The Cure - Mixed Up (3CD) Remaster

There's only one song in the entire set I care about--the extended version of "Just One Kiss" from The Walk EP.

 

I am in for both the cure releases. Have MU already, love it for what it is.

 

Just listened to Join The Dots. I forgot how The Cure was a B-side band too. The mass was already said with 10:15 Saturday Night (B side of Killing An Arab), supposed to be a double A side. The liner notes are rich and Robert says how some b sides were complement of the A side : "Descent " for "Primary" or "Splintered in Her Haid" for "Charlotte Sometimes", or previous singles "Another Journey by train" ("A Forest" B Side) is meant to be a segue to "Jumping Someone Elses's Train". "Speak My Language" and "Mr. Pink Eyes" have both the Jazzy feels of "the Lovecats", "The Exploding Boy" is "In Between Days" cousin and I could go on again and again. Eveything going to the jewel crown : the b-sides of "Love Song" "Fear of Ghosts" and my favourite "2 late".

The first 2 cds are perfect until cd 2 and "Fear Of Ghosts", then things get worse and you can cherry pick only few tracks on cd 3 and 4 (I'm not a Wish fan and these B sides do nothing to me). What a waste of space and time : they could have already included extended versions of b-sides like "A Japanese Dream" or "Just One Kiss".

But now it will be mended with MU cd2.

 

If anyone here hasn't heard the 12'' version of "A Japanese Dream", you're in for a treat.

 

How good would it be if they put out a vinyl box set of 12" singles up until Wish at least. Thats an instant purchase for me.

 

I'm sure I'll get around to getting this at some point or another (I'm routinely 2 years late on some things), but what I *really* want is an expanded version of Wish -- which I would probably pre-order. And NOT because I think the album is spectacular top-to bottom, but for the bonus material (surely including the Lost Wishes EP...

The Cure - Lost Wishes



If you could include Lost Wishes -- which has never been issued digitally (far as I know), along with any of the numerous Wish-related b-sides, you could easily build an album (excluding the radio-friendly mega-hit singles) that would probably rival Disintegration.

I doubt we'll ever see expanded reissues of any of the post-Wish Cure albums (or certainly not on physical media, I wouldn't guess) -- but at least Wish deserves the deluxe treatment.

 

Robert says he plans to finish the reissues/remasters series. Yeah yeah, Robert says a lot of things but as of last week that was his intention.

 

I agree. I love radical remixes, so I'm not a purist by any means. But this new mix of "Want" almost sounds unintentionally wrong with the vocal timing. The military drums at the beginning are jarring and pretty cool, but yeah, I don't know what's going on with the vocal track.

 

It definitely fits the project title: "Torn Down". I had a thought this morning that perhaps this project is to be looked at in the same vein as Nine Inch Nails' "Fixed" EP - a bunch of radically deconstructed versions of songs from "Broken". We'll see.

 

Off:

Not an "absolute" statement.
Are you satisfied w/'96 CD mastering?

 

Last one I'm satisfied with is the original CD release of Wish. Everything after has been LOUD!!!!!!!!!! I caved and bought Join the Dots though...but I really shouldn't have. I'm still looking for original CD and vinyl singles/remixes to needledrop. I have zero idea why a band like The Cure would push their masters so loud. Especially unpleasant for a band like this.

 

Off:

Not "everything":
'99 "Pornography" Elektra
&
'06 "Japanese Whispers" Fiction
+
The 2016 "Standing on a Beach" Digital Download wasn't "LOUD"; hopefully a good sign for the future.

Agree; wish the 'Modern Mastering' of "The Cure" releases were better & in way to many cases, IMO, much better.

My personal "Cutoff Date" for the start of the 'Loudness Wars' mastering/remastering of ceedees is '94. Pre-'94 pretty confident compression wont be ruining the ceedee mastering [IMO]. '94 & later, rely on SHMF & the knowledgeable members as well as the Dynamic Range Database to save my ears, brain, and nervous system from 'squashed'/'crunchy' tunes.

