival performances in 1998 of "Treasure".This is a Lie was the most welcome by the audience, because it was close to their previous albums.
Track listing
All songs by Bamonte, Cooper, Gallup, O'Donnell and Smith, except where noted.- "Want" – 5:06
- "Club America" (Bamonte, Cooper, Gallup, Smith) – 5:02
- "This Is a Lie" – 4:29
- "The 13thThe 13th"The 13th" is the name of a single released by the British group the Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings.All tracks written by Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell....
" – 4:08 - "Strange AttractionStrange Attraction"Strange Attraction" is the name of a single released by the British group the Cure in 1996 on Elektra Records. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings, and was a single only in the USA.-History:...
" – 4:19 - "Mint CarMint Car"Mint Car" is the name of a single released by the British group The Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings, and reached #31 on the UK Singles Chart and #14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart...
" – 3:32 - "Jupiter Crash" – 4:15
- "Round & Round & Round" – 2:39
- "Gone!" – 4:31
- "Numb" – 4:49
- "Return" – 3:28
- "Trap" – 3:37
- "Treasure" – 3:45
- "Bare" – 7:57
Bonus track
- 15. "It Used to Be Me" – 6:50
- (Japanese edition only - available worldwide as the B-side of the "The 13th" single).
Personnel
- Robert SmithRobert Smith (musician)Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 6-string bass Fender VIFender Bass VIThe Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass or Scale Baritone Guitar by Fender.The Fender VI was released in 1961, and followed the concept of the Danelectro 6-string bass released in 1956, having six strings tuned E-E, an octave below the Spanish guitar...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Perry BamontePerry BamontePerry Archangelo Bamonte is an Anglo-Italian musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:...
- guitar, 6-string bass Fender VI - Jason Cooper - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Simon GallupSimon GallupSimon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
- bassElectric BassElectric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish... - Roger O'DonnellRoger O'DonnellRoger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in the Psychedelic Furs, the Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.- Background :...
- keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Additional personnel
Brass- Jesus Alemany - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- John Barclay - trumpet
- Steve Dawson - trumpet
- Richard Edwards - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Sid Gauld - trumpet
- Will Gregory - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Steve SidwellSteve Sidwell (musician)Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
- trumpet
Strings
- Mister Chandrashekhar - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Sue Dench - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Leo Payne - violin
- Audrey Riley - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Chris Tombling - violin
Percussion
- Ronald Austin - drums on "This is a Lie"
- Louis Pavlou - drums on "Club America"
- Mark PriceMark Price (musician)Mark Gerard Price is an English drummer, who is known for being the first full time drummer for All About Eve and being the percussionist of Del Amitri between 1997 and 2002...
- drums on "Mint Car", "Trap" and "Treasure"
Production
- Producers: Steve Lyon, Robert Smith
- Engineer: Steve Lyon
- Mixing: Paul Corkett, Spike Drake, Paul Q. Kolderie, Tom Lord-Alge, Steve Lyon, Alan Moulder, Tim Palmer, Mark Saunders, Adrian Maxwell Sherwood, Sean Slade, Robert Smith
- Mastering: Ian Cooper
- Arrangers: Ronald Austin, Sid Gauld, Will Gregory, Audrey Riley, Robert Smith
- Art direction: The Cure, Andy Vella
Singles
- "The 13thThe 13th"The 13th" is the name of a single released by the British group the Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings.All tracks written by Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell....
", released in April, 1996 - "Mint CarMint Car"Mint Car" is the name of a single released by the British group The Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings, and reached #31 on the UK Singles Chart and #14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart...
" released in June, 1996 - "Strange AttractionStrange Attraction"Strange Attraction" is the name of a single released by the British group the Cure in 1996 on Elektra Records. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings, and was a single only in the USA.-History:...
" released in United States in October 1996 - "Gone!" released in Europe in December 1996
Charts
Album - BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 12 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Mint Car Mint Car "Mint Car" is the name of a single released by the British group The Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings, and reached #31 on the UK Singles Chart and #14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart... " |
Modern Rock Tracks | 14 |
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 58 | ||
| "The 13th The 13th "The 13th" is the name of a single released by the British group the Cure in 1996. The song was initially released on the album Wild Mood Swings.All tracks written by Smith/Gallup/Bamonte/Cooper/O'Donnell.... " |
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 11 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 15 | ||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 44 |