There's something about the primitive innocence of early Cure that makes me want to listen to it again and again. As a dyed-n-the-wool Cure fan, I like or at least appreciate nearly everything they do, but this early stuff is really melodic and could potentially appeal to a much bigger crowd than, say, their PORNOGRAPHY album ever could. Sure, one could say the American release of THREE IMAGINARY BOYS (renamed BOYS DON'T CRY) is superior, but Disk 1 presents the album in its original form - that's history, baby! Yes, "Killing An Arab" belongs here, but that song's pretty easy to come by anyway so no biggie. "Plastic Passion" is also missing, but you can get that one on the JOIN THE DOTS B-side collection which is worth getting for the first disk alone (and, of course, there's always downloading..). Obviously, this expanded package is aimed at the die-hard fans, but some of the unreleased tracks on Disk 2 are actually superior to many of the TIB tracks (IMHO). There's a lot of really cool music on Disk 2 that's worth discovering even if you're not a big fan. In addition there's a few well-known singles and some demos that are mostly of interest to the diehards.
The following is a song by song commentary of Disk 2 from an old-school Cure fan (since '85). I've never been dedicated or savvy enough to collect a lot of bootlegs, so for me most of Disk 2 was a thrilling discovery. ---------------------------------------------------->
"I Want To Be Old" (studio demo) - this appropriately cynical song totally rips. Very punk. Robert Smith has said his main influences starting out were The Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Buzzcocks, and that influence is very evident on several Disk 2 tracks including this one. Great sound. *****
"I'm Cold" (studio demo) - many Cure fans are familiar with a slowed-down, wiggy version of this song which served as an early B-side. This is a straight-up version, upbeat and rocking. The lyrics are perfectly clear without the wicked reversed echo heard on the B-side and they're so cool - cold, actually. Guitar wizard Porl Thompson appears on several of these early tracks including this cut. After a falling out with Robert Smith, he later rejoined the band. Great sound on this one. *****
"Heroin Face" (live) - a harsh blast of punked-up energy. Fairly decent but certainly not great sound (I believe it's an audience recording). Those fortunate enough to have a copy of the rare CURIOSITY cassette released back in the day have heard this track. ***1/2
"I Just Need Myself" (studio demo) - Robert Smith quite obviously cops Sex Pistol singer Johnny Rotten's vocal style on this cut (as he does on the TIB track "So What"). He even sounds a bit like a sneering Rotten but whinier. Pretty basic rock n' roll with Porl wailing on guitar. I love it. ****
"10:15 Saturday Night" (home demo) - I am so thrilled to have this version. Just a young Robert Smith, home alone on Hammond organ, guitar and drum machine. This version captures the bare essence of the song. Robert sounds so anguished! *****
"The Cocktail Party" (home demo) - an amusing lark with Hawaiian-sounding guitar, poorly recorded but fun. ***1/2
"Grinding Halt" (home demo) - early document, mostly of interest to those who study the band. Not much different from the final studio version, has bad sound. ***
"Boys Don't Cry" (studio demo) - pretty good, straight-up version. A very good pop song (but far from my personal Cure fav). ****
"It's Not You" (studio demo) - cool song, very good version, some different lyrics. ****
"10:15 Saturday Night" (studio demo) - great version, not too different but way cool. *****
"Fire In Cairo" (studio demo) - cool version, slightly grittier sound on the guitars. *****
"Winter" (studio out-take) - this is a great lost track. So soft and dreamy, I can understand why it wasn't included on the debut. A harbinger of more mellow and emotional songs to come from the Cure. *****
"Faded Smiles" aka "I Don't Know" (studio out-take) - another great lost track, this one rocks. ****1/2
"Play With Me" (studio out-take) - Wow! yet another great unreleased song, this one has a prickly old-school guitar groove that just works. ****1/2
"World War" (rare album track) - Robert Smith hates this cut and was appalled when label head Chris Perry added it to the original album line-up. If memory serves, this song was on my old BOYS DON'T CRY tape and I've always found its primitive, almost bone-headed approach strangely appealing. It's got a sort of sinister post-apocalyptic feel to it. ****
"Boys Don't Cry" (extra album track) - the (should've been) hit single. Undeniably catchy..and truly great (but again, not my favorite Cure song). ****1/2
"Jumping Someone Else's Train" (extra album track) - This frantic, runaway-train track is one of their best singles. A biting commentary on poseurs. *****
"Subway Song" (live) - previously available on the CURIOSITY tape. An otherworldly sounding, very cool bootleg. ****1/2
"Accuracy" (live) - To my amazement, Smith has claimed this to be one of his favorite Cure songs (although it was back in the 80s when he mentioned this in some interview). I don't share his opinion. "Accuracy" is too "sing-songy" for my tastes. This early bootleg does nothing to change my opinion of it. **1/2
"10:15 Saturday Night" (live) - a totally punked-out, hyper-kinetic blast through "10:15." Quite a vast difference between this one and Robert's home demo, but both of them are absolutely fantastic in their own way. This live version gets into some totally groove-worthy rhythms near the end and reaches a head-spinning climax. A must for Cure fans! *****
UPDATE:
Just for the fun of it, I made my own "alternate reality Cure album" composed of the "new" songs on this disk along with some early B-sides from the JOIN THE DOTS collection. I think it's great and I've been listening to it a lot lately. As someone mentioned elsewhere, "See The Children" is another great early track that should've been included here. Robert Smith probably left it off because it's a song sung from the point of view of a child molester! LOL, I think he had enough headaches from the "Killing An Arab" debacle. But you can hear it on [...] (that popular sight that plays videos).
