The Cure · Three imaginary boys [Test acetate]

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Three imaginary boys

[Test acetate] - 12" South Africa Polydor

Issued in 1979. Catalogue #(none). 13" acetate.

Out of market

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South African acetates

By webmaster

Aug, 29 2015 3:00 PM

We've listed a separate group of acetates on our Popular Searches page.

Show all replies (16)

		tsao (0)	Sep, 2 2015 9:20 PM
		Good luck and beware. You might come across another acetate :)

		Cure1980 (87)	Sep, 2 2015 5:38 PM
		I am trying to find a way of tracking down someone who can help :-)

		vandeebgroup (72)	Sep, 2 2015 8:44 AM
		Interesting items and discussion. Thanks for sharing! I wish there was a way to talk to the people who worked in the various studios when these acetates would have been cut.

		Vegemite (0)	Sep, 1 2015 7:56 PM
		At this point these are amazing pressings and so is the Spanish Disintegration 7". Does anyone have contact with Robert Smith or Chris Parry to enquire about the nature of these? Would their acknowledgement of these pressings confirm the authenticity of these? I presume so. Darren Butlers book was well conceived in the respect that he conferred with Smith to produce his book. Congratulations on your new acquisitions.

		Cure1980 (87)	Aug, 31 2015 6:26 PM
		The seller is a reputable dealer who has always been trustworthy in the past ( for items beyond the Cure too.) Glad I was able to share and create a discussion. I don't suppose we will ever know but these items are a good addition to my collection as far as I am concerned.

		tsao (0)	Aug, 31 2015 3:18 PM
		Thanks for sharing Darren. The more we know the better. / My story: After I got my first SA acetate, my seller (in Madrid) kept contacting me every 2/3 months with a new acetate. Every time it was his last copy. I asked how that could be and he said these acetates were sold to him by someone in the US who used to work in SA and got thousand of records in stock from an old executive in the music industry. When asked for evidence he sent me a photo of an impressive warehouse with mountains of boxes and records. It seemed feasible that you could take at least weeks to sort out a complete list of all that. I remember I stopped buying when I was offered a "the walk" acetate. As I write this I just checked those emails (2008) and found the photos. I'm glad to see now that the label is AudioArts, the same studio for the 1982 SA acetates I got from a different source (label is diff from the Upstairs room though). Will list it in the coming days.

		jchristophem (194)	Aug, 31 2015 12:22 PM
		Obviously not having seen, touched or smelled them it is difficult to give a proper judgment...for me it is more of a general negative feeling towards fakes (Italian, Greek British etc),but the fact is we live in an era where everything may not be what it seems....It makes collecting such items very difficult, and that's why i stay away...I too bought some UK and US acetates in the past, and their origin still remains to be cleared up... Also,a batch of SA acetates coming up in one go (assuming you got them together Cure 1980) kind of ring alarm bells in my mind...Just my own view, and just want to be proved wrong...which may never happen...

		Cure1980 (87)	Aug, 31 2015 3:23 AM
		Maybe if you have no distribution in a country, you want to get a track on a compilation LP you make up an acetate with potential tracks. There are lots of Australian comp with single tracks. Maybe the obscurity has something T do with the rights in other countries. This is why I I don't think the TIB is South African as it is a whole LP. Not trying to defend these items just looking for the answer.

		tsao (0)	Aug, 30 2015 11:49 PM
		I own a few of them and they look old, smell old, their sleeves definitely are old... Take the "All I want": you need to play it to know the song. No I don't think you would fake that acetate and then forget to write down the title. From the amazing Satbel 7" with genuine sleeves to the WEA ones with rare cue-sheets, they all (most of) look so legit to me. If fakes, they are made by someone in the SA industry with access to old material and a cutting machine, someone who knows how acetates look like and has probably worked in recording studios. To me the question remains WHY. As far as I've always understood, acetates were expensive. Why cutting acetates for years for no purpose. You say "for promotion". For promoting what, exactly? We know nothing released before Standing on a beach, with the exception of "Japanese Whispers". And it's not a small question, since the lack of answer leaves me cold about them no matter how genuine they look, and prevents me from buying more.

		Cure1980 (87)	Aug, 30 2015 11:35 PM
		As I understand it it was fairly common for acetates to be made of artists who had no distribution deal in particular countries - South Africa especially. There are plenty of examples from other artists too. They were used for promotional and radio use. Of all these acetates I am not sure if the TIB is South African as the reference is to Polydor only. The set posted are all certainly old and I am convinced they are from the period. I can't really understand why obscure mixes and half songs would be used on fakes. The use of other obscure songs by other artists in conjunction with these tracks seems unique to me too.

		john77 (36)	Aug, 30 2015 11:22 PM
		I understand the suspicion on these acetate but if you look at them there is a lot of un needed details on there (the wax writing on the reverse - the odd paring of groups etc) seems odd to go to that much trouble - why not have 2 big bands on there to double your marker (not Errol brown/Talking drums??? etc) - I have seen these in the flesh as well as other ones on this site and although I am not saying all SA are legit (there are fakes from UK as well as other countries but I think they stick out like a sore thumb) the ones I have held/smelt/studied seem OK to me

		jchristophem (194)	Aug, 30 2015 10:22 PM
		Indeed why? This is a very relevant question...I have been really puzzled by this since some SA acetates surfaced in the last 3/5 years..and i have to admit i would stay clear of them personally. Maybe Cure1980 can shed some light on the provenance and acquirement of all those, but i really sense something fishy there..Of course i don't know for sure if they are fake or not but i really wonder why some of these songs.All i want??? Screw??? wtf... anyway they all leave me rather cold...Please feel free to discuss!!:)

		tsao (0)	Aug, 30 2015 4:47 PM
		Why would SA obsessively press acetates of songs and albums they would never release?

		webmaster	Aug, 30 2015 4:45 PM
		Most 12" acetates really are 11" to 13". That difference is not significant enough for us to create new size categories. We'll add that to the description though. Thanks John.

		john77 (36)	Aug, 30 2015 3:24 PM
		13" not 12" :) - very nice Cure1980

		wishful (6)	Aug, 29 2015 7:14 PM
		Great to see so many new acetates. Thanks Cure1980 for sharing.

Three imaginary boys (Test acetate) 12" South Africa Polydor Out of market

Page thanks to Cure1980 (87)