The Cure - Seventeen Seconds (Seventeen Seconds - The Cure)

Member Name: micksheff

Product:	Seventeen Seconds - The Cure
Date:	08/03/08 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs in a digitally remastered format.

Disadvantages: Some obscure tracks on the second CD

"Seventeen Seconds" was the second album released by the punk/goth band, The Cure. It was released in the April of 1980 although it did not probably make it into my vinyl record recollection until around five years later. Originally released on the Fiction record label this is the only Cure studio album to feature keyboard player Matthieu Hartley.

In 2005 Fiction records teamed up with the band's current record label, Rhino and re-issued this album to mark its 25th anniversary. This re-issued version has been digitally remastered and not only contains the original ten tracks that featured on this album, it also comes with a second CD disc that contains a further fifteen tracks of oddities and rarities that were recorded around the same time. Just in case this was not enough this new package also comes with a booklet that is packed full of photographs of the band from this period. This booklet also contains the lyrics to all of the tracks on both of these discs. This review is based largely on this 2005 digitally remastered release rather the original vinyl release, although as a former die hard fan I do own both.

The track listing on this 2005 release is as follows:

Disc One

1. A Reflection
2. Play For Today
3. Secrets
4. In Your House
5. Three
6. The Final Sound
7. A Forest
8. M
9. At Night
10. Seventeen Seconds

Disc Two

1. I'm A Cult Hero (Cult Hero single)
2. I Dig You (Cult Hero single)
3. Another Journey By Train (home demo)
4. Secrets (home demo)
5. Seventeen Seconds (live)
6. In Your House (live)
7. Three (alt studio mix)
8. I Dig You (Cult Hero live)
9. I'm A Cult Hero (Cult Hero live)
10. M (live)
11. The Final Sound (live)
12. A Reflection (live)
13. Play For Today (live)
14. At Night (live)
15. A Forest (live

Disc One is as the original vinyl release and kicks off with "A Reflection.." This is a haunting, moody instrumental track that rises and falls. This track sets the tone for the rest of the album and confirms that The Cure have matured considerably since the short, three minute tracks on their debut release "Three Imaginary Boys".

Next up we have "Play For Today" and "Secrets" which are both also over five minutes long in length. These two tracks feature the use of keyboards heavily, something that was evidently missing on their debut, although I did not quite realise it at the time.

"In Your House" is an absolute gem of a song and definitely one of the highlights on this album. Whilst the next two tracks "Three" and "The Final Sound" continue in a similar way.

Each of these songs are like a breath of fresh air and demonstrates just how far the founder band members Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst had come from the raw, quirky, pop sound of some of the earlier songs that made it onto the first album. These songs are at a slower pace, more chilled out and relaxed, but each has a catchy upbeat melody although it is noticeable that the vocals and lyrics are somewhat sparse. This is much more of an album based on the music rather than the vocals and in many ways may have been a result of the criticisms of the earlier songs, which were more repetitive in their sound.

"A Forest" more or less sums up everything that is right about the first seven songs that precede it. This is very atmospheric and moody but better for Robert Smith's low, slightly whining voice. "A Forest" is a much darker song than its upbeat melody initially portrays. This was the only song from "Seventeen Seconds" that was released as a single, giving the band their first top ten hit in the UK and their first appearance on Top of the Pops. At this time many people struggled to define this song giving it the labels "New Wave", "Indie", "Goth" and "Alternative" amongst other tags.

Next up we have the strangely titled "M" and "At Night." Both of these tracks are less memorable than "A Forest" but that is not to say that they have been put here simply as album fillers. The truth is on this album there are no fillers, just ten good songs.

The Album ends with the title track of the album "Seventeen Seconds" This is one of the longest tracks on the album and it has a very catchy hook to it. I have heard several theories about what this song is actually about but as with many of the tracks on this album the lyrics are quite abstract and therefore difficult to decipher, although there is a general theme of love. My theory about this title tracks comes from a book that I always remember reading as a child, which is also called "Seventeen Seconds". This book is written by Ivan Southall and recounts the exploits of two Australian mine disposal officers during the Second World War. Seventeen Seconds was the length of time that they had to get away from a hand grenade when the pin had been removed. I have no idea if Robert Smith has read this same book but I would like to think that it is plausible as he sings " Seventeen seconds, a measure of life, Seventeen seconds, a measure of time......"

The second disc is actually the main reason why I decided to buy this remastered package. I do have all of the early albums on vinyl, and most also on CD but the songs on this particular CD do not appear anywhere else. This is collection of fifteen tracks that are very crude but to listen to them is still interesting.

This disc kicks off with two songs that were actually recorded by The Cult Hero, which was the name of Robert Smith's band before he formed The Cure. It is pretty fair to say that these songs sound like they were recorded on a tape recorder in his bedroom and they probably were.

Elsewhere on this disc there are live songs and early demo versions of songs that later appeared in different formats elsewhere. All of this is very interesting, but presumably serves only to be useful the diehard Cure fans.

My favourite song on this bonus disc is "Another Journey by Train" this home demo is fast and furious and has quite a pop influenced tinge to it, a direction that the band chose to steer away from on "Seventeen Seconds". This demo track later inspired another song "Jumping Someone Else's Train" which surfaced shortly after this recording.

Finally this package comes with a booklet that is packed full of photographs of the band from the 1977-1980 period. Some of these photos are quite hilarious and Robert Smith looks very young and baby-faced. These were the days before he developed his mad mop of hair and started wearing make-up.

If you fancy a trip down memory lane with The Cure this double CD package is currently available for around £15.99.

Summary: Originally released in 1980 this was the second studio album from The Cure