'Disintegration' vs 'Violator': a POLL

violator by a million miles. sorry dan

"disintegration" is where I dropped the CURE. I just don't like all that spacious sound. I love all the albums before it, and sort of became a singles fan after it.

I'm not voting because I can't stand Depeche Mode

'disintegration' was the first cure record I anticipated in advance having heard 'kiss me x3' months after it was actually out and worked my way back from there. Also the first band I loved as a teenager. I had HUGE HUGE HUGE expectations for 'Disintegration'. It surpassed them.

decided to listen to both for the first time back-to-back since i enjoy these bands mainly as singles acts and was kind of curious to answer the question for myself. i generally think of myself as preferring The Cure, but right now I gotta go with Violator, Disintegration is such a slog, even the songs i like on it kind of get the air sucked out of them in the context of the album.

otm, I've tried soooo many times to get beyond the singles on Disintegration (which I love) & I lose focus every time.

The second of Disintegration defines "mire" (except for "Untitled").

Again, that's silly, since that ignores "Prayers for Rain" and the title track, which are about as tough and exiting as the band in this guise gets.

I mean, I would be lying if I said I ever listened to "Blue Dress" or "Clean" after "Policy of Truth" is done.

(hah, exciting, I meant)

Maybe thrilling is a better word?

I don't either!

re listen to "Clean" or "Blue Dress."

Which sort of detracts from the album, no? And reduces it to more of an ... awesome EP? Minus those two tracks it drops down to 35 minutes. It's in some ways I think more forgivable for "Disintegration" to go on too long, seeing as it's designed to be sort of oppressive, monolithic, even hypnotically turgid, than it is for "Violator" to peter out after it blows its wad with the incredible "Policy of Truth." "Homesick" and "Untitled," on the other hand, are the perfect comes downs after the epic-ness of "Disintegration."

(BTW, I once interviewed Robert Smith, and I asked him if he made Simon Gallop play those repetitive basslines on songs like "Disintegration" as a form of torture. He laughed and claimed Gallop actually liked playing those parts.)

but Violator FEELS shorter

I never think, "Ugh -- second side coming"

Because you (like me) skip the last two songs! That's a full quarter of the running time.

Whereas "Disintegration" is at least designed as a slog. As opposed to, say, the last two Red Hot Chili Peppers records, which are simply too long. (Just as an example)

But Violator boasts "Halo," "The Sweetest Perfection" and "Waiting For the Night" besides the singles while Disintegration only coughs up "Untitled" at the end.

I dunno. I think we're all just dancing around the consensus that "The Same Deep Water As You" is what drags down the second side; the rest of the non-singles on "Disintegration" are pretty strong.

same deep water is great
clean is great

Nah. Don't care for the title track, "Homesick," "Prayers for Rain," "Closedown," "The Same Deep Water As You," or "Last Dance."

The rehabilitation of the album in the last fifteen years has mystified me. At the time it got okay to middling reviews despite being their biggest hit. I still prefer Wish and its two predecessors.

I like wish as much, just about, and prefer head on the door (sort if their violator).

Speaking of reviews, I've always liked christgaus takedown of kiss me x3,, but his disintegration pan is as patronizing as his takedowns of depeche mode.

nah -- he's on point about who Smith and Gahan were writing for and to. He gives MFTM a good review!

Is that the one he says the little girls will understand?

maybe. Depeche are teen pop!

I watched 101 recently.

Huh, Violator went to #5 and double platinum in Canada. I don't think I knew anyone who listened to Depeche Mode until I was 19 or so. Maybe I didn't talk to enough girls when I was 11. As far as I could tell, they were listening to Vanilla Ice or NKOTB.

"Enjoy The Silence" sounded awesome amid "Step by Step," "Vogue," and Tyler Collins' "Girls Night Out."

Oh yeah, Madonna.

xpost I'm thinking of the "Catching Up" review, which ends:

First they "Just Can't Get Enough," then they ponder "The Meaning of Love," then they doubt "Love in Itself," then they play "Master and Servant." The little girls understand.

Of course, his "Violator" review:

Violator [Sire/Reprise, 1990]
Fearing the loss of their silly grip on America's angst-ridden teens, who they're old enough to know are a fickle lot, they forge on toward the rap market by rhyming "drug" and "thug." And for the U.K.'s ecstasy-riding teens, who God knows are even more fickle, there's the techno-perfect synth/guitar sigh/moan that punctuates the easily rescinded "Policy of Truth." C-

mm yeah he's wrong

I remember Disintergration getting great reviews at the time from both critics and fans. I wouldn't call it "rehabilitated" at all.
Maybe some people were hoping for more pop singles, but everybody seemed to agree it was pretty masterful. Oh and I looove "Last Dance". So underrated.

Christgau's writing is such a strange phenomenon (but does seem to disprove that everyone thought Disintegration was masterful!).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Violator = Better Singles.
Disintegration = Better Album.

They're both great tho. They should be friends and hang out instead of fighting over which one is better. A tied result would be fair.

I love the Violator singles (esp "World In My Eyes" and "Policy of Truth") but all four of the Disintegration singles are outstanding. Also all of you people bagging on the second half of the album, particularly "The Same Deep Water As You", are fucking INSANE.

what he said

Dan, I think it's just that "Same Deep Water As You" is a breaking point for some. It's a 10 minute dirge without the bite of the title track, so I can imagine if someone makes it that far under duress, it could be just what it takes to make them turn it off. I mean, I like it fine, but as I said upthread, it entails a certain degree of commitment.

actually my only complaint about Disintegration is that "Same Deep Water As You" isn't ten million years long. they really fucked that one up.

that includes at least 1.2 million years of thunder sounds

I imagine for some people, "Disintegration" is just the infinite soundtrack to their sad, lonely, thunder-rumble of a life. ***sighs/cries***

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

righteous.

Ugh.

crütm

yeah, and it wasn't even close.