Seventeen Seconds

Fun

liked songs: Play For Today, Secrets, M, I like the overall sound a lot, but not all of the songs really stand out as that good. 2.75

BRO THE OPENER IS A PEAK INSTRUMENTAL. mad respect. “three” was also really good. another instrumental-focused track. and “the final sound” right after that. everything else was good but not memorable. i couldn’t help but think of “friday i’m in love” (also by the cure) and that kinda ruined the vibe of the album BUT that is not their fault. 3/5.

3.4

Too short.

It was ok, I like the mid career Cure music where it is more complex and moody.

ganz oke

i do like their new wave approach to punk, it makes me quite enjoy the listening experience for a genre i don't typically enjoy as much !

Not really what I expected from a cure album. Some decent tunes and some filler

346/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Moody and immaculately arranged, the work of The Cure establishing their signature sound. It's a sturdy sophomore effort from a band onto bigger things. "A Forest" is a gripping piece of work. Overall it didn't compel me quite like, say, 'Disintegration' did, so I'll rate accordingly.

New Wave, 1980 -> 3

Enjoyed this Album. Love the song "A forest" 3/5

It was just like boring idk

I just ain't a goth

Fat man sings sad, ambient songs wow, so touching, the 80’s had such good bands!!!!!

Some great songs, though kind of monotone and tedious

3.7

I didn’t really want to like The Cure, it feels like the sort of music middle-aged English mums like, which may be completely off-base but that just reflects my “I’ve heard of them enough to know their status, but not enough to know their music” position before coming into this. I followed The Prodigy’s The Fat Of The Land with this on a long road trip through rural country roads to my mother’s house. Quite the change in tone, but I liked it. Chucked a few songs in my likes, enjoyed the vibes despite my desire not to. Good basslines, decent lyrics, each song felt unique enough to differentiate the album rather than it being a blur of sound.

The Cure are originators of a trove of great post-punk, goth, dirge, dance and even pop songs that are foundational to an entire generation. Yet outside of the classic “A Forest” and maybe “M,” you’d be hard-pressed to find any on this early, brooding Cure album. It gets off to a slow start, a thought I had while listening to the third song “Secrets” and then a few songs later on the funereal “The Final Sound,” before getting a lift for, well, most of the second side until the depressing title track. It’s not a bad album, per se, but it’s an odd choice for an intro to The Cure, all sparse, minimalist beats, abstractions and repetitive melodies. I’m sure there will be more Cure on this list.

There's a sort of, idk, "sparseness" to the sound here. I suppose it might be haunting, but I feel like this is just missing something.

Imma call bullshit that the 3 Cure lps in the list are this, disintegration and pornography. Head on the door, boys don't cry or the singles collection, staring at the sea, could have replaced this or pornography. Don't get me wrong , I like this record fine, but if you have multiple decades of cure lps to choose this is not where I'd have gone.

kinda underwhelming for a cure album

Ok

3/5

Really good!

Not my fav cure album, but did like The Forest.

Yeahhhhh 8) This is a very cool album in my opinion with the first tastes of The Cure's pioneering and totally unique atmospheric gothy sound outside of their sorta new wave or post-punk stuff. I really like both sides, but I'd argue it's the atmospheric gothy stuff that makes The Cure The Cure. That being said, I think this album is kind of a first sketch and isn't fully realized. The first half, especially, is kinda weak imo. "A Forest" is obviously the major single from this album and it probably wouldn't be on this list if not for that song. It is a great track. I think the rest of the record after "A Forest" feels a bit stronger, as well. Another 3.5 stars if I could. I enjoy this album but when I am in the mood for The Cure, this is not one of the albums I reach for.

The Cure is undoubtedly one of my favourite bands: catchy; startling; melodic; expressive; simple, but profound; despairing, but a lot of fun. Although I don't like ranking or scoring things, they are likely a top-five act or five-star or whatever measure is best to use. The big paradox of the Cure for me is that, while they are a five-star band, they have no five-star albums - no, not even Disintegration. The impressive whole of the band's career is stronger than album part of that career and, in turn, many of the songs are stronger on their own than the album collection. But, then, they put together a setlist for a concert or compile a Best Of and it is a five-star experience lasting three hours at lease. What makes them work as this macro-level is the other paradox of the Cure: they are varied while being constant. The riposte to the Cure's image as doomy mopers is the string of pop hits and the stylistic variety of albums like The Head on the Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss. But that variety is only the case half the time. For the rest of the time, the albums are consistent in tone and mood. They are either variable in their variety or inconsistent with their constancy. Seventeen Seconds is one of the constant, coherent records, honing in on a single icy vibe. The follow-up, Faith, will go further and Disintegration will go wider, but Seventeen Seconds is charmingly spare and surprisingly hooky for such dour raincoat record. The clean guitar tone is oddly humane, despite its mechanised chugging, and Simon Gallup's bass - never as showy as many of his contemporaries - sounds great. Lol, the worst drummer - nay the worst member - the Cure ever had, somehow makes his struggle to keep simple time absolutely compelling. Although the record does miss some of the sprawling jam band energy that will mark later albums and live performances. Over the years, I will get frustrated by Robert Smith's tendency to vamp on a semi-tonal shift - he overdoes it on Three here. As you focus down from the macro-greatness of the band to the micro-level, you find the flaws and impurities. I don't know if the Cure's coherent, single-minded records are better than the hot mess variety shows. Perhaps my problem is the fact that the first Cure album I listened to a fell in love with is the live Show, which manages to wrangle a wide range of dour and delightful songs into a cogent set-list - the different songs sound of a piece when played by that line-up with that sound. You can see how the flinty Play For Today has became the singalong set piece of every Cure gig - that is the place where the entirety of the Cure and the potential of every song is displayed. However, I wouldn't give up many of the albums, as they are imperfect nodes of the sublime quantum. 3 ‘Unrelenting, remorseless, unremitting’ I can’t remember for which GCSE text Mr Campfield originally coined this mantra because it seemed to apply to most of them. But if we had been reviewing Seventeen Seconds on the exam - there’s 3 marks in the bag. The examiner would say to themselves ‘Yes, these young men all listened to all of Seventeen Seconds and although it’s odd that they all went for exactly the same three words in the same order those are exactly the same words, in the same order too, that occur to me.’ It is limited fun to listen to but I respect the artistic conviction that created it. It has an identity - not a small thing for an album made by very young men. 2.5/5

