![Seventeen Seconds [Deluxe Edition]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007XT8BC.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg)
Release Date: 26 April, 2005
Audio CD
Tracks
- A Reflection
- Play for Today
- Secrets
- In Your House
- Three
- Final Sound
- A Forest
- M
- At Night
- Seventeen Seconds
- I'm A Cult Hero
- I Dig You
- Another Journey By Train
- Secrets
- Seventeen Seconds
- In Your House
- Three
- I Dig You
- I'm A Cult Hero
- M
- Final Sound
- A Reflection
- Play for Today
- At Night
- A Forest
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Rating 4.5
This is really the best of their early stuffIN the early 1980s The Cure released three albums that would define their musical career. Most of the ideas of all their records are contained on SEVENTEEN SECONDS (1980), FAITH (1981) and PORNOGRAPHY (1982). Every though they created a conventional album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979), Robert Smith changed the course of the band's career with the stark minimal sound of Seventeen Seconds. On bass-driven songs like "Play For Today" and "Secrets" there are barely any guitar sounds. The Cure has created a lot of space and avoided any pop clich??s. The guitar arpeggios on "In Your House" influenced many Goth bands to follow. There are plenty of instrumentals and ghastly sounds on this record. At the time it was odd to hear and like nothing out there. This record is mostly known for the radio hit "A Forest" which sounds as fresh as ever. This music has aged well. "M" is almost like folk music in a Dylanesque way. It would almost probably be better with vocals and acoustic guitar. A sign of a great album is that there is a great song on it that wasn't a single. For this album it's "At Night." Distorted guitar was never so evocative of a mood. This re-release also includes some live performances from 1979-1980 as well as "I'm a Cult Hero" and "I Dig You," originally released under the pseudonym Cult Hero. This stuff is okay but not necessary. This might be the Cure most successful album. There is a lot of mystery and personal emotion on this record, but it's not really that Goth.
When Rhino puts out a deluxe edition, they always deliver What's the 4-1-1?
Rhino Records have gone into The Cure vaults along with Robert Smith to bring you Deluxe Editions of two of their most memorable releases. Both are remastered and appear on CD for the first time. In addition to the complete albums, each disc comes with a bonus disc of rarities and unreleased material. Seventeen Seconds contains rarities from 1979-1980 and Faith contains rarities from 1980-1981.
Genre
Post-punk / alternative / gothic / rock
The Good
Highlights from Seventeen Seconds
Drab and dreary piano set the tone of the album on the opening instrumental cut "A Reflection". Eerie background tones help underscore the track. "Play for Today is made up of an up-tempo drum beat, glassine-like keyboards, and watery guitar tones. An infectious little guitar hook goes a long way on "In Your House". I would liken the tone of the song to a hazy dream. "A Forest" employs haunting tones and melodies, backed by thought-provoking lyrics. Fuzzy guitar tones and creepy synths dominate "At Night". Seventeen Seconds" sums up the last moments of your life after committing suicide.
The rarities disc contains "I'm a Cult Hero" and "I Dig You" from Robert Smith's side project Cult Hero. It's more hopeful than any of the tracks Smith penned for The Cure. There are two rough home demos, an alternate mix for Three, and live tracks for every song that appears on the album; even a live version of "I'm a Cult Hero".
Highlights from Faith
" The Holy Hour" begins with a rather indulgent bass line. Robert Smith blends in nicely with his clean guitar tones and his trademark tortured vocals. Driving rhythms run rampant on "Primary". The track is more up-tempo than the usual Cure track, but the story being told is no much on the up-side. Percussion accented by warm keyboard tones prevail on "All Cats are Grey". Smith seems off in the distance as he inflicts his eerie vocals. I wasn't really surprised that church organ tones could be heard throughout "Funeral Party". To keep the mood going, Robert sings like his delivering a eulogy.
The rarities disc contains the unreleased tracks "Drowning", "Going Home Time", "The Violin Song", and "A Normal Story", two raw instrumental demos of "Faith", "The Holy Hour" and "Doubt", live tracks of songs from the Faith album to include a ten minute version of "Faith" and a nine minute version of "Forever", the rare single "Charlotte Sometimes, and an alternate version of "Primary" among it's fifteen tracks.
The Bad
Nothing
The Verdict
When Rhino Records puts together a Deluxe Edition, they always deliver the goods. Not only are you getting rare and unreleased material, which is always a plus, but you're also getting to hear the songs at their best possible quality. It's fun to hear how they went to rough demo to final composition. All of the depressing, sad, and heart-broken moments of your youth can be summed up by the latest remasters by The Cure.
Did You Know?
Rhino has also released The Cure's Pornography as a two CD deluxe addition. I would have reviewed it but after listening to these two, I was ready to slit my wrists.Rapid evolution, emotional minimalismThe difference between their first album and their second is amazing, and the band's decision to ignore "marketing" concepts in favor of the art itself really paid off. Don't believe the reviews out there that say "A Forest" is the only memorable track; this album has a lot of other strong tracks that I've come to know through their live versions, recorded years later on Show and Paris.
This album makes excellent use of emotional minimalism, similar perhaps to groups like old-school Goth groups like Bauhaus and Joy Division, though aiming more for a subdued and introspective result. Again I think of the music put out by The Police around the same time, particularly Regatta de Blanc. Both albums were significant leaps out of punk rock origins, moving towards more esoteric, psychological, and metaphysical pieces to come.
I just got the album today, so I'm still making my way through the bonus tracks. They are interesting as development pieces; some of them are fairly bootleg-like in sound quality, but they are worth having, as they show the evolution of the songs and give you an appreciation of the band's creative process. |
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