Seventeen Seconds

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Seventeen Seconds is the second studio album by The Cure, released in April 1980 by Fiction Records. It is the only Cure album to feature keyboardist Matthieu Hartley, and was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album reached number 20 on the British album charts. [1]

Overview

The record, mostly a collection of downbeat tracks, features ambient echoing vocals and minimally-treated instruments,[2] with the album's sonic direction driven by its drum sound.[1] Due to budgetary restraints, the record was recorded and mixed in seven days on a budget of between £2000 and £3000, which resulted in the band working 16 or 17 hours a day to complete the album.[1] Smith stated that as a result, the track "The Final Sound" was actually planned to be much longer, but was cut down to 53 seconds because the tape ran out while recording, and they couldn't record it again. Inspiration was also very high, as Smith wrote the lyrics and music for most of the record on just two occasions. Most of the music was composed by Smith in his parents' home, on a Hammond organ with a built in tape recorder. Interviewed in 2004, producer Mike Hedges does not recall any demo tracks,[1] with the band generally playing the track in the studio before laying down a backing track to which overdubs were added.[1]

Bassist Simon Gallup and keyboardist Matthieu Hartley were added to the band's lineup. Gallup replaced Michael Dempsey, which relieved Smith as he felt Dempsey's basslines were too ornate and that they weren't gelling socially. Hartley's synth work added a new dimension to the band's newly ethereal sound, although Smith and he clashed over complexity (Hartley enjoyed complex chords; Smith wanted single notes).[1] Hartley made a departure from the group after Seventeen Seconds.[1]

This record was repackaged in the US in 1981 (on the A&M label) with Faith as Happily Ever After — available as a double album or a single CD. Neither album was available individually in the US until 1986.[3]

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Blender link
Pitchfork Media(7.5/10) link
Rolling Stone link

The album's songs are described by critics as bearing vague, often unsettling lyrics and "dark", spare minimalistic melodies. Some reviewers felt that Seventeen Seconds represented a far more mature Cure, who had come very far musically in less than one year.[4] The album was lauded by some critics, and panned as a "collection of soundtracks" by others. One reviewer[who?] described the album as a "sad Cure, sitting in cold rooms, watching clocks". Despite the mixed reception, the band was featured in several lengthy articles with numerous photos of a slender Smith, without makeup, whom one critic called "alarmingly handsome"[citation needed], and the album was relatively successful when released, reaching number 20 in the UK. There was controversy concerning the band's "anti-image", established by the cover of Three Imaginary Boys, which this album contributed to by blurring the photos of the band's members and the cover art. This is the first Cure album Smith was able to choose the art for.

In 2000, Q magazine placed Seventeen Seconds at number 65 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.

Live performances

During concerts, songs from Seventeen Seconds are typically grouped together and only played during the encore, as it has grown to be a fan favorite. Common Seventeen Seconds based encores are "M", "Play For Today", and "A Forest". "At Night" is sometimes also included; the other six songs have not been played recently; however "In Your House" appears on the 1993 Paris album, along with "Play for Today" and "At Night", and it was also performed during a charity gig in 2004.[1] The Cure did, however, perform the song "Seventeen Seconds" as an opener to a festival in Europe in 2003; "Secrets" has not been played since 1985, and "Three" has not seen a performance since the original Seventeen Seconds tour in 1980, but since 1981 the band sometimes closes concerts with "Forever," a lengthy, mostly improvised piece based on the music of "Three". In 2005 The Cure rerecorded "Seventeen Seconds" along with "Faith" and "Pornography" for the album 4play.

In 2011 The Cure performed the album in its entirety over two dates for the Vivid Live festival at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia. The performances billed as The Cure: 'Reflections' were recorded for potential DVD release.

2005 re-release

Seventeen Seconds was reissued in the UK 25 April 2005 (26 April in the U.S.) as part of Universal's Deluxe Edition series. The new edition featured a remastered version of the album on the first disc, while the second contained demo and live tracks. The master tapes for the album were reported to have been ruined by a washing machine,[5] so this remaster was sourced from vinyl, unlike the rest. On the rarities disc, four of these rarities are recorded by the one-off Cult Hero, a group that featured Smith's postman Frank Bell as lead singer and which performed 70's style rock along the lines of Easy Cure. Disc 2 contains versions, either in demo or live form, of all 10 songs on the first disc.

There also exists a one-CD reissue. It was released on 5 September 2005 in the UK and 4 April 2006 in the US. The CD features the original album, but does not contain the bonus disc. It is also released in the standard jewel case, and not a digipak. In some countries, the "Deluxe Edition" has become a collector's item due to the phasing out of production, being replaced by the more economic one-CD version.

Track listing

All songs written by The Cure (Smith/Gallup/Hartley/Tolhurst).

Side one
  1. "A Reflection" – 2:09
  2. "Play for Today" – 3:39
  3. "Secrets" – 3:20
  4. "In Your House" – 4:07
  5. "Three" – 2:36
Side two
  1. "The Final Sound" – 0:53
  2. "A Forest" – 5:55
  3. "M" – 3:03
  4. "At Night" – 5:54
  5. "Seventeen Seconds" – 4:02

The U.S. Cassette (Electra 9 60784-4), features "A Forest" on Side A and "Play for Today" on Side B. Also, the artwork is different, with some tree branches at left and a reddish blob at the bottom.

2005 Deluxe Edition

Disc one

Original album, as above

Disc two

  1. "I'm a Cult Hero" (vinyl single by Cult Hero) – 2:59
  2. "I Dig You" (vinyl single by Cult Hero) – 3:40
  3. "Another Journey by Train" (instrumental home demo) – 3:12
  4. "Secrets" (instrumental home demo) – 3:40
  5. "Seventeen Seconds" (live) – 3:59
  6. "In Your House" (live) – 3:32
  7. "Three" (alt studio mix) – 2:45
  8. "I Dig You" (Cult Hero live) – 3:36
  9. "I'm a Cult Hero" (Cult Hero live) – 3:21
  10. "M" (live) – 2:56
  11. "The Final Sound" (live) – 0:26
  12. "A Reflection" (live) – 1:39
  13. "Play for Today" (live) – 3:46
  14. "At Night" (live) – 5:37
  15. "A Forest" (live) – 6:28

Band

Production

  • Producers: Robert Smith, Mike Hedges
  • Co-producers: Chris Parry, Simon Gallup, Laurence Tolhurst and Matthieu Hartley
  • Engineers: Mike Hedges, David Kemp
  • Assistant engineer: Martyn Webster

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g CLASSIC TRACKS: The Cure 'A Forest', Sound on Sound, December 2004
  2. ^ Nitsuh Abebe. Pitchfork Media review of Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography
  3. ^ Butler, Daren: "The Cure On Record", page 29. Omnibus Press, 1995.
  4. ^ Kent, Nick. Seventeen Seconds review. NME. 26 April 1980
  5. ^ Parish, Peter (15 June 2005). "Seventeen Seconds". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
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