Better than most Cure albums

Other than the singles from this, I didn't care too much for this. And Mother...........whoooooo boy. That sure was a thing that happened. Yikes.

Bueno

Darker than I thought the cure was. I always kind of associated them with somewhere between New Wave and Synthed up pop rock, neither of which I like. Understated vocals and dark guitar tones. It's not bad at all. 3.5

Cool aura on this album, which helps illustrate what the Cure is. Occasionally complicated, but unapologetically themselves! Probably one of those albums that provides a background to what a band is. With that said, while I enjoyed the concept, nothing really stuck out to me.

Kind of just boring. Fine background music

My preferred of the two Cure albums

Listened a couple times, nothing really stood out either way. Back-to back Cure albums do run together for music i don't particularly recognize.

This was a much more enjoyable album than Disintegration. "Play For Today" had an awesome guitar riff throughout. "M" did as well. I still don't really like Robert Smith's vocals too much, and the best tracks were the ones that he wasn't super involved in. 6/10

I love the cure but idk if it was my fave

I mean, it’s ok…

Dark and moody and includes “A Forest.” I like but don’t love it.

A Forest, one of their greatest songs.

This is really good. I don't think of myself as a fan of The Cure, but this one definitely landed for me.

not great not bad, not memorable

More like the bore lmao

Dark, atmospheric, and cool.

Nothing offensive to me, I can see why people like The Cure.

Recht cooler, klarer Rocksound. 3,3

Calming, enjoyable, on a scale from -10 to 10, -10 being disgusting all the way through and 10 being every song is a masterpiece, I'll give it a 4.5

Meh

I had “Disintegration” Monday, the Smiths on Tuesday and now this today. The album generator either thinks I’m a moody teenager or is trying to get me to kill myself (it makes sense that as soon as the machines have become sentient they would try to take me out. I’m the greatest warrior for humanity that has ever lived because I’m a cool dude and I like to party). I used to think I didn’t like the Cure, then for the last decade or so I thought I liked them, and now this week has convinced me that I was right the first time and I don’t actually like the Cure. “The Forest” was pretty good, but the rest of the album just kind of faded into the background and sounded vaguely the same. Not bad, but not good either.

niks verkeerd aan, maar the cure voor een heel album is iets van het goede teveel...

Interesting to compare this album to the later Cure stuff when they really popped off.

🎧Good gloomy

Chill vibes but not fur meh

I'm a big fan of early Cure but this isn't their best album. There's some great tracks like Play for today and , my favourite Cure song , A Forest but why would you open an album with the turgid A reflection? It would cause first time listeners to turn off. A mixed bag of brilliance and meh...

Not my favorite Cure album, but damn do I love me some Robert Smith.

It’s ok. Drum tracks are repetitive and not a lot of singing but the guitars and bass are nice. Spooky 80s feel to it. Something I’d enjoy listening to at a Burlington

Not the strongest Cure record for me but has A Forest on it, which is a worldie

Canzoni orecchiabili ma anonime, non sono stato colpito da nessuna in particolare pur non dispiancendomi ascoltarle

This was interesting, but honestly it didn't really keep my attention. I was humming along to the basslines and chord changes, and I know it was good, but I just couldn't get into it. The Cure's music sometimes clicks for me and sometimes doesn't, and this was just a "doesn't" I guess. Three stars.

The Cure are very talented at making every song sound the same.

Mér hefur aldrei líkað sérstaklega við The Cure. Finnst lögin ekkert spes en ég skil samt af hverju fólk fílar hljómsveitina. Þessi plata var bara alls ekki slæm. Jafnvel þrjár og hálf stjarna en Cure fordómar mínir toga hana niður frekar en upp

3 stars, liked it more than P*rnography. A Forest obviously a banger, enjoyed At Night which sounds like it's straight off Movement by New Order

No. 308/1001 A Reflection NR Play for Today 3/5 Secrets 3/5 In Your House 3/5 Three 2/5 The Final Sound 2/5 A Forest 4/5 M 3/5 At Night 3/5 Seventeen Seconds 3/5 Average: 2,89 New Wave really isn't my genre. Still felt like a really influential album. Especially in „A Forest“ in my opinion heavily influenced Depeche Mode and Nirvana.

Seventeen Seconds is moody, atmospheric, and a solid early entry into the goth rock scene—but if I’m being honest, I’ve always preferred The Smiths when it comes to gloomy British music. The Cure leans heavier into the brooding and minimalism here, which is fine, but a lot of the songs tend to blend together after a while. There’s definitely a vibe, and tracks like “A Forest” stand out for a reason, but overall, it didn’t leave a huge impression. Not bad, just not my go-to when I’m in the mood for this genre. Favorite song: Seventeen Seconds

Not what I was expecting - this was my first Cure experience. More instrumental than I thought it would be. Not bad, esp in the background, but not likely to listen to again - nothing really special.

