Japanese Whispers

Japanese Whispers
Compilation album by
The Cure
Released16 December 1983[1]
RecordedNovember 1982 – April 1983
GenreNew wave, gothic rock, pop, post-punk
Length28:27
Label
Producer
The Cure chronology
Pornography
(1982) 		Japanese Whispers
(1983) 		The Top
(1984)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Japanese Whispers is the second compilation album by British group The Cure. It was released in late 1983 by Fiction Records. The title is a pun on the children's game Chinese whispers.

It includes the singles "Let's Go to Bed", "The Walk" and "The Love Cats". The other tracks are the B-sides of these singles, although "Mr. Pink Eyes" (the second B-side for "The Love Cats") was not included. The songs were recorded when the band was in a transitional phase after bassist Simon Gallup left following a tour to promote the previous album, Pornography. Beginning with these singles, Lol Tolhurst switched from drums to keyboards, a role he kept until his departure in 1989.

For the tracks from the "Let's Go to Bed" and "The Walk" singles, the Cure were a duo consisting of Tolhurst and Robert Smith, with the addition of session drummer Steve Goulding (a member of Graham Parker and the Rumour) for the tracks from "Let's Go to Bed". For "The Love Cats" single, a full band was assembled with the addition of bassist/producer Phil Thornalley, who had worked with the band on Pornography, and drummer Andy Anderson, a lineup which would continue for the Concert live album.

In 1986, the singles' lead tracks were included on the Standing on a Beach compilation album, while all of the B-sides were included on the 2004 B-sides and rarities box set Join the Dots.[citation needed]

Japanese Whispers was the first Cure album to enter the Billboard 200 in the US, in early 1984.

Track listing

All tracks written by Robert Smith and Laurence Tolhurst except as noted.

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" – 3:34
  2. "The Dream" (Smith) – 3:13
  3. "Just One Kiss" – 4:09
  4. "The Upstairs Room" – 3:31
  5. "The Walk" – 3:30
  6. "Speak My Language" – 2:41
  7. "Lament" (Smith) – 4:20
  8. "The Love Cats" (Smith) – 3:40

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Japanese Whispers
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[4] 18
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] 46
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] 8
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 26
US Billboard 200[8] 181

Certifications

Certifications for Japanese Whispers
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "News". Record Mirror: 9. 10 December 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
  2. ^ True, Chris. "Japanese Whispers – The Cure". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "The Cure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 79. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cure – Japanese Whispers: The Cure Singles Nov 82 : Nov 83" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Charts.nz – The Cure – Japanese Whispers: The Cure Singles Nov 82 : Nov 83". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  8. ^ "The Cure Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – The Cure – Japanese Wispers". British Phonographic Industry.