A thread for the Cure reissues

I do love this band. (And this side project.)

Also how awesome is "Innsbruck"?

(I'm assuming yes, right?)

because i'm awesome, the first thing i did was tear open the head on the door and play the push demo.

Also Blue Sunshine pwns everything.

Yes indeed, yes yes.

Are you nuts? They will so too do it, not least because there are plenty of other of uncollected remixes floating around. Plus, the extended version of "Never Enough."

Neither nor. There's also at least one alternate 12" mix from the Faith/Pornography days that was never collected, as well as the myriad of mixes from Wish onward, only some of which are on Join the Dots.

I'm gonna be pissed if lousy Mixed Up gets this remaster treatment and I have to buy shitty old comps for the miscellaneous and conspicuously absent songs like The Walk and Killing an Arab

The Greatest Hits comp which has the Japanese Whispers stuff on it is only a couple of years old. As for "Killing an Arab," it's almost like I don't ever need to hear it again, frankly.

I think I'm gonna buy Kiss Me first, I've lost the CD a long time ago and was waiting for the reissues to buy it again. I don't think I can wait too long to get Blue Sunshine either, the bonus disc looks too good to be true!

"Like An Animal" -- lighter arrangement (acoustic guitar, drum machine, soft keyboard)...whoa, what's surprising is thinking how he could have recorded this almost yesterday! He sounds very fresh, for lack of a better word, and the feeling is very much like the sprightlier Cure songs around 2002. Great to hear, love the way he twists the chorus.

"Looking Glass Girl" -- way murkier instrumental mix, vocals a lot more clear in comparison, the descending sparkles in the full version are here represented by wordless vocal sighs...once again, I'm struck by how *modern* this all sounds. Another winning vocal from Robert.

"Sex-Eye-Make-Up" -- not as detailed, more prominent beats, less queasy on the face of it. Lots of echo on Robert's vocals, feels more like a rougher demo than the previous two but still a sharp performance; he goes much quieter on the repeat of the first verse, which becomes more fragmentary in the end.

"Mr. Alphabet Says" -- much different instrumental mix in comparison to the final arrangement...prominent beats, keyboard in place of the strings, very upfront bass, only the piano part is relatively unchanged and it's more buried. More forceful delivery of the lyric, less resigned, he does his 'screw up the vocal like you were screwing up your face' trick in the chorus. Neat!

"A Blues in Drag" -- musically fairly similar to the final version, less prominent piano but it's still there as is the core bassline. The short lyric is delivered extremely slowly, swathed in a lot of reverb -- interesting to hear it but I definitely think it works more as an instrumental, if only due to familiarity.

"Punish Me With Kisses" -- different mix of the same core instruments and arrangements but otherwise pretty similar, so it's down to the singing as the key difference. Very proto-Head on the Door/Kiss Me as a result, has the same more 'direct' feeling as the alternate "Mr. Alphabet Says."

"This Green City" -- less detailed and lush instrumentally, key guitar line more prominent, more calmly moody but still very brisk in pace. Robert's vocals wordlessly swirl about for a bit before formally starting, does a really striking job on the chorus in particular.

"Orgy" -- again, much more prominent beats in comparison, the violins are still there but it's guitar rather than flute with the main riff. More racked singing than the album version, especially interesting to hear it on the chorus. Good version, like it a lot.

"Perfect Murder" -- generally close to the final version in the music, though the keyboards have more treble and drone (at the same time). Like "Mr. Alphabet Says," much more upfront/immediate vocals here in comparison to the final take.

"Relax" -- near the final mix musically, very queasy and all, but a bit lighter in feeling. Robert's vocals appear as vocal shades and textures throughout the song, which seems to suit it very well, much more so than a formal lyric.

"The Man from Nowhere" -- a different, I think slightly-longer mix from the released-as-B-side version, a touch tinnier sounding perhaps but still good fun. It was nice finally hearing this song in full after all this time!

