A thread for the Cure reissues

I’m pissed because they are leaving off, arguably, two of the better songs from Boys Don’t Cry. Killing An Arab and Plastic Passion have been omitted from this collection. Seventeen Seconds is next, so these songs won’t see the light of day on the re-issues. WTF? Can anyone explain this one to me?

As for "Killing an Arab," I have a strong suspicion there'll be some sort of double-disc singles comp at some point which will include that.

"Jumping" is on the 2nd disc, Geir...

Disc: The Cure - Greatest Hits
Feature: Three hidden videos

How To Get It:
In addition to the songs listed, there are three additional tracks on this disc. To access them enter the 'song select' menu from the main screen.

To view the following "hidden" videos:

* The Caterpillar: Highlight "The Walk", press down - right - right
* Close to me (remix): Highlight "Close to me", press up - up - up
* Pictures of you: Highlight "Friday I'm in love", press down - down - down

Alternatively, if you're not into the Easter Egg spirit, you can just select Title 4 - Track 1, Title 6 - Track 1 and Title 5 - Track 1 respectively.

Well, judging from the absence of "Killing An Arab", "Plastic Passion", "Pillbox Tales", "Do The Hansa" and (the studio / B-side of "Jumping Someone Else's Train" version of) "I'm Cold" (let alone, heaven forbid "I'm A Cult Hero" or "I Dig You"), it seems that Fat Bob / Fiction ae still happily playing the same games with fans of the band as they were 25 years ago; and what's sauce for the goose....

Oh yea, I'd forgotten just how B-L-A-N-K and late seventies the artwork is, like Barney Bubbles or the punk end of Hipgnosis.

Now roll on 17 Seconds, Faith & Pornography, I can't wait to hear the rare tracks from those feckers.

What's the story with that anyway, I have Boys Don't Cry on cassette which I bought when I was about 14 which has that song on it, later I bought the CD when Wish came out and they reduced the whole back catalogue to about £5.99 a CD and it had a different track listing, omitting World War.

Why did they do that?

Uh, Stewart, these are all on the Join the Dots box.

Aaah but that's my point in a nutshell you see Nedworth: just as with 3IB / Boys Don't Cry and "World War", you can't quite get absolutely everything without having to buy both!

Fwiw, since I still have all my original singles etc. (including a 12" promo of "Grinding Halt" / "Meat Hook", the Cult Hero single and a signed copy of "Jumping Someone Else's Train"!) the only things on Join The Dots that really interest me are "Pillbox Tales" and "Do The Hansa"!

Why couldn't they have included those on 3IB?

I would happily have bought that then - and probably not bothered with either the boxset or the deluxe versions of any of their other albums.

Bastards.

Otoh I see they're evidently not bothered about duplicating any of the rare-ish stuff I have already got on Curiosity (the second side of the initial cassette version of Concert) 'though!

Bastards.

I put it in my letter to Santa and I'm making do in the meantime with that RAM stream I mentioned on another Cure thread ( http://www.rhino.com/fun/listeningparties/78895_album.ram )

touché!

To just miss a couple of key tracks out of one of the reissues, when that reissue contains any number of duplications and must still have room to include those missing tracks, just strikes me as cynical and exploitative.

More than anything however, I think I'm just enjoying throwing my rattle out of my pram really.

No, just to include the relevant period's tracks from Join The Dots on each of the the relevant reissues.

It's really very simple.

xpost

But as has been noted, THEN you annoy the people who bought Join the Dots. Like me. ;-)

But as has been noted, you'd buy both anyway.

While I admire the Cure for being more thoughtful towards their fans (i.e that Greatest Hits album that came with a second CD of all the songs played acoustically), I hope 3IB has been remastered. In fact, SACD would be a huge gesture (even though I don't have an SACD player). In the case of remastering, it's a legit re-release since only, assumedly, the hard-core fans ("completists") are going to be interested in both remastering and demos or other extras.

As I've noted on other threads, it continues to astound me that, with the enormity of the bootleg market (as perpetuated by the Beatles' bootleggers), major labels continue to ignore the opportunity to fully exploit catalogs before they get thoroughly distributed by the likes of Bit Torrent and other P2P mechanisms. The Cure B-sides had been circulating in amateur format for at least 3 years before JTD came out, and trading B-sides by completists was one of the first things to be truly exploited by the advent of the home CDR. I assume, and hope, that the increase of electronic distribution will influence labels to get off their asses and get the filthy lucre while they can still charge for it.

If they had not been so clear about how the set wouldn't be duplicated on the reissues, I don't know about that.

But it's OK for them to have made you fork-out for a box-set as well as all the reissues, when there was more than enough empty space left on those reissues to have included all the tracks on the box-set?

We clearly see things differently!

But your greater point--why not just have one huge box set for the completists that has ALL unreleased/rarities and then just reissue the originals straight up (and remastered)--seems valid. Personally, I like revisiting the original with relevant demos in one package a la 3IB or the way they are doing the Pavement reissues. Hell, I'd be grateful if the f*ckers who've re-released 18 versions of the Who's "Tommy" had done as such.

Indeed. Or better still, a box set which is also available as a series of individual albums; maybe arranged so that each one can be seen as a companion disc to each of the original albums.

Neither do I particularly - but actually there is just one additional track on the 'album' disc of 3IB isn't there? What's that all about?

Hmmmm. They haven't given / found a title* to that little bit of echoing footsteps and the demonic laugh at the end of the album, have they?

[* not that they gave a title to any of the tracks on the version of the album I've got!]

It's on my vinyl copy of BDC, which I notice is French. Was it not on the UK issue of BDC. (I know that's not why you're pissed off, but I was just wondering).

8. Boys Don't Cry (Chestnut Studio Demo 5/78)
9. It's Not You (Chestnut Studio Demo 5/78)
10. 10:15 Saturday Night (Chestnut Studio Demo 5/78)
11. Fire In Cairo (Chestnut Studio Demo 5/78)

alone. The Chestnut tapes are much harder and more energetic than what ended up on TIB, the best document of Smith's admittedly naive teen angst. TIB is just so sonically deflated; it's a "charming" and fairly unique sound, and it works in places ("Cairo", "TIB" and especially "Accuracy"), but the early stuff is compositionally really patchy (every time I look at the tracklist for TIB I see fewer and fewer gems).

