Boys Don’t Cry was a sort of
reworked version of The Cure’s debut album Three Imaginary Boys, and was
released in early 1980. It takes many of
the better tracks from the debut and adds their first three excellent singles
from 1979. The packaging, like the music
within, is quite rough and ready, with charmingly cheap looking artwork.
Unlike the material that followed,
this album bristles with nervous, jerky energy.
Opening with the title track, which is possibly THE quintessential Cure
song, and needs little description here.
10.15 Saturday Night oscillates between gentle, barely there guitar
strumming and heavier guitar stabs, leading into Robert Smith’s searing guitar
solo. It’s probably best to avoid
discussion of the emo-inventing “drip, drip, drip...” lyrics which don’t really stand up to
scrutiny. Jumping Someone Else’s Train
and later Fire In Cairo are bouncy tracks with great melodies which rattle by
pleasingly.
Debut single Killing An Arab,
HEAVILY influenced by Camus has a vaguely Middle Eastern guitar riff and a hefty
dose of attitude. Later on the album,
slower tracks such as Another Day and Three Imaginary Boys are moodier,
wallowing tracks signposting the band’s direction on subsequent albums. It’s an essential document of The Cure’s very
early days.
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