THE CURE “JAPANESE WHISPERS”
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 was 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.