Enjoy.

 

Yeah, pretty much.

 

Has anyone heard the RSD pic disc of Torn Down?

 

Anyone get the vinyl, any reviews of the new mixes?

later
-1

 

Where can you find this? Is it a new mastering?

 

Just listening to the Mixed Up pic disc. It sounds about as good as you could hope I guess. There is a kind of whooshing, churning noise bed, like a distant ocean, which becomes apparent in the quiet bits between tracks. I’m enjoying it though, had this on cassette back in the day and it’s been a while since I listened.

 

Oh wow, the Mixed Up record came with a download code for the Torn Down mixes. In WAV no less. Looking forward to listening to those on the train to work tomorrow.

 

Off [like really off!!]:

Don't think it was an official release:
Album details - Dynamic Range Database
my bad!
It appears to be a download of the vinyl:
The Cure - Standing On A Beach • The Singles
my apologies to all; for posting this miss take.

Googling downloads of said title gets a lot of hits; didn't take the time to match which 2016(?) download it would be.

 

ok, i previewed all the new mixes.

basically, they are not really that radical. the first few are pretty mellow and low key,
then the latter start picking up with more energy and differences.

all in all, they are ok, not great or as radical as the 'mixed up' ones.

the biggest problem is that are all too short to really give the song room to expand.

they are basically just minor reworks, with some variations on them.

i will post a more detailed track by track comparison later on.


later
-1

 

here is my review of the 'torn down' remix album.
i do a comparison with the original versions.
=====================================================================================
01: Three Imaginary Boys - from the three imaginary boys album - the original was a slow tempo
barebones song with minimal guitar, bass and a drumbeat. there is
a strong guitar solo about 2/3 way through.

Three Imaginary Boys – Help Me Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:21 )
for the remix, the refrain, 'can you help me' is moved to the front,
a slow beat is added, and lots of reverb on the vocals is done, along with
a quiet electro background. the vocals are much clearer. the guitar
is more prominent in this mix. again, the 'can you help me' part
is repeated and looped at the end.

decent mix.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02: M – from the seventeen seconds album, a midtempo track, with prominent guitars,
and somewhat muted vocals, the song has a cold ending which slows down to conclude.

M – Attack Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:07 )
the remix adds the reverb on the vocals, to a much more dedicated electro beat,
the guitar work remains similar in composition and sound. there is a long guitar
solo to close out the song.

again, a decent, but not radical version.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03: The Drowning Man – from the faith album, a rather slow melodic take. with some nice guitar work,
alongside some ethereal vocals, and backgrounds. robert smiths gets rather impassioned at the last
chorus.

The Drowning Man – Bright Birds Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:29 )
for the remix, the etheral voices and echoes start off, which lead into the echoey vocals,

not really that different from the original, just reordered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04: A Strange Day – from the pornography album, a more upbeat tempo song, lots of droning
guitar sounds, and filtered vocals throughout. the heavy drumbeat is prominent too.

A Strange Day – Drowning Waves Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:05 )
the remix starts off with a similar intro to the original, just noisier. the drums
are altered, and a little more subtle in this mix. the synths and sounds sound similar too.

again, not that different from the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05: Just One Kiss – from the japanese whispers album, a very cool uptempo song, lots
of rolling drum fills, and quivering vocals from robert smith. nice orchestral
synths play in the background, as the title is repeated at the end.

Just One Kiss – Remember Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:57 )
for the remix, the drums are introduced earlier, and more of a laidback beat to them,
along with addition of the orchestral synths too, the vocals and lyrics roughly match
the layout of the original. the jangly guitars sound a little more prominent.

a decent mix, mostly with some changes in the arrangement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
06: Shake Dog Shake – from the top album, a very heavy sounding song, with guitars
and a big beat to it. a lot of repetition of the title throughout.

