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The CureThree Imaginary Boys

Label:

Fiction Records – FIX 1, Fiction Records – 2442 163, Fiction Records – fix 1

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album

Country:

UK

Released:

Genre:

Rock

Style:

New Wave, Post-Punk

Tracklist

A110:15 Saturday Night3:40
A2Accuracy2:16
A3Grinding Halt2:48
A4Another Day3:41
A5Object2:59
A6Subway Song1:56
B1Foxy Lady
VocalsMichael Dempsey
Written-ByHendrix*
2:26
B2Meathook2:16
B3So What?2:33
B4Fire In Cairo3:19
B5It's Not You2:49
B6Three Imaginary Boys3:13
B7The Weedy Burton0:50
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Companies, etc.

  • Marketed ByPolydor Records
  • Phonographic Copyright ℗Fiction Records
  • Copyright ©Fiction Records
  • Published ByAPB Music Co. Ltd.
  • Published ByInterworld Music Ltd.
  • Recorded AtMorgan Studios
  • Mixed AtMorgan Studios
  • Mastered AtStrawberry Mastering
  • Printed ByRobor Ltd.
  • Made ByRobor Ltd.
  • Pressed ByPRS Ltd.
  • Lacquer Cut AtStrawberry Mastering

Credits

  • BassMichael Dempsey
  • DesignBill Smith (19)
  • DrumsLol Tolhurst*
  • EngineerMike Hedges
  • Engineer [Assistant]Mike Dutton*
  • GuitarRobert Smith
  • IllustrationB. Smith*, Connie Jude, David Dragon*
  • Photography ByB. Smith*, Martyn Goddard
  • ProducerChris Parry
  • VocalsRobert Smith (tracks: A1 to A6, B2 to B7)
  • Written-ByTolhurst* (tracks: A1 to A6, B2 to B7), Dempsey* (tracks: A1 to A6, B2 to B7), Smith* (tracks: A1 to A6, B2 to B7)

Notes

Spine: fix 1
Back sleeve:
FICTION DELUXE FIX 1
[cassette logo] FIXC 1
Sleeve printed and made in England by Robor Ltd.

Inner sleeve:
Recorded and mixed at Morgan (Studio 4), Willesden.
Fiction Records 14/16 Chaplin Road London NW2
Marketed by Polydor Records.
© 1979 Fiction Records.

Labels:
[A Side : picture label, no text]
[B Side] All songs published by A.P.B. Music Co. Ltd. except track 7 [B1] published by Interworld Music Ltd.
℗ 1979 Fiction Records.
FIX 1B (2442 163)

Released in glossy picture sleeve with picture inner sleeve.
The actual song titles do not appear on the release itself, tracks A1 to B6 are represented by images on the sleeve artwork.
On the B-side label, they are numbered 1-12 and represented by pictograms, as on the first UK cassette issue FIXC 1.
Track B7 is unlisted, the name "The Weedy Burton" appears officially in 2004 on the Deluxe Edition remastered reissue.

Some copies show a pink round sticker on the front sleeve, mentioning the song titles.
Some early copies came packaged with a metal badge and one of four different postcards.
Was also sold at special price with a golden stamp on front sleeve (see images).

Durations not mentioned on release.

The runouts are stamped, STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND and STRAWBERRY are etched

Barcode and Other Identifiers

  • Price Code: FICTION DELUXE
  • Matrix / Runout (Label side B): FIX 1B
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 1): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 11 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 1): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 15 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 2): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 5 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 2): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 18 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 3): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 12 3 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 3): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 15
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 4): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 4 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 4): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 14
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 5): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 41 6 1 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 5): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 13 1 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 6): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 2 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 6): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 8
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 7): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 16 11 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 7): FIX 1 B//2▽420W STR 11 2
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 8): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 12 1 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 8): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 15
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 9): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 16 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 9): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 24 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 10): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 16 4 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 10): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 13 2
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 11): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 11 1 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 11): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 1 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 12): FIX 1 A//2▽420W 11 13 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 12): FIX 1 B//2▽420W 4 1
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 13): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 11 8 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 13): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 11 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 14): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 1 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 14): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 11 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 15): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 16 9 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 15): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 13 8 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 16): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 11 9 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 16): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 11
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 17): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 11 7 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 17): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 5 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 18): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 9 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 18): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 18 STRAWBERRY
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 19): FIX 1 A//1▽E STR 14 11 STRAWBERRY THE GATWICK SOUND
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 19): FIX 1 B//1▽E STR 11 11 STRAWBERRY

Other Versions (5 of 126)

View All
Title (Format)LabelCat#CountryYear
Three Imaginary Boys (LP, Album, Stereo)Fiction Records0060.334Germany1979
Recently Edited
Three Imaginary Boys (LP, Album)Polydor, Fiction Records2442 163Netherlands1979
Recently Edited
Three Imaginary Boys (Cassette, Album, Paper label)Fiction Records, Fiction RecordsFIXC 1, 3184 127UK1979
New Submission
Three Imaginary Boys (Cassette, Album, Plastic label)Fiction Records, Fiction RecordsFIXC 1, 3184 127UK1979
New Submission
Three Imaginary Boys (Cassette, Album)Polydor3170 539France1979

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Reviews

  • PaulJP54's avatar
    PaulJP54
    This sounds so very good.... So dynamic , powerful bass, excellent guitars and voice.
    • martin.hevon's avatar
      martin.hevon
      That sticker says "Fire in Cario", are there corrective stickers on those stickers too? :p
      • maxal's avatar
        maxal
        Go ahead and laugh, but . . .

