Seventeen Seconds album cover

1980 · Studio Album · Fiction

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

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About the Album

The Recording Story

Location

Recorded at Hookend Recording Studios in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, England. The remote countryside location provided the perfect isolation for the band to create their darkest and most atmospheric work.

Production

Produced by Robert Smith & David M. Allen. The recording sessions spanned several months, with the band embracing a more expansive and layered sound.

Behind the Sound

Robert Smith was going through a period of reflection and melancholy as he approached his 30th birthday. This emotional state heavily influenced the album's introspective and atmospheric nature. The band experimented with longer song structures, lush synthesizer textures, and dreamy guitar tones, creating a soundscape that would define gothic alternative rock for decades to come.

Band Members

Robert Smith

Robert Smith

Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

Porl Thompson

Porl Thompson

Guitar, Keyboards

Simon Gallup

Simon Gallup

Bass Guitar

Boris Williams

Boris Williams

Drums, Percussion

Lol Tolhurst

Lol Tolhurst

Keyboards

Roger O'Donnell

Roger O'Donnell

Keyboards

Tracklist

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Critical Acclaim

A towering achievement in gothic rock, this is The Cure's masterpiece of atmospheric melancholy.
Breathtakingly beautiful and devastatingly sad, this is The Cure at their most expansive and emotionally raw.
An epic exploration of loss, longing, and despair that transformed alternative rock forever.
The Cure's crowning glory, a record of stunning emotional depth and sonic innovation.

Album Era Gallery

Instruments & Gear

Guitar

Fender Jazzmaster

Played by Robert Smith

The signature guitar tone throughout the album

Bass

Fender Bass VI

Played by Simon Gallup

Providing the deep, melodic bass lines

Synthesizer

Roland Juno-60

Played by Roger O'Donnell

Creating the lush atmospheric pads

Synthesizer

Oberheim OB-Xa

Played by Lol Tolhurst

String and pad sounds

Synthesizer

Yamaha DX7

Played by Various

Electric piano and bell tones

Drums

Ludwig Drums

Played by Boris Williams

Powerful yet restrained drumming

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