When you search for The Cure Discography -17- Albums - 320 Kbps, you might wonder: Why not FLAC? FLAC (lossless) is ideal, but file sizes are massive (over 5GB for 17 albums). A standard MP3 at 320 Kbps gives you approximately 90-95% of the audible quality at 30% of the storage space.
For The Cure specifically:
Arguably their darkest hour. Faith is a glacial descent into despair. The title track is a seven-minute crawl through organ drones and muttered despair. To appreciate the low-end rumble of the bass and the fragile decay of the piano, a 320 Kbps MP3 (or lossless-equivalent encoding) is non-negotiable. At lower bitrates, the murk turns into mud. The Cure Discography -17- Albums - 320 Kbps
The misunderstood stepchild. Brass bands, mariachi trumpets, and carnival pop. The complexity of “The 13th” (with its odd-time swing) needs the clarity of high bitrate to decode the chaotic arrangement. In 320 Kbps, the album’s weird charm emerges from the noise.
To verify you have the authentic discography, here are the 17 official studio releases required: When you search for The Cure Discography -17-
Note on Compilations: Albums like Japanese Whispers (1983) and Standing on a Beach are compilations, not studio LPs. Similarly, Join the Dots is a B-side box set. Purists seeking The Cure Discography -17- Albums refer strictly to the 13 above plus the 4 listed below (depending on region, some counts include the 1986 live album Concert — but for strict "Studio albums," the count is 13. However, to hit the "17" number in torrent/usenet culture, users usually include:)
The +4 Bonus (To make 17 in common collections): 14. Boys Don’t Cry (1980 - US compilation, often counted to fix tracklists) 15. Concert – The Cure Live (1984 - Live, but essential) 16. Entreat (1991 - Live Disintegration tracks, high demand) 17. Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities (2004 - Often packaged as 2 albums in collection counts) Arguably their darkest hour
The masterpiece. If you only download one album in 320 Kbps, make it this. Disintegration is engineered for headphones and high fidelity. The low end on “Plainsong” uses a massive keyboard bass note that physically resonates. The cymbal washes in “Pictures of You” stretch for minutes. At 320 Kbps, the dynamic range from a whisper to a wail in “Fascination Street” is breathtaking. Any lower bitrate creates a muddy "swoosh" over the top of the production.
Note: Some trackers count 14–17 albums depending on inclusions like “Join the Dots” (B-sides) or live albums. The above are all core studio LPs. To reach 17, add:
15. Boys Don’t Cry (1980 – comp, often listed as album)
16. Japanese Whispers (1983 – singles/B-sides)
17. Mixed Up (1990 – remix album)