Galore

Lore & Background

Galore captures The Cure at a crossroads, where their gothic roots had fully bloomed into stadium-sized pop anthems. The compilation showcases the band's ability to craft melancholic yet accessible songs, from the shimmering 'Just Like Heaven' to the brooding 'Lullaby'. It also includes 'Wrong Number', a rare collaboration with producer Mark Saunders that hints at the electronic experiments of their later work. For fans, Galore is a bittersweet collection, representing the end of the band's most commercially successful period before they retreated into more experimental territory in the 2000s.

In Their Own Story

The rain fell in sheets over the old record shop, but inside, the air was warm with the smell of vinyl and dust. A teenager, hands trembling, pulled the Galore CD from the rack. The cover's stark black and white image of a young girl seemed to stare through him. He slipped it into the player, and as 'Why Can't I Be You?' erupted from the speakers, the world outside the window faded. For the next hour, he was lost in a landscape of love, loss, and longing, each track a new color in the gray city. When 'Wrong Number' ended, the rain had stopped, and he knew he had found a map to his own heart.

Reader's Guide

Galore was released on October 28, 1997, by Fiction Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. The tracklist includes hits like 'Just Like Heaven', 'Lullaby', 'Friday I'm in Love', and 'Mint Car', alongside deeper cuts such as 'Trust' and 'Gone!'. The new track 'Wrong Number' was a departure, featuring a more electronic, trip-hop influenced sound. The compilation peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart and number 32 on the US Billboard 200. Critical reception was mixed; some praised the song selection, while others felt it was a weaker follow-up to 'Standing on a Beach'. Production was handled by The Cure, David M. Allen, and Mark Saunders. The album's cover art, featuring a young girl with a haunting expression, was designed by longtime collaborator Andy Vella.

Did You Know?

• The album's title 'Galore' was chosen by Robert Smith as a playful nod to the abundance of singles.
• The cover art features a photograph of a young girl named Margaux, taken by photographer Andy Vella.
• Contrary to popular belief, 'Wrong Number' was not the first The Cure song to feature a drum machine prominently.
• The compilation omits several notable singles from the period, such as 'The Lovecats' and 'Close to Me', which appear on 'Standing on a Beach'.