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Three Imaginary Boys
Studio album by the Cure
Released	11 May 1979
Recorded	1978–79
Studio	Morgan, London
Genre	Post-punk new wave pop-punk power pop
Length	35:31
Label	Fiction
Producer	Chris Parry
The Cure chronology
Three Imaginary Boys (1979) Boys Don't Cry (1980)

Three Imaginary Boys is the debut studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. 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.

Production and content

The record company decided which songs were put on the album and running order, 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. 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 Chris Parry's choice".

Release

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. 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.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
The Guardian
The Irish Times
Pitchfork	8.7/10
Record Mirror
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Smash Hits	8/10
Sounds
Uncut

Despite Smith's displeasure with the record, Three Imaginary Boys was well received critically at the time of its release. 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." Red Starr, writing in Smash Hits, described the album as a "brilliant, compelling debut." 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."

Chris True of AllMusic retrospectively called the album "a very strong debut" and a "semi-detached bit of late-'70s English pop-punk". Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork likened the album to a "new wave Wire... Joy Division" and called it "as original a record as anything else to spin off from the tail end of punk." He also called the album "spiky post-punk." BBC Music critic Simon Morgan said "Smith was forging his own take on the post-punk zeitgeist," 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." The album was also described as "a collection of melodic but slightly kooky power-pop" by Chris Gerard of PopMatters.

50th anniversary plans

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 . 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.”

Track listing

All tracks are written by the Cure (Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey and Lol Tolhurst), except as noted

Personnel

The Cure

• Robert Smith – guitar, lead vocals (all but "Foxy Lady"), harmonica ("Subway Song")
• Michael Dempsey – bass, backing and lead ("Foxy Lady") vocals
• Lol Tolhurst – drums

Additional personnel

• Porl Thompson – lead guitar, backing vocals (1–4, 6, 7 of bonus disc)

Technical

• David Dragon – sleeve illustrations
• Michael J. Dutton – "assistant"
• Martyn Goddard – sleeve photography
• Mike Hedges – engineering
• Connie Jude – sleeve illustrations
• Chris Parry – production
• Bill Smith – art direction, sleeve design, additional photography

Certifications

References

1. "The Cure | Three Imaginary Boys". 8 May 1979.
2. "The Cure | Boys Don't Cry". 5 February 2016.
3. Gallucci, Michael (11 May 2013). "34 Years Ago: The Cure's 'Three Imaginary Boys' Album Released". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
4. ^ Apter, Jeff (2009). Never Enough: The Story of The Cure. Omnibus Press.
5. Oldham, James (August 2004). "The Gothfather". Uncut. No. 87. pp. 50–66.
6. ^ True, Chris. "Three Imaginary Boys – The Cure". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
7. Wolk, Douglas (October 2005). "The Cure: Three Imaginary Boys". Blender. No. 41. Archived from the original on 27 November 2005. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
8. Sweeting, Adam (17 December 2004). "The Cure, Three Imaginary Boys Deluxe Edition". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
9. Courtney, Kevin (17 December 2004). "The Cure: Three Imaginary Boys – Deluxe Edition (Fiction/Polydor)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
10. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh (14 December 2004). "The Cure: Three Imaginary Boys [Deluxe Edition]". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
11. Westwood, Chris (19 May 1979). "Physician Rock 'n' Roll Thyself!". Record Mirror. p. 16.
12. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Cure". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 205–06. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
13. ^ Starr, Red (28 June – 11 July 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1, no. 15. p. 25.
14. ^ McCullough, Dave (12 December 1979). "Cure Pop for Now People". Sounds.
15. Martin, Piers (January 2005). "The Cure: Three Imaginary Boys". Uncut. No. 92. p. 146.
16. Morley, Paul (12 May 1979). "A Cure for Cancer?". NME.
17. Abebe, Nitsuh (25 August 2006). "The Cure / Robert Smith: The Top / The Head on the Door / Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me / Blue Sunshine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
18. Morgan, Simon (2 December 2004). "The Cure Three Imaginary Boys (Deluxe Edition) Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
19. Strong, Martin C. The Essential Rock Discography.
20. Gerard, Chris (1 October 2015). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 – 1". PopMatters. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
21. Fu, Eddie (14 October 2024). "The Cure Will Retire After 50th Anniversary of Debut Album in 2029". Consequence. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
22. Baker, Glenn (8 August 1981). "Frontier Booms Via Divere Acts". Billboard. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
23. "British album certifications – The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 January 2024.

External links

• Three Imaginary Boys at Discogs (list of releases)

• The Cure albums
• Fiction Records albums
• 1979 debut albums
• Rhino Entertainment albums
• Albums recorded at Morgan Sound Studios
• Power pop albums by English artists