The Cure: Japanese Whispers

The Cure: Japanese Whispers

1983

Fiction Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Let's Go to Bed  2. The Dream  3. Just One Kiss  4. The Upstairs Room  5. The Walk  6. Speak My Language  7. Lament  8. The Love Cats



Welcome to another exciting installment of "Before the Internet Existed":

 Before the internet existed I had to read every damn book in the library to find a single fact...And even then you weren't guaranteed an answer...Was a Xerus a real animal? I wasn't able to find an answer until the internet was invented...

 Before the internet existed there was no easy or convenient way to look at porn...These were your options:

1. You had to locate your Dad's/Friends' Dad's/Granfather's hidden stash of 1970's Playboys...

2. Randomly stumble across a water-damaged porno mag in the woods (boy, I hope that's water)...

3. Yank it to Red Sonja comics...

Before the internet existed there was no real way for non-Cure fanatics to know "Japanese Whispers" wasn't a proper Cure album...It's actually a collection of their three post-"Pornography" singles and b-sides...So when the goth kids tossed the new album on the turntable, a lot of them seemed aghast (boo!) at all the dance-pop present...To this day, it still has the stigma of being a pop trifle, but why is intelligent, well-crafted pop considered more trivial than foggy, droning atmospherics? Or is it all the keyboards? The role of guitar is waaaaayyyyy downplayed in favor of 80's synthesizer...As a result, I guess this could be considered a bit more "dated" sounding than say "Pornography" (which almost could have come out of any decade). But me? I love this stuff...Usually when I'm in the mood for the Cure I tend to pull one of the poppier albums from the shelf...This one being a particular favorite...


Readers Comments:

(showing 1 of 0):

Petey Pancakeface:  (5 seconds ago):"How can you possibly choose a piece of pop-shit like "Japanese Whispers" over a real Cure album like "Pornography" or "Disintegration"?  Why don't you give up this cock-gobbling blog and have a real Cure fan write a review? Dick biter!  -Signed, a Real Cure Fan...With pictures to prove it...(See diagrams below)...

 "We slip through the streets,
While everyone sleeps,
Getting bigger and sleeker,
And wider and brighter..."

"Mmmmmm...Not quite..."

"A little black haired girl,
Waiting for Saturday,
The death of her father pushing her,
Pushing her white face into the mirror,
Aching inside me..."

"There....You are now a real Cure fan..."

"Wowwww!"


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Yea, I don't buy into that shit...Anyway, this is what the album consists of...



"Let's Go to Bed/Just One Kiss" single:

1982:

"Let's Go to Bed" was a big turning point, showing that Robert was once again open to uptempo pop after the three dreary (but in a good way!) albums before it...He clearly sounds like he's rejuvenated at the possibilities of music again; reveling in "doo doo doo doo" backing vocals and  80's alt-dance rhythms, it's one of the catchiest things they've ever done...I wasn't especially around at the time, but I can just imagine this thing tearing up college radio and alternative dance nights, back in '82...

"Just One Kiss" reminds me of a funkier version of the dirge rock they'd perfected on their earlier albums...Sort of like "A Forest" but with a bit more of a shimmy in its hips...Not quite up to par with the A-side, but not chopped liver either...



"The Walk/The Upstairs Room/The Dream/Lament" ep:

1983:

"The Walk" is the most straight-up dance song the Cure ever laid down...Probably my least favorite of the three A-Sides present, but it's not a bad European-style rump-shaker...To me,  the electro-pop gem "The Upstairs Room," is the best of these B-Sides, and possibly even trumps "The Walk," as it tows the line between the darker material and their new pop direction more successfully...As soon as it sounds like it's going to erupt into a bright chorus, it mysteriously disappears back into the shadows...Compare this approach to "Lament," which is a complete throwback that sounds like it could have shambled in from church on the "Faith" album cover..."The Dream" has never done much for me...I find the slippery, blaring keyboards interesting while they're playing, but that's about it...

"Lovecats/Speak My Language" single:

1983"

"Lovecats"often gets slagged by the hardcore fans for being the fruitiest of fruity Cure songs, but damn my pop-lovin' heart, I love it!! My lord, that upright-bass tone is phenomenal, the hooks are relentless, and it's about cats!

 Any song about a cat is a good song...That's why my all-time favorite album is Poison's 1986 magnum opus, "Look What the Cat Dragged In"...

 

"Speak My Language," is the perfect B-Side for "Lovecats." It shares the same jazzy, new-wave sound and honestly, I like it even better than the A-Side...Hell, maybe my favorite song on "Japanese Whispers," its closest competition being "Let's Go to Bed"...I love how it doesn't beat you over the head with its hooks, but manages to worm its way into your ear-hole just the same...This single actually had an additional B-Side called "Mr Pink Eyes" that they didn't use for some reason...Even though the song's a little bonkers it would have helped fill out the running time a bit more, and added a little bit more fun...

Oh well...What's here is fantastic...If you're into the more pop-side of the Cure, this is a solid purchase...So let's check out "Speak My Language" by the Cure...Enjoy...