November 2001 by Jane Stevenson
Toronto Sun
Today's Greatest Hits release by beloved goth-pop band The Cure is leading up to even more exciting news.
Next year there will be a solo debut from Cure frontman Robert Smith, who's collaborating with at least a half-dozen musical guests.
"The difficulty isn't getting the people to agree to it," says Smith, 42, recently down the line from his home near Brighton, on England's south coast. "It's getting their labels to agree to it. That's tiring in itself because sometimes if someone from one major label doesn't like someone from another then they won't allow their artist to appear. It's all that incredible bickering that goes on.
"I'm going to try to sort that out this side of Christmas so that everyone knows, at least in principle, that they can do it if they want to. And then I'll probably end up doing it, I suppose in January or February."
Smith wouldn't reveal the names of his collaborators, but musically, he describes the in-progress project as doing two versions of the same song -- one instrumental and the other vocal.
"Like an A version and a B version," he says. "They're essentially the same basic kind of structure and chord sequence, but that's where the similiarities end. One I've done to sing to, and the other one I've done as a more meandering instrumental thing. I was at the point where I couldn't decide, early in the summer, which way I was going to go. Whether I should follow the vocal one or go purely instrumental. Then this Greatest Hits thing came along and it's given me time to reflect on which way I should go and I still haven't made up my mind."
Smith, who hasn't renewed The Cure's contract with any major label since the release of the group's last studio album and has no plans to, 2000's Bloodflowers, says he's actually thrilled that he isn't under any pressure to make a decision.
"For the first time in my life I don't really have to make a choice, because I'm trying to break out of this idea that there has to be a major label release. There doesn't."
He says there are many more opportunities when you're not tied down to a label.
"I've really grown sick and tired of having to ask people who are younger than me whether I can do things. I didn't mind so much when I was in my twenties. Then I could pretend it was like being back in school, but it's gone on too long."
The Cure -- who formed in 1976 -- were thought to be down for the count with the release of Bloodflowers, since Smith had been saying it would be the band's last. But then a well-attended, well-received tour followed -- including a stop at the Molson Amphitheatre last year -- and he changed his tune.
"Before I did all the promotional stuff around Bloodflowers I was pretty convinced that it would be it," says Smith. "By the time we got halfway through, we realized this shouldn't really be it, because it felt too good.
"I couldn't have imagined that people would still be so enthusiatic. In all respects, what we did last year was actually the best year I've had with the band and that's what changed my mind. I thought, 'Why would I want to stop this?'"
As far as a new Cure album and subsequent tour goes, Smith says: "I would be surprised if there isn't. Having been in the studio in the summer for a few weeks with the band and doing the acoustic songs and doing the new songs (Cut Here, Just Say Yes ) there was a feeling, 'Yeah, maybe we should do some new songs.' So the others, they're working on me. It's whether I can hold out against them, finish my own thing."
Greatest Hits, meanwhile, is also available as a limited edition double CD with acoustic versions of the same 18 songs, including Boys Don't Cry, The Lovecats, and Why Can't I Be You .