The Cure – Boys Don't Cry (1980)

For a long time, I thought this was The Cure's debut studio album. It was only later on that I learned that this is actually a compilation album that includes many songs from the debut album Three Imaginary Boys in addition to some single releases. In the US, this album was seen as an alternative release of the debut album, so in the end I wasn't that wrong. In my childhood I had heard some songs by The Cure, but I hadn't really gotten to know the band so when I borrowed this album on a CD from the local library, I didn't really know what to expect. I was blown away by some of the more melodic songs but I didn't really care that much for some of the songs. Now, looking back, this compilation includes some of my all time favourite Cure tracks. I still don't have Three Imaginary Boys, but I think the vinyl version of this album is enough from the early era Cure.



I was properly introduced to The Cure through this album, which might seem strange to someone who has listened to the later albums first. The sound is quite different from the later albums. At the time this album came out, they hadn't developed their trademark horror-post-punk style yet. The sounds are a lot drier and simpler and it's actually quite close to Joy Division's sound. The guitars and bass lines are very sharp and there's hardly any echo or studio effects. All the instruments sound pretty much like they would just be played right in front of you.

The album starts with the amazing title-track Boys Don't Cry. This is one of the biggest hits by The Cure and it's definitely the most well-known of these early songs. It's surprisingly approachable and simple from quite an alternative band, which means that it has also been widely used in popular culture, most notably in the film with the same name. The second song Plastic Passion is a prime example of early Cure, where fast and dry electric guitars go along with melodic and treble filled bass lines. 10:15 Saturday Night must have sounded really strange when it was released. It sounds really lo-fi at a time when indie record labels were still very rare and production was usually really carefully made. This song has some off-key notes and there's absolutely no fancy studio techniques. Accuracy has sounds like straight from an old rock n' roll album, but the bass played with a pick makes it sound distinctively post-punk. Object is probably the most first wave punk -styled song on the album. The guitar riffs sounds like they could be from a Buzzcocks album. Jumping Someone Else's Train is one of my favourite songs by The Cure. It's like some of the darker The Smiths songs with it's clear and melodic guitars and fast paced bass lines with lots of treble. Subway Song is a dark and slow song with whispery vocals that are not really like singing at all. This style evolved into the distinctive Cure sounds on the later albums. Killing An Arab is maybe the most lo-fi song on the album. It's using middle eastern scales on the guitar and the song sounds quite a lot like Joy Division. Fire in Cairo is a bit better produced song with some chiming electric guitars that became known in the later Cure albums. Another Day has the kinds of vocals that Robert Smith adopted later on. The slightly off-key laconic scary vocals are very recognisable. Grinding Halt is fast punk song that sounds again a lot like Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. World War is a great lo-fi alternative song that sounds like it's the mother of all the Pavement and Guided by Voices songs. The album ends with Three Imaginary Boys which sounds most like later Cure with the scary chord changes and gothic aesthetics.

The music video for Boys Don't Cry looks amazing. It's three kids playing the song on stage. The shadows behind the young boys are actual shadows of The Cure members. The iconic Robert Smith hairdo is clearly distinguishable in the background. The boys do a great performance.

I first fell in love with these songs by The Cure and it took me a while to get into their heavier and more experimental sounds on other albums. I guess many others have experienced the band the other way around, because their most famous albums only came later on. Nowadays, I love the whole career of The Cure, but there's still something special in these early songs that don't sound like anything in the rest of their career. Boys Don't Cry is probably the clearest hit from the band until Friday I'm in Love broke the bank more than ten years later.

Listen to the album on Spotify.