The Cure "In It's Entirety" Part 2 - Seventeen Seconds

Going over Three Imaginary Boys and it’s American counterpart in Boys Don’t Cry seems to have gone on a bit long. As we move on to The Cure's second album, if you are still with me I promise to not be as extensive Actually I should not be making any promises. Let’s just say I will attempt to keep it to the point.

Seventeen Seconds- 1980- The only track from our beloved Standing On A Beach compilation which was taken from Seventeen Seconds was "A Forest". On this song there was a noticeable difference between the earlier songs on the compilation but it  still sounded like the same band, maybe even a more upbeat. "A Forest" really was not the best song to be placed on Standing On A Beach to repesesnt  the album it was taken from. 

 In 1987 Seventeen Seconds was still not readily available in the US. It would be a year before the American label Elektra would release it. The Fiction Records import would have to be tracked down.Years later I would learn in 1981 A&M Records had released an album called Happily Ever After which combined Seventeen Seconds with it's follow-up  Faith. 

I could almost tell from the cover image of Seventeen Seconds that it was not going to be a continuation of the same sound Robert Smith and company had displayed on Three Imaginary Boys or Boy’s Don’t Cry. As those album cover contained images with many colers illustrating a few of the album's respective songs, Seventeen seconds cover possessed an very stark image of some trees with what looks like brush stroke of white paint over 80% of it.

As track one begins, the 2 minute instrumental “A Reflection", my suspicions were confirmed. The slow guitar strumming accompanied the band’s new addition of piano sets the pace for the rest of the album right from the get go

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When the instrumental is over Track 2 attempts to set the album in motion. “Play for Today” is definitely one of the more upbeat songs on the album. The track could almost fit in among “Someone Else’s Train” and “Grinding Halt” on the first album(s), only this time they added Mathieu Hartley’s keyboards washing over it.

Track 3 “Secrets” brings the tempo down a bit. Robert Smith sings in almost a whisper with some more of his vocals song a bit louder but placed way back in the mix. The louder vocals do return to the front with the next track, “In Your House”, but the tempo is slowed down even more than the prior track. The keyboards filling in gaps left by the guitars. Then the even slower and almost all instrumental song “Three” closes out the first side of the record.

When the record is flipped over we are greeted with the downbeat instrumental “The Final Sound”. The song acts as a continuation of “A Reflection” only this time the piano playing sounds almost drunk. This  song proves to perfectly keep along with the general feel of the album. Letting the listener know the album will be continuing right where it left off when side one ended.

Next the song from the Standing on a Beach comp comes on. “A Forest” definitely proves to be the most upbeat song on the album. The steady beat of drummer Lol Tolhurst also makes it the most danceable.

Track 8 ”M”slows it down again. On this track the ever present keyboards take a back seat to Robert’s out front guitar. They would however return to the similar paced “At Night” of track 9.

Closing out the album at Track 10 is the title cut “Seventeen Seconds”. Once again it is another slow paced number but Robert does get a little angry towards the end. The album closes with the song becoming slower and slower until the album comes to an end.

Overall the albums very downbeat and a tad gloomy, almost ambient. It serves as a great introduction to the new darker side of The Cure, a sound which would cause many music fans to place them unfairly in the “Goth” category for the next few albums. The prominent drums keep the album from going too far to the dark side.

Seventeen Seconds definitely has not graced my headphones as often as Boys Don’t Cry but it still ranks among my my favorite albums. I must admit that “Primary” and “A Forest” still remain my  most listened too tracks on the record. Too this day when it becomes time to make an more ambient or downbeat mix for someone or even for me to listen while studying or to listen to while trying to fall asleep too, Seventeen seconds is always one of the first two albums I reach for. 

The other one we will learn about tomorrow