Chris Parry had referred to "Jumping Someone Else's Train" as a swan song for Dempsey at one point; it works as a condensed example of what the Cure accomplished in the "trad" sphere, before Gallup joined and Smith started expressing himself.

There wasn't a UK issue of BDC was there? BDC was the US (& elsewhere?) version of 3IB.

What a dillema!

I feel the need to catch-up, but the wait seems excruciating.

Will he also re-release Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me?...That, and the 3IB re-release are next on my list.

I wish I'd have seen this when you posted it, Ned. I totally could have ruined the surprise for you. Sadly, I seem to have well over half of the rare shit they've stuck on the reissues so far.

I notice that Bob was prudent enough to leave off 'See The Children', thank god.

See now putting that on it would have kicked ass! I'd love to own that song on CD.

Will he also re-release Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me?

I suppose it's kind of a no-brainer so I'm assuming it will be the case, but I'm really looking forward to "Hey You" on CD. It's one of my favorite songs on that record which I don't even listen to all that often because I'm too lazy to break out the vinyl for stuff I also own on CD.

A (slightly) extended version of "Hey You!!!" is on Join The Dots CD2.

Ned, d'you know where "The Weedy Burton" got its name from?

I took great pleasure in playing "How Beautiful You Are" very loudly last night for the first time in years, and was shamefully proud of the fact that I seemed to know every last word. If only I could remember, y'know, important stuff...

I'm looking forward to 17 Seconds. Anyone know when this will be? I really have no idea what outtakes there are from this era, although at the time I heard some VERY different versions of the songs with different lyrics on a bootleg that was relatively easy to get in the early 80s. Can't recall the name.

This early Cure action led me to play a selection of the later albums from KMKMKM onwards at the weekend. Hmmm - what a rubbish band they became! How can anyone stand stuff like Fascination Street. Soooo boring.

oh shiiiiiiiiit! INCOMING! (it's a Nedbomb...)

The same deep water as you > Plainsong > Pictures of you > Lovesong > Disintegration > Untitled > Fascination street > Last dance > Lullaby > Prayers for rain > Homesick > Closedown

Plainsong
The Same Deep Water As You
Pictures Of You
Disintegration
Lovesong
Lullaby
Fascination Street
Untitled
Last Dance
Homesick
Closedown
Prayer For Rain

Oh no, I love it! It's just not the best song on the album. :-)

Noooooooooooooo!!! "So What" is genius!

"Meat Hook," fine. I'm with you there.

See also this which is related though not completely serious.

TRACK DETAILS
OF THE NEXT ROUND OF RE-MASTERED RE-RELEASES - OUT IN APRIL...

THE CURE
SEVENTEEN SECONDS
2 CD SET
COMPILED BY ROBERT SMITH

Digitally Remastered from the
Original Master Tapes

Features 15 tracks on CD for the very first time

Deluxe package contains a 20 page booklet
including sleevenotes and lyrics
with rare and previously unseen photographs

SEVENTEEN SECONDS: THE ORIGINAL ALBUM

01. A REFLECTION
02. PLAY FOR TODAY
03. SECRETS
04. IN YOUR HOUSE
05. THREE
06. THE FINAL SOUND
07. A FOREST
08. M
09. AT NIGHT
10. SEVENTEEN SECONDS

SEVENTEEN SECONDS: RARITIES 1979-1980

01. I'M A CULT HERO (vinyl single by CULT HERO)
02. I DIG YOU (vinyl single by CULT HERO)
03. ANOTHER JOURNEY BY TRAIN (home demo)
04. SECRETS (home demo)
05. SEVENTEEN SECONDS (live)
06. IN YOUR HOUSE (live)
07. THREE (alt studio mix)
08. I DIG YOU (CULT HERO live)
09. I'M A CULT HERO (CULT HERO live)
10. M (live)
11. THE FINAL SOUND (live)
12. A REFLECTION (live)
13. PLAY FOR TODAY (live)
14. AT NIGHT (live)
15. A FOREST (live)

*****

THE CURE
FAITH
2 CD SET
COMPILED BY ROBERT SMITH

Digitally Remastered from the
Original Master Tapes

Features 4 previously unreleased songs
and 15 tracks on CD for the very first time

Deluxe package contains a 20 page booklet
including sleevenotes and lyrics
with rare and previously unseen photographs

FAITH: THE ORIGINAL ALBUM

01. THE HOLY HOUR
02. PRIMARY
03. OTHER VOICES
04. ALL CATS ARE GREY
05. THE FUNERAL PARTY
06. DOUBT
07. THE DROWNING MAN
08. FAITH

09. CARNAGE VISORS

FAITH: RARITIES 1980-1981

01. FAITH (RS home demo)
02. DOUBT (RS home demo)
03. DROWNING (group home demo)
04. THE HOLY HOUR (group home demo)
05. PRIMARY (studio out-take)
06. GOING HOME TIME (studio out-take)
07.THE VIOLIN SONG (studio out-take)
08. A NORMAL STORY (studio out-take)
09. ALL CATS ARE GREY (live)
10. THE FUNERAL PARTY (live)
11. OTHER VOICES (live)
12. THE DROWNING MAN (live)
13. FAITH (live)
14. FOREVER (live)
15. CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES (single)

*****

THE CURE
PORNOGRAPHY
2 CD SET
COMPILED BY ROBERT SMITH

Digitally Remastered from the
Original Master Tapes

Features 5 previously unreleased songs
and 14 tracks on CD for the very first time

Deluxe package contains a 20 page booklet including
sleevenotes with rare and previously unseen photographs

PORNOGRAPHY: THE ORIGINAL ALBUM

01. ONE HUNDRED YEARS
02. A SHORT TERM EFFECT
03. THE HANGING GARDEN
04. SIAMESE TWINS
05. THE FIGUREHEAD
06. A STRANGE DAY
07. COLD
08. PORNOGRAPHY

PORNOGRAPHY: RARITIES 1981-1982

01. BREAK (group home demo)
02. DEMISE (studio demo)
03.TEMPTATION (studio demo)
04. THE FIGUREHEAD (studio demo)
05. THE HANGING GARDEN (studio demo)
06. ONE HUNDRED YEARS (studio demo)
07. AIRLOCK: THE SOUNDTRACK
08. COLD (live)
09. A STRANGE DAY (live)
10. PORNOGRAPHY (live)
11. ALL MINE (live)
12. A SHORT TERM EFFECT (live)
13. SIAMESE TWINS (live)
14. TEMPTATION TWO (aka lgtb) (RS studio demo)

I wasn't sure what they'd do with these three, whether they might come out as a box on their own, but they all look pretty essential.

