Retro Spins: The Cure - Seventeen Seconds

Yesterday, while reviewing Siouxsie and the Banshees' Kaleidoscope, I finished that post by saying I wanted to do something fun. So, in the 1980's, both the Banshees and The Cure, who were cited as heavily inspiring each other, both had seven albums. Most of these coincide with the same years, though there are some variations here and there. Anyway, the point being, with seven albums each, I thought I would bounce from one to the other, listening to their respective release, and then seeing which one was more favorable. A tournament as it were.

Now, the thing to keep in mind here is that I've already listened to the Banshees' Juju, and The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, prior to making this decision. As such, when I get to those, I may have to give myself a refresh, or perhaps just re-read what I already posted about them, and go from there. We'll see. The point being, when it's all said and done, we'll have a victor of goth post punk.

Seventeen Seconds is the second album from The Cure. It starts off noteworthy for being the first to be produced by Robert Smith, and feature new bassist, Simon Gallup. The departure, or rather, final straw of prior bassist, Michael Dempsey came when Smith played him the demos for the album. Dempsey, in Smith's owner words, "Wanted us to be XTC part 2 and – if anything – I wanted us to be the Banshees part 2. So he left."

Smith would go on to say further that after playing with the Banshees himself, it inspired him to want to be like them all the more. "I wanted to have a band that does what Steven Severin and Budgie do, where they just get a bassline and the drum part and Siouxsie wails".

Critics have sighted the album as one of the earliest examples of gothic rock, describing the lyrics as vague, often unsettling, and dark with minimalistic melodies. Since then, Seventeen Seconds has also been noted as one of the must hear albums in one's lifetime.

By track three, I was already seeing how pitting The Cure against Siouxsie and the Banshees was going to be a problem. The reason being, I was already considering a tie. This would ultimately become an issue because one can't very well have a contest where no clear winner can be distinguished. This was a tough situation, indeed.

I wanted to edit myself, and carefully select songs to add to my shuffle. In the past, I've been too liberal with this, and it results in a bunch of songs that I end up skipping in the long run when they come back around. From this release I opted for Secrets, The Forest, and M.

As I continued to play through it, Seventeen Seconds did start to show a little fatigue. Which did ultimately help me decide on a clear winner. For round one, going into round two, is Siouxsie and the Banshees' Kaleidoscope.

If I hadn't already played through the Banshees' Juju, that would have been my next stop. However, since that's already in the bag, I'll give myself a quick sidebar refresher, and jump into The Cure's Faith. See you then!

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
July 17, 1982