"Mouth to Mouth" -- more compressed sound in comparison to the final version, very moody even for the Glove and reminds me a bit of late Soft Cell/early Marc Almond as a result. One of Robert's higher/slightly more aggro vocal takes -- it's interesting to hear how many of the demos had that quality. Like the murk added to the 'million fat girls' part.

"Opened the Box (A Waltz)" -- the first flat out rarity, and it is indeed a waltz, though I recognize a slightly different version of the "Mr. Alphabet Says" melody lurking in the keyboard part, so I'm guessing this is a prototypical version of that in the end. Vocals murky and fragmentary, I'd guess he sung it off the top of his head; not very long in the end.

"The Tightrope (Almost Time)" -- pretty close to the final version instrumentally, same distorted percussion start and weird/pretty lead melody and etc. The vocal part is more developed than "Opened the Box" but similarly seems a bit raw, though maybe it's just my unfamiliarity. Almost suggests what would eventually happen with "The Top."

"And All Around Us the Mermaids Sing (aka Torment)" -- surfy/Spanish guitar part, big drum machine punch, nagging little keyboard line, dreamy lyric delivery though still spiked with urgency along the way...doesn't immediately seem to be the root of any other song. Nice chorus, at once smooth and unsettling, and a surprisingly uplifting break.

"Holiday 80" -- goofy little organ/beat box number, fun enough sketch of a song that didn't get taken further from what I can tell.

And there you go...

"You Stayed..." -- electric/acoustic guitar blend, very audibly a home demo, heavy flanging -- dare I say, 'generic' Cure effort for the era in terms of the sound being instantly identifiable at least. Quick, rushed, instrumental aside from background keening here and there and some absolutely buried, near inaudible lines at points, more a musical sketch in the end but enjoyable enough without being remarkable. I do like the 'oh, that's the end...no wait...oh right' feel of the conclusion.

"Ariel" -- the legend, as in aired once on UK radio and then never heard again and allegedly never to be heard again until the band broke up. Nice to hear in a much clearer fashion, though I think the mix is different -- vocals more heavily echoed, high/gentle keyboard tones adding texture, but otherwise the same easygoing, dreamy atmosphere familiar from the mp3. I especially like the bassline.

"A Hand Inside My Mouth" -- now I wonder what this title turned into? That said this is a MUCH different arrangement, more in the vein of the mutated jazz/pop of "The Lovecats," as audibly heard in the easygoing pace, the drum fills, the horns, etc. Heavy reverb on the up-front guitars, Robert's vocals pretty deep in the mix, nice instrumental break where the various horn and piano parts turn into this queasy collage before returning to the chorus. First total surprise of the disc and it's a winner.

"Sadacic" -- I'm trying to figure out if this turned into something else later on. Muffled drum machine pulse, screeching treble guitar, moody as hell bassline, Robert first singing "Shout! Shout!" before falling silent for a while until returning to a full if fairly brief lyric. Extremely deliberate sounding, for lack of a better word -- obsessive and focused even for him, but all the more so in light of the more chaotic performances of the time. The bassline anchors this song down pretty strongly in comparison, like there's not much room to breathe, but the guitar solo towards the end is massive, sounding like it's trying to rip out of deep water.

"Shake Dog Shake" -- And into more familiar waters -- most of the following demos are just Robert and Andy Anderson. This is ultimately a rougher, slightly more distanced sounding version of the final version, Robert's vocals further in the mix -- it wouldn't have surprised me if this was just a quick live-in-the-studio run through, though it is just Robert overdubbing nearly all the instruments in the end. Andy Anderson's drums sound pretty great, though, and there's some additional guitar parts here and there, so it was all pretty well realized by this point.

"Piggy In the Mirror" -- like "Shake," it's pretty close to the final version as well but less so than "Shake," more of a basic-sounding arrangement in the end, unsurprisingly. Robert sounds a touch tentative with the vocals but not remarkably different otherwise.