(A more serious question -- hm, no Carnage Visors, then.)

It was the first thing I looked for too, Bizarro Ned.

Because you end up with things like that dirgey "10:15 Saturday Night".

April has never been further away.

What Dan said. The various Cure demos I've heard via bootleg or mp3 over the years are really something, whether home or not, while that never heard before "10:15" was just wondrous. Demos for The Top and The Head on the Door = yow!

Hmm, I was hoping for more studio out takes rather than live stuff.

But I can't wait for that! Certainly I've collected enough live shows from that time by now but they were *so freakin' good* at that time -- not that they weren't later either, but my goodness were they on fire.

April has never been further away.

Yes indeed.

(Confession: I bought the first re-issue, but have yet to listen to it. SHAME.)

The order of release was 17, Faith and Pornography, and generally have been grouped as a somewhat unintentional trio by Us Cure Freaks in that after the first album and singles they helped to codify 'goth' Cure as such, getting progressively unsettling and disturbing but each with their own particular aura -- none of the albums really resembles each other while all at the same time still feeling part of a continuum. That the next Cure efforts were the pop bounceback singles "Let's Go to Bed"/"The Walk"/"The Lovecats" underscores Pornography as being the end point of that period.

If anyone wants any early live Cure send us a mail.

"Charlotte Sometimes" relegated to bonus disc-status shocka.

April has never been further away.

-- The Ghost of Dan Perry (djperr...), January 27th, 2005.**

I finally listened to this properly, and you absolutely right, Dan - the 10:15 Sat Night demo is absolutely fantastic. Whyowhyowhy didn't they use keyboards and this tempo on the released version?

It's kind of like how "Two People" >>>>>>> "In Your House", even though I really like "In Your House".

I've been arguing a similar case regarding the demo version of "The Big Hand", which just blows away the studio one.

Another great track on the 3IB reissue is Play With Me.

From the Steve Severin Forum (April 14th 2005) :

"Biggest and best news of the week is that after many, many years I have started talking to Robert Smith about the GLOVE re-mastering. We had a
lovely, long catch-up chat on the phone on Saturday and I'm overjoyed to say that Robert is going to be totally involved in getting the best possible release together. I have suggested that BLUE SUNSHINE falls into the CURE's timeline of reissues as opposed to the BANSHEES and Robert is really happy about that plan. In plain terms as FAITH/17 SECONDS/PORNOGRAPHY are due out at the end of this month - BLUE SUNSHINE
is next!!!!! In the Banshees timeline it would be probably a year away so I'm very excited that we will have the album out in the next 6 months. Robert is currently ploughing through his tapes and between us we think we have enough interesting stuff to make BLUE SUNSHINE a double disc deluxe edition. Universal are up for it too.

We plan to meet up soon over a flagon of cider and go through everything including all the bits of memorabilia that I have kept that will be nice to incorporate into the new artwork. It's going to be a blast! Can't wait......"

Looks like America gets the discs before Europe by a week. HA!

No, it actually says "somewhere."

I DIG YOU
YOU DIG ME
WE DIG EACH OTHER
THAT'S GROOVY, BABY! OH YEAH!

I have to wait a few hours here before I can go to the Best Buy. Can I survive? NYURGH. (I am killing time with that Mick Mercer double CD Gothic Rock thing on Cleopatra/Jungle while I do. Ah, Theatre of Hate.)

</PERV>

*wail*

Just finished reading the liner notes and I have to say they could have made more of an effort, e.g. a track by track rundown would have been appreciated.

life is so unfair

3IB was released over there first, so this is payoff.

Does my church make you vomit... into the vertiginous abyss?

Oooh baby, how you like them ascending scales? Uh.

Baader, which chain? Fnac? I kinda wish we had Fnac in London, the one in Barcelona is fantastic. Plus it's great to say that word, FNAC.

Does Valor even DO anything anymore? (Don't answer that.)

Ned, you are mean!

I apologize for my cruelty.

No you don't. You REVEL in it.

HOORAY.

I can so picture Valor flipping burgers somewhere in the Valley

Oh man, I wish.

They grew out of that kind of onstage banter pretty quickly, or maybe Dempsey took it with him?

I'm on a major Associates kick this week *and* I have an idea for a new book or story because of it.

ouch. oh well, got paid today!

(Also, when did Rob Thomas turn into Sinead O'Connor?????)

Going to listen to these one a night. 17 Seconds sounds really grand with this remaster, I must say. Into the bonus disc now -- hearing the Cult Hero songs with such crispness is quite a treat.

this is the greatest news of the year!

*runs to amazon*

If I were to buy one of the three albums first, I'd go for Seventeen Seconds simply because it's, umm, my favourite Cure album; but the extras don't look all that. Details please, and a compare-and-contrast would also be handy!

concluding remarks: Carnage Visors

ihttp://idealcopy.american-data.net//Merchant2/graphics/00000001/large/MUCure

http://idealcopy.american-data.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IC&Product_Code=MU-CURE-3PACK-01

I've been enjoying all the liner note info with stuff I'd either missed or never knew, such as that info. For instance, Smith says the reason why "The Final Sound" segues into "A Forest" that way is because while it was supposed to be a long instrumental, the tape ran out and Mike Hedges didn't tell them that because they were on such a tight budget they couldn't afford an extra one! Sounds great of course, I love happy accidents.

http://idealcopy.american-data.net//Merchant2/graphics/00000001/large/MUCure-3Pack01.jpg

if that's the actual poster, it's rub.

it seems to me that the big ilm cure heads really dig these so far...i still have to ask, are the liner notes, remastering, and extra material really worth it?

i have to say that i am glad they are digipaks.

