There are really 2 kinds of Cure albums: The "thematic" and the "versatile." By thematic, I mean that several Cure albums (usually those preferred by the hardcore fans) tend to be more consistent (i.e., very few upbeat "pop" songs), slightly less daring instrumentally, and laden with darker, harsher lyrics. (Bloodflowers, Disintegration, Pornography and Faith). These are beautifully written albums, though, and can more easily be listened to over and over. "Wish" is of the second type. It is "versatile;" like Head on the Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, and Wild Mood Swings, it has much greater range, and like those albums, contains most of the hit singles that casual fans are familiar with from the radio. Of these albums, Wish clearly stands out as the best. The album contains such giddy songs as "Friday I'm in Love," "Wendy Time," and "High," and another which is probably the best song the Cure never released as a single, "Doing the Unstuck." This album was completed by one of the strongest of the ever-changing Cure lineups, and the guitar on this album is many, often and harsh. Songs like "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" and "Open" are classics now for concert goers; "Cut" is a quickly-paced scathing commentary on failed relationships, and "Trust" is a beautiful opus of hope and optimism. Fans will also recognize "A Letter to Elise," a beautiful single that might have been accurately called "Pictures of You II." The album closes, appropriately, with "End"-a majestic and thickly layered guitar romp that was supposed to signal this album as the last by the Cure. Luckily for us, it wasn't. I would comfortably say that this is one of the three best albums by the Cure (along with Disintegration and Bloodflowers), and probably the one most likely to be labeled a masterpiece by both hardcore and casual Cure fans alike.

With this album the band broke to remarkable commercial success, and "Friday I'm in love" was 1992's summer hit in Europe, receiving massive radio airplay. The Cure's throng of hardcore fans didn't like this song and even Robert himself said, "people who bought this single are not real Cure fans", but I think it's a great tune and one of the best pop singles of the '90s. The most notable shift The Cure made was getting rid of "Disintegration"'s epic keyboard arrangements in favor of a more guitar-dominated alternative rock approach. Although "Wish" contains a few happy songs in contrast to its predecessor, "Friday I'm in love" is not representative of the album's prevailing tone. "Open" with its nagging, feedback-powered guitar sound is one of the most despairing songs Robert has ever written. "Apart" and "From the edge" are also pretty bleak, so there's really no reason to believe that Robert has lost his depression. The happier songs, "High", "Wendy time", "Doing the unstuck" (which says, "Kick out the gloom"), and "Friday.." are certainly great, but in the album context these songs seem to be a little misplaced. "A letter.." is a solid ballad, and "End" closes things on a more aggressive note. There are a few nods to earlier songs -- "Wendy time" is very similar to "Why can't I be you?", and "To wish.." duplicates the opening riff of "Lullaby" -- and a few subtractions wouldn't have hurt the 66-minute length any, but on the strength of the album's singles, "Wish" is quite a rewarding and enjoyable affair. The CD-single releases of "High", "Friday..", and "A letter.." are also very worthwhile: Each disc contains two non-album tracks and a remix of the title song.

WISH brings the eclecticism of KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME but pushes the emotions to radical extremes. Robert Smith's lyrics are more straightforward than ever before, using a style which will eventually burden some of his later work (IMHO). But it serves him well on WISH and the songs cut deeply. Some ("Open," "End," "Cut," "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea") are easily among the heaviest songs in the Cure catalogue. Probably the best line-up of Cures ever (and they were great live on this tour - Washington D.C.,'94). Like many of my favorite albums, WISH tells a story from beginning to end - your imagination permitting!).

The breakdown:

"Open" - a nightmarish account of what could be a typical weekend night for a typical anti-social angst-ridden Cure fan. Sounds like an acid trip that becomes painfully introspective. Powerful stuff. *****

"High" - This exuberant slice of heaven is a radical departure from the previous track. One of the happiest songs from the Cure or anyone else. ****1/2

"Apart" - plunging once again into the depths of despair, this morose song chronicles the singer's disillusionment as the feelings about his relationship unravel. A beauty, the rhythm section is superb and Smith delivers one of his best guitar solos ever. *****

"From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" - The star-crossed lovers of "Apart" take doses. The music is swirling and churning and the lyrics are surreal and the singing full of despair. Smith explores one of his major recurring themes, the futility of quenching desires. It's about longing for an eternal love that can't exist. They pine for the impossible, to live in a moment forever. ****1/2

