Cure for Pain is the second studio album by alternative rock band Morphine, released through Rykodisc in September 1993. Jerome Deupree, the band's original drummer, quit due to health problems during the recording of the album and was replaced by Billy Conway.

Cure for Pain
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1993
Studio
Genre
Length37:11
LabelRykodisc
Producer
Morphine chronology
Good
(1992)
Cure for Pain
(1993)
Yes
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
NME8/10[4]
Q[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

The tracks "Sheila" and "In Spite of Me" were prominently featured on the soundtrack of the 1994 independent film Spanking the Monkey. The video for "Thursday" also appeared on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head. The track "Buena" also appears in the first season of The Sopranos, in the Daria episode "The Teachings of Don Jake," and the barroom scene in the 1997 film Ulee's Gold. In 2014, the album placed eighth on the Alternative Nation site's "Top 10 Underrated '90s Alternative Rock Albums" list.[7] Also in 2014, Cure for Pain was included and analyzed in the book Overlooked/Underappreciated: 354 Recordings That Demand Your Attention.[8]

As of 1995, it has sold 107,000 copies in United States and over 300,000 copies worldwide.[9] As of 2017, combined sales of Cure for Pain and 1995's Yes are 661,000 sold copies in United States.[10]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mark Sandman, except as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dawna"Sandman, Dana Colley0:44
2."Buena" 3:19
3."I'm Free Now" 3:24
4."All Wrong" 3:40
5."Candy" 3:14
6."A Head with Wings" 3:39
7."In Spite of Me" 2:34
8."Thursday" 3:26
9."Cure for Pain" 3:13
10."Mary Won't You Call My Name?" 2:29
11."Let's Take a Trip Together" 2:59
12."Sheila" 2:49
13."Miles Davis' Funeral" 1:41
Total length:37:11
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Down Love's Tributaries" (from the "Cure for Pain" CD single)Sandman, Colley, Billy Conway8:08
Total length:45:20

2021 vinyl expanded edition

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In December 2021,[11][12] the Run Out Groove label released a vinyl-only edition of Cure for Pain, which included a bonus record of unreleased and new-to-vinyl-rarities, all remastered from the original source tapes.[13]

  • side one (1-7) and two (8-13) as per original album
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mile High" (from the Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead soundtrack, 1995) 3:02
2."Bo's Veranda" (from the Get Shorty soundtrack, 1995) 3:14
3."All Wrong" (alternate early version) 3:25
4."Third Stone from the Sun" (previously unreleased)Jimi Hendrix1:39
5."Down Love's Tributaries" (from the "Cure for Pain" CD single) 8:08
6."Miles Davis' Funeral" (alternate fast version) 1:17
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."I Can Do That" (previously released on Sandbox: The Music of Mark Sandman, 2004) 1:52
8."Kerouac" (from the tribute CD Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness, 1997)Sandman, Conway2:53
9."I'm Free Now" (alternate early version) 2:18
10."Groovy Beat" (early version of "Buena") 1:58
11."My Brain" (full-length version) 3:23
12."Untitled Spoken Word Piece" (previously unreleased) 4:40
13."A Married Woman" (previously unreleased) 3:42
14."Pizza Hut Variation #2" (previously unreleased) 0:34
Total length:42:05

Personnel

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Morphine

Additional musicians

  • Jimmy Ryan – mandolin (7)
  • Ken Winokur – percussion (13)

Technical

  • Paul Q. Kolderie – producer (2–6, 8–10, 12), engineer (2–6, 8–10, 12), mixing (2–6, 8–10, 12)
  • Mark Sandman – producer (1, 7, 11, 13), engineer (1, 7, 11, 13), mixing (1, 7, 11, 13), photography (color pictures)
  • Steve Folsom – engineer (11)
  • Toby Mountain – mastering
  • Robin Spencer – design
  • Cindy Bortman – photography (black and white pictures)
  • Dennis Stein – photography (bass picture)
  • Recorded and mixed at Fort Apache, Cambridge, MA., except tracks 1, 7, 11 and 13 recorded and mixed at Hi-N-Dry, Cambridge, MA., and tracks 4 and 9 mixed at Q Division, Somerville, MA.

Bonus tracks

  • Larry Dersch – drums on "Mile High"
  • Russ Gershon – tenor saxophone on "Mile High" and "Bo's Veranda"
  • Tom Halter – trumpet on "Mile High"
  • Mike Rivard – bass on "Bo's Veranda"
  • Sabine Hrechdakian – vocals on "Down Love's Tributaries"
  • Rick Barry – percussion on "My Brain"

Charts

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Chart performance for Cure for Pain
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 65
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 67
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 25
2013 chart performance for Cure for Pain
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 103
2024 chart performance for Cure for Pain
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[18] 37

References

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  1. ^ Kelly, Chris (September 8, 2021). "A D.C. spin on Morphine's cult-favorite 'Cure for Pain'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Karan, Tim (July 23, 2015). "Top 100 Alternative Albums of the '90s". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. ^ Prato, Greg. "Cure for Pain – Morphine". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  4. ^ "Morphine: Cure for Pain". NME: 29. January 8, 1994.
  5. ^ "Morphine: Cure for Pain". Q (89): 98. February 1994.
  6. ^ Berger, Arion (March 24, 1994). "Morphine: Cure for Pain". Rolling Stone. No. 678. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Prato, Greg (October 2, 2014). "Top 10 Underrated 90's Alternative Rock Albums". Alternative Nation. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  8. ^ Prato, Greg (7 July 2014). Overlooked/Underappreciated: 354 Recordings That Demand Your Attention. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1500328184.
  9. ^ Morris, Chris (February 11, 1995). "Ryko's Morphine Aims High With New Set". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 18. Retrieved October 14, 2018 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Flanary, Patrick (April 3, 2017). "Morphine Live Set From 'Like Swimming' Tour to Resurface on Vinyl Package". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  11. ^ "Cure For Pain: Deluxe [Run Out Groove Edition 2 LP]". Record Store Day. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  12. ^ "Cure for Pain (Expanded Edition)". Rough Trade. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "Morphine "Cure For Pain" album gets the deluxe vinyl treatment". Goldmine. May 12, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  14. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 193.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Morphine – Cure for Pain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – Morphine – Cure for Pain". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Morphine – Cure for Pain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 41. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
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