Album · 45 years old this year
Faith
Faith is the third studio album by the Cure, released on 14 April 1981. It was the first record the band made after keyboardist Matthieu Hartley left, and it carries on the gloomy mood of Seventeen Seconds from 1980. The single "Primary" came out ahead of it.
It also sits in the middle of a run of dark records that closes with Pornography in 1982, so it is a key chapter for anyone tracing how the band's bleakest period unfolded. Critics received it well, and it did solid business in the UK, reaching number fourteen on the albums chart and spending eight weeks on it. Listen to it for the post-punk and gothic rock atmosphere that defined the Cure's early sound.
Faith: tracklist, credits and charts
8 tracks · 36:57Tracklist
- 1The Holy HourGallup, Smith, Tolhurst4:27
- 2PrimaryGallup, Smith, Tolhurst3:39
- 3Other VoicesGallup, Smith, Tolhurst4:24
- 4All Cats Are GreyGallup, Smith, Tolhurst5:28
- 5The Funeral PartyGallup, Smith, Tolhurst4:14
- 6DoubtGallup, Smith, Tolhurst3:11
- 7The Drowning ManGallup, Smith, Tolhurst4:50
- 8FaithGallup, Smith, Tolhurst6:44
- Produced by
- Mike Hedges, Robert Smith, The Cure, Simon Gallup, Lol Tolhurst
- Recorded at
- Morgan, London, Abbey Road Studios, Trident Studios, Roundhouse, Red Bus Studios
- Recorded
- September 1980 – March 1981
- Labels
- 7 Records, Fiction
- Length
- 36:57
Line-up
- Simon Gallup · electric bass guitar
- Robert Smith · guitar, lead vocals, electric bass guitar, keyboard
- Lol Tolhurst · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “Primary” · 27 March 1981
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1981 | 14 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2021 | 196 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1981 | 1 |
| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC) · 2021 | 8 |
| Dutch Albums · 1981 | 9 |
| US Tastemaker · 2021 | 11 |
| UK Physical Albums (OCC) · 2021 | 16 |
| Scottish Albums · 2021 | 18 |
| US Alternative · 2021 | 25 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1981 | 38 |
All 15 charts
| Swedish Albums · 1981 | 38 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2021 | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2005 | 73 |
| Italian Albums · 2008 | 74 |
| French Albums · 2005 | 84 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1985 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
87.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
131k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
34k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 14 April
Every year →
Let’s Dance
David Bowie · 1983
72 Seasons
Metallica · 2023
Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll
Rainbow · 1978
Bricks Are Heavy
L7 · 1992
Straight Between the Eyes
Rainbow · 1982
Violence Unimagined
Cannibal Corpse · 2021
Sucking in the Seventies
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Snakes & Arrows Live
Rush · 2008
Greatest Hits
ZZ Top · 1992
The Beatles Beat
The Beatles · 1964
Live at Eindhoven ’87
Testament · 2009
More from The Cure
Full discography →
Three Imaginary Boys
1979
Boys Don’t Cry
1980
Seventeen Seconds
1980
Happily Ever After
1981
Pornography
1982
Japanese Whispers
1983
The Top
1984
Concert: The Cure Live
1984
The Head on the Door
1985
Half an Octopuss
1985
Standing on a Beach: The Singles
1986
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
1987
The Peel Sessions
1988
Disintegration
1989
Mixed Up
1990
Entreat
1991
Lost Wishes
1992
Wish
1992
Sideshow
1993
Show
1993
Paris
1993
Wild Mood Swings
1996
Five Swing Live
1997
Galore: The Singles 1987–1997
1997
Bloodflowers
2000
Greatest Hits
2001
Trilogy
2003
Join the Dots: B‐Sides and Rarities
2004
The Cure
2004
Hypnagogic States EP
2008
4:13 Dream
2008
Bestival Live 2011
2011
Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018
2018
Songs of a Lost World
2024
Mixes of a Lost World
2025
The best of 1981
All of 1981 →The Rolling Stones 4 Sucessos 1981
4 Sucessos
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Tattoo You
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Moving Pictures
Rush · 1981
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
AC/DC · 1981
Killers
Iron Maiden · 1981
Diary of a Madman
Ozzy Osbourne · 1981
October
U2 · 1981
Fair Warning
Van Halen · 1981
Discipline
King Crimson · 1981
High ’n’ Dry
Def Leppard · 1981
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
Point of Entry
Judas Priest · 1981
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1981-04-11 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 11 April 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 April 1981 | |
| Wikidata | 14 April 1981 | |
| UK / Europe release | 14 April 1981 | earliest UK or European date |
22 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Fiction | 042282768728 | other |
| — | XE | Fiction | 602508400988 | deluxe |
| — | CA | Elektra | 603497977765 | remaster |
| April 1981 | AU | 7 Records | other | |
| 11 April 1981 | DE | Fiction | original | |
| 14 April 1981 | GB | Fiction | other | |
| 14 April 1981 | GB | Polydor | other | |
| 1986 | DE | Fiction | 042282768728 | other |
| 26 February 1988 | US | Elektra | 075596078344 | other |
| 26 February 1988 | US | Elektra | 075596078320 | other |
| 1990 | CA | Elektra | 075596078320 | other |
| 2000 | US | Elektra | 075596078320 | other |
| 2005 | — | UMC | other | |
| 2005 | XE | Fiction | 602498307458 | other |
| 25 April 2005 | GB | Fiction | 602498218341 | deluxe |
| 26 April 2005 | US | Rhino | 081227468323 | deluxe |
| 26 April 2005 | US | Elektra | 081227787660 | deluxe |
| 28 March 2006 | US | Elektra | 081227335021 | other |
| 7 March 2008 | RU | Vinyl Lovers | 8013252900228 | other |
| 21 May 2008 | JP | Fiction | 4988005514394 | other |
| 21 April 2012 | XE | Fiction Records | 0600753381168 | other |
| September 2016 | XE | Fiction | 0602547875440 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×598 | upscaled |