The Cure
4-24-09 The Cure
I last wrote about The Cure in 2004. I probably like them better now than I did then. Pretty much followed them from their beginnings, up to “17 Seconds”. Then I liked some of their singles, and “The Head On The Door”. I do not have an intense Cure collection, and I sold off some of my early singles at time when it was very profitable to do so. So, no “Cult Hero” 45 for me anymore, alas.
LP 17 SECONDS FICTION
1980 10 TRKS original
CDx2 17 SECONDS (Deluxe edition) RHINO
1980 25 TRKS ('05 issue)(15 x bonus tracks)
CD BOYS DON'T CRY FICTION DE 815011.2
1979 12 TRKS
7" BOYS DON'T CRY (New Version) / PILLBOX TALES VAP JPN 15007-07
1986 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
7" CATCH, THE / BREATHE FICTION
1987 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, clear vinyl
12" CLOSE TO ME / A MAN INSIDE MY MOUTH / STOP DEAD FICTION
1985 3 TRKS with pic sleeve
CD ENTREAT POLYDOR
1990 8 TRKS Live, Wembley 7/89
CDx2 FAITH (Deluxe edition) RHINO US R2 74683
1981 24 TRKS ('05 issue) (16 x bonus tracks)
CD GALORE - THE SINGLES 1987 - 1997 ELEKTRA US 62117.2
1997 18 TRK Collection
CD HEAD ON THE DOOR, THE ELEKTRA US 60435.2
1985 10 TRKS
LP HEAD ON THE DOOR, THE ELEKTRA US 60435.1
1985 10 TRKS
7" HIGH / THIS
1992 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
7" IN BETWEEN DAYS / EXPLODING BOY, THE VAP JPN 15006-07
1985 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
CD JAPANESE WHISPERS SIRE US 25076.2
1983 8 TRKS 'The Singles'
LP JAPANESE WHISPERS SIRE US 25076.1
1983 8 TRKS 'The Singles'
CD KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME ELEKTRA
1987 17 TRKS (one less track than the double LP)
LPx2 KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME POLYDOR DE 832130.1
1987 18 TRKS
CD5 LOVE SONG ELEKTRA US 66687.2
1989 4 TRK CD Single CD5
CD MIXED UP ELEKTRA US 60978.2
1990 11 TRKS remixes
CD5 NEVER ENOUGH ELEKTRA US 66604.2
1990 4 TRK CD Single CD5
CD
1993 12 TRKS Live,
CD5 PEEL SESSIONS, THE DUTCH
1988 4 TRK CD Single CD5 ('78 recording)
CD STANDING ON A BEACH - THE SINGLES ELEKTRA US 60477.2
1986 17 TRK Collection (4 x bonus tracks)
LP STANDING ON A BEACH - THE SINGLES ELEKTRA US 60477.1
1986 13 TRK Collection
LP THREE IMAGINARY BOYS FICTION
1979 12 TRKS the version with literally no text on the exterior cover
CDx2 THREE IMAGINARY BOYS (Deluxe edition) RHINO US R2 78895
1979 33 TRKS ('04 issue) (20 x bonus tracks)
LP TOP, THE SIRE US 25086.1
1984 10 TRKS
7" WHY CAN'T I BE YOU? (7" x 2) FICTION
1987 4 TRK EP; with pic sleeve, 7"x2
12" WHY CAN'T I BE YOU? / A JAPANESE DREAM FICTION
1987 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
Boy, do I ever remember a time when I met tons of people that collected ONLY The Cure! That was really a pervasive scene. When I used to sell at the Emeryville swap meet, I really made bank selling the old Cure 45’s (and even that was to another dealer!).
When the re-mastered Deluxe Edition 2CD sets starting walking down the pike, I snapped up a few of them, and I wouldn’t be adverse to a few more, if the price was right.
What really helped my Cure fandom along was all of their music videos. I had the Japanese Beta stereo hi-fi tape of “Tea Party”, which was about 30 minutes long and it had all of the clips of the day, approx. ’85. Later with got a “Live In Japan” (’87) tape that I dubbed.
I never did see them live. I barely missed them once in
I always rather found it amusing that Robert Smith joined Siouxsie & The Banshees at one point. I never really did them; I didn’t care for their debut LP when it was highly recommended to me, but I am good with some of the singles, like “
And according to Word Magazine, Robert Smith is now 50 years of age. Hey, so am I!
Recently, I got two different live CD’s by The Cure, “Entreat” and “Paris” – maybe I am trying to make up for never having seen them live? I think the latest thing in my Cure collection is the 7” single called “High”, which was given to me with the batch of Thrift Store Records I recently described.
I definitely didn’t care for the LP after “Faith”, and I wasn’t even all that fond of “Faith”! But I did like the “Charlotte Sometimes” single, so nice to have it again, on the $4 copy of the 2CD “Faith” that I found at a Salvation Army store recently.
Labels: The Cure
posted by Ron Kane @ 6:35 AM
1 Comments:
I first heard The Cure with "Grinding Halt" on the Times Square (!) soundtrack. It didn't hugely motivate me to become a fan. I next heard the "Let's Go To Bed" and "Lovecats" singles. When "The Head On The Door" came out is sounded pretty major at the time. I bought everything (except for the Impossible to find "Catch" single) from that point on until the "Wish" album came out. 5 Years of every Cure release.
I never bought the early stuff, or even heard much of it, apart from on "The Tea Party" or later "Standing On A Beach" video album. I saw The Cure on the Wish tour. It was a (long) rewarding show covering a LOT of material. But my desire to buy Cure music stopped pretty much at that point. I got the boxed "High" single and stopped after getting the album.
No real reason, other than that year I moved and put a LOT of money in my first real computer, so less money for music, more expenses, etc. A lot of "collections" went off the rails that year: Pet Shop Boys, Cure, Erasure, Depeche Mode. Bands I bought every single of, in all formats to get all tracks! Stopped cold!!
Not only was budget an issue, but the crappy remixes that proliferated like VD at the time also conspired to put the kibosh on my enjoyment of the music which was costing me a lot. An import CD single was $10. By that time 2 or 3 per release were common. If you "collected" an artist, you would be out $20-30 per single to "get it all." 3 singles per album? At least $60 there! Throw in another $15 for the album. How many artists did I collect? About 50. You do the math. When you're dropping that kind of coin for crap that you're not getting any love from (horrid DJ techno/Manchester groove mixes from hell), it's easy to go cold turkey.
Another factor with The Cure (and also XTC) was that they started making their albums REALLY LONG, because you could on CD. Much to the detriment of the program, in my opinion. Hey! My first rule of this business called show - always leave them wanting more! Make the album a TIGHT 45 minutes, tops, and dump the rest of the material as b-sides.
The only other Cure stuff I got was the nifty "Connect The Dots" boxed set, just because it was a nice product/package covering their entire career. The last disc is kind of missable, in my opinion. Frankly, the whole schmeer was worth it for the b-sides to "In Between Days," my favorite Cure songs ever! But it was lame of them not to include the "Cult Hero" 7" in that set! If you're going to do a boxed set of rarities, it strikes me that you should especially include a rare single that dealers will gouge fans for! Not that I've ever even heard the single! I just resent it not not being there on the principle of the thing.
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