Album
Three Imaginary Boys
Three Imaginary Boys is the debut studio album by the Cure, released on 8 May 1979 on Fiction Records. It reached number 44 on the UK Albums Chart, a solid start for a young English band working at the meeting point of new wave, post-punk and alternative rock. Everything that followed, from Seventeen Seconds onwards, grew out of this first record.
The album also had a second life overseas. In the United States, Canada and Australia it appeared with a different track listing under the title Boys Don't Cry, which means the record you grew up with may depend on where you bought it. If you want to hear the Cure before the long, shadowy epics of their later years, this is the place to start.
Three Imaginary Boys: tracklist and credits
12 tracks · 34:54Tracklist
- 110:15 Saturday NightDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:40
- 2AccuracyDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:15
- 3Grinding HaltDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:48
- 4Another DayDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:39
- 5ObjectDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:58
- 6Subway SongDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst1:58
- 7Foxy LadyJimi Hendrix2:25
- 8Meat HookDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:16
- 9So WhatDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:34
- 10Fire In CairoDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:19
- 11It’s Not YouDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:41
- 12Three Imaginary Boys / The Weedy BurtonDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst4:21
- Produced by
- Chris Parry
- Recorded at
- Morgan Studios (London)
- Recorded
- 1978–79
- Mixed at
- Morgan Studios
- Engineered by
- Mike Hedges
- Label
- Fiction
- Length
- 34:54
Line-up
- Michael Dempsey · bass guitar, lead vocals
- Robert Smith · guitar, lead vocals
- Lol Tolhurst · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “Grinding Halt/Meat Hook (Promo)” · May 1979 (UK)
- “10:15 Saturday Night” · 1980 (France)
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 2024 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
92.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
13k
ListenBrainz listeners
166k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
40k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 8 May
Every year →
More from The Cure
Full discography →
Boys Don’t Cry
1980
Seventeen Seconds
1980
Happily Ever After
1981
Faith
1981
Pornography
1982
Japanese Whispers
1983
The Top
1984
Concert: The Cure Live
1984
The Head on the Door
1985
Half an Octopuss
1985
Standing on a Beach: The Singles
1986
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
1987
The Peel Sessions
1988
Disintegration
1989
Mixed Up
1990
Entreat
1991
Lost Wishes
1992
Wish
1992
Sideshow
1993
Show
1993
Paris
1993
Wild Mood Swings
1996
Five Swing Live
1997
Galore: The Singles 1987–1997
1997
Bloodflowers
2000
Greatest Hits
2001
Trilogy
2003
Join the Dots: B‐Sides and Rarities
2004
The Cure
2004
Hypnagogic States EP
2008
4:13 Dream
2008
Bestival Live 2011
2011
Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018
2018
Songs of a Lost World
2024
Mixes of a Lost World
2025
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KISS · 1979
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Dire Straits · 1979
Lodger
David Bowie · 1979
Van Halen II
Van Halen · 1979
2000 Man
KISS · 1979
Time Waits for No One
The Rolling Stones · 1979
Down to Earth
Rainbow · 1979
More on Fiction
The label →Seventeen Seconds
The Cure · 1980
Pornography
The Cure · 1982
Wild Mood Swings
The Cure · 1996
Mixed Up
The Cure · 1990
Mixes of a Lost World
The Cure · 2025
Join the Dots: B‐Sides and Rarities
The Cure · 2004
Standing on a Beach: The Singles
The Cure · 1986
Japanese Whispers
The Cure · 1983
Concert: The Cure Live
The Cure · 1984
Paris
The Cure · 1993
Lost Wishes
The Cure · 1992
Five Swing Live
The Cure · 1997
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 8 May 1979 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 May 1979 | |
| Wikidata | 8 May 1979 | |
| UK / Europe release | 8 May 1979 | earliest UK or European date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Fiction | 603497981281 | other |
| 1979 | FR | Fiction | other | |
| 1979 | NL | Polydor | other | |
| May 1979 | GB | Fiction | other | |
| 8 May 1979 | GB | Fiction | original | |
| 1990 | FR | Fiction | 042282768629 | other |
| 1990 | DE | Fiction | 042282768629 | other |
| 2 July 1990 | AU | Fiction Records | 022925062321 | other |
| 2004 | CA | Elektra | 603497978427 | deluxe |
| 29 November 2004 | — | Polydor | other | |
| 29 November 2004 | XE | Polydor | 602498218280 | remaster |
| 29 November 2004 | GB | Fiction | 602498218280 | deluxe |
| 7 December 2004 | US | Rhino | 081227889524 | other |
| 2005 | XE | Fiction | 602498218297 | other |
| 25 September 2005 | GB | Fiction | 602498218297 | other |
| 2006 | US | Rhino | 081227334826 | other |
| 21 May 2008 | JP | Fiction | 4988005514370 | other |
| 2012 | XE | Fiction | 600753278871 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1425×1425 | upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |