Book Review: Curepedia: The A-Z Of The Cure

Release Date: December 12th, 2023

The Cure’s been around long enough, 45 years to be exact, to have their story told, and retold in countless books, bios, and articles: they started the band when they were teens, went through several iterations before landing on The Cure, went through several lineup changes, nearly ended the band numerous times, yet came out on top. Pretty standard stuff. Cure fan and music journalist Simon Price gives us a slightly different story. In lieu of a traditional biography, Price delivers Curepedia, the ultimate guide to The Cure.

Curepedia is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a literal encyclopedia about The Cure. Price has painstakingly collected factoids, stories, myths, and legends about the band and compiled them into this hefty book. He covers a lot of ground from their robust discography to their rotating lineup and even explores their misadventures under charming entries like “Alcohol” and “Pissing.” And when Price says the book covers The Cure from A to Z, he means it. The book starts with “A Forest” and ends with “Zoology.” What does Zoology have to do with The Cure? You’ll have to read it to find out.

This is the closest you’ll get to knowing everything about the band short of speaking to Robert Smith himself. Ever wonder when and why the band started wearing makeup? There’s an entry for that. Want to know what their least favorite songs are? Price has covered that too. Curious about their many drug exploits? The book doesn’t disappoint. Gearheads will love entries dedicated to guitars favored by the band, while completionists will obsess over sections detailing Cure rarities. There’s nothing too taboo, weird, or strange for coverage. If it relates to The Cure, it’s guaranteed to be in this book.

Part of what makes Curepedia a great read is the passion put into it. You can tell Price is a Curehead who wants to do the band and the fans justice. This isn’t a quick cash grab written by someone with only Wikipedia knowledge of the band. This is someone who’s poured through interviews, videos, books, and websites to give us the complete story of The Cure and then some. A lot of love and effort went into this to make it the ultimate book for Cure fans. And while mega fans may notice minor discrepancies in some entries, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book.

Whether you’ve been listening to the band for 45 years or just started yesterday, you’ll want this book. Curepedia is the story of The Cure and more. The book goes beyond the traditional biography by examining every facet of the band big and small. It also gives us the well-known history of The Cure in a new way that makes it an exciting read. If you only ever read one book about The Cure (which is unlikely for Cureheads) you can’t go wrong with this one.

Related Images: