Black Vinyl LP

Standing On A Beach is a greatest hits album by The Cure, originally released in the US in 1986, marking a decade since the band’s founding in 1976. The album’s titles are both taken from the opening lyrics of the Cure’s debut single, “Killing An Arab.” The vinyl edition is a collection of all 13 of The Cure’s commercially released singles up to that point in chronological order. The album was critically acclaimed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it “one of the finest albums of the ’80s.”

The man featured on the album cover was chosen because his appearance fit the desired aesthetic. His name is John Button, who was at the time a retired fisherman. He also appeared in the music video for “Killing an Arab.” According to the band’s 2005 biography by Jeff Apter, when asked why he agreed to lend his face to the band’s media, Button’s answered, “If I can help these youngsters break through, after all, why not?” He also reportedly said that he would buy a record player and listen to one of the band’s songs “out of curiosity, just to see.”