"Birdmad Girl" -- more of a notable difference in this one -- no acoustic *or* electric guitar, and Andy's drums are far more brisk and crisp in the mix. Combined with Robert's bass it actually becomes a much more overtly funk number than before, since about the only other thing in it is Robert's singing! So a nice variation on a familiar number here, which is good because I was wondering if all these demos would be like that!

"Give Me It" -- good lord, Andy goes insane on the drums on this one right from the start! I would have kept that as the final take, frankly, and considering how nonstop the album version is that's saying something -- who knows, maybe it's just the mix. Again, just drums, bass, vocals, nothing else. Pretty sure this is one of the Top demos I've heard before but it's much better sounding here, unsurprisingly. Nice break on the fadeout too.

"Throw Your Foot" -- and into some B-side takes, continuing with just Robert and Andy performing. Not too far removed from the final version, but no keyboard swirls or the like, plus a bit more random vocal fun from Robert before the lyric begins. Minor differences in the end but it's still a fun runthrough of a great song; I also like the occasional breaks and flat-out pauses.

"Happy the Man" -- in ways a lot closer to the final version than I was expecting, down to some of the keyboards (maybe all of them?). More muffled than the final version, though, and Robert's vocals are a bit hesistant or half-mumbled at a couple of points (he's especially low-key on the chorus). I have a feeling he was just trying to get something place to figure out in more detail later.

"The Caterpillar" -- and the last of the Robert/Andy only demos. No violin part! Longer introduction to the song, drums are a distant rumble, HEAVY echo on the piano, which is the lead by default (if there's guitar on this I can't catch it) -- there's still a strong feeling of how the song turned out but it's an approximation in the end. Robert's singing is often wordless or just sketching in parts; other lyrics are much different from the final version. Definitely one of the more interesting demos in hearing how the song was still very much in-progress.

"Dressing Up" -- an alternate studio mix (an alternate take?). Keyboards higher in the mix throughout, panpipe part aside (if that is a keyboard making that in the end). Vocals treated WAY differently, lots of echo slathered on, actually probably an alternate take as well. Robert sounds a little more on the edge as a result; kinda glad they went another direction in the end! It ends abruptly without the title part, interestingly enough.

"Wailing Wall" -- massive guitar flanging more apparent on this take but the murky drone feeling is still there, distorted violin parts even more aggressively unsettling, ending is more stretched out than the final version I believe...this version's downright creepy even in comparison to the album cut, with the chorus providing even more of an anchor as a result. Vocals seem pretty close to the final version but it's a rough mix still.

"The Empty World" -- and into the first of three live cuts from a London 1984 show. Listed as a bootleg and the sound is a bit tinny but it's extremely good for an audience recording (as the handclaps towards the end make clear it is), only a bit of echo on the vocals and it's not too bad. It's nice hearing the martial drums and the mock-flute fanfare in a live setting -- it's an atypical song for the Cure in a lot of ways because of those elements, which is a pity since it would be fun to hear later versions of the band try it.

"Bananafishbones" -- good performance as well, not much to say about it besides the fact that it's there and sounds fine, with Robert's singing the standout.

"The Top" -- ah, this one is nice -- like the previous two, not different much at all from the studio cuts but it sounds far more spooked out, the guitars at the beginning settling into the subtle tape hiss to create an unexpected effect. Bravura Robert vocal, REALLY strong conclusion thanks to Andy's drumming and the zone/drone guitars. Nice to hear more from this transitional era of the band in general (though I'm not regretting the reappearance of Simon at all the following year!).

"Forever" -- this at long last is the final cut from the Curiosity cassette to turn up in the reissue series, so it's well known to the aficionado. Or so I hope. (Now the larger question -- will Concert ever reappear?)

http://pollywannacracka.blogspot.com/

Anyway, bonus track time:

"The Kiss" -- the first of nine instrumental tracks on this disc and the only one recorded at home by Robert. Keyboard/harmonica? break that's sweetly sad leads into a drum machine pattern that suggests where the final song would go, though more by implication. The keyboard returns to add more droning depth as well as fragmentary melody, and the resemblance to the final song gets stronger. It's actually quite an elegant piece of work and since the final song is nearly all instrumental anyway the results end up being pretty close in the end. Guitar starts building up bit by bit and everything gets more ominous and kaleidoscopic as it goes -- it might have ended up on The Top in this style!

