Seventeen Seconds
04/01/12
Seventeen Seconds
Originally a goth-flavored post-punk outfit, The Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the ’80s, and ultimately one of modern rock’s most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, The Cure’s signature sound balances dreamy pop savvy and poetic lyricism with a dark, brooding intensity. The band’s first four groundbreaking albums-newly remastered-are a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity. Fusing superbly crafted songs with charged emotional depth from the very beginning, The Cure’s early catalogue, as upgraded by Rhino, is ready to be revisted. 2006.
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An Incredible Album.,
I first heard the eerie notes of Seveneteen Seconds back in the winter of 1983…it was then I became hooked on The Cure. This album is so tight, so fresh, so well done, any music collection would be incomplete without it. The next two albums after this one- “Faith” and “Pornography”- are excellent albums (I have a review of “Pornography”) but this one…this one just has that magical and mysterious sound that glows on a dark night. Perfect listening setting? A cold, late December night, a light snow falling, a slight breeze bringing the naked tree limbs to life. Just slap on the headphones and start walking. Before you know it, you’re floating. One thing I have always loved about this CD is that it comes off so smooth…the music is so smooth and crisp it just slides through your ears.
Top tracks on “Seventeen Seconds”? The classic “A Forest”, “In Your House”, “The Final Sound”, and of course “Play For Today”. Every track is great, but if I had to pick’em, there they are.
There are some eerie sounds….dark lyrics…but there are also hints of the quirk-Cure too….it’s just not as obvious….there are layers and layers for your musical being to explore. It’s a treat for any music lover. “Seventeen Seconds” is one of the most intense and visually stimulating records ever made.
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|Comment by Christopher R. Cicatelli "cicatelli" — January 4, 2012 @ 10:20 am
Wrapped up in perfect cover art,
This is an awesome, moody little album that fits right in today with the slew of bands going after the early-80s ‘post-punk’ sound. This disc marks the first of a masterful trilogy that continues with Faith and Pornography.
The Cure are famous for being gloomy, and this album backs it up, but it’s not heavy or depressing and it never gets to be too much. Quite the opposite. Some songs are slower, like In Your House, while other like Play For Today (the first track after the instrumental opening) open up with an electronic calling in the back and a punchy little rhythm, immediately catchy, and the perfect length. Three, meanwhile, has the feeling of a dark jingle. At Night has a slow, fuzzy opening and a steady beat, sounding a little like a dark Police. The classic track A Forest sounds even richer in the remastered format. There’s the classic Cure guitar, the bobbing basslines, some swishy help from the keyboards in the background to lend that gray atmosphere…it sounds like 1980, it’s spot-on. The whole trilogy is accompanied by perfect album art–they each sound like the covers. A wash of muted colors on what looks like a blurry windshield here, to the mysterious gray, faint scribbling of Faith, to the tortured Scream-like cover of Pornography.
An addictive album of good songs, with Smith’s voice never overbearing, nor never too much whining, and some very fine singing. Pornography would bring the band to a darker place, with its far more depressed quality. Seventeen Seconds is getting there, but it’s minor-key pop with some very good production. Cure addicts may break it down more in terms of band lineups, but I find the whole release an excellent effort.
Quite frankly, better than most of the bands out there who were in diapers when this was released, you may as well check out the original thing. And at 30-odd minutes, it’s the old style of complete, quality beginning-to-end albums perfect for a slow day at home, preferably in the middle of the week when it’s raining.
The new Cure remastereds are excellent, a real value for fans. For one, the sound is vastly improved–just compare any track on here, but especially ‘A Forest’, with your old AAD disc–big difference. The bass is bigger, punchier, the sounds are all clearer and brought up front. The older, unremastered rock albums really do suffer with the original CD format–everything is flattened right out to the middle, while the new discs bring much-needed oomph to everything. The second disc is full of goodies, from demos to live versions of nearly the entire album in great sound quality. And of course, nice liner notes with actual notes, old pictures, the whole job. Quality re-release in this era of downloading, however, it must be said that these sets are BIT on the pricey side, but will likely be a must for fans of this album (and the following two).
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|Comment by N. P. Stathoulopoulos "nick9155" — January 4, 2012 @ 11:09 am
Essential reissue for Cure enthusiasts,
Out of all of the three Cure reissues, I would go as far as to say that the ‘Seventeen Seconds’ one has the most improved sound quality versus the original cd issue, but lacks the most in the bonus material (despite the Cult Hero single being present).
The original album now has a slightly more “spacious” quality to it that the last cd issue lacked. ‘A Forest’ sounds absolutely brilliant. In my opinion, this remaster revealed the most. The short instrumental tracks are much clearer and the vocals more distant and ethereal. Where the ‘Pornography’ reissue reinforced the sonic density of its original production, the ‘Seventeen Seconds’ reissue reinforces the dry, spare quality to its production.
The rarities material, however, and despite the obscure and quite cool Cult Hero material, doesn’t quite live up to the ‘Faith’ and ‘Pornography’ reissues. Having the Cult Hero single is definitely the highlight of portion of the set.
Overall, this is still an essential package, with great artwork, much improved sound quality, and a few essential goodies on the rarities disc.
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|Comment by Eric Edelin — January 4, 2012 @ 11:12 am