Nope -- they've said since the start that Join the Dots would not be replicated on the reissues and so far that's true. I am wondering how they'll handle the Japanese Whispers tracks, though.

I should also note (assuming it hasn't been already) if it hasn't been already that the live version of "Faith" on the second disc of that album is in fact the one from the 12" of "Charlotte Sometimes," which wasn't on JtD and so finally has resurfaced.

DESPATCHED AIN'T GOOD ENOUGH! I NEED TO SEE "DELIVERED"!

One consolation, the Stereolab box is aces.

Seems fairly obvious that they wouldn't bother doing a Japanese Whispers reissue (it being effectively a singles compilation anyway). I dare say either the three A-sides will be on the Top's second disc, or they'll get orphaned like Killing An Arab (to later be compiled on the Cure's Sensational Sixth Semi-Redundant Singles Comp!)

Sorta my thought. We'll see. There is also that Glove reissue as well...

Wow. I really need to get some sleep.

As for the liner notes, there are some serious holes indeed. No explanation on Carnage Visors or Airlock. Nothing said about that last demo on Pornography (ie. the let's go to bed skeleton), which was recorded AFTER the album, so probably around the time of Lament. Background info would have been nice.

Yeah, Faith sounds ridiculously great -- not that it didn't already, but jeez, just everything now, down to the texture of the keyboards on "The Holy Hour" and "The Funeral Party" and the way the drums sound on "All Cats are Grey" and... "Primary" now has this weird fluid grace in the bass that somehow I had never caught or felt before.

Have yet to listen to the extras for that one. But that will happen shortly.

But I was dumbstruck at just HOW HORRIBLE A DRUMMER LOL IS. It's like hearing a child barely competent...I still love the records and will forever but jeez...worst drummer ever.

I dont think his playing takes away from the songs...I just was amazed by it, in a: how come I did'nt notice this before.

Did he play drums on Porn. it sounds like a mixture of him and machines or overdubs, because it sounds vastly improved. Maybe he got beter?!?!

Boris on the other hand...AMAZING!

I like JAson a fair amount, too, but oftentimes he's a little too busy; Boris had a great knack for knowing when to stop embellishing.

In the liners for Pornography, Robert sez they invited Phil Thornalley in to coproduce because of his work on the Psychedelic Furs' Talk Talk Talk, specifically the drum sounds, so that might have something to do with it too...

* Solo home demo of "Doubt" -- *much* slower pace, just guitar and beatbox, no vocals, really enjoyable.

* "Drowning" -- you can sorta sense "The Drowning Man" trying to emerge from this, but it's still different enough, contemplative, almost more like a variant on Carnage's arrangement.

The studio version doesn't bring in the vocals until the third musical verse as well.

I think Dan's dastardly plan to NEVER SEND ME THAT CURE MIX CD has borne fruit in that I've dropped $$$ on 3IB (still unheard, tho!), & I'm probably going to drop money on these other damn things, too. Well played, Perry, well played.

FUCK YOU IDEAL COPY.

* "Break" -- bass-led murk, instrumental, substantially less crazy than Pornography turned out to be but still glowering

* "Demise" -- similarly instrumental, certainly not happy happy joy joy but gentler, a bit like how some of those Faith extras showed a different side. Cleaner studio recording = better all around impact. More than a sketch, less than a complete song but really good in terms of mood and the arrangement is mostly there.

* "Temptation" -- almost starts off like the ghost of "Primary" but is definitely more 'up' -- again, it's almost surprising trying to square these kind of songs with the eventual album, it wasn't *all* doom and gloom. Strong drums, gentle ascension by both Robert and Simon, some good breaks by Robert in particular, longer than I anticipated but keeps its energy going well, I like...

* "The Figurehead" -- less overwhelming in demo form but not too far off from the final version, more reverb on the vocals...enjoyable enough but little to remark on

* "The Hanging Garden" -- *much* less insane than the final version, in this form it could have been a 1983 B-side and nobody would have blinked, moody rather than rampaging. Different lyrics/lyrical structure (especially on the chorus), heavily flanged guitar but no spindly riff or feedback growls, simpler drum machine work (unclear whether this is a solo demo or not).

* "One Hundred Years" -- pretty sure I heard this demo before or something close to it. Like "The Figurehead" not far off from the final version, the arrangement is all in place, but the mix of the synth/drone here puts it much higher and gives everything a wonderfully wrong feeling, queasy.

* "Airlock: The Soundtrack" -- Carnage Visors part two it ain't. A sort of piano melody but not really, lots of whooshing and mechanical/factory sounds, tortured vocals, flutes -- it must mean something but what?

* "Cold" -- good version, not too different from the studio, but...

* "A Strange Day' -- even faster than the original, if you can believe it -- maybe not by much, but it's still there, drums less prominent, vocals a touch clearer, extremely nervous...

* "Pornography" -- the drums kick in rather than fade in, unsurprisingly, but the distorto voice sample thing is intact at least initially, some extremely good/crazed guitar work towards the end, murky audience tape quality but it's still damn strong

* "All Mine" -- as on Curiosity

* "A Short Term Effect" and "Siamese Twins" -- both from what might have been the final Cure show in Brussels, the first feels a bit rushed as if the band just wanted to get through it and get it over with, though "Siamese" is kept at its usual slower pace, just enough.

And finally:

* "Temptation Two" -- let's go to bed, indeed. But in a far more rushed, fragmented and bizarro sense, bridging "Temptation" and where it would end up, transitional if you will.

I also think some of these tracks might have been on the Play For Today bootleg.