It's a decent album, even if it is a little longer than the title implies. Favorite song: "A Forest"

I enjoyed this more than I had expected. Not my typical favorite style of music. “M” reminded me of “about a girl” by nirvana. M was probably my favorite song.

trippy instrumental rock. “A forest” is a good number. picks: a forest, play for today, at night

But of a challenging one for me as I found the general “pace” and instrumentation to be slow and similar. Fascinating though how Robert’s voice really hasn’t changed all that much from this album to hearing him live just a few years ago.

Uh oh, I was in a fugue state when I listened to this. I like the Cure, so it was pleasant background, but none of the songs snapped me out of my "MUST GRADE 50000 PAPERS AHH" haze, so I don't think it hit 4-territory, which it might have done if it were a little more good. More gooder. On the high end of 3 though, much better than Wilco, here's hoping they have another album later that I can appreciate a bit more.

Hadn't listened to this one before. Some lovely Cure-y moments.

Solid sophomore album, a lot of the ideas in this album are perfected in later releases.

Nice instrumental cure without the lyrics of their best hits 7/10

I've got this album, had it for a long time. I notice that the categorizers call it the beginning of goth and the end of punk. I don't know about all of that, I just know that I enjoyed it whenever I dropped it onto the turntable years ago, and this was a nice reminder.

Hadn't heard this one before, and I liked it. Very tight album with a very 80s sound that I will probably return to.

Fick en bättre känsla av denna skiva jämfört med förra. Den innehåller många sköna bitar. Börjar väldigt bra, det instrumentella. Men tyvärr avskyr jag fortfarande rösten.

Sure whatever

Not my cup of tea. It feels competent, but I wasn't particularly compelled. Solid instrumenals and vocal work.

It was a cure album. I liked it.

Nice moody and gloomy album and a forest is great song. Whilst I might not revisit this album much it has pushed me to explore more of the cures back catalog as they’re not a band I’ve listened to loads

Really good record brilliant 3 Song run from A Forest on. Another one that’s gonna suffer from there being no half stars however. When I come back to the Cure it’ll almost always be for one of the really big hitter records.

Good album but not my favourite by them

Enjoyed this at lot, the second half feels stronger than the first. Likes the atmosphere created by the short moody tracks.

Sounds like a mediocre jam sesh.

Soy fan de la banda pero sinceramente este es uno de sus álbumes más flojos, por momentos se llega a sentir hasta aburrido, solo un par de canciones son memorables

Really liked this! Haven't listened to The Cure too much but it has a great gothic-rock kind of vibe.

Felt like walking alone in a foggy London Town, I just left the pub after drinking my sorrows away after a life altering heartbreak

Cool sound! I feel like I need more time to really get into these guys

Started off chill, got spooky, ended kinda chill

I have never considered myself tp be a The Cure fan, but I actually found myself enjoying it a lot. There was a lot of bops and heavier hitting songs than I know of The Cure. Overall- probably a 3.5/5, not sure if its a 4

Early Cure, not bad but not yet great

Not a big cure fan but this was pretty good and the recording is great. 3.5

Enjoyed this and it’s great to hear an earlier album knowing that great things are on the horizon

Pretty cool. Nothing sensational. Fav song: A Forest

Seems ahead of its time. Sounded like a 90s album

a little half baked but you can see the early threads of where the cure would take their pop goth sound

for a cure album, i had high expectations but i thought this was pretty boring and not as unique as other albums, it wasn’t. as by any means and had a handful of decent tracks but i wouldn’t say it blew me away like disintegration did

Love the Cure's first album, but after that it's really hit or miss. I don't dislike this, it just doesn't really do much for me. Wouldn't turn it off or leave the room if someone else put it on, but I'd never choose it myself.

This was cool!

Goth rock, super mysterious song, but I dig it. It does confuse me at times when no one is singing, or the vocals are quiet and mumbled. Half the time there's nothing really going on lol. I guess that's the vibe, but it's alright. I do understand the appeal of a rainy moody day where you just want to be mad at the world and put this record on.

Bit boring, really.

Weird, the drums sound mechanical, the songs seem underdeveloped and unfinished, the sound monotonic, cold rather than ethereal, an album as a demo track. But somehow they pull it off, a feat maybe influenced by just having heard their 2024 album and the more developed material between. Promising.

This is the sound of The Cure I'm more familiar with (as opposed to the spacy lushness of later releases), though I had never explored this album. All in all, I was never enthralled, though I appreciated the mood of isolation and sparseness this record was able to create. That's a feat worth noting. But the guitar sound was just so plain and similar on every song, and the drum sound a little too processed for my taste over the length of the entire album. Those elements contributed to the mood I described, but they were also detractions. So, a bit conflicted, eh? I guess what it boils down to is the songs weren't stellar, as a group, and that's ultimately what the album needed to propel this to a higher rating. It's better than a 3, but didn't earn the 4 in my estimation. Today. On this listen.

Я не слухав другий альбом The Cure ну прямо дуже довгий час. І коли послухав вчора - зрозумів чому. Цей альбом є першим і найслабшим альбомом у трилогії Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981), Pornography (1982). І це не дивно, адже на ньому гурт ще "розкачується" і тільки обережно робить спробу у створенні меланхолійно-болісної готичної атмосфери. Ці намагання найкраще відчуваються у, найбільш виразному на цьому альбомі, треку - A Forest. І хоча пісні Play for Today та In Your House мають певну виразність - все інше звучить "усереднено" та дуже рівно, тому не дивно, що на фоні подальших, більш потужних творів - ця робота просто меркне. Безумовно, ця робота має цінність і вплив на подальший розвиток #postpunk - у, але нажаль, не більше ніж музейний експонат. Наступні роботи будуть, все далі, відходити від класичного пост-панк звучання та ставати все краще і краще. А у висновку, ми спочатку отрмаємо неймовірний Pornography (1982), а потім шедевральний Disintegration (1989)..., але це вже зовсім інша історія.