"The Perfect Girl" -- full band demo, the first of four from a June 1986 London session. A little slower than the final version and the distinct keyboard part isn't present yet, in favor of a gentler addition to the slightly ascending chorus and a bit of piano on the predominantly descending verses. I always like Cure instrumentals in general in their final form and this while simpler compared to some is still pretty nice, with a couple of cool guitar breaks as well.

"Like Cockatoos" -- that great weird sound texturing element isn't present yet but there's a heavily treated guitar (or maybe keyboard?) part that acts as a partial equivalent, though it doesn't start the song dramatically as happens in the album version. Otherwise extremely similar to the final results, less reverb and depth but the acoustic guitar feels spookier while the drone parts get even danker towards the end, especially after the drums cut out.

"All I Want" -- much gentler and less strident than the final cut at the start, feels much more like a tentative rehearsal or initial hashing out of the arrangement. Boris's drums I especially like here -- keyboards are present but far less immediate in the mix, with Simon's bass part standing out all the more in turn. There's a midsong break that sounds noticeably different from what ends up in the final version, with a slightly lighter keyboard part creating a melody. Not much more to say about it otherwise.

"Hot Hot Hot!!!" -- also pretty close to the final version, a touch more lumbering maybe but I think that's due to the drum sound rather than due to Boris specifically! The extremely distinct synth string part is completely absent until the final seconds of the song! If it had never gone further than this I wouldn't have been surprised but that's what made the final version such a sly kick to expectations anyway.

"Shiver and Shake" -- and off to France we go, from the first set of sessions there, and again this is generally close to the final cut aside from the exact conclusion. Guitars are a lot more trebly and upbeat in this take, it almost sounds like a return to early eighties post-punk but not the band's own take on that! Dare I say the merest hint of U2 sonics? (Frightening thought, actually.) But Simon keeps things from being too disturbing to contemplate on that front, and it being an instrumental I don't have to imagine Robert trying to sing like Bono. Eek!

"If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" -- nowhere near as compellingly beautiful as the final cut thanks to that version's beautiful balance between the instruments -- here the keyboards are often muffled and without the wordless vocals half the impact of the build up to the actual lyrics is lost. But it's still got a lot of the queasily narcotic edge of the end version in there -- the sitars (or mock sitars or whatever) and Boris's drumming in particular standing out, the later being extremely doomy at points, huge and muffled, not to mention various cymbal hits.

"Just Like Heaven" -- crisper drum smack and -- I was downright startled! -- no synth string part! Whoa, that's half the song -- glad they made sure to get into the final version. But the guitar parts really get to shine as a result. The arrangement is a lot more abbreviated -- after the first guitar part it immediately goes into a chorus, then the midsong break with the piano part (which is intact, while softer synth strings -- but again not THAT synth string part -- are in the background). That actually gets repeated later on in the demo as well, so the song must have gone through a few incarnations given how relatively complete this sounds otherwise. It's still good but you can really use this to show the difference between good and great when it comes to initial and final versions of a piece.

"Hey You!" -- just bass and drums at the start, and instead of a synth horn section there's a solo sax (?) break over the beginning as the song builds into the full band arrangement. Keyboards take a more forward part here, a bit like how they do on "Bananafishbones," By the time everything is jelling it's not far at all from the final version; the basic structure is perfectly intact.

"A Thousand Hours" -- and we finally get to vocals! The first of three songs from the Miraval sessions that were rough mixes with guide vocals finished up elsewhere. More reverb laden than the final mix, piano seems more prominent here as well, with the synth strings set further back in comparison. Robert doesn't start singing until much later into the song and it's *definitely* a guide vocals, more strained and tremulous than the terrific final take, but there are some good moments here anyway, and when he concludes by singing through deep, deep echo, the effect is quite something!

