The Cure remasters begins with the first album Three Imaginary Boys.  Robert Smith has taken great care to preserve the original album and has added a second disc of rarities, including demos, live tracks and studio outtakes. Three Imaginary Boys was released to strong reviews and a decent chart position.  What is remarkable about the album is how it doesn’t give a very clear hint of what would eventually make the band known across the world.

The Cure started as a catchy post-punk band.  The sound was spare and Robert Smith’s vocals were far from the expressiveness that he would come to be known for.  This was the first and only album that Smith didn’t assume total control over.  Many of the decisions, from track list to cover art, were decided by people other than the band.

Nevertheless, a few of the band’s best known songs were released during this time period.  “10:15 Saturday Night” is the first track on TIF and has been a consistent presence in Cure live shows since.  “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” while not album tracks are included in the reissue on the second disc.

This update on Three Imaginary Boys thickens up the sound and gives the songs a crisper production.  The track “World War” is pulled from the original album, Robert Smith thought it was a piece of trash, but it shows up on the second disc.  

The songs are musically simple with the lyrics being the kind of arty prose that only a 19 year old could write. Smith’s lyrics produced compelling images but he had not yet learned how to express those lyrics they way he would on later albums.  Three Imaginary Boys has several interesting tracks, including the up-tempo “Grinding Halt” followed by the mellow “Another Day”.  The cover of Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” was misguided and seems like some kind of strange experiment gone wrong.

“Fire in Cairo” gives a small glimpse into what the band would expand upon in their early years, an oddly danceable and catchy track.  The album ends with “The Weedy Burton”, a short instrumental ode to the Burt Weedon books that taught Robert Smith how to play guitar.

The second disc shows a much rougher and dirtier Cure.  On studio demos like “I Want to Be Old” and the live recording “Heroin Face” the band is much more aggressive and rougher sounding.  An early home demo of “10:15 Saturday Night” is an organ infused crawl and then a heavier guitar crunch on a full band demo track.

The live recordings are of very poor quality and the previously unreleased tracks don’t offer much more than the original album except for “Play with Me” that should have replaced “World War” in the original running order.

Remastered albums can bring mixed blessings.  The sound of Three Imaginary Boys is greatly improved upon but the rarities disc doesn’t offer much that would appeal to people other than the most hardcore of Cure fans.  Robert Smith is taking an interesting approach to the re-release of these albums and it should be exciting to see what surprises come with future remixes.
 

The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys
Label: Elektra Entertainment
Rating: 
 

Tracks:  DISC 1: THREE IMAGINARY BOYS: 10:15 Saturday Night Accuracy Grinding Halt Another Day Object Subway Song Foxy Lady Meathook So What Fire In Cairo It's Not You Three Imaginary Boys Weedy Burton, The DISC 2: RARITIES 1977-1979: I Want To Be Old - (previously unreleased, studio, demo) I'm Cold - (demo) Heroin Face - (live) I Just Need Myself - (previously unreleased, demo) 10:15 Saturday Night - (demo) Cocktail Party, The - (demo) Grinding Halt - (demo) Boys Don't Cry - (demo) It's Not You - (demo) 10:15 Saturday Night - (demo) Fire In Cairo - (demo) Winter - (previously unreleased, studio out-take) Faded Smiles (I Don't Know) - (studio out-take) Play With Me - (previously unreleased, studio out-take) World War - (rare album track) Boys Don't Cry - (extra album track) Jumping Someone Else's Train - (extra album track) Subway Song (Live) Accuracy (Live) 10:15 Saturday Night (Live)

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