A thread for the Cure reissues

"Inbetween Days" -- the first of some instrumental Robert home demos. Slower paced than the final version, a bit of an equivalent to that striking demo of "10:15 Saturday Night" that surfaced -- there's the same sense of thick murkiness shot through with a sudden beauty. Really a lovely alternate take, and if it had surfaced this way ten years later as a lo-fi dude's composition, nobody would have been surprised.

"Inwood" -- a totally new song, midpaced, has that rich guitar roil to it one would expect from, say, Wish a few years later, but the feeling is starker all around -- very much a descendant of the darker moments on The Top, say. Has as a really ear-catching drum part, plus gentle keyboards.

"Push" -- Dan's favorite song ever, indeed. Drum machine sets a steady pace from the start, the beautifully strong beginning in the final version is more tempered here, the feeling is much more gentle all around and without the vocals the impact is reduced further, but it still has some good attractions to it. Anyway, *I* like it and Dan is still wrong, so there.

"Innsbruck" -- another new one and another 'ghost of The Top' number...or more accurately the Glove? There's a bit of Morricone here, I'd say, just a hint, combined with some spy movie drama atmospherics (perhaps the reason for the title?) -- actually, this could almost be a quicker cousin to something like "Carnage Visors," obsessive and building, but a lot busier in the guitar playing all around, slightly martial drums adding to the unsettling feeling.

"Stop Dead" -- to the first of eleven studio demos from Fitz/F2 Studio done before the album was recorded for real -- a lot of these have circulated so this is more of a 'great, good sound finally!' feeling. Another 'slower than the final take' track, some amusing demi-scat bits from Robert, bass leading the way most of the time.

"Mansolidgone" -- another rarity! Robert does a goony riff on Frank Sinatra's "Witchcraft" before everything mutates into a son-of-"The Lovecats" jazzy strut and stroll but with more of a full-on late night lounge act rush, Robert wordlessly vamping (aside from, tellingly, a highly drawled mention of 'the man inside my mouth'), sax from Porl towards the end and everything sounding enjoyably ridiculous. Might have been interesting to hear a full version of this -- they'd worked out a verse/chorus structure at least, but no words -- but as is it's an enjoyable aside.

"Screw" -- the bass line is *much* quieter here! But it's still the same part, though herky-jerky keyboard bits are standing more to the fore. Robert's singing a little more relaxed here, slathered in a lot of echo.

"Lime Time" -- and one last outright rarity, a playful little song more akin to "Inbetween Days" than "Sinking" or "The Baby Screams," say. (In fact I think the opening line is the same!) Keyboards, bass and drums to the lead here, Robert's vocal a bit ragged but the lyric seems mostly complete. Sprightly with an undercurrent of melancholy -- classic Cure pop as such, though not as good as the actual singles.

"Kyoto Song" -- a touch darker than the final cut, more going on with the drums, the textured demi-sitar sound has an extended guitar part replacing instead, Robert's vocal is a bit more direct instead of that strange/cool muffled sound on the album cut; some of the lyrics apparently hadn't quite been nailed down yet, and he adds a wordless vocal part in between verses.

"A Few Hours After This..." -- *way* less theatrical than the final version, probably unsurprisingly -- the melody/pace/etc. is all the same, but the arrangement's a lot more close and claustrophobic, Robert sounding more wistful than divaish (if you like), the string synth part's a guitar/keyboard riff loop...this is really nice! I don't think I'd heard this demo before so it's really leaping out at me.

"Six Different Ways" -- not as subtle a beginning but it still starts weirdly, almost hesitantly, before That Keyboard Line kicks in, though this one's more muted and the guitar is a bit more prominent as a result. Robert's delivery here is actually fairly close to the the final cut, though not all the lyrics are performed, IIRC.

"A Man Inside My Mouth" -- the Cure does Soft Cell! (This early arrangement really isn't that far removed from something on Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret -- close to the final take but rougher all around, appropriately enough.) Robert's hyperactive vocal on the final cut is much more muted here, probably an initial run through of the lyrics (and there's definitely no climactic squeal of the title line!).

"A Night Like This" -- fades up like the final version, interestingly enough -- noticeably lower volume than the final version too, at least until it gets to where Robert starts singing. There's a catch in his voice that's intriguing -- it's almost very arch and piercing, he's definitely singing in a slightly higher register, and his accent is showing up more here than elsewhere. Sax surfaces first after the first verse/chorus, but still set back in the mix, while the ending is more abrupt and less dramatic. Pretty close to the final version otherwise.

"The Exploding Boy" -- Robert's first words two seconds in: "Now wash your hands!" Presumably an ad-lib. ;-) Queasier than the final take, something in the way that the keyboards sound wavery, but otherwise it's still that same quick exultant rush at work. Calmer vocal but not without the swoops.

"Close to Me" -- the drums here actually remind me a little bit of the sound in "Play for Today"! Not the actual drum parts, just the sound -- it's the major difference in place of that great handclap approach. Keyboards sound a little goonier, and the backing 'doo doo doo' parts to the verses that in the final version are almost subliminal are much more prominent here -- also, he sings the 'if I had your face' section a lot more slowly, a striking difference. A nice alternate and a good end to the demo cuts.

"The Baby Screams" -- the first of three bootleg live cuts from a Paris date in December 1985. Slightly murky recording quality (it audibly improves with the second verse) and a subtly faster pace actually make this sound even more frenetic/kinetic -- and it sounds like the whole crowd is singing along too! Cure fans, you gotta love 'em (he said self-regardingly).