*checks*

OMG I AM SO GOOD THAT RECORDING OF "M" IS ON SAID BOOTLEG. GO ME!

Does Ned want a double disc Concert disc rerelease? Oh I think he does. Does Ned want a full digital remastered version of that take of "To Wish Impossible Things" that was only on the video of Play and not on the CD release to appear on that rerelease? OH GIVE A GUESS. Etc.

Good lord, so the next set of rereleases will cover the Glove, Japanese Whispers stuffage in some form and The Top. OH HOW SAD AND HORRIBLE.

Err, you mean 'The Big Hand', right?

(OMG The demo of "Doubt" is... WOW.)

No overlapping tracks = HOORAY. (But I've always listened to Paris more.)

It's good...but that's all it is, good. I gather the reason both it and the movie exist is because Porl had already told Robert he wanted to quit soon and Robert wanted to have a good document of the time and place (and also to have something without Lol, ie The Cure in Orange, which is still a better film and performance overall).

But that encore on the Show film, now that's something.

Marquee Club, London 11/3/79 Aud 25 Mins - 8
Carshalton Park Festival 1/6//79 Aud 42 Mins - 8
Reading Festival 24/8/79 Aud 20 Mins - 8+
Oxford New Theatre 29/9/79 30 Mins Aud - 6 (includes early Play for Today)
Birmingham University 28/11/79 Aud 65 Mins - 7+
Amsterdam, Paradiso 12/12/79 60 Mins Sbd – 8
Amsterdam, Paradiso 12/12/79 37 Mins Sbd – 9 (diff source)
Belgium, Ancienne Belgique, Brussels 22/10/80 80 Mins Sbd – 9
New York, Hurrah's Club 15/4/80 50 Mins Aud - 8+
New York, Hurrah’s Club 15/4/80 62 Mins Aud – 8
Arnheim, Stokvisual 24/5/80 75 Mins MX/Radio - 9
Herford, W.Germany 31/5/80 85 Mins Sbd – 9+ (includes Happy Birthday Simon/Three)
Koln, Germany 1/6/80 Aud 54 Mins – 8/8+
Grand Studios RTL, Paris 9/6/80 FM 29 Mins – 9-
Rettel Festival, Rettel 14/6/80 Sbd 62 Mins – 8+
Zomerpop Festival, Veenendal, Holland 28/6/80 FM 30 Mins - 9+
Melbourne, Australia, Prospect Hill 26/8/80 80 mins Aud - 8
RockPalast, Koeln, Stockholm 3/10/80 80 Mins Aud - 8
Jaap Edenhalle, Amsterdam, Holland 17/10/80 20 Mins Radio - 9 (includes I Hate Rock And Roll, s/c)
Amsterdam 'Countdown' 17/10/80 20 Mins Sbd/TV - 9
Rennes, L'espace Club 28/10/80 85 Mins Aud - 8
Cardiff University 18/11/80 Sbd 58 Mins – 8+
Edinburgh Odeon 16/5/81 85 Mins Aud - 9+
Dusseldorf, Phillippshalle 18/6/81 85 Mins MX/Radio - 9
Park, Rotterdam 27/6/81 Aud 103 Mins – 8-
Werchter Festival, Belgium FM 5/7/81 45 Mins - 10
New York, The Ritz 23/7/81 85 Mins Aud - 7
Los Angeles, Whiskey A' Go Go 27/7/81 85 Mins Aud - 8
Sydney, Capital Theatre 17/8/81 FM 74 Mins - 8+
Lille, France, Palais St Sauveur 12/10/81 85 Mins Sbd - 9
Top Rank Skating Bowl, Plymouth 10/4/82 Aud 87 Mins – 8
Glasgow Pavillion 25/4/82 85 Mins Aud - 7+
Edinburgh Odeon 26/4/82 80 Mins Aud - 6+
Olympia Theatre, Paris 7/6/82 Sbd 78 Mins - 9-
Bournemouth, Midnight Express Club 27/3/83 85 Mins Aud - 8
Moles Club, Bath 28/7/83 Aud 89 Mins – 8
Elephant Fayre Festival, Port Eliot, St Germain UK 30/7/83 Sbd 97 Mins - 9
Guildhall, Portsmouth 6/5/84 Aud 88 Mins - 8
Hammersmith Odeon, 9/5/84 Aud 104 Mins – 8+
Hertogenbosch Maaspoort, Holland 30/5/84 MX 74 Mins – 9
Hertogenbosch Maaspoort, Holland 30/5/84 Aud 105 Mins – 8+
Nanako Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo 17/10/84 85 Mins MX - 8+
Austin Opera House 2/11/84 Aud 82 Mins - 9
Washington, Post Pavillion 13/11/84 90 Mins MX - 9+
Dallas, Arcadia Theatre 3/11/84 60 Mins Aud - 7+
Birmingham NEC 20/9/85 60 Mins BBC Radio 1 FM - 9
Cleveland Public Hall, Cleveland Ohio 22/10/85 98 Mins - 9
Hamburg Markethalle 3/12/85 110 Mins Aud – 8
Ludwigshafen, Friedrich Ebert Halle 5/12/85 Aud 62 Mins - 9
Royal Albert Hall, London 25/4/86 Aud 109 Mins - 9
Nurnburgring Festival, Germany 14/6/86 74 Mins Aud - 9+
Glastonbury Festival 21/6/86 60 Mins BBC Radio 1 Live - 10
Southern Star Amphitheatre, Houston, Texas Aud 20/7/86 103 Mins - 9
Santa Barbara, CA 13/7/87 FM 66 Mins – 9+
Forest National, Bruxelles, Belgium 1/11/87 Aud - 94 mins - 8+
Palaeur, Rome 27/11/87 Aud 125 Mins - 8-
Birmingham NEC 6/12/87 60 Mins BBC Radio 1 Live - 10
Wembley Arena, London 9/12/87 Aud 172 Mins – 8-
Birmingham NEC 21/7/89 Aud 168 Mins – 8+
Sports Arena, San Diego 12/9/89 Aud 144 Mins – 8+
Glastonbury Festival 24/6/90 BBC FM 60 Mins - 10
Leysin Rock Festival, Switzerland 6/7/90 FM 95 Mins - 10
Wembley Arena, London 19/1/91 BBC FM 50 Mins - 9+
MTV Unplugged, London SB 3/3/91 30 Mins - 10
Corn Exchange, Cambridge 28/4/92 Aud 106 Mins - 8
Kilburn National Theatre, London 3/5/92 Sbd 150 Mins - 9+ (20 Mins Filler from T/C2 Club 91)
Bercy Omnisport, Paris MX 15/10/96 142 Mins - 9+
Nynex Arena, Manchester 14/12/96 Aud 146 Mins - 8/8+
State Event Centre, San Jose 8/12/97 Aud 113 Mins – 9-
Forestglade Festival, Wiesen, Germany 19/7/98 115 Mins Radio Broadcast/MX - 10
Bizarre Festival, Koln 22/8/98 FM 74 Mins – 9+ (inc Filler Germany 98)
Hamburg Promo gig 2/1/00 110 Mins FM - 9+
Tweeter Centre, Mansfield 14/6/00 Aud 164 Mins - 9
Vieilles Charrues Festival, Brittany, France 20/6/02 Aud 129 Mins - 8+
Zillo Festival, Flughafen, Hahn 13/7/02 Aud 131 Mins – 9
Coachella Festival, Indio CA 2/5/04 Aud 104 Mins – 9+
Early Symptoms - 76 Mins - Easy Cure/Cure Demos from 77-82 - 9
'Buried Demo's' 77-80 MX/Aud - 71 Mins - ranges from 7 to 9 (inc: I'm A Cult Hero)
Arabian Dreams - 45 Mins - Various Faith-Era Live + Studio Tracks - 9+
The Top, Demo Versions - 50 Mins - 9
The Complete B-Sides Collection 1987-1992 (CD) 74 Mins - 9+/10
Stained Glass Smile - Camden Palace - 19/11/85 Royal Albert Hall 25/4/86 Birmingham NEC 6/12/87 - 74 Mins FM - 10
'1000 Virgins' Various Covers/Remixes + Live SB/MX - 62 Mins - 9+/10
All Cats Are Grey - Morgan Studios Monitor Mix, (diff from album version) - Ultra Rare! - 5 Mins - 10

