A thread for the Cure reissues

Finally found them at Border's.

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?)

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