34 Years of Faith

On this day in 1981, The Cure released their third studio album, Faith. Considered by many to be the second of their "dark trilogy" albums which also includes 1980's Seventeen Seconds and 1982's Pornography. With Faith, we saw the band cut back to a trio that included Robert Smith, Laurence Tolhurst and Simon Gallup. This album also marks the first time Smith would use a six-string bass creating their signature sound for many years to come. The cassette release was backed by an instrumental piece entitled "Carnage Visors" that was the soundtrack to a short film the band would feature at the beginning of their shows. I remember falling asleep to CV since it was so light and ambient and was perfect for drifting off to dreamland. In 2006, a deluxe remastered edition was released which also featured the non-album single, "Charlotte Sometimes", an alternate version of "Carnage Visors" and many previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of the album. While there are many beloved tracks on this album, the title track "Faith" is probably the most popular with it being one of those elusive live show songs that rarely got played for many years. The most popular performance of this song would be the Rome show in 1989 in which Smith dedicated it to those that had lost their lives that day in China's Tiananmen Square. That version is below along with some other live treats from that album. Happy Anniversary to Faith!

Faith album cover designed by Porl Thompson.