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Following the first three re-releases of early Cure records
by Rhino and Fiction earlier this year (Faith, Pornography,
Seventeen Seconds), the next batch of four records has
arrived on your favorite CD shop's shelves. They are as cool as
the first run of releases, featuring the same sorts of previously
unreleased tracks and cool studio outtakes that all but the most
Cure-hating of folks will enjoy. The original albums are re-remastered
and sound better on Cd than they ever have, and the remastering
engineers have worked out any kinks there might have been in the
original CD releases.
I got the re-release of 1985's The Head On The Door to
review, and I'll focus once more on the second disc of rarities
and outtakes. The first few tracks are demos taken from Robert
Smith's home recordings of a few songs from the era that feature
great melodies and cool drum machine parts. A few of the unknown
songs have hints of future tracks in them, obviously being the
seeds of ideas. They are instrumental tracks, featuring highly
effected guitar parts and Smith's trademark riffing. The impetus
of "Inbetween Days" is especially cool, as it is definitely
the same song, but in Smith's demo there are a few little pieces
that were left out of the final album version, plus it's fun to
karaoke along with as there are no words recorded.
By the time we get to the studio demos, it is fun to hear Robert's
unprocessed voice kicking out the jams. The studio demo of "Kyoto
Song" is interesting, as it is a track that made the final
album, and there is a decidedly different version on the album.
The demo track for "Close To Me" is also very cool, as
it featured many more keyboard parts in addition to the well-known
bopping melody line and just as many whining Smith vocal overdubs.
Closing up the extras CD are three live bootlegs of songs from
the album. The sound quality is very good for a live recording
of this vintage, each part able to be heard and distinguished
amidst the crowd and stage noise. The version of "The Baby
Screams" is a bit faster than the album track, and Boris
William's drums sound so huge that it almost sounds like a
drum machine is being used instead. Simon Gallup's bass
lines are awesome, creating the perfect rhythm machine for the
meandering guitars and keyboards to follow on the lengthy intro
to "Sinking".
With this latest batch of re-issues, fans of The Cure are once
more given the chance to spend their hard earned cash on not only
one of the Cure's finest records, but a boatload of cool demos
and live tracks that make the package well worth the price. There
are some clinkers in the bunch hidden amongst the gems, but overall
this is a well put together collection of tracks that any fan
will be happy to have in the collection. The liner notes for the
re-issues are also informative and fun to read, and the booklet
is filled with photos that remind us when this music was made…
the fashion disaster that was the early 80's.
-Embo Blake
The Head On The Door Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. In Between Days
2. Kyoto Song
3. Blood
4. Six Different Ways
5. Push
6. Baby Screams
7. Close to Me
8. Night Like This
9. Screw
10. Sinking
Disc 2
1. Inbetween Days (RS Home demo)
2. Inwood (RS Home demo)
3. Push (RS Home demo)
4. Innsbruck (RS Home demo)
5. Stop Dead (Studio demo)
6. Mansolidgone (Studio demo)
7. Screw (Studio demo)
8. Lime Time (Studio demo)
9. Kyoto Song (Studio demo)
10. A Few Hours After This... (Studio demo)
11. Six Different Ways (Studio demo)
12. A Man Inside My Mouth (Studio demo)
13. A Night Like This (Studio demo)
14. The Exploding Boy (Studio demo)
15. Close To Me (Studio demo)
16. The Baby Screams (live bootleg)
17. The Blood (live bootleg)
18. Sinking (live bootleg)
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