Pretty good, prefer their later albums

Moody goth rock. It's pretty good if that's what you're looking for. It could be plundered for a subdued Halloween season playlist.

Makes me wanna wear black and paint my fingernails, but in a good way.

This album is outstanding for 1980. INCREDIBLY ahead of its time. It's more experimental than groovy which I can jive with. The instrumentals are especially impressive. Great album.

Pompous much

Other than Disintegration, the only other Cure album I've really listened to is Greatest Hits, in which i held the opinion that A Forest is one of the best produced songs ever made. 17 Seconds definitely has good production, but I feel i need to listen to it several more times to fully appreciate it.

Much better than the last album. Early atmospheric post-punk. B

Buen disco. Se deja oir hoy en día

I love me some Cure, and they epitomize my ideal of the early 80's goth sound, with perhaps Siouxsie and Joy Division not far behind. This album has that sound, period, and for me it's among those that sets the goth template. It doesn't have my favorite Cure songs, though "A Forest" and "Play for Today" are great songs. All that said and despite all those strengths, this is just not one of my favorite Cure albums. It's lacking a bit of heft, has a few throw aways, and some of it just isn't that memorable. But I've always felt the tendency for this genre to kind of run together and get lost. I'm really glad to hear it again, but as important as it is, it's not one of my go-tos for the band or the genre.

This was ok, not their best by a long shot.

I was surprised to see this one make the list. It’s a good listen and you can definitely hear the band moving into their more signature moody tortured sound, but there are better albums in their discography that deserve placement instead of this.

Good not great. Some of the build up and riffs were fantastic but just lacking some of the complete songs they had in later work.

Didn’t move me much and don’t have much to say. Good but not great. 3.25/5

Inoffensive but also unremarkable. I’d probably put it on in the background and it wouldn’t distract.

Nothing wrong with it, nothing at all, but it was mostly background-level for me this time around.

i would like to like the cure but i simply do not

Spooky/atmospheric/gothic/moody

I was surprised by this album. I typically don’t love The Cures sound. This album is more mellow and experimental than what I know of the band. I like it

This was a bit of a disappointing listen. The Cure is a great band. Not my fav album. Has a couple notable tracks, but all in all this is a miss for me.

I didnt really care for this. It was dark and moody but wasnt rhythmic enough for me. I didnt mind it but it wasnt memorable and aside from a few songs it didnt really peak my interest

I enjoyed the subtlety of this album. Not too bombastic or standout, but pleasant enough in the background. 3/5

Enjoyed a lot of this but found it a bit boring at times.

I wasn’t fussed about this after the first listen but it definitely grew on me more than I was expecting. I would be interested to compare this to their other albums, it feels a bit less catchy compared to other stuff but still has the same sound.

The album Seventeen Seconds, released in 1980, marks a transitional phase for The Cure, presenting a more cohesive and atmospheric sound than their previous works. The production is exceptional, with a sound that manages to create a dense and melancholic ambiance. Although some critics point to a certain generic sound in their songs, the album manages to capture the essence of post-punk of the time, bringing an effective combination of engaging guitars and subtle synthesizers that stood out in the musical scene of the time. Although some tracks throughout the album seem to echo the typical formula of the genre, it is the production that truly elevates the experience. The way the sound layers are constructed and the attention to subtle details in the mixing provide an unexpected depth, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the emotions conveyed in each song. This ability to create a rich sonic environment, even within a framework that can feel familiar, demonstrates the band's talent for doing so much with what could otherwise be generic compositions, solidifying Seventeen Seconds as a landmark in The Cure's discography.

Pretty good Ambient Rock, if that’s a thing. (It should be.) Will revisit.

I love you The Cure :) Favorite track: A Forest

Seventeen Seconds is kinda slow with many similar sounding songs, all having that identifiable Cure (bass guitar, lead vocals, and moody emo) sound. (3.1*s) The Cure gets better.

I'm a little surprised this album is on the list. Not because it is bad, more because it does little to feature anything unique or groundbreaking. It's more of the same brooding dark rock from The Cure but on a stripped-down limited scale. It really feels like they tried to remove as much as possible and keep it quiet, simple and straightforward. I was simultaneously surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There's a handful of pretty quick straight to the point songs that hit their mark. There are also a couple longer tracks that feature an extended soft jam that kinda just fill a void for background music. I wouldn't put The Cure anywhere near the top of my favorite artists list, but I keep enjoying what I get exposed to. They have a weird allure that I can't quite put my finger on. 3.41 stars

Enjoyably vibey but surprisingly light on hooks.

6/10, above average album. There wasn't any song I disliked, however not many that i really liked

Not my favorite cure album. It’s just fine. Not life changing

“A Forest” is the standout track. Otherwise, a very spare, clinical entry from The Cure.

Much loved as it is, and as much as A Forest is brilliant, as an album it’s a 3.33 star for me.