http://www.musicfanclubs.org/cure/boots/hothothot.html

I also have Swinging Piggy In The Mirror lying around somewhere.

The version of "Forever" on the Faith bonus disc is... disturbing. I LONG FOR AND LUST AFTER THE CURIOSITY VERSION.

The Killing Joke back catalogue is being re-issued later this year. Here's hoping they follow this example.

(SO GREAT)

(Also that extended chord on the words "Charlotte Sometimes" with all the ninths and elevenths in it!)

I remember reading a Cure write-up long ago that was talking about the amazing imagery of Smith's lyrics and quoted as an example "'Come to escape,' he says/And Charlotte sometimes..." I think I went completely postal in ridiculing this writer. I think it's in Ten Imaginary Years somewhere.

It would be a great listen, there are lots of superb versions of songs that spring to mind, it could start at '79 and go through to '04.

Anyone interested? Any song suggestions?

Half of these demos are like Seventeen Seconds with fangs.

And then you started humming "Oh you've got grey eyes, oh you've got green eyes..."

And now that I think of it, what happened to 'Ariel'?

Lament - Bath or Brighton 83 (whichever is better)

I Dig You + Cult Hero (with Frank on vocals) Barfly London March 04

I Hate Rock & Roll (improv based on Three if memory serves) Holland 81

Happy Birthday Simon/Three/All Mine Belgium 81

I was really on the fence about buying "Seventeen Seconds" but am very glad. The remastering alone makes these discs worthy. I listened to the Cure prior to "Head On the Door" only on cassette, and in that situation almost exclusively through crappy Walkman headphones. Listening now through a real stereo (and even on my computer's Altec's) is eye opening. AWESOME.

My complaint is that I really don't see the point of the live tracks included...I'd much, much, much rather just have a reissue of all-live stuff.

FYI, I remember searching and searching and FINALLY finding a "Concert" import CD in college and selling a textbook to go buy it.

heroin face 4 dec 77 the rocket crawley
boys dont cry 27 may 78 chestnut studio frensham
subway song oct 79 nottingham
at night 9 june 80 french radio
in your house 15 jan 80 holland
the drowning man aug 81 australia or NZ
other voices 81 "somewhere else'
the funeral party nov 81 'somewhere'
all mine 1 may 82 london
forever 15 may 84 paris

Now, one question, do I put any Disintegration tracks on this comp, if so which?

"Happy the Man" Paris, 1984
"Away (Cut)" London Town and Country, 1991 (actually all the early Wish songs on this are worth it)
"Letter to Elise" MTV Unplugged, 1991

I didn't think it was possible for me to love this album more, but I do.

Anyone want to design a cover?

*Didn't they do "A Japanese Dream" on The Kissing Tour? I need a live version of that.*

There's a good version of A Japanese Dream from a BBC broadcast in Birmingham 87. What other Kiss Me tracks are we interested in?

At the moment I'm digging out 84/Top-era stuff, got lovely versions of The Wailing Wall, The Empty World and Caterpillar lined up, oh and Secrets!

Also I found an early version of Charlotte Sometimes too that I'd totally forgotten about, the second time played live according to Bob.

Please keep the suggestions coming, they are really helpful.

No idea about Ariel, will check up if they played it ever.

Good lord, so the next set of rereleases will cover the Glove, Japanese Whispers stuffage in some form and The Top. OH HOW SAD AND HORRIBLE.

Also, Japanese Whispers is right around the time when The Cure started doing more 12" remixes (even though there is an extended version of "Primary" that, AFAIR, isn't on the Faith reissue), so I assume those remixes will populate that reissue. Also, when was Concert recorded and released? Maybe, it might be a two-fer?

Who knows?