"The Blood" -- not much to remark on here, it's a good performance of a good song, and again the recording quality makes it all sound a bit more freakish somehow. The acoustic guitar break is a treat.

"Sinking" -- a logical song to end on given the source album. Much fuller arrangement thanks to extra keyboard parts right at the start beyond the core piano line, a nicely different way than the studio cut where they cut in dramatically. Here it's a lusher spiral downward, Robert's vocal is even more despondent and the guitar breaks are amazing -- you can kinda hear goth/shoegaze hybrids being invented right there.

Well, that's that for now. *pause* I WANT THE NEXT REISSUES NOW! Virtue is a patience.

And "AIHTDIKH"'s real title is probably "All Mine", since "Forever" is essentially the live alter-ego of "Three" with the same build-up and chords.

Am I obsessed?

I finally had the chance to listen to the Glove reissue and, at least to me, they sound recently recorded - and not only the vocals! Anyway, this alternate, stripped down version of "Blue Sunshine" is quite good.

At the end of the day I think this is where I stand. That album is just monstrously great.

Sometime this year, I suppose. But you have reminded me I need to get the 2005 live DVD that's out now.

when are disintegration and wish coming out?

Nothing specific -- again, likely this year.

That album is just monstrously great.

And inspired by this talk I have brought into work with me.

So thanks to Baaderonix for finding this -- I'll just post it here for easy reference:

Cure fans will have to wait slightly longer for the next instalment of their re-issues. Next in the que are 1989's classic Disintegration, 1990's Mixed Up and 1992's Wish.
They won't surface until next year at the earliest.
"They're half-ready", Robert Smith says. "I gave up on compiling the extra disc".
However fans will be rewarded for their patience.
"The extra disc for Disintegration will be great", he says. "It's very atmospheric. There are some strange versions of some of the songs".
Meanwhile the remix album Mixed Up will come with a bonus disc of new remakes by "contemporary" remixes.

Smith has also discovered the missing tapes for the 80's live concert The Cure in Orange, which will be issued on DVD along with 1993's Show.
Rifling through old Cure tapes in his archive isn't only good for material for bonus discs.
Smith has uncovered 3 songs which he's reworking for the new Cure album.
"I was loath to put them on as extras; I'd thought they'd work well if they were played by this band", Smith says.
"One's really early, between Pornography and The Top, from 1983. The other are from the Kiss Me period, 1986-87. I'm sure I'll find more, we did loads of stuff that didn't get used on Disintegration".

Smith is also preparing a comprehensive DVD for The Cure's 30th anniversary in 2009.
"It's all the live footage that hasn't come out, lots of TV stuff I've got on video. That's the full stop. Once that's done, that's it for the re-issuing and remastering".

Meanwhile the remix album Mixed Up will come with a bonus disc of new remakes by "contemporary" remixes.

oh god. is this a good idea at all? i suppose if it's like Digitalism...

One of the million reasons i love Robert is that he uses words like "loath" and makes it sound totally normal! (which it is, of course, but still)

i'm still only up to Seventeen Seconds - any cheap UK shopping tips? The first ones I got from Amazon for like a tenner each but the rest all seem to be 20 quid, which is harsh.

Landray wasn't that bad really, after all.

Apart from the 1st couple of albums most of the bonus stuff has been pretty pointless, no? I mean, I'm not having a go if you like live versions etc, but I'm listening to the bonus disc of KMKMKM right now, and it's like strip the vocals off the actual album, add a bit of tape hiss, and Bob (lol)'s yr uncle. Bollocks, more like.

The earlier discs' bonus cuts are the more interesting overall, true -- and I'd be happy with just more of the solo demos in all. Still, I like 'em!

The Three Imaginary Boys reissue is really really great, I love the punky early stuff, so after that most of the rest seem like a real let-down. I'm just grumbling, it's not like I bought any of them (apart from 3IB)

the sound quality improvement alone, over the original albums on CD, is worth the purchase of these reissues.

yeah even for a fanatic like me, it's been a bit disappointing. The "Faith" outtakes are interesting, simply for being so different from the actual album and 'The Top' ones are just awesome.
KMKMKM are completely useless though. I still haven't bought 'Head on the Door', I'm wondering if I should.

Abree with Bee OK, regarding the sound quality. Which is why I have mostly waited for the one disc version of the remaster to appear. It has usually even been at a discount almost at once.

so where's the DISINTEGRATION one?? did they forget?

they should get that bob clearmountain guy to remix it like he did with
HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE.

they've stopped 'em for the time being cos
a) bob's too busy not writing the lyrics for his otherwise-recorded new double album
b) he's too busy touring Japan and Australia and New Zealand and Mexico and Europe and stuff and
c) all he could find for the bonus disc was some really awesome alternative takes and cool remixes from the time and the whole Entreat album, so it's been put off until he digs up some bootlegs recorded on a walkman hidden in a duffle bag at the back of a stadium, and demos of him farting in the bath

Not that you're bitter or anything.

I'm not really! They were pumping them out way too fast, I'll be happy if it takes a couple of years so I can get around to listening to all the others again and then really be excited for Disintegration.

I wanna get the Mixed Up remaster

I'll cut him some slack, but only because I'll be finally seeing them live in May! It seems like I've had these tickets for over a year now, what with the rescheduling.

Gosh...a Disintegration reissue...I'd never even thought of such a thing. *sighs heavily with a dreamy look in his eye*

you know, disintegration sounds fine. I don't think they need to reissue it

It sounds perfectly fine. I just want extra tracks plz.

yes cheap home demos of prayers of rain plz

plus passed out pix of lol for extra lolz