"Icing Sugar" -- no sax part yet, keyboards buried in more murk -- a rough mix but an intriguing one given how some of the guitar parts sound, but otherwise the song pretty much approaching final form. The vocals are the real surprise, with the "I'll empty you" section being sung first as well as appearing in an abrupt final conclusion, and turning it into more of an obvious chorus as a result. Some flanging added to said vocals, again very much a guide, doesn't have that sense of semi-whisper/gasped intensity.

"One More Time" -- practically all there, again a touch fuzzier/reverb heavy in comparison to the final mix and a couple of elements here and there louder or quieter in turn but if there's anything otherwise out of place I'm not immediately hearing it. Vocals are the closest to the final version in these three cuts, though again it's not *quite* there -- and interestingly he sings it as "Take you in my arms" at the end there; I think it was very wise of him to switch that!

"How Beautiful You Are" -- and into the final six cuts, all live, first two being from the oft-bootlegged Santa Barbara date on the tour. Rule number of one Cure concert experiences -- Robert will say something unintelligible followed by an announcement of the song in question -- is followed closely. Nice performance of a good song but I admit it didn't strike me as particularly distinct or interesting in and of itself.

"The Snakepit" -- This on the other hand is a bit different -- it might just be the way the bootleg's mix inevitably turned out, but by capturing more of the high end at the start it sets a different mood, just. Still very deliberate and unsettling as always but clearer, or maybe cleaner is a better word. The extended instrumental conclusion picks up on this mood, and Robert's soloing is really striking here, more so than on the studio take. More than makes up for the pretty unnecessary track right before this!

"Catch" -- and off to Europe for some December 1987 dates, the first two songs being from Birmingham. Nice brisk performance of a brisk song, and it's actually kinda neat to hear how Robert replicates that half sleepy delivery from the studio version -- I always wondered about that a bit and it's probably more intentional than I ever realized (but it works well with the lyrics).

"Torture" -- a bit like "How Beautiful You Are" in that I don't sense why this version was chosen in particular. Pretty close to the studio version, good enough vocal from Robert...that's about all I can say!

"Fight" -- from a French date, nice version with the key difference being in the vocals. Robert sounds almost serene in the verses, coolly removed, while the choruses, though certainly more energetic as in the studio version, are still a bit restrained. It's not bad, just a bit unexpected and intriguing -- I think he was just tired at that point of the tour!

"Why Can't I Be You?" -- and from a London show to wrap everything up. Real murky on the song introduction but the performance itself sounds good enough, emphasizing vocals over keyboards thanks to the arena mix as taped. Sprightly, fun take of the song, not that that's surprising given said tune but it does seem particularly merry. The holiday spirit or something. The break is brief but actually sounds really nice, while there's also an extended conclusion to the song featuring Robert's occasional interpolations of "Young at Heart" and "Fools Rush In." Bless.

Okay, now for me to get The Head on the Door...

KMKMKM and THE TOP!

Exciting!

Maybe I will have to buy one.

Steve Severin has posted an explanation in his forum about the controversy over Robert's vocals on the 'Blue Sunshine' bonus disc:

"All the vocals on CD2 are from 1983. I admit it is a bit confusing calling them "RS vocal demo" but this is how it worked.....

All the Glove tracks were written in the studio (bar PMWK) so the music you hear isn't a demo per se, it's a rough mix of the final thing. Lyrics were written at different times in the procedings so whenever they were, Robert would do a "guide vocal'. That explains why some tracks are more developed than others. For instance, I hadn't written the bass parts for "LAA" when RS did the guide but the strings had been put on ORGY before he sang. Does that make sense?

We could only find these versions on cassette and Robert did some extensive "soundsoap" work on them going as far as stripping out the vocal, treating it and adding it back in. We've obviously done a good job because so many people think it's all new!

Whateverrrrrrrrrrrr.............it's 16 new tracks....you would think most fans would be leaping for joy, wouldn't you?"