1976 Band Changed Rock Forever-and One Critic Hated It

Almost 50 years ago today, the legendary English rock band released an album that changed their lives forever.

The Cure debuted their record Three Imaginary Boys on May 8, 1979. The deluxe version included hits such as "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train."

The band, originally called Easy Cure, was formed by lead singer RobertSmith in 1976 with classmates Michael Dempsey, Lol Tolhurst, and PorlThompson. Thompson left in 1978, and they rebranded to The Cure.

While the album did not become an instant sensation, it saw commercial success and was generally admired by critics… except one.

NME journalist Paul Morley wrote a negative review of Three Imaginary Boys, and the band did not take well to it. The Cure responded with the unreleased song "Desperate Journalist." It included jabs at the writer's word choice and called him an "insubstantial froth."

Through stunts like these, The Cure earned their spot in the alternative rock community. The group has produced 14 studio albums, with the most recent released in November 2024.

Throughout the years, the lineup has fluctuated. Smith has remained the only consistent member. He reflected on the band's history in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"One of the lovely things about the band is that we're able to headline Glastonbury, play Hyde Park, and be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we're still considered to be slightly weird and outsider kind of band," Smith said. "It's a perfect position to be in."

After 50 years, he is content with what The Cure has accomplished.

"As a band, I think probably the fact that we achieved a certain degree of success and maintained it on our own terms, I think that would be the legacy that I'd be proud of, as I enter old age, to think I was part of it," he said. "But when we play as the Cure, I want it to be something that makes other people feel something. It's not really just about me. It's just that spark."

The Cure has an upcoming European tour this summer.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 2:55 PM.