| Three Imaginary Boys | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 May 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1978–79 | |||
| Studio | Morgan, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:31 | |||
| Label | Fiction | |||
| Producer | Chris Parry | |||
| The Cure chronology | ||||
| ||||
Three Imaginary Boys is the debut studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. [1] It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as a compilation album titled Boys Don't Cry . [2]
The record company decided which songs were put on the album and running order, [3] as well as the cover artwork, without Robert Smith's consent. For all Cure albums since, Smith has ensured that he is given complete creative control over the final product before it goes on sale. [4] The "Foxy Lady" soundcheck, with vocals sung by Michael Dempsey, was not supposed to be on the album, and was removed for the American release. Smith has stated that "songs like 'Object' and 'World War' and our cover of 'Foxy Lady' were [producer] Chris Parry's choice". [5]
Three Imaginary Boys was released on 11 May 1979 by record label Fiction.
The album was reissued on 29 November 2004 and featured a second disc of unreleased material, including songs recorded under the band name Easy Cure with Porl Thompson. It was originally supposed to be released in early 2004 along with the band's next three studio albums ( Seventeen Seconds , Faith and Pornography ), but was delayed multiple times before being released by itself at the end of 2004. As it featured a variety of old songs, it was the only Deluxe Edition by the band that did not include an alternate version of each song on the first disc. Some of the early booklets in the reissue had missing lyrics, which were made available on the Cure's website in PDF form.[ citation needed ] All copies since contain the lyrics. A one-disc reissue was released on 5 September 2005, containing only the original album. It was also released in the standard jewel case rather than in a box. In some countries, the Deluxe Edition has become a collector's item as production was phased out, being replaced by the more economic single-disc version.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Blender |  [7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| The Irish Times | [9] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10 [10] |
| Record Mirror | [11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10 [13] |
| Sounds | [14] |
| Uncut | [15] |
Despite Smith's displeasure with the record, Three Imaginary Boys was well received critically at the time of its release. [4] Sounds ' Dave McCullough praised it in a 5-star review and noted: "The Cure are going somewhere different on each track, the ideas are startling and disarming." McCullough noted the variety of the material and qualified "Grinding Halt" as a "pop song that reminds you of the Isley Brothers or the Buzzcocks." [14] Red Starr, writing in Smash Hits , described the album as a "brilliant, compelling debut." [13] However, NME 's Paul Morley did not share the same point of view and wrote: "Most of the time, it's a voice catching its breath, a cautiously primitive riff guitar, toy drumming and a sprightly bass." [16]
Chris True of AllMusic retrospectively called the album "a very strong debut" and a "semi-detached bit of late-'70s English pop-punk". [6] Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork likened the album to a "new wave Wire... [or] Joy Division" and called it "as original a record as anything else to spin off from the tail end of punk." [10] He also called the album "spiky post-punk." [17] BBC Music critic Simon Morgan said "Smith was forging his own take on the post-punk zeitgeist," [18] while author Martin C. Strong said it "remains among the Cure's finest work," adding that "their strangely accessible post-punk snippets lent an air of suppressed melancholy." [19] The album was also described as "a collection of melodic but slightly kooky power-pop" by Chris Gerard of PopMatters . [20]
On 14 October 2024, Robert Smith announced plans for retiring in 2029 following the 50th anniversary of Three Imaginary Boys. “I’m 70 in 2029, and that’s the 50th anniversary of the first Cure album [Three Imaginary Boys]. If I make it that far, that’s it. In the intervening time, I’d like to include playing concerts as part of the overall plan of what we’re going to do. I’ve loved it; the last 10 years of playing shows have been the best 10 years of being in the band. It pisses all over the other 30-odd years! It’s been great.” [21]
All tracks are written by the Cure (Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey and Lol Tolhurst), except as noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "10:15 Saturday Night" | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Accuracy" | 2:17 |
