After the fallout both psychologically and physically of Pornography, it looked unlikely that anyone would hear from
the Cure ever again. Surprisingly, from 1982-1983
Robert Smith and (now keyboardist)
Lol Tolhurst put out some of the catchiest singles of their career. "Let's Go to Bed," "The Walk," and "The Lovecats" were not only singles that got
the Cure radio play and made them a household name, but more importantly marked the next phase in the music of
the Cure, which would reach its peak with albums like
Head on the Door and
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Dropping the stripped-down darkness of
Faith and Pornography, the songs on
Japanese Whispers (the aforementioned singles from that era, including all the B-sides) are light, dancy, and at times jazzy. Adding new keyboard sounds, old-timey percussion, standup bass, and some damn silly lyrics rejuvenated
Robert Smith and sent him on a course that would cement his role as one of the most interesting musicians to emerge from the '80s underground.
Japanese Whispers is one of those rare releases when a singles collection works just as well as a standard-issue album. ~ Chris True