If I could add some suggestions for the Curiosity Mark II disc(s):

The 'Fuck Robert Palmer! Fuck rock 'n' roll!' version of A Forest 07/05/1981 Werchter

The 'Tienanmen Sq.' version of Faith 06/04/1989 Rome

Birdmad Girl encore 05/30/1984 s'Hertogenbosch

Any 'Do You Wanna Touch' version from 1985

I also second Harold and Joe '91, Lament (Bath)'83 and the T&C versions of Wish songs--especially The Big Hand.

Someone was asking about a studio version of Forever--I think there is an odd Peel session of that. And Ariel I always thought was more of a Robert Smith solo outing so I don't believe it was ever done live.

Yep.

The 'Tienanmen Sq.' version of Faith 06/04/1989 Rome

Don't have it I'm afraid, if someone wants to send me a lossless version I'll include it, I always thought it was a bit embarrasing to be honest!

Birdmad Girl encore 05/30/1984 s'Hertogenbosch

Yep.

Any 'Do You Wanna Touch' version from 1985

I've got one from 81, I'll A/B it against any 85 versions I have.

I also second Harold and Joe '91, Lament (Bath)'83 and the T&C versions of Wish songs--especially The Big Hand.

Great, thanks!

if this is the one I think it might be, I could possibly get a very very good quality copy sorted

Kit, It's from a gig at The Capitol Theatre Sydney in 81.

totally OTM

because critics are often oh! so lazy...that album makes for a twisted, convoluted listening and this is not always very appreciated.
i just would like more of that mad vibe on cure most recent albums (though "the 13th" was as good as the best Top's bits).

i'd like to throw my hat into the 'alternate curiosity' ring by saying:

* 'M' (1992 small tour) can't recall the date but they only did it on one of the 4 or 5 shows. proper current fans can probably identify it!
it was broadcast in europe.

* 'the big hand' (as sorta mentioned upthread) from that late 1990 secret 5 imaginary boys gig at (?) town + country was it?

* 'shake dog shake' version off of THE CURE IN ORANGE

* version of 'the walk' with kazoos off UNPLUGGED

* 1987 era tour version of 'LOVECATS/ARISTOCATS theme'

* 1990 glastonbury version of '10.15'

the temptation is to go 'oh and (song x) from (fave cure gig you ever saw)' but i won't do that. but i'd include something from the pre-WISH 92 liverpool royal court gig if i DID.

Hey, that's a great song! Flutes!

Tracks with a *** are subject to change/revision/haven't made my mind up yet.

I'd like to know if people are fussed about early 3IB tracks like Meathook, I have a live Do The Hansa somewhere too and also Object and Plastic Passion. Also do we want the Jumping/Another Journey segue they used to perfom live?

A.M./In Your House (early version) - Birmingham '79
Meathook - Marquee London '79
Fire In Cairo - Arnhem '80
Primary (yellow version) - Belgium '80
I'm Cold - Belgium '80 ***
Do You Wanna Touch? - Belgium '80
Another Day - Stockholm '80
10:15 Saturday Night - Grand Studio Paris '80
Charlotte Sometimes (early version) - Sydney '81
Forever/All Mine - Sydney '81 ***
A Short Term Effect - Glasgow '82
Pornography - Paris '82
All I have To Do Is Kill Her/Forever/All Mine - Paris '82 ***
Lament - Bath '83
Birdmad Girl - Hebertengosch '84
Wailing Wall - Nanako '84
The Empty World - Washington '84
Caterpillar - Washington '84
Secrets - Washington '84 ***
The Hanging Garden - Ludwigshafen '85 (amazing version!)
Screw - Ludwigshafen '85
Push - Glastonbury '86
Sinking - Glastonbury '86
A Forest - Glastonbury '86 ***

I'm also sourcing Lovecats/Snakepit/A Japanese Dream/Harold & Joe/The Big Hand/The 13th/The Blood/Walk (unplugged)/Fight and others especially from the last album and the London charity gig from last year with Cult Hero/I Dig You.

Need more Post Wish suggestions.

How arsed are we about Bloodflowers (down Ned!) seeing as we have the Trilogy and all.

This is already looking like one mother of an effort. :-)

OH MY GOD YES. The one from the May show in Arnheim is awesome.

Trap
Treasure
Home (Did they ever do this live?)
Ocean (Ditto?)
Spilt Milk
The Loudest Sound
39
The Last Day Of Summer
Lost (ESSENTIAL, put it on there maybe seven times if you have to)
The Promise
Going Nowhere
Never
Before Three
Anniversary

(xpost OMG If you can find a droney freaked-out version of "LGTB" I will sell you babies of every hue.)

Trap - Paris Bercy '96

Treasure - Paris Bercy '96

Home - Never Played Live

Ocean - Ditto

Spilt Milk - Ditto

The Loudest Sound - Mansfield '00/Hamburg '00

39 - Mansfield '00/Hamburg '00

The Last Day Of Summer - Mansfield '00/Hamburg '00

Lost - Everett '04

The Promise - Not Sure

Going Nowhere - Not Sure

Never - Not Sure

Before Three - Not Sure

Anniversary - Not Sure

Will check the above.

An exciting turn of events, a kindly ILX-r is sending me a pre-fm cd copy of one of the early gigs that I'm taking Forever and the early Charlotte Sometimes from (and maybe now another track)

This is very cool and will bring the average quality of the first CD up by another notch.

I'm not sure how many of these to actually produce, I initially thought 5, so-far peeps what have expressed an interest are Ned, Dan, Kit & Baader.

I am willing to do around 10 and really won't have the time to do many more, so please yell if you are interested.

5 - Dr C.

Oh please.

I can only buy these three latest reissues one at a time. I'm buying one of the editions this Friday and I'd like to know which I should acquire first. I do plan to buy them all, though.

Right now I don't own Seventeen Seconds at all. Faith is my favourite LP of theirs and I've got "Carnage Visors" on a CD-R but I'd love to hear "Going Home Time" (since it apparently sounds like Associates) and the live version of "Faith" from the Charlotte Sometimes single. The bonus tracks on Pornography seem the most intriguing to me and I like the LP just slightly less than Faith. So, what do you all recommend I do?