| 3. | "Grinding Halt" | 2:49 |
| 4. | "Another Day" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Object" | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Subway Song" | 2:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Foxy Lady" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) | Jimi Hendrix | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Meat Hook" | 2:17 | |
| 3. | "So What" | 2:37 | |
| 4. | "Fire in Cairo" | 3:23 | |
| 5. | "It's Not You" | 2:49 | |
| 6. | "Three Imaginary Boys" | 3:17 | |
| 7. | "The Weedy Burton" | 1:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want to Be Old" (SAV studio demo, October 1977; previously unreleased) | 2:36 |
| 2. | "I'm Cold" (SAV studio demo, November 1977) | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Heroin Face" (live in The Rocket, Crawley, December 1977; previously available on Curiosity) | 2:40 |
| 4. | "I Just Need Myself" (PSL studio demo, January 1978; previously unreleased) | 2:14 |
| 5. | "10:15 Saturday Night" (Robert Smith home demo, February 1978) | 4:36 |
| 6. | "The Cocktail Party" (group home demo, March 1978; previously unreleased) | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Grinding Halt" (group home demo, April 1978) | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Boys Don't Cry" (Chestnut studio demo, May 1978; previously available on Curiosity) | 2:45 |
| 9. | "It's Not You" (Chestnut studio demo, May 1978) | 3:16 |
| 10. | "10:15 Saturday Night" (Chestnut studio demo, May 1978) | 3:41 |
| 11. | "Fire in Cairo" (Chestnut studio demo, May 1978) | 3:42 |
| 12. | "Winter" (Three Imaginary Boys studio outtake, October 1978; previously unreleased) | 3:46 |
| 13. | "Faded Smiles" (also known as "I Don't Know"; Three Imaginary Boys studio outtake, October 1978; previously unreleased) | 2:16 |
| 14. | "Play with Me" (Three Imaginary Boys studio outtake, October 1978; previously unreleased) | 3:30 |
| 15. | "World War" (on early copies of Boys Don't Cry ) | 2:38 |
| 16. | "Boys Don't Cry" (also on Boys Don't Cry) | 2:37 |
| 17. | "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (also on Boys Don't Cry) | 2:59 |
| 18. | "Subway Song" (live in Nottingham, October 1979; previously available on Curiosity) | 2:27 |
| 19. | "Accuracy" (live in Nottingham, October 1979) | 2:36 |
| 20. | "10:15 Saturday Night" (live in Nottingham, October 1979) | 4:38 |
The Cure
Additional personnel
Technical
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | 30,000 [22] |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [23] 2005 release | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member, though bassist Simon Gallup has been present for all but about three years of the band's history. Their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979), along with several early singles, placed the band at the forefront of the emerging post-punk and new wave movements that were gaining prominence in the United Kingdom. Beginning with their second album, Seventeen Seconds (1980), the band adopted a new, increasingly dark and tormented style, which, together with Smith's stage look, had a strong influence on the emerging genre of gothic rock as well as the goth subculture that eventually formed around the genre.
Robert James Smith is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the Cure, a British post punk rock band formed in 1978. His unique guitar-playing style, distinctive singing voice, and fashion sense, often sporting a pale complexion, smeared red lipstick, black eye-liner, unkempt wiry black hair, and all-black clothes, were highly influential on the goth subculture that rose to prominence in the 1980s.
Seventeen Seconds is the second studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 18 April 1980 by Fiction Records. The album marked the first time frontman Robert Smith co-produced with Mike Hedges. After the departure of original bassist Michael Dempsey, Simon Gallup became an official member along with keyboardist Matthieu Hartley. The single "A Forest" was the band's first entry in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.
Faith is the third studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 17 April 1981 by Fiction Records. The album saw the band continuing in the gloomy vein of their previous effort Seventeen Seconds (1980). This stylistic theme would conclude with their next album Pornography (1982).
Boys Don't Cry is the Cure's first compilation album. Released in February 1980, this album is composed of several tracks from the band's May 1979 debut album Three Imaginary Boys with material from the band's 1978–1979 era.
