A thread for the Cure reissues

* "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..."