The Cure: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar); Michael Dempsey (vocals, bass); Lol Tolhurst (drums).
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England in 1979.
Personnel: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar); Michael Dempsey (vocals); Lol Tolhurst, Laurence Tolhurst (drums).
Recording information: Morgan Studios, North London, England.
Inaugurating the shadowy gloom/blissful pop combination that became the Cure's trademark, BOYS DON'T CRY contains healthy portions of both, along with a dose of punk-fueled angst befitting the times in which it was recorded. Robert Smith reveals himself as an alarmingly developed songwriter--though he was still in his late teens when these songs were written, his compositional abilities are as impressive as the potential they reveal.
The album produced a string of hits, several of which were to remain signature tunes for the group throughout their lengthy tenure in pop's upper strata. The title track, as touchingly naive and vulnerable a love song as one could ask for, is the album's best-known song. "Killing An Arab," based on a famous passage from "The Stranger," attracted controversy while it displayed Smith's burgeoning taste in exotic compositional textures. The gently bizarre "10:15 Saturday Night" is a calm study in dynamics, while "Jumping Someone Else's Train" is a cry for individuality, a sentiment truly at the heart of this and all the group's work.