"Wendy Time" - Smith rejects another girl and further explores his feelings of detachment. Conversely, the tune is upbeat and playful. ****1/2

"Doing the Unstuck" - This song represents a fantastic triumph over the drudgery of life. I find it truly inspiring. *****

"Friday I'm in Love" - is an irresistible pop masterpiece even though it tritely recites the days of the week. It's become a classic and I still love hearing it. *****

"Trust" - is sweetly melancholy with a beautiful string section. ****

"A Letter to Elise" - another unsustainable relationship, another pop gem. Regardless of what you think of his voice, Robert's vocal melody is simply gorgeous here. *****

"Cut" - On "Cut," the tables have turned for Smith. This time it's his romantic interest who loses that lovin' feelin'. Smith rages through his feedback-laden guitar throughout this howling, harrowing cut. ****

"To Wish Impossible Things" - This sad dreamland sweetly sums up the album's theme of hopelessness in the face of transitional happiness. Wondrous and wonderful. ****1/2

"End" - a crushing testimonial about the pointlessness of life - Smith confesses to feeling only hollow and numb inside and that "giving up and going on are both the same dead end to me." This swirling miasma is a soul-shredding masterpiece and a shocking counterpoint to "Doing the Unstuck" with its message of hope. *****

An aside: Robert Smith has hinted that he might like to do another album trilogy like he did with Trilogy (DVD). If you haven't seen this back-to-back concert performance of PORNOGRAPHY, DISINTEGRATION and BLOODFLOWERS yet, log off NOW and check it out! Anyway, I think THE TOP, KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME and WISH would also make an excellent thematic trilogy (just another fantasy from an obsessive Cure fan...?).

I am sure any Robert Smith worshiper--I refer to him individually here only because he, in every mannerism and lyrical nuance, is the Cure--would skoff at what I am about to write. Mostly because any serious musical enthusiast regards one--and only one--piece of work as the magnum opus of a favorite artist(The Beatles 'White' album, Pearl Jam's 'Ten' etc.)leaving all prior efforts, in retrospect, to be considered only warm-ups, and all entecedent releases falling drastically, if not unexpectedly short by comparison. I know. I know. The Cure hit their stride in the mid-eighties, reaching the creative peak of their unique mountain of cloudy melancholy with 'Disintegration' right? Well, in 1992, the Cure accomplished something of a miracle in the music business; they released a SECOND masterpiece entitled 'Wish', a dreamy weaveworld of emotive guitar pop, laced with too much sprawling conviction and ruminative honesty to be labeled 'radio friendly'--'Friday I'm in Love' notwithstanding, of course. 'Wish' runs the emotional gamut, infused with anger, nostalgia, longing, and even skip along happiness(which was unprecedented for the notoriously gloomy Cure) Each part is seperate--never redundant or plain-- yet unquestionably part of something whole. The perpetually love-sick Smith never seemed more confident in his romanticized confusion than when he bellows 'there is no one left in the world, there is only you' on the brilliantly lethargic ballad 'Trust', or more innocently childlike in the almost too-catchy-to-believe 'High'. 'Wish' undulates in a way that gets under your skin, much the way lyric-absent chill-out electronica attempts to do these days, except The Cure did it on a canvas of swirling colors without repetitive blurring, and WITH a an all too familiar voice to guide us. And that, after all, is what a great album makes, is it not? A winding road of a listening experience--a narrative fairy tale with a beginning and an end. But, boy how I wish this one hadn't...

Wish is not as solid as Disintegration but it is very close! In fact, whereas the brilliant Disintegration is mostly on an even keel in terms of its slow, dark sound, Wish offers more variety. It starts with the powerful rocker "Open" (which sports excellent lyrics about being trapped in a world of excessive social drinking and drugs) then moves to the happy sound of "High" ("when I see you kitten as a cat"), and then presents one of the most beautiful, slow songs I've ever heard "Apart." The album continues this variety with another rocker "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," the quirky "Wendy Time," and, later, another beautiful slow song "Trust." "Cut" is another powerful track. "End" is another one of my favorites with addictive guitar riffs. The only track I do not care for is the single "Friday I'm in Love" which I find a bit too cutesy. "Doing the Unstuck" starts out in the same vein with the "let's get happy" lines but then launches into some awesome guitar riffs. If it were not for the opening, it would be one of my favorite tracks off Wish. "A Letter to Elise" was another single off Wish which I like better than "Friday." If you like the singles, I highly recommend checking out this album as there are much better tracks on it and it offers a whole range of emotions.