The Cure deserve more attention, as least then I give them. Very accomplished group and visionary front man Robert Smith. I enjoyed this record and recognize it's significance, however, it remains a paired down version of what's to come. A great rough draft

3.5

I think I dig *Seventeen Seconds* a bit more than *Pornography* ||I know there's 17 sec watching pornography joke to be told but I won't do it here||. Mainly because I really dig post punk and its angular guitars. That being said this does have the Cure drone that I'm not a big fan of, but doesn't bother me here as much as it did in "Pornography". Some there are several tracks I seriously enjoyed "A Forest", "At Night", "Play For Today" and the title track would make a killer Ep. But the more goth atmospheric tracks just left me a bit cold and I didn't care for them. (7.1) ★★★½

I really like "A Forest", and I enjoy the somber mood on this record, but I think their songwriting is stronger elsewhere. 3.5 stars

3.5

not getting it

Again, I thought I liked the Cure. Now I'm not sure.

It was good by i missed something from it. It lacksd some Edge or something

I am somewhat disappointed - The Cure is one of those bands that I've not listened to too much and everyone keeps recommending, so I guess it's my own fault for not managing my expectations. However I do think I'm objective when I say I found this a bit underwhelming and maybe a bit shallow. Still a relatively pleasant listen tho so 3 stars sound fair

I like the sound one song at a time, but in total even 30 minutes is a little much for me

Unmistakably The Cure, but the greatness is yet to come.

I really like The Cure a lot, and Disintegration is probably a top 5 album for me so far on here (it's been just over a year since I got that one). The vibe is generally good on this (and by good, I mean a bit dark and intense of course), but overall it's a far cry from Disintegration. It feels like a band that is still coming into its own, which makes sense as its only their second album. I don't have a ton else to add. It's definitely the sound of an album by The Cure, but just a little less captivating on the whole than I was hoping. It does have a few very solid songs though. "A Forest" is the standout, but I also liked "Play For Today" and "M" a lot too. This is in 3.5 territory for me, definitely a solid listen. Favorite song: A Forest Other: Play For Today, Secrets, M, Seventeen Seconds 11/11/24

The Cure?! Weird but ok im down 1001 gods Play for Today It was aight nothing too special

Only one good song

Definitely not my favorite Cure album, but I love the vibe, more so than their first album. It feels like they are coming into their sound on this one, and they keep honing it in on later albums. A Forest is a favorite. I'll give this a 3.5, but some of their later albums get a 5.

Q: Billy has 5 albums by The Cure. He just bought 2 more. What does Billy have? A: Depression. Billy has depression. I just bought the new Cure yesterday (Songs of a Lost World)! I love this band, or more precisely, Robert Smith. The Cure took a variety of forms before settling into the Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me era where they seem to remain though continually evolving within that incarnation. Seventeen Seconds and Faith sit between their early clean-guitar punk roots and their Satanic gloom and doom of Pornography, and in retrospect you can their past and also where they are heading. Bleak, stark, cold, haunting, and musically emotional in its lack of emotion, Seventeen Seconds may not be for everybody, and indeed it took me some time to get into it as well. Some tracks are less songs and more John Cage-like interludes between songs. I love many albums from The Cure from beginning to end; this is not one of them. "Play For Today", "In Your House", and the quintessential "A Forest" are the best tracks here. I feel like Seventeen Seconds and Faith are sibling albums, but maybe both could have been better if the best were taken from each and put into one album. This is quite a departure from their first album, and I think it was given alot of credit at the time for their branching out and creating a sound that was unique (and later further developed by others), but even better things are yet to come.

This was enjoyable and seemed to be a shoo-in for a 4 but in truth I felt like its momentum dropped off pretty hard after A Forest.

Good enough.

Once a MILF wanted me to play a lot of the Cure on the Force, I did not listen

This was ok. More instrumental then what I would expect from The Cure.

Obviously the best thing about this album is A Forest, which is a bit of a masterclass in maximising atmosphere and groove from the simplest of ingredients, but there are some other good tunes on here too, like Play for Today and M. There are also long sections that feel more like instrumental soundtracks than songs, but I didn’t mind those either.

Entirely underwhelming. I absolutely love Disintegration but had never listened to much else from The Cure, so I was excited to get this album. But this is just so boring. And then it just ends… I really thought I’d love this but instead I found myself looking for any reason not to give it my second ever 2/5 rating. 3/5 Highlights: A Forest

Somehow if I were to describe it this would be a stereotypical cure album, yet the parts don't seem to add up to a whole. I feel like they actually got their voice later in their career. Instead this is a weird mix of the smiths and joy division that ends up being a bit boring.I really hope this isn't the only cure album because this really doesn't seem like the album that cure should be represented by.

the song "Play for today" is an hidden gem. the rest is average (to the exception of A Forest)"

Like the popular singles from the Cure. Never listened to a whole album. Need to explore more.

Consistent quality ; love the piano work :) light vocals solid mood setting … lacking replay singles , strong 3

3 out of 5. Things get better from here but it's still an ok album.

Sometimes, a sound just springs into the world. I don't think The Cure were the first New Wave band, but they were certainly the first to really contribute to the sound and feel of Gothic rock. Of course, this can be a mixed blessing in retrospect because sometimes these albums are more famous for starting a trend than being the first fully realised version of it. Thankfully, The Cure hit the ground running. Mostly. The jangly guitars and prominent bass are here, and Smith's plaintive wails and angsty tone give it the grit it needs. (Even if he sounds like he's recording about 500ft away from the rest of the band.) It's more experimental than I thought it would be too. The main downside is that they haven't worked out track lengths yet; a couple of songs end too quick and a couple more are a bit too long. (The opening instrumental being about twice as long as it needed to be). Still, a solid achievement. And this was before they really got into the swing of things. Tangent: This sort of new wave is so much nicer without Morrisey in it, isn't it. Fave: A Forest Least Fave: A Reflection Strong Bad Demerit Counter: 0

fine

Okay, not bad.