The fact that the Pornography remaster sounds that good makes me want to get it first, but I have until Friday to decide.

Anyone else who wants one can maybe contact the others for the moment, I guess thats fair?

Dan, as far as I can make out Home, Ocean & Spilt Milk were never played live.

I've found good versions of Lost, The Promise and Before Three.

I can't find Going Nowhere, Never or Anniversary, do you have good quality non-mp3 sourced versions?

I need photoshop help I think, well more than help actually, I was going to adapt the Concert/Curiosity artwork but I don't think I've got the skills (or a scanner for that matter), anyone here wishing to tackle the job? I'll print it all.

I don't, but I can do some digging to see if I can find anything.

I do have "Why Can't I Be You???/The Lovecats" from a June 9, 1989 show in Torino on CD if you're interested.

I got the Faith re-issue yesterday, and it is marvelous, but I had a few questions about the sound quality. Does anyone else notice a touch of distortion in the original album version of "Doubt"? Just where it gets the loudest, there is a bit of fuzz. Try around 1:32 to 1:40 into it. Is this normal? Was it always like this? (almost a "Siamese Twins" quote there, sorry) I just wanna make sure I don't have a damaged disc. Is this something revealed in the remastering or something always there?

Also, I realize the demos and live tracks are going to be of fairlyrough quality, but does everyone else have a period click that runs consistently through both the demo versions of "Faith" and "Doubt"? And a noticeable hiss throughout the live version of "Faith"?

I must admit I hadn't thought about Why Can't I Be You, is there much love for this song in general? I've got some versions of it for sure.

Petroski, I shall do that! Thanks!

That's more than fair. When they hit the playground things REALLY tripped out. (Thus, again, The Top -- "The World is Yours" a la Scarface, where the leetle friend is the flanger.)

The bonus disc is fucking great, though...love the sound quality of the live tracks (I've never heard "Forever" before in any version and I thought it was great, so those later versions must be the best thing ever) and every demo was massively interesting -- the whole disc is full of revelatory moments. "Going Home Time" does sound like a premature version of something from Sulk, and the live version of "All Cats Are Grey" sounds like something that should've been on Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom. Shame that "Charlotte Sometimes" sounds even more muffled than on Standing On a Beach, though.

I got the Faith re-issue yesterday, and it is marvelous, but I had a few questions about the sound quality. Does anyone else notice a touch of distortion in the original album version of "Doubt"? Just where it gets the loudest, there is a bit of fuzz. Try around 1:32 to 1:40 into it. Is this normal? Was it always like this? (almost a "Siamese Twins" quote there, sorry) I just wanna make sure I don't have a damaged disc. Is this something revealed in the remastering or something always there?
Yeah, it's the mastering. It buzzed throughout the loudest portion of that song and I heard a bit of fuzz on "The Drowning Man", too. It sounded like it was mastered through an earlier edition of the Audacity programme, and considering that most of the master tapes from that time were erased from having sat by a washing machine or some other appliance, they might have mastered it from some other source and so it's not all that surprising. Eh well. At least "Faith" the song doesn't skip like it does on my old edition of the album. It's startling how full and meaty some of the songs sound, though -- the original pressings sound really thin and I thought it was Hedges' production (Siouxsie's early albums were done by him, too, and so I thought the thin sound was part of his aesthetic or a result of being under-produced) but I guess it was that crap pre-1992 mastering after all, deceiving fuckers.

I do this 24/7.

(It is a vast improvement over the previous CD version in America.)

these deluxe editions have get me vaguely interested in the cure for the 2st time in years+years. the head on the door/kiss me/disintegration era would be my fave.

I assume that when Robert said the masters were erased he meant the original multi-track tapes - which would be most useful for taking the individual bits and mixing them up.

I hope that Rhino wouldn't stick a big "digitally remastered from the original master tapes" label on something if it weren't true. (Truth in the music industry? Hopeless romantic? Me?)

So you're thinking just the original multi-track tapes were lost. So what would these be "re-masters" of? I'm so confused. Regardless, the sound of Doubt on the deluxe version of Faith ain't so good. Oh well.

So, if Faith were recorded in 16 tracks, the tape would be divided 16 ways to record 16 different instruments, voices and effects. This would then be "mixed down" to 2 tracks which would become the stereo album master.

If the original album 2 track master tape is around, one can re-transfer it to a digital format - equalize it, normalize it, remove hiss and static - i.e., remaster. But you can't remix it beyond making it mono or cutting and pasting parts of the full song - no individual instruments.

Make sense now?

I haven't noticed any problems with "Doubt" myself, but I've only heard mp3s (still waiting for the CD to be delivered).

http://www.thecure.com/discography/cure_3ib_lyrics.pdf

Due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances the first copies of the 2 CD 'Three Imaginary Boys Deluxe Edition' were accompanied by a 16 page booklet missing the song words... All later deluxe editions will be accompanied by a 20 page booklet including the song words... For those of you wishing to get these missing words please click here to download a unique artwork PDF to print and keep... Robert

"All later deluxe editons will accompanied by a 20 page booklet including the song words" Does anybody have any info on this?

I like the idea that someone comes up to Dan for his birthday, says to him, "As a gift, the master tapes of songs from two of your favorite bands!" and they turn out to be "Push" and "Mint Car" by the Cure and "Domino Dancing" and the Introspective mix of "I Want a Dog" by the Pet Shop Boys.

"Push"? NO FUCKING WAY UH-UH.

I have retooled redux CD 4 as a 'Push through the ages' compilation with 18 different versions.

NO NO NO PUSH HIM AWAAAAAAAYYYY!

I read the lyrics before I actually heard it, so I had a mental image in my mind of a minor key creepfest with harder-edged guitars and more snarling than yelping. Hearing the gossamer popfest, all-out chirpathon that is the actual song was the biggest Cure-related disappointment of my life; I was expecting "The Snakepit Pt 0".

Also the delivery of the lyrics is really, really embarrassing.