MARCH

Hot Hot Hot, the fourth single from the Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, was released in the UK only. The video was shot on the previous month. Robert wanted a lowdown funky soul band video, which Tim Pope translated into "black and white midgets". Tim later revealed that he was in fact attempting to bring Robert down-to-size as a sex symbol.

Robert Smith started to record on a solo album at home, mostly acoustic and minimal songs only including piano, bass, guitar or cello (and no drums). The "moodiest stuff since Faith". It was also compared to Leonard Cohen and the lyrics were about growing old and feeling miserable basically. This solo album would never see the light of the day, but the themes (old and returning obsessions from the Pornography era) would be used for the next Cure album. Robert becoming obsessed with turning 30 the following year.


APRIL

Ten Imaginary Years, the official band biography, was released in the UK and in France. The project actually started back in summer 1985 with Robert supervising Lydie Barbarian (French journalist) and Steve Sutherland's work. The result is probably the best book about the group even if they couldn't tell all the truth.


JUNE

Back together after a few months break, the band worked on about 40 new tunes for the next record, already titled Disintegration. And everybody tried to get in the mood suggested by Robert.


AUGUST

13th
Robert Smith and Mary Poole got married at Worth Abbey in Crawley. The entire band and family (about 150 people) were invited, Simon being Robert's best man.


SEPTEMBER

Boris Williams' house, Devon
The Cure recorded about 30 instrumental demos for Disintegration. The original tunes for Fear of Ghosts and Out Of Mind came from Roger O'Donnell while Simon Gallup provided Lovesong, The Same Deep Water As You and Untitled.


NOVEMBER

Outside Studio, Checkendon
The Disintegration recording sessions started in this residential studio (at the Hook End Manor) with Dave Allen engineering and co-producing. 19 songs were recorded. The atmosphere was a bit difficult at times : Lol Tolhurst got an ultimatum for his drinking problems. Recording a song called "Babble" showed what was going on : Lol being pissed and watching TV while the band had Boris' dog putting his paws on the keyboards to do Lol's parts (some weird noises).

Robert's room also got on fire one day and threatened his lyric sheets. According to the legend, the band put wet towels on their heads and picked them in the burning room despite the danger (the firemen arrived later). The truth could be that the lyrics were in fact saved by Dave Allen.


DECEMBER

London, RAK Studios
Ten days were spent mixing the new songs and it was all finished by the end of the month. But Robert wasn't satisfied with the sound, thinking of remixing the whole record. After a short break for Christmas celebrations, the Cure's singer wrote a letter to Lol to inform him that no-one in the band wanted him to go on tour with them.


GO TO 1989 PART 1