Good in background. Couldn’t tell when it ended

Never a huge fan, but I appreciate their style

3.6 roentgen

Very cool, very spooky, not as pop as I’d like the cure but I like the album and flows well together. Obviously a forest is my favourite song.

Huge fan of the idea to replace the monotonous voice of Robert Smith with various instrumental tracks. Best album of the Cure so far!

Dark and gloomy. Didn't know this album. Wasn't my favourite but some great tracks including the title track and A Forest

Confused... I love The Cure and I firmly believe that every person should listen to The Cure before they die. So many incredible songs. The range of this band in emotion and style is so impressive. However.......... this album is not an album that anyone NEEDS to listen to before they die. In fact, if this was the only album by The Cure I ever listened to, I would right them off as generic British indie and go on living my life without ever thinking about it again. I mean.. its fine, but its so uninteresting. I guess this is "foundational"? But damn, this is a pretty lack luster freshmen album.

I'm clearly missing something here. This was one of the most uninteresing albums on list so far. Not bad, not good enough to remember.

I love The Cure. They were always one of those bands that I never really listened to intentionally but any time I heard them at random I really loved their music. I'm glad to have heard this album today, I think I had heard it before but it's been ages. It's kind of a vibe album - put it on when you're in a certain mood and it's exactly what you need. It's very dark and depressing. I don't know if there are really any standout tracks on it for me. And I do think it is a little monotonous but as short as it is it doesn't get boring. I think there are better albums from The Cure, giving this one a 3.5/5 but rounding down because there isn't a reason to round up.

I don't know what I'm missing here. Again it's decent but just does very little for me

3.5 rounded down lowkey boring i’m afraid….. its ok they have better stuff on the horizon highlights: play for today, a forest, seventeen seconds (oct 30 2024)

The Cure has always been OK to me, as someone who is not a big fan of the post punk sound this one is much easier to listen to than some of the other bands/albums of the day. Mellow, but a little too low key for my tastes.

Love The Cure. This album felt a bit subdued but still good.

One of my fave bands but maybe album in need of another few classic songs?

1st song- its cool I really like it how they singing 2nd song- really cool I like it 3rd song-wow this song so good I really like it

Maybe I just don't get The Cure. This was fine but I'm not sure why it's on this list.

awesome tracks inside this one! it's very easy to listen through it!

Nice - not their greatest but good…

A sound I cannot identify with

I am a big Cure fan. I listened to them a lot in the late 80's and still do occasionally. I had the Staring at the Sea compilation and Disintegration, both of which are excellent. This is not those. There are a few good songs on here with a lot of background/soundtrack filler. It feels like they hadn't really worked out what they wanted to be fully yet. I saw them recently and they played for over 2 hours of abbreviated hits, one after another like a long 2 hour medley. You have to have a lot of good songs to need to squeeze them all in by playing 2-3 minute versions for over 2 hours. And I still didn't even get to hear Fascination Street. Play for Today is certainly 1 of those songs as is A Forest. But there are too many all mood no hook instrumentals or songs where the voice is way in the background mumbling. almost as if Robert Smith had not really found his swerve yet. This album could be left off the list in favor of Pornography and Disintegration (which are on the list). 2.6

OK

Love their sound!

I'm really not sure why, but I just can't get myself into The Cure as much as I should. They check every box of what I love, but for some reason their projects are just alright to me.

not my favorite cure album, but interesting to see the transition starting for them.

En automne j'aime bien les vibes rock de daron il pleut et ça allait très bien avec le mood. Par contre des fois trop long et instrumental il me faut des PAROLES

Did they just include every Cure album or what? this is not one of their better ones… Still Cure though.

Starts off strong and loses me a bit in the second half. Still figuring out my relationship to this band. 3.5/5

Atmospheric goth rock - ok fine. I get along with some of it, some of it I don't need so much. I liked that hit A Forest.

Far more atmospheric than the other Cure albums I’ve listened to. It’s a vibe I enjoyed. More than their other albums this felt like one long piece. I probably need to listen a second time to fully settle on my thoughts. But for now it’s 3.5/5

Love the early gothic sound. Solid album.

Not my favourite Cure sound but enjoyably lofi.

The kings of no rock music do it again.

classic.

Good. Not great.

Some great songs and some very forgettable songs

I went back and forth on this but I'd give it a 3.5. The instrumentation is already there in the early work, the baselines sound absolutely sinister, but the vocals were not super impressive to me and it all sounds like you're listening to it through a fog. The pop sensibility of the later hits really elevated the schtick from good to great.

This is super sparse. Most of it almost feels unfinished. I checked out one of the more celebrated remasters, and the guitar (the whole mix really) still sounds so claustrophobically constrained. I like the atmosphere, which is sinister and stripped-back. But there isn't enough here for me to enjoy. 2.5*

A mainstay in the world of music, The Cure is one of those bands whose mark on the 80s varies in its appearance. For some, they were a punky upstart and for others an 80s rock band that flirted with being a pop artist. This album though has a bit of emotional depth. Some words to describe that are "dark" but that seems more of a comparison to their earlier work. If anything the album sounds like they took their work seriously and put a bit of their desire to be taken seriously into the sound. This much is evident from the "dark" and pensive first track "A Reflection" and yet we fly straight into a rhythm-heavy "Play for Today" where that dark veil is lifted and we are given a rock album with evidence of their punk roots in their mostly linear compositions, but with flashes of intentional melody. The produce of music in 1980s would end up being the subject of much debate, with few brights spots, and a lot of disappointments, but what can be said of The Cure, is that they made it through here.

