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Music

17th Aug 2018

New book on The Cure to be released to coincide with band’s 40th anniversary

Will Lavin

Can you believe it’s been 40 years since The Cure formed?

Neither can we.

Published to coincide with the band’s 40th anniversary of their formation in 1978, a book by Ian Gittins titled A Perfect Dream will be arriving this September.

The Cure’s story is a fantastical pop fable, but their trajectory has not been one of unbroken success. Along the way, their uneven, uneasy pop odyssey has taken in fierce intra-band tensions and fall-outs, numerous lineup changes and even one of rock’s most high-profile and infamous court cases when Lol Tolhurst, the troubled founder member whom Robert Smith fired from the band in 1989, sued his former colleagues over payments and ownership of the band’s name.

There has been alcoholism, substance abuse and countless long, dark nights of the soul, many of which have been translated into luscious dark-rock symphonies. But beholden to no one, their typically eccentric late-career path has allowed them to maintain the core sense of playfulness and mystique that has always been so intrinsic to their appeal.

From gawky teenage art-punks in Crawley to venerable rock royalty with almost 30 million record sales to their name, The Cure’s journey has been a triumph of imagination; a truly unlikely pop odyssey. They followed their own bizarre lights, and it led them to the top of the world.

Illustrated with more than 250 essential photographs, including rare and unseen behind-the-scenes stills, A Perfect Dream is the tall tale of The Cure, a truly unique British band.

Written by Ian Gittins, as a music writer on titles such as Melody Maker, Time Out, Q and the Guardian he interviewed and reviewed The Cure during a 30-year career.

Other notable titles he’s worked on include being the co-author with Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx of the 2007 New York Times best-seller The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.

Released September 6th 2018, A Perfect Dream will be published by Palazzo Editions.