Taking Sides: _Three Imaginary Boys_ vs _Boys Don't Cry

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Perhaps I'm pandering to the Cure completists here, but so what? SOOOO WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?

On the one hand, we have the original UK version of The Cure's first album, complete with the completely bizarre "So What?" and "Meathook".

On the other hand, we have the US version with the oddness and extra punk excised in favor of the singles, a b-side or two, and their most underrated guitar dirge, "World War".

Any Cure freak will tell you both are essential, but which one is BETTER?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:18 (twenty-three years ago)

I vote Three Imaginary Boys. I like the bizarreness.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Can't beat the packaging either.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

As much as I loove "Meathook" and "So What?", I have to side with _Boys Don't Cry_ here, largely because of "World War". Honestly, I think if you scan their entire catalogue of songs, this is the most overlooked and underrated song they've ever done. Fans skip over it, the band likes to pretend it doesn't exist, but it's frickin' brilliant. I'd much rather have that than an album with two versions of "Object" on it (no, "It's Not You" didn't impress me much). Also, the CD version of _BDC_ has "So What?" on it.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I bought my sealed LP copy of BDC in the cut-out bin back in the day... there were loads of them!

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I seethe with envy at you. But it's very polite, respectful seething.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Three Imaginary Boys is far better.

The Cure's back catalogue could really do with a good compilation of 'B' sides (e.g. Plastic Passion, I'm Cold, Another Journey By Train, Descent, Splintered In Her Head), oddities (e.g. World War) and rarities (e.g. Cult Hero / I Dig You).

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 15:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I originally had this as a tape copy, labelled "Boys Don't Cry," which was apparently some weird combination of the two. At present I'll side with any version that has "So What" on it. (And I'm surprised "Meathook" was on 3IB -- did any other Easy Cure songs make it across to the actual Cure? Smith was sort of cute doing his Buzzcocks impersonations on some of those.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 16:19 (twenty-three years ago)

The US cassette tape edition of Standing on a Beach had all the B-sides.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 16:20 (twenty-three years ago)

It didn't have any of the ones that were on _Boys Don't Cry_, though.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 16:35 (twenty-three years ago)

touché! Ah, Dan, let's post on this thread all day; we'll be so happy together....

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 16:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't there a Hendrix cover on THREE IMAGINARY BOYS?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 20:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, there is: "Foxy Lady". Sadly, it isn't very essential (at least, not compared to "Plastic Passion" or "World War").

Teeny: We could gaze into each other's eyes and offer hearts on meathooks to the world!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 20:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Not actually convinced that's Bob Smith singing on "Foxy Lady". Could it be Michael Dempsey? He does get a vocal credit after all.

According to RealOne Player, the 3IB bonus track is called "The Weedy Burton". Ha!

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Wednesday, 1 January 2003 14:14 (twenty-three years ago)

world war is a good song but i would say that three imaginary boys is better. like teeny says, the package, artwork, etc are great.

they need to release the cassette only things on cd or lp.

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 1 January 2003 21:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Any cd compilation which collected "To The Sky", "Fear of Ghosts" and "A Chain of Flowers" together would be just dandy.

How do things stand with regard to The Cure not being with Polydor anymore - would this cause any problems with releasing b-side/rare stuff?

― Paz, Wednesday, 1 January 2003 23:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Didn't the cassette tape version of 'Concert' have extra stuff on it as well?

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 2 January 2003 01:44 (twenty-three years ago)

The Concert cassette did indeed contain an impressive collection of demos and rare stuff; I agree entirely, a proper CD release of this and the 79-92 b-sides would be bloody lovely.

― Charlie (Charlie), Thursday, 2 January 2003 02:17 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, and let's not forget Carnage Visors an' all!

― Charlie (Charlie), Thursday, 2 January 2003 02:18 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll go for BDC. One of these two is really the only Cure album worth having.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 2 January 2003 10:47 (twenty-three years ago)

I bought BDC as a cheap tape (new) in provincial France, long ago. I guess I love it.

I bought 3IB as a cheap tape (second hand) in provincial England, a couple of years later. Its apparent similarity to BDC (as far as I can remember) must have meant I never saw much need to play it.

Perry is right to remind us all of 'Plastic Passion', 'World War' etc.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I scrounged together a lurvly mp3 disc when Napster was still running of all the various rarities and things I could get my hands on Curewise -- the B-side folder of that has made for essential listening over the moons. But I think the two things I'm happiest about finding are the 'happy birthday Simon' version of "Forever" and the "fuck Robert Palmer" take on "A Forest"...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Apart from various bootlegs, the odds'n'ends compilation that used to be found on the b-side of the cassette version of CONCERT (dubbed CURIOUSITY) has never been properly released on compact disc. It's a must-have, though, not least for the yobbish "Heroin Face" and haunting rendition of "All Mine" (a fragment of "Forever" which, though abysmally recorded, positively bleeds with wrought angst).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

3IB offers far superior cover art and even though it lacks a a bunch of the singles that adorned BDC, offers the type of edge one should expect on a debut.

Yes. Staring At the Sea needs a CD issue (and expansion) -- those b-sides are tasty! ¥

― christoff (christoff), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually the strange things at the start of Cureiosity are interesting, aren't they? - a live version of 'Subway Song' (isn't it?) in the middle of a noisy bar, etc.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:49 (twenty-three years ago)

The original version of "In Your House" (when it was still called "Two People") is ridiculously fantastic.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 January 2003 14:48 (twenty-three years ago)

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Taking Sides: _Three Imaginary Boys_ vs _Boys Don't Cry_