It’s okay, Second half is much better than the first

3.5 Another good, not great album from The Cure. Some standout tracks, but because the album is so short, it never feels like it gets into second gear to me. But very listenable, and great vibes.

Gothic Rock，弦绷得我脑干要断了

2024-08-16...

I’m like The Cure but I found this to be one of the least engaging albums of theirs.

3 - wish I liked this more than I did, but it lacks any sort of umph and all just fades away into good background music

Ni fu ni fa! Algún tema destaca pero prefiero otros discos de the cure.

Solid 3. Love the forest

6/10 - This was a severe let down. Like the music was alright but I like the cure most of the time and this album just did not do it for me. It was kind of boring the whole time.

It was fine

I get what they’re going for, I just don’t really like it that much. The frequent dissonance and long instrumental sections perfectly set that moody, mopey tone you expect from the cure, I’m just not crazy about it.

Too quiet

Not a fan of the cure generally and while this album didn’t change my mind I didn’t hate it. Was more chill than other albums by the cure I’ve listened to

Liked it more than Pornography. Gonna go with a high 3.

I liked this, liked the simple song structures & stripped-down arrangements, even if it does get a little perpetual. They're certainly not the 1st band to embrace the notion that "Hey, we can make 3 or 4 songs just going VI to IV!" but personally I prefer the diverseness of their debut.

Very happy to have gotten the first The Cure album on here. Even though I like other albums better, this one is still a nice listen. I had it playing when doing household chores in the evening and couldn't help but dance a bit around the apartment, which is precisely what I judge my music by. However, it isn't good enough for 4 stars.

I like the genre, liked the music, liked the ambience it created. Didn’t really enjoy the album for some reason though, I felt it was as lacking a certain bite and certainly left me wanting. The Cure are a funny one for me. I do like them, but never blown away. I thought M was very good. M

La música sombría que hizo famosos a The Cure. Este disco de 1980 es simple pero bien tocado, se puede notar la alineación de estilos con sus contemporáneos de Joy Division, lleno de acordes oscuros que traen a la imaginación fiestas de vampiros, hombres lobo, espectros y otras creaturas nocturnas. Muy alejado de lo que después entregaron en álbumes como "Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me" y "Desintegration".

The. Cure is an iconic band however this is not one of their best efforts.

Solid, if unspectacular

OK stuff. 3 stars

There were some very tedious tracks in there that felt like they were half-complete experimentations. the main couple of hit tracks are great though.

Not what I expected, very chill and loved the returning motif. I need to dig into the rest of their discography (3.5/5)

Very good for its era

I don't really get The Cure. It's OK I guess, but it doesn't excite me.

Kann das Album nicht wirklich in ein Genre einordnen.

Interested to hear what this sounds like. I can definitely hear some band's music from today, that is very influential. Truly never heard of any of these first couple tracks. I do enjoy them as well. Pretty good overall.

The Cure is as distinct as they are conformed to the genre, the era, the sound. Robert Smith is uniquely moody and aching in his vocals and writing. This album isn't a standout, but I would say if you like one you'd like them all.

Lonely, desolate, gloomy, depressing and dark. Like a Soundtrack to a monochrome movie. Okay to listen to once.

Because they are The Cure

практически инструментал (но грустный, ибо кьюр)

#267. Kind of a mixed bag here. Some pretty good songs, some not so much. Decent, I guess. 3/5: acceptable.

I got a fever, and the cure is no more The Cure. I kid, this was decent and relaxing. A little bland, but I think that's their thing.

Nicht mein Lieblingsalbum der Cure, zu eintönig, keine Highlights, teilweise instrumental. ***

Wasn’t sure what to expect on this one. It’s dark, raw, experimental, primitive at times, and… not at all unpleasant. Glad I heard it but not sure it quite rises to the level of a 4-star “keeper.”

I like later albums better. This is fine and spooky but I probably won't put it on again

Good bass. Decent songs. Would listen again.

5/10

I mostly liked it, but boy gee is this thing not very memorable to me? Not a fan of this voice type of male singer either. I liked the tracks but it seems like they are all just filler tracks that would be great transition pieces on an amazing album, and yet there's no stand out moments, it just lulls from one track to the next until you're back to the start. If I didn't actually like the instrumentals, this would be a 2 for me.

It’s the Cure. Good for a specific mood, but there’s no “Love Song” on this album.

No individual tracks really sunk into me (this must still be their pre-banger days) but I liked the vibe.

This album builds a decent atmosphere but there's not much holding it together beyond that. Not mega catchy (although the bassline in A Forest sticks in your head). It's quite nice background music (nice probably isn't the right word given how downbeat it is, but it'll do), but it really doesn't do much more than that. Think it scrapes a low 3.

Pretty good. A little somber and slow, which is what they're known for, but still...

After listening, I was cured.

Wish "A Reflection" was longer! Mix of good tracks and ones like "Three" where I wasn't so interested.

Pretty Typical cure.

Original, must have been groundbreaking at the time but pretty mid by now. 3 stars + .3 for A Forest - 3.3

Seventeen Seconds is The Cure's second album, which was released before the band embarked on their first world tour. While the album does not include any of the band's early hits, these songs do capture the Cure's ability to make catchy pop songs out of melancholic and even somber elements. Robert Smith's are a well-produced version of post-punk; guitar driven songs with strong bass lines and a health dose of synthesizers. Smith's gloomy focus made this album a good example of early goth rock.

The Cure at their gothiest?

- great sound - nice chill listen

5 on mood and vibes 3.50 as a whole a forest straight banger could i write poetry to this? y

This one is a mood more than a collection of songs. I like The Cure a lot more when they play songs.

