The Cure “Three Imaginary Boys” 1979. Fiction Records. Yesterday, April 21st, was Robert Smith’s 65th birthday (b. 1959). Three Imaginary Boys was the band’s debut LP, a no-frills post-punk guitar-driven masterpiece released only the UK. Boys Don’t Cry, a sort-of comp, was released in the US, Canada and Australia in 1980 and most of the same tracks in a different order. That record adds the single “Boys Don’t Cry” and drops the Cure’s Devo-esque Jimi Hendrix cover of “Foxy Lady” that features Cure bassist Michael Dempsey on vocals. Supposedly that track was not supposed to be on Three Imaginary Boys at all; it was added by producer Chris Parry.

I really love this entire album but my favorite tracks are “10.15 Saturday Night” with the tap drip drip drip dripping; it was the B-side to their single “Killing an Arab.”  Also great is the boppy rhythm of “Accuracy,” the frenetic pop energy of  “Grinding Halt,” the buzzy Buzzcocky snark of “Object,” and the way “Fire in Cairo” taught me to spell Cairo in a lilting singsong fashion. The best track is the album’s title track “Three Imaginary Boys” which portends the direction The Cure would take: a goth-pop sound that borders on sinister but is still kinda danceable.