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 26 May 1987 by Fiction Records. The album was recorded at Studio Miraval in Correns, France.
Pornography is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 4 May 1982 by Fiction Records. Preceded by the non-album single "Charlotte Sometimes", it was the band's first album with new producer Phil Thornalley, and was recorded at RAK Studios from January to April 1982. The sessions saw the band on the brink of collapse, with heavy drug use, band in-fighting, and frontman Robert Smith's depression fueling the album's musical and lyrical content. Pornography represents the conclusion of the Cure's early dark, gloomy musical phase, which began with their second album Seventeen Seconds (1980).
The Top is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 4 May 1984 by Fiction Records. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number ten on 12 May. Shortly after its release, the Cure embarked on a major tour of the United Kingdom, culminating in a three-night residency at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Cure. It was released on 30 August 1985 by Fiction Records. Preceded by the single "In Between Days" which had reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, The Head on the Door was described by Melody Maker as "a collection of pop songs". With its variety of styles, it allowed the group to reach a wider audience in both Europe and North America. In the United Kingdom it became their most successful album to date, entering the albums chart at No. 7 on 7 September.
Standing on a Beach is a greatest hits album by English rock band the Cure, released in the United States on 15 May 1986 by Elektra Records and in the United Kingdom on 19 May 1986 by Fiction Records, 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".
Concert: The Cure Live is the first live album by English rock band the Cure. It was recorded in 1984 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and in Oxford during The Top tour. The cassette tape edition featured, on the B-side, a twin album of anomalies, titled Curiosity : Cure Anomalies 1977–1984.
The Cure in Orange is a concert film by British rock group The Cure. It was shot on 35mm film at the Théâtre antique d'Orange in the French countryside, on 8, 9, and 10 August 1986. Band members Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Boris Williams (Drums), and Lol Tolhurst (Keyboards) make their way through 23 songs, under the direction of Tim Pope.
Pearl Thompson is an English musician and artist. Thompson is best known as a member of the English alternative rock band The Cure from 1983-1993 and 2005-2011, during which he was credited as Porl Thompson and played mainly guitar with occasional keyboards and saxophone. After leaving the Cure he has focused on a successful career as a visual artist.
Michael Stephen Dempsey is an English musician, best known as the bassist for The Cure and The Associates.
Laurence Andrew Tolhurst is an English musician, songwriter, producer, and author. He was a founding member of the Cure, for which he first played drums before switching to keyboards. He left the Cure in 1989 and later formed the bands Presence and Levinhurst. He has also published two books and developed the Curious Creatures podcast. This has led him to collaborate with Budgie and Jacknife Lee and the release of an album, Los Angeles (2023).
"Boys Don't Cry" is a song by English rock band The Cure. It was released in the UK as a stand-alone single in June 1979, and was included as the title track on Boys Don't Cry, the American equivalent to Three Imaginary Boys.
"Jumping Someone Else's Train" is a song by English rock band The Cure. Produced by Chris Parry, it was released on 2 November 1979 in the UK as a stand-alone. It later appeared on the US version of the band's debut album, Boys Don't Cry (1980).
"Let's Go to Bed" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as a stand-alone single by Fiction Records in November 1982. In the aftermath of the dark Pornography, Robert Smith returned from a month-long detox in the Lake District to write the song, the antithesis to what the Cure currently represented. It was later included on the album Japanese Whispers, which compiles the band's three singles from 1982 to 1983 and their five B-sides.
"I'm a Cult Hero" is a single released by an extended lineup of the Cure under the name Cult Hero.
The Cure: "Reflections" refers to a set of shows in which The Cure played their first three albums Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith in full at the VividLive festival at the Sydney Opera House on 31 May and 1 June 2011. All three albums were played in their entirety on both nights, along with several other tracks from the same era.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Remix albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
|
| Other songs | |
| Video albums | |
| Tours | |
| Related articles | |