# 250 : The Cures ok. Not my favourite band but they've done alright with this. Favourite track : A Forest

Funnily enough seventeen seconds is how long this album took to make sad and sleepy. 6/10

Not an album I've ever listened to before, I thought it was pretty good. Just not what I was in the mood for today. Not what I expected based on my limited listening time with The Cure.

I like a few songs by The Cure a lot, but none of them were on this album. The overall vibe was pretty good, but nothing really stood out like some of their hits do, so I was a bit disappointed

Not my favorite type of music. I wouldnt know a good Cure albun from a bad one, but I see why people like them.

The Cure is a vibe

Rating: 6/10 Great atmosphere but overall this is pretty forgettable, the Cure shine brightest when they combine a dark atmosphere with lush and interesting instrumentation, which is really missing on this album. Throughout most of the album the band tends to linger too long on a single idea; there is little variation in many of the songs which is an issue when the ideas are not that interesting to begin with. This is something the band will continue to improve upon in future releases: more interesting riffs, song structures, atmosphere, and melodies. Still an important album in their discography and still enjoyable overall. Favorite songs: Play for Today, A Forest, At Night. Worst songs: Three, The Final Sound.

A drab, moody concept album. Maybe concept album isn’t the right thing to call it. Mainly instrumentals, which are good, but some songs that have lyrics like in Secrets are at a whisper level so it’s difficult to make anything out. I thought I liked The Cure, but I only knew of their top hits. This album was nothing like I assumed it would be. I enjoyed this album, but definitely wished had more substance to grab onto. Just hung onto the vibe. Standouts: Play For Today, M, and Seventeen Seconds.

Easy listening and decent enough, but not something I’ll come back to

They do get better further into their career but I do find myself liking listening to The Cure more than I expected. Yesterday was hectic so I couldn't give it a deep listen which I wish I could.

3/5

Jeg har egentlig lyst til å like det bedre, men får det ikke til. Jeg får gi The Cure en ny sjanse en annen gang.

Yeah it's alright. Not the best Cure album, but not intolerable.

Was never a fan of The Cure, and after listening to this I'm still not. BUT, I did actually like a couple of songs and have a newfound respect for them. Solid album. 3/5

Quite plain. Nice sound

Classic Cure, not my favourite but a couple of excellent stand out tracks. Solid 3

Not my favourite Cure album, but probably the easier listen out of their earlier stuff. A Forest is the standout track that is still a regular in their live set.

Yes there are some good songs on this record. Even a couple more when they were billed as Cult Hero. But this is an album you listen to after you've already establishedthat you really like The Cure and you want to see where "they came from". Good solid record, not their best and a few years away from hitting their stride

Blah. Perhaps not fair. Dull drum beats, nice guitar work, and an intriguing vocal style. Too many off putting songs for me on this album.

Decent album, but The Cure's vocals aren't my thing.

Not the strongest album by the Cure, but A Forest is an absolute banger. 3.4 stars

Not as good as their earlier offerings but ok

Seventeen Seconds To the trees! Firstly and foremostly, A Forest. What a song. Clearly the best Cure song and an absolute copper bottomed classic. On first listen I wasn’t keen, every song selling an attempt to rehash A Forest, but never actually getting there. However I liked it more on the second go around and even more on the third. Yes there is a slightly templated feel but I started to like it; Motorik drums, straight ahead bass, slight guitar delay and a simplistic but insistent instrumental hook. It’s definitely a grower, once you attune yourself to the nature of the grooves. Secrets, I think Mike Skinner must have nicked this for Empty Cans from A Grand Don’t Come for Free. In Your House, M, At Night and Seventeen started to stand out to me on those repeated listens. It’s definitely not a 2, A Forest is so good it can’t be. It’s not a 4, so that makes it a solid 3 I think, one of those ones that will reveal itself with more listens. I can see me putting this one while working, the tempos, slightly repetitive template and the horizontal melodies would suit it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honestly I think if I gave this one another listen the week before my period it would probably be 5 stars.

Moody, gloomy and atmospheric with some really strong basslines, but without the killer production and memorable hooks (bar a couple of songs) of later The Cure releases

Mixed bag. Not too remarkable.

Secrets is a good tune. A lot less of the singer on this album, which I appreciate. It feels like a gloomy soundscape which I can appreciate, but it isn't really my cuppa. A Forest is another good tune that has a nice guitar section throughout. Still don't understand The Cure, but this is the best of the 3 albums we have had so far.

Pretty spooky feeling in this whole album. Nothing really stood out in particular but it was a good album all together.

3/5 average

not at their best

Short and sweet. Good representation of time. Liked first half.

Some nice songs

Mid

Dark, minimal gothiness building up to A Forest. Not an everyday album, but it has it's place on the list ...whichever list that might be

Is another really good one from the cure. This one doesn’t have many catchy songs or hook, however, it does have a very cool feeling that goes through the whole album. Very melancholy with a driving undertone, this album is one I would listen to again.

Decent album. A Forrest is def my fav from here. I wasn't especially moved by it though. I'll give it a 3.

Early Cure before Cure grew into their signature sound

Did I miss something, or is Seventeen Seconds really not a The Cure record that people talk about? Even as a fan, you have to admit that it's pretty repetitive and not really showcasing a lot of the stuff that the band is known for.

There’s no questioning the effect this gothic and sonic album would have on The Cure moving forward. In and of itself it’s a rather one-sided affair delivering the same idea again and again for almost its entire run.

Pretty decent but not all that interesting. It was good background music for folding laundry though!

this was all new the cure for me. and it was fine! no particularly strong feelings tho