''Boys Don't Cry'' is

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

's first compilation album. Released in February 1980, this album is composed of several tracks from the band's May 1979 debut album ''

Three Imaginary Boys ''Three Imaginary Boys'' is the debut studio album by English rock band The Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as a compilation album ...

'' (which had yet to see a U.S. release) with material from the band's 1978–1979 era.

Release

''Boys Don't Cry'' was released on 5 February 1980 by record label Fiction. According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, the album " allssomewhere between nofficial release and

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

", and was released "in hopes of increasing the band's exposure outside of the U.K." A new version of the title track was released in April 1986.

Reception

''Boys Don't Cry'' has been generally well received by critics. Debra Rae Cohen of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' wrote that the album "proves they can transcend their Comp. Lit. 201 (Elementary Angst) scenarios." Robert Christgau of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' called the band's sound "dry

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

, never pretty but treated with a properly mnemonic pop overlay", and was more reserved in his praise, adding, "I can look over the titles and recall a phrase from all but a few of these 13 songs. Intelligent phrases they are, too, yet somehow I find it hard to get really excited about them." In 2000, ''Boys Don't Cry'' was voted number 775 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by th ...

''. In 2003, the album was ranked at number 442 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...

. In a 2012 update of the list, it moved up to number 438.

Track listing

: On most CD versions of the album, "Object" was replaced by "So What", the scream at the end of "Subway Song" was shortened and "World War" was removed.

Personnel

The Cure * Robert Smith – guitar, vocals, harmonica *

Michael Dempsey Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician and composer, who has played bass as a member of several post-punk and new wave bands, including the Cure and the Associates. History Early years Dempsey was born on 29 ...

– bass guitar * Lol Tolhurst – drums Technical * Chris Parry –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Certifications and sales

References

External links

* {{Authority control The Cure compilation albums 1980 compilation albums Fiction Records compilation albums Elektra Records compilation albums