One of the original alternative bands, the Cure's whip-smart pop sensibility, bright guitar hooks, clever lyrics and weary vocals made the English group one of the bigger bands of the late '80s and early '90s.

Twenty-five years into its career, the Cure is releasing a double-disc greatest hits album, titled "Greatest Hits." Each disc features the same 18 songs; one contains acoustic versions, the other has electric versions. Included are a pair of new songs: "Just Say Yes," a duet with Saffron from Republica, and "Cut Here."

Singer Robert Smith talked with liveDaily about the greatest hits comp, which is due in stores on Tuesday (11/13), and the future of the band.

People always say that playing acoustic brings out different elements of a song. Were there songs that surprised you when you played them that way?

Well, probably more than half of them were written acoustically, and about half of them--when we play them on stage--are pretty much acoustic songs that have been plugged in.

There were some I was very nervous about. "Never Enough" was one because that was built up around a guitar riff and a drum loop, and songs like "Wrong Number" is another one. That's kind of like pure electronica the way it developed, so the interpretations of those are quite funny, actually. There's sort of a dark humor about them, but they work because you�re aware of the original. They're interpretations. I think if wrote those at home, I�d think there was something missing there.

A lot of the songs, the early ones, were kind of pre-samples and pre-loops and the songs were generally composed at home using acoustic instruments. So there weren't that many surprises. The thing is, we've rehearsed songs acoustically over the years, because it's a good way of making sure everyone knows what they�re supposed to be doing. You can't hide behind feedback when you're playing acoustic.

How would you describe the process of anthologizing your career?

For me, [the greatest hits album represents] one part of what we've done. It�s been a big part of it, but it hasn�t really been the main part of it. It hasn�t been the thrust of what we set out to achieve over the years. The pop side of what we�ve done has brought an awareness of the band. It�s kind of like a profile-raiser, and also it�s fun. I think we�d be diminished as a band if we hadn�t released pop singles over the years, but it�s not really been the focus of what I wanted to do with the Cure.

The choice in certain respects was difficult, but not nearly as difficult [as] trying to put together an 18-song anthology of what I think were the best things the Cure have done--I would find that much, much more difficult. Half this album picks itself. You couldn't really call it "Greatest Hits" and leave off "A Forest" or "Love Cats." Or "Lullaby," "Love Song," "Friday I�m in Love." They pick themselves. Then, within that framework, I basically had to join the dots.

How has a song like say, "In Between Days" changed for you over the years? Are there other songs on here that have changed drastically for you since first wrote them?

The nature of them being pop songs, they don't have as much emotional resonance as a lot of other stuff we've done. So when I listen to them, I can hear what I was trying to do, but in most instances, they�re not really songs that have been part of the live show for a long time. I think last year, we played over a hundred shows, and I think we only played "In Between Days," "A Forest" and "Just Like Heaven." They�re the only three of the 18 on this collection that we played live. So they�re not really songs I feel connected to. ...

Like "Let's Go To Bed" is not my favorite Cure song, by a long way, but I realize what it did for us. And I can think back and remember the feeling I had when it was getting radio play, and things were changing. It was an experiment, and it was working. And I remember really being kind of enthused by that. Thinking, "I can actually do something really different and it will work." And it gave me a lot of confidence.

You mentioned that "Let�s Go To Bed" was kind of an experiment. In what way?

At the time, '82, it came off the back of us doing "17 Seconds," "Faith" and "Pornography." And we were kind of on an ever-downward spiral, and I was in a pretty bad mental state. ["Let's Go to Bed"] was kind of a road-to-Damascus sort of experience for me. I thought I would do something I would completely hate and that I would be totally opposed to--at the time, I wanted to take a holiday from myself, really. That�s why I did that song.

I found it easy. I thought, "I've got this mental block about lots of different things," and in that song and in the accompanying video, just laying myself open to ridicule was a great experience for me. It made me grow up. In a funny way, it was one of the most childish things we�ve ever done, and yet I thought it was the most grown-up thing we�d done to that point.

I�ve never been a fan of irony. I thought, "I've got to throw myself into this." And I thought most pop songs are about, "Let's go to bed"--that�s the bottom line, pretty much--so I thought, "I'll just do that. I'll be very up front." ... It summed up the idiot pop side I'd been fighting against.

When we first started, I wanted to be in the Buzzcocks. I wanted us to be a pop group. I wanted to do three-minute singles. I wanted us to be the Beatles without all the psychedelic stuff. So I�ve always had that in me, that kind of desire to write pop music. It�s just one facet. I realized doing "Let�s Go to Bed," that I didn�t have to do one thing or the other. I thought that the Cure could actually be both, and that�s why it was kind of a defining moment for me.

On "Just Say Yes," you did a duet with Saffron of Republica. How did that come about?

I�ve never done a duet before in the auspices of the Cure. I knew the demo we�d done was a good pop song, but I couldn�t make it work. It just sounded really flat and it sounded unconvincing. And I�d met Saffron a few times, usually backstage at Cure shows or other people�s shows, and I�d always sort of chatted with her. She�s one of the few people I�ve got on with, don�t know why. I suddenly thought maybe I should do this as a duet. I don�t know why I did. I wanted to inject some enthusiasm into it, and I thought she was the most vivacious person I knew, so if she came along and put some life into it, it might work.

And also, it made me rise to the challenge, because we didn�t rehearse. We just stood side by side at the mic and tried to outdo each other. It became very enthusiastic, and it was intended to be a rallying cry for the "Just say yes" lobby, because I�m sick to death of "Just say no."

With this burst of new activity, is it safe to say the break-up rumors about the Cure are untrue?

Yeah, I�m looking forward to the next 25 years of the band. This has only been part one. I�ve no idea, really. Last year, we all really got on, and the shows we did were the best the band�s ever played, and the "Bloodflowers" album was the best thing we�ve done for 10 years, and the acoustic week we had was really great fun as well. Why I want to be in a band and why I play music were kind of encapsulated in doing the acoustic version of the greatest hits album. My enthusiasm is still there for the band, so I feel no real desire to knock it on the head at the moment. I�m still pretty convinced the next thing I do will be on my own, because I had to put it on hold again in spring, when this greatest hits project was suggested. So I�m determined to see it through to its bitter end. It�s been going on and off for 18 months now, so I think I should wrap it up soon.

What can people expect from your solo project? Is it in the same vein as the Cure?

I�ve never felt constrained by the Cure. ... The only reason why I�m doing something on my own is because I want other people to be involved with it. We�ve had a couple guest appearances from people--Saffron is the most recent one, and we�ve had Reeves Gabrels play guitar with us--but it�s usually been one person, and it hasn�t upset the dynamic in the band too much. But I think if a string of people were in and out playing instruments that are played quite capably by members of my own band, it would feel weird. So I decided the only sensible way to do it would be to have a thing called a solo album, and get these other people to play on that, so it doesn�t actually have anything to do with the Cure.

I don�t feel like any of the songs lyrically or musically couldn�t be done by the Cure--they could--but the reason I�m doing it separately is that I want other interpretations of it. I want try it with other people. [The band is] alright with it, they can understand why I�m doing it. They know and like most of the people I�m playing with.

Do you have a wish list of people you�re working from?

I�ve got six people. I�m not going to tell you who they are, because that would take away all the excitement when I announce I�ve completed the project. I�ve six people I want to be on it. Three have agreed and the other three I haven�t asked yet. But I�m sure they�ll agree. I�ve known five out of the six of them for more than five years, so I consider them to be friends, not just acquaintances.