THIS IS MOSTLY A VERY DARK CD (BUT AREN'T THEY ALL, REALLY?)--LONLINESS, LOSS, DESPAIR, "FORCED" DRUNKENNESS, HATRED.... SMITH EXPRESSES DESPAIR AT WHAT HIS LIFE (AS AN MUSICICAN/POET) HAS BECOME, REMORISE AT HOW HE MUST BEHAVE IN ORDER TO MAKE OTHERS HAPPY (LOVERS, MANAGERS, FANS, ETC.).

BUT MY FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM IS "LETTER TO ELISE." IT IS SO SAD, SWEET AND DELICATE, LIKE A VICTORIAN-ROMANTIC POEM OF LOST/UNREQUITED LOVE. IN FACT, IT REMINDS ME, UNCANNILY, OF MY FAVORITE POET, CHARLES ALGERNON SWINBURNE'S POEM "FELISE?" COINCIDENCE? I DON'T THINK SO...EITHER WAY, "LETTER TO ELISE" IS BITTER-SWEET, TEAR-INSPIRING, SADLY PERMENANT....

I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED ROBERT SMITH TO BE A MUSICAL AND POETIC GENIUS, AND THIS ALBUM PROVES IT, ONE MORE TIME, AS SURELY AS "DISINTEGRATION" AND "FAITH."


The last, good Cure album   December 29, 2003
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Hard to believe it's been 10+ years since this album was released. I first purchased it on cassette in 1992 and later on CD when the cassette literally wore itself out. To me "Wish" is the last, really good album by this group, with later efforts like "Wild Mood Swings" badly missing the mark. Often mis-classified as a Goth band, I rather think Robert Smith and The Cure simply tap into the quiet veins of sorrow and tragedy that run through every human life. It's not a bad thing, it's not a Goth thing, it just is. And while "Wish" is punctuated with occasional uppy songs like "Friday I'm in Love", the pieces that really soar are (of course) the sad ones: "Apart", "Letter to Elise" and the epic "To Wish Impossible Things". I once told someone that The Cure is the greatest break-up band of all time, and I stand by that assertion. "Wish" is a grand demonstration of everything that makes The Cure great, right before things started to go downhill. I've since heard rumors that The Cure are no more, that "Bloodflowers" is their last hurrah. If so, I choose to remember "Wish" as their last, best effort.


Out of the shadows   August 3, 2000
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

With this album the band broke to remarkable commercial success, and "Friday I'm in love" was 1992's summer hit in Europe, receiving massive radio airplay. The Cure's throng of hardcore fans didn't like this song and even Robert himself said, "people who bought this single are not real Cure fans", but I think it's a great tune and one of the best pop singles of the '90s. The most notable shift The Cure made was getting rid of "Disintegration"'s epic keyboard arrangements in favor of a more guitar-dominated alternative rock approach. Although "Wish" contains a few happy songs in contrast to its predecessor, "Friday I'm in love" is not representative of the album's prevailing tone. "Open" with its nagging, feedback-powered guitar sound is one of the most despairing songs Robert has ever written. "Apart" and "From the edge" are also pretty bleak, so there's really no reason to believe that Robert has lost his depression. The happier songs, "High", "Wendy time", "Doing the unstuck" (which says, "Kick out the gloom"), and "Friday.." are certainly great, but in the album context these songs seem to be a little misplaced. "A letter.." is a solid ballad, and "End" closes things on a more aggressive note. There are a few nods to earlier songs -- "Wendy time" is very similar to "Why can't I be you?", and "To wish.." duplicates the opening riff of "Lullaby" -- and a few subtractions wouldn't have hurt the 66-minute length any, but on the strength of the album's singles, "Wish" is quite a rewarding and enjoyable affair. The CD-single releases of "High", "Friday..", and "A letter.." are also very worthwhile: Each disc contains two non-album tracks and a remix of the title song.