13. The CureBoys Don’t Cry
The Cure is arguably both mine and Aaron’s favourite band. There’s a ton of records of theirs that could’ve been selected for this list but I think it’s interesting to mention Boys Don’t Cry. It’s such an incredibly sparse record. Drums, bass, guitar with barely any effects. What that manages to achieve is to exemplify what a serious songwriter Robert Smith is. These songs could work on any one instrument and still be amazing. You could play ‘Fire In Cairo’ by yourself on an unplugged bass guitar and the song would still be great and connect with people.
I’ve often tried to imagine being able to hear the Cure and never know what they looked like, or know what they’re famous for. If somehow I could erase all prior Cure knowledge from my mind and discover their whole catalogue in a box of blank tapes. What came from this scenario is that I think their music covers such a wide range styles so successfully. From pure pop hits like the title track from this record to more elaborate and inquisitive expeditions like ‘A Forest’ on Seventeen Seconds. I think they get short changed as just being a goth band, when they were so much more diverse. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the goth element of The Cure, but I’m also aware of their incredible ability to express themselves through such a wide range of musical styles. That’s what places them in my mind far above and beyond many of the other commonly referred to ‘all-time bands’. Â
Another thing I like to imagine is walking into a club randomly in the present day and seeing a three-piece group with the same instrumentation playing a set of songs as good as these. There’s just no way. The Cure were too good. I’m glad they are overlooked in this sense because it makes The Cure feel like a more secret connection, but I think it’d be nice for the band to know how much their work means to people and how much they are appreciated. Another thing to notice is how awesome Robert Smith’s guitar playing is. Robert Smith and Prince are the most overlooked guitar players in music. We didn’t get a white Fender Jazzmaster because of Sonic Youth, or Dinosaur Jr., or My Bloody Valentine. We got a white Fender Jazzmaster because of Robert Smith and The Cure.
