The Cure's Debut Three Imaginary Boys: So Very Un-Cure-Like
Written: Dec 07 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great songs, amazing bonuses...
Cons: The best and least Cure-like album (if this is a con for you)
The Bottom Line: If you NEED a complete Cure collection or would like to hear them pre doom and gloom buy Three Imaginary Boys now.
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| lambchops's Full Review: Three Imaginary... [Digipak] [Remaster] - The Cure |
Leave it to Rhino Records to uncover long lost music. The Cure debuted in 1979 with the previously unavailable on CD (at least in the states) Three Imaginary Boys. Repackaged, remastered and rereleased for 2004, the original thirteen-song record is joined by a 20-song disc of rarities from 1977 through 1979. The classic original is an anomaly in The Cure catalogue which maybe accounts for why it has been somewhat difficult to find over the years. Upbeat, catchy, and energetic it is easily the band's most widely appealing.
Of course as all music fans know, The Cure followed this album with a whole bunch of black gloom and doom. At times I have appreciated that version of The Cure but usually I've found the whole act to be insincere and melodramatic. Maybe that's why I can't help but thing Three Imaginary Boys is the best album from The Cure even though it is distinctly unlike anything else the band ever produced.
The CD booklet to Three Imaginary Boys is scant. It tells the story of the beginning of the band and the release of this album. More importantly though are the early band pictures. Robert Smith and company don't look nearly as dour as in their later press photos. I appreciate the un-made-up attitudes and even smiles out of the trio. The pictures paired with the music add character to the two-dimensional band The Cure became. I almost find myself liking The Cure because of Three Imaginary Boys.
...almost...
It's hard to connect this young, hip, cheery post-punk/new-wave act with the shoegazing The Cure. I personally am much more fond of the early cure which is why this album's rerelease is so refreshing and necessary. I do hear some slight hint of what was to come from them--most notably in Another Day and maybe even Three Imaginary Boys--but that is not by far the constant throughout Three Imaginary Boys. The brief album (clocking in at just over thirty minutes) easily holds my attention. It's not entirely original and it's not "deep" lyrically but it is fun with Smith's uncharacteristically upbeat vocals and guitar, Michael Dempsey's bass, and Laurernce Tolhurst's percussion. This is the work of a band whose potential wasn't yet fully realized and maybe never was fully realized.
The strangest track is a cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic Foxy Lady. They were having fun with the melody in a very unexpected way. Their blatantly "new wave" interpretation differs so greatly from the original as far as instruments, vocals, and arrangement that it scarcely sounds like the same song. I guess that's why I like it. Nobody can do it as well as Hendrix--so why try to do the same thing and fail? It's more of an homage this way than anything.
As much as I enjoy Foxy Lady, there are some truly outstanding originals. Fire in Cairo, Grinding Halt, Meathook, It's Not You, and down tempo Three Imaginary Boys (a nice remaster of the original studio version)are my favorite songs however I can't find fault in the rest of the songs. The album is cohesive, entertaining, and well produced (or is it well remastered). Particularly enjoyable is Fire in Cairo which leaves me completely exhilarated and chanting F-I-R-E-I-N-C-A-I-R-O. It is impossible to imagine a cold-hearted soul who doesn't enjoy a song with the sheer pop appeal of Fire in Cairo. In fact, songs like this remind me of early The Cure contemporaries like Blondie, Joe Jackson, and Talking Heads. If you like those bands, you will cherish Three Little Boys.
In addition to the kitschy coolness of the original album (and the unexpected pop appeal), the newly unearthed bonus material is what makes this offering from The Cure a must-own not to mention one of the most interesting and necessary remasters of recent memory. That bonus disc contains an impressive twelve tracks, all of which are demos, live recordings, and out-takes between 1977 and 1979. It is fascinating to hear earlier and multiple versions of the same tracks collected on Three Imaginary Boys. Sometimes the versions are superior, sometimes inferior, and sometimes just different. It is clear why songs like Fire in Cairo, 10:15 Saturday Night, and Grinding Halt were chosen to be on The Cure's debut. Fire in Cairo is still outstanding despite it's slowed pace and less distinct chanting I adore on the original album.
My interest is also peaked by the songs which didn't make it on to Three Imaginary Boys but instead showed up on future releases and/or as singles. Boys Don't Cry (two versions) and Jumping Someone Else's Train are particularly notable. The three included mono home demos are as under produced as I expected, but they do give a certain amount of perspective to the end products. In addition, some tracks are entirely new to me (and maybe also to "real" fans of the band). This 20-track grouping of songs is cool in its rarity and starkness and a necessary addition to any collection of The Cure. The only valid complaint about the bonus disc is that the live tracks are mostly difficult to listen to (outside of Heroin Face).
If you enjoy The Cure, buy this new version of Three Imaginary Boys. If you don't like The Cure because they are too dark and difficult, buy this new version of Three Imaginary Boys. There's fun to be had by all.
Rating: 5/5 stars
The Original Album
01. 10:15 Saturday Night
02. Accuracy
03. Grinding Halt
04. Another Day
05. Object
06. Subway Song
07. Foxy Lady
08. Meathook
09. So What
10. Fire in Cairo
11. It's Not You
12. Three Imaginary Boys
13. The Weedy Burton
Rarities 1977-1979
01. I Want to Be Old (studio demo)
02. I'm Cold (studio demo)
03. Heroin Face (live)
04. I Just Need Myself (studio demo)
05. 10:15 Saturday Night (home demo)
06. The Cocktail Party (home demo)
07. Griding Halt (home demo)
08. Boys Don't Cry (studio demo)
09. It's Not You (studio demo)
10. 10:15 Saturday Night (studio demo)
11. Fire in Cairo (studio demo)
12. Winter (studio out-take)
13. Faded Smiles aka I Don't Know (studio out-take)
14. Play With Me (studio out-take)
15. World War (rare album track)
16. Boys Don't Cry (extra album track)
17. Jumping Someone Else's Train (extra album track)
18. Subway Song (live)
19. Accuracy (live)
20. 10:15 Saturday Night (live)
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Related Review
Wild Mood Swings (1996)
http://www.epinions.com/content_54533459588
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Yes
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