"SICKNESS"
I Want To Be Old
I'm Cold
I Just Need Myself
Do The Hansa
The Coctail Party
Heroin Face
World War
Plastic Passion
Pillbox Tales
Faded Smiles
Winter
Play With Me
I was more than geeked to see the first American release of "Three Imaginary Boys" after merely 25 years in the waiting. Yep, I heard the album before this Rhino reissue 2-disc edition on a import cassette I borrowed from a friend more than a decade ago. It always shocked me how the U.S. Electra label narrowed the U.S. listeners down to the "Boys Don't Cry" album, especially after the disc version came out and eliminated the songs "World War" & "Object"--two of my favorite tunes from the band's 1st U.S. vinyl release. Yep, I realize the Robert Smith didn't quite care for "World War"--but it's among the top ten of my favorite Cure melodies to date--probably because the lyrics sort of ring a true bell to today's recent castrophies in U.S. history.
My question to Rhino Records--why the 2nd disc?!? It's great to hear some of the Cure "uncut/rarities" for the first time, but some of the tunes contained on the 2nd disc are barely listenable, such as the home demos of "10:15 on a Saturday Night", "the Coctail Party", "Boys Don't Cry" and "Grinding Halt." These outtakes are entertaining during the first listen and like dynamite for us Cure fanatics, but are a little too sloppy to pay an extra chunk for a two-disc set! On that note--I was very greatful to hear "Faded Smiles...," "Play With Me," and "Winter" for the first time. It's hard to believe that these tunes were buried and forgotten.
I would have given the original release reissue version of "Three Imaginary Boys" a whole five big stars, but the 2nd disc of the Rhino reissue ruined it for me. The band becomes too over-exposed, and the outtakes are too sloppy.
This reissue could have been narrowed down to one disc with the addition of "World War," "I Want to be Old," "Winter," "Faded Smiles" and "Play With Me." The rest of the 2nd disc becomes a distraction of live versions, home versions, and "too many versions heard" of the same songs all over again. After hearing this 1st bunch of the Rhino reissues of the Cure, I'm a little skeptical of whether or not I will buy any more of the reissues of the Cure on Rhino. Perhaps this opinion will change once the label buys up the rights to the Cure classics "the Top," & "Japanese Whispers." But, until then--I'm only sleeping.
This is the record that sounds odd when the rest of their discography is taken into consideration. But at the same time, it makes perfect sense that they made an album that sounded like this. It's very representative of its time period, but at the same time, it doesn't sound dated. On the contrary. I like this record so much more than when I first heard it. It's a very subtle album, but in the subtleties is where its charm lies. The songs are some of Mr. Smith's most enduring and catchy. No less than three post punk classics are included in the form of "Subway Song," "Fire In Cairo," and the undeniably great "10.15 Saturday Night." All Cure fans should hear this album at least once to hear one of the band's finest albums, and one of the finest albums of the initial post-punk/new wave movement.
I actually picked this up on import vinyl last week, and was blown away! I've never heard this lp from the top to bottom before, and there were several tracks I'd never heard of as well, a very cool experience. You can definately tell the Cure came out of the punk movement from the late 70's. The raw energy and sparseness of the record added with Robert's "I don't give a ***" vocals give a real good glimspe into the band before they were hip. There is a real D.I.Y. flavour to the record, and it stands as a masterpeice on it's own for it's time period. A must have for the REAL fan.
I want to like this series of reissues a whole lot more than I do. The sound quality is great, and the lean, angular sounds of this album are given a new punch and sparkle through the remastering.
My first hesitation is that Rhino has released the album in its original UK version. Not many folks might agree with me, but I find the US version (which I grew up with) far superior, largely due to the replacement of the UK version's weakest tracks with superb singles like "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train." These tracks are included on the bonus disc, but Rhino has--frustratingly--left off those singles' superb B-sides, "10:15 Saturday Night" and "Plastic Passion," both of which appeared on the US version. Given that Rhino has included an entire second disc, there's really no reason not to include these tracks. A missed opportunity.
The Cure's B-sides and rarities have already been compiled on a box set, so the bonus discs in this series consist largely of demos and live recordings. With the exception of the singles mentioned above, the bonus disc here is interesting mainly as an historical curiosity. This is something most folks will listen to once and never again.
My final hesitation comes with the $25 price tag--which seems awfully high to pay for a remastered album and a second disc consisting almost entirely of home demos. Other labels have released similarly expanded versions and managed to keep the price under $20.
Rhino is also releasing the Cure's catalog in remastered, single disc format, so folks who are deterred by the high price should just wait around a bit.
