Editing Three Imaginary Boys (section)

== Production and content ==
The record company decided which songs were put on the album and running order,<ref>{{cite web |last=Gallucci |first=Michael|date=11 May 2013 |title=34 Years Ago: The Cure's 'Three Imaginary Boys' Album Released |url=https://diffuser.fm/cure-three-imaginary-boys-album-released/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=Diffuser.fm }}</ref> as well as the cover artwork, without [[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]]'s consent. For all Cure albums since, Smith has ensured that he is given complete creative control over the final product before it goes on sale.<ref name="Apter">{{cite book |last=Apter |first=Jeff |title=Never Enough: The Story of The Cure |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |year=2009}}</ref> The "[[Foxy Lady]]" [[soundcheck]], with vocals sung by [[Michael Dempsey]], was not supposed to be on the album, and was removed for the American release. Smith has stated that "songs like 'Object' and 'World War' and our cover of 'Foxy Lady' were [producer] [[Chris Parry (producer)|Chris Parry]]'s choice".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Oldham |first=James |date=August 2004 |title=The Gothfather |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=87 |pages=50–66}}</ref>

In a ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' interview from 1987, Smith said he was never happy with the album. He said he “was very angst-ridden, very dislocated,” at the time of its creation, and said he didn't think there was “any sense of emotion on that first album at all. A lot of it was very superficial—I didn’t even like it at the time. There were criticisms made that it was very lightweight, and I thought they were justified. Even when we’d make it, I wanted to do something I though had more substance to it.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=SPIN |date=2019-07-19 |title=The Cure: Our 1987 Interview |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/07/the-cure-robert-smith-kiss-me-kiss-me-kiss-me-july-1987-interview/ |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=SPIN |language=en-US}}</ref> He also said the album's production was rushed, with him writing lyrics to songs while he was singing them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabid |first=Jack |date=1996-01-01 |title=A Foolish Arrangement:Interview:1/1/1996The Big Takeover#40 |url=http://www.afoolisharrangement.com/Cure/interview.asp?InterviewID=74 |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=A Foolish Arrangement}}</ref>