Three Imaginary Boys

by The Cure

Overview

Maybe it was youthful exuberance or perhaps it was the fact that the band itself was not pulling all the strings, Three Imaginary Boys is not only a very strong debut, but a near oddity (it's an admittedly "catchy" record) in the Cure catalog. More poppy and representative of the times than any other album during their long career, Three Imaginary Boys is a semi-detached bit of late-'70s English pop-punk. Angular and lyrically abstract, it's strong points are in its utter simplicity. There are no dirges here, no long suites, just short bursts of energy and a rather strange cover of Hendrix's "Foxy Lady." For some, this is the last good Cure record, many fans of this album being in no way prepared for the sparse emptiness and gloom that would be the cornerstone of future releases. For the most die-hard Cure-head, however, it's an interesting sidenote, hard to place in the general flow of the band's discography. Cure leader Robert Smith has voiced many times over his mixed feelings about the record, most notably the cover art (the three "representative" appliances on the cover, the lack of a real track listing -- all the songs are represented with arty type pictures -- and in no real order) and the production, which at times is admittedly a little muddy, but even that lends it a certain youthful charm. What the Cure would do next wasn't entirely obvious to the listener of this album, but there are some definite hints. ~ Chris True

Product Details

Release Date:	09/06/2005
Label:	Universal Distribution / Fiction / Um3
UPC:	0602498218297

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Cure   Primary Artist
Robert J. Smith   Guitar,Vocals
Lol Tolhurst   Drums
Porl Thompson   Guitar,Vocals
Michael Dempsey   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Robert Smith   Guitar,Vocals
Laurence Tolhurst   Drums

Technical Credits

Robert J. Smith   Producer
Connie Jude   Illustrations
Bill Airey Smith   Design,Photography,Illustrations
Chihiro Nozaki   Coordination
B. Smith   Photography
Bill Smith   Design
Chris Parry   Producer
Lol Tolhurst   Composer
Joe Black   Project Coordinator,Reissue Production Coordination
Porl Thompson   Reissue Photography
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
Mike Hedges   Engineer
Michael J. Dutton   Assistant
Chris Blair   Digital Mastering,Remastering Engineer,Reissue Digital Remastering
Robin Hurley   Reissue Project Coordination Assistant
Reggie Collins   Reissue Project Coordination Assistant
Michael Dempsey   Composer
Robert Smith   Composer
Kenny Nemes   Reissue Project Coordination Assistant
Tony Mottram   Reissue Photography
Bunny Lake   Reissue Photography
Julien Potter   Reissue Art
John Taw   Reissue Photography
Mike Dutton   Assistant Engineer
Martyn Goddard   Photography
Laurence Tolhurst   Composer
Daryl Bamonte   Project Coordinator,Reissue Production Coordination
Shinjiro Kawashima   Research
Minoru Harada   Product Manager
David Dragon   Illustrations