        Three Imaginary Boys is a grand, playful introduction to the immense Cure catalogue. This cover of Three Imaginary Boys haunted me for a few day dreams. I always liked the mundane collection of the light, vacuum and fridge instead of images of the band members. The cover is so funny in its odd ‘dullness’. Because of its everyday, bland feel I thought there must be a deeper metaphor or joke . . . Sometimes I meditated on the cover wondering why they chose these three items, whether there was a common link which would offer some revelation.

        I got a sort of creative evolution when I thought vacuum represents absence, before the beginning of creation, before the big bang. Then fridge, coldness, storing potential things. And finally, the light bulb moment – a bright idea. Ummmmm . . . I did have a lightbulb moment when I thought the three items all had a common factor – they all need vacuums, a light bulb relies on a partial vacuum. However, I think it is stretching it to say there is a partial vacuum in a fridge . . .

        Luckily I didn’t spend too much time on this cover artwork. I think the household products were picked randomly to look good and quirky together. Because each item is so useful and iconic to the household they are also strong in meaning, so can represent universal ideas open to all sorts of interpretations. The joke is on me: the cover deliberately attempts to create a cover with little meaning, yet I the human always in search of some understanding, then seek to impose a meaning which is not there.

        Dry joke: it’s clear they goofed up on the selection. They should have kept the lamp and the fridge, but then had a classic bakelite phone (communication), or a radio (communication / music). The metaphor would have been complete. Nahhhhh . . . the vacuum is the best thing on the cover.
        • BoogieSuitcase's avatar
          I'm looking for my old cassette, fiction, on clear tape, no barcode. Would've been an import available in very scarce quantities at American mall record stores in late 80s or early 90s. Gotta copy for sale? Msg me thx!
          • gcjnst's avatar
            gcjnst
            Certainly an inauspicious debut effort, though not nearly as tragic as general consensus would have it. The band is hardly to blame, as they had no input whatsoever on track selection or artwork. This is how soundcheck recordings such as "Foxy Lady", intended for the ears of no one but the band themselves, end up on an album. The tracks here are solid but somewhat unconvincing. This appears to be more an effect of shoddy producing rather than inadequacy in the songwriting or musical performances.

            There are precious few hints of the three successive masterpieces to follow, but Three Imaginary Boys is an instructive snapshot of a young band finding its way before settling on a sound that would change music forever.
            • Peter_DV's avatar
              Peter_DV
              My copy has a golden “Promotional Copy Not For Resale” stamp.
              • spuffy's avatar
                spuffy
                I have the Argentinean pressing of this album " tree chicos imaginations" ... I have noticed it has the text """difusion venta prohibida """ printed on the label. Is this a promo copy of sorts.??
                Not been able to find any info regarding this.
                • totallyvinyl's avatar
                  totallyvinyl
                  Edited 7 years ago
                  The image you show for this release with 'Limited edition..' stamped in gold is from early 1982 based on the 'Seventeen seconds' 'Limited Edition..' gold stamped cover which was issued in February 1982 .Polydor issued selected titles at a 'budget' price to move stock along. Other example: 'Faith' (so the 1st 3 Cure LPs budget priced and issued prior to 'Pornography' (May 82). Probably these were issued to shift some back catalogue. Here are some matrices taken from our copy: A: FIX 1 A//1 * E STR 16 7 THE GATWICK SOUND** STRAWBERRY** and B: FIX 1 B//1 * E STR 13 STRAWBERRY**
                  ** hand etched * upside down triangle
                  • womskel's avatar
                    womskel
                    Edited 13 years ago
                    I own a repress (1991?) which I can't find in discogs. Everything is exactly as this version except the matrix numbers:
                    FIX 1 A-2U -1-1
                    FIX 1 B-2U-1-1
                    • plaidzebra's avatar
                      plaidzebra
                      I got this record when I was a teenager, and being a devoted fan of the Cure at the time, I thought it was pretty great. In retrospect, it's a weak debut, and probably should have been shelved in favor of the later version "Boys Don't Cry," which replaces some of the less successful tracks with a few singles and marginally better tracks from the same period (although "Killing an Arab," with its silly "middle eastern" scale guitar lines, might be one of the lamest tracks they ever recorded, despite it's ongoing popularity with fans: "I am the stranger!/killing an Arab!" That strange sound you hear is Camus spinning in his grave).

                      "Three Imaginary Boys" is weighed down by some poor lyrics, hacky production touches, rough and simple arrangements, and adolescent, sophomoric gestures. The lamest moments include the cover of "Foxy Lady," which seems to take cues from Devo's stunning evisceration and reanimation of the Rolling Stones' idiotic chestnut "Satisfaction." The Hendrix tune must have seemed an adequate target, being an exaggerated, hypermasculine declaration of sexual intent, and probably got a few laughs from the band's teenage peers. The result, however, is an embarrassment and should have been cut from the record. Listeners may also cringe when "Grinding Halt" slowly winds down as the tape is slowed, bringing the track to a, um, grinding halt. "So What" features lyrics mostly cribbed from a sugar packet, and silly, deliberately tuneless vocals. "Fire in Cairo" features a chorus that simply spells out the title with a dramatic flourish, and one can't help but think of the Rutles' seminal "Cheese and Onions." Or how about these lyrics from "It's Not You": "I would murder you if I had the alibi here in my hand/ But you just laugh 'cause you don't understand." You might laugh, too.

                      All of that said, some songs, for example "10:15 Saturday Night," do generate real tension, and others are at least frequently catchy and memorable despite their faults. The band proved with subsequent releases that their talents were at the time of "Three Imaginary Boys" nascent and immature, but nevertheless present.

                      My copy of this album is actually a vinyl release on Sire, with no other information regarding the country of origin. In addition, the label indicates that Side 1 begins with "Foxy Lady," while side 2 begins with "10:15 Saturday Night." The entire album, including the "Weedy Burton" track, is included. I've owned it for many years, so it's not a contemporary reissue.

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