Shake Dog Shake – New Blood Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:11 )
the remix starts off with the same heavy drumbeat, but a slower tempo, and more
ominous sounding synths to it. again, a lot of reverb and echo on the vocals
are applied. this sounds more like a dub, with a lot of tape looping sounds,
and effects in it.

a good remix, with lots of variation from the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07: A Night Like This – from the head on the door album, an excellent moody
upbeat song, great lyrics, great guitar work, and a nice jazzy saxophone solo near the end,
all create a standout song from this album.

A Night Like This – Hello Goodbye Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:24 )
the remix starts off with the saxophones, and a shuffle beat. then it goes into
the vocals isolated with some minimal synths.

in this case the remix is a downgrade, the original is much more powerful,
and has been reduced to a much more mellow take.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
08: Like Cockatoos – from the kiss me kiss me kiss me album, a rather
slow tempo song, full of dramatic drums, and jangly guitars start out.
the lyrics come in late in the song, and just add some flourishes to the song.
ends on some keyboard chords.

Like Cockatoos – Lonely In The Rain Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:49 )
for the remix, an electro remix of the song is very heavy throughout.

a very radical revamp of the song, slight improvement over the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09: Plainsong – from the disintegration album, one of the more dramatic sounding songs,
with a grandiose synth intro, leading into dreamy lyrics halfway through it. beautiful guitar
work and drums mesh well.

Plainsong – Edge Of The World Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:33 )
the remix starts off with some chimes, and a more midtempo beat, the guitars and
effects are similar, but the song is much more subdued.

again, another song that does not match the intensity of the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10: Never Enough – from the mixed up compilation, a very catchy, hook filled song,
with lots of classic cure sounds in it. even in the short version. great guitars,
drums, and frantic beat to it.

Never Enough – Time To Kill Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:34 )
the remix is probably one of the standout ones here, despite its short length,
a much more fuzzy sound to the guitars, along with the same beat, and
catchy lyrics with roberts vocals on it.

a good remix of the song, but still too short.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11: From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea – from the wish album, one of the longest
tracks from the album, a very long intro goes into some great guitar solos, leading
up to some complex interplay between the drums and other instruments. one of their
classic songs.

From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea – Love In Vain Mix by Robert Smith ( 6:21 )
the remix is actually one of the longest ones, and removes the instrumental intro.
the vocals are moved forward, and the symphonic sound is kept. the song builds up,
and different drums and other sounds have been replaced.

the original is a classic, but the new remix is decent also.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12: Want – from the wild mood swings album, a much heavier, guitar oriented track,
there are some passionate vocals near the middle until the end of the song.

Want – Time Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:44 )
the remix puts an emphasis on the lyrics, moving them to the front of the song, but
reducing the drums, and adding more of a breakbeat to them. the guitar emphasis is
also gone. there are more syths added throughout.

quite a radical remix of the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13: The Last Day of Summer – from the bloodflowers album, a midtempo song, nice
melodic guitar work, piano fills, and soft hushed vocals in it. one of the more
commercial sounding songs.

The Last Day of Summer – 31st August Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:44 )
the remix starts off quietly, and builds up, with the piano chords, then adding
the guitars, and other instruments. the vocals are similar.

another song that is very similar to the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14: Cut Here – from the greatest hits compilation, a rather simple vocal, over
some basic drums and guitars, in theme with the other acoustic tracks. it picks
up near the end.

Cut Here – If Only Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:25 )
here is a much more processed version of the song. the vocals are the same.
but the background has been replaced by more electronic beats, and looped guitars.
almost a lite dubstep or drum and bass approach to it.

a very radical remix of the original.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15: Lost – from the cure album, what starts off as a quiet, slow tempo slong, slowly
building up in intensty, to almost yelling in the vocals. very intense.

Lost – Found Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:59 )
the remix starts off quietly also, but quickly adds some drum and bass beats behind it.
the vocal intensity remains though.

a good but different take on the song, not necessarily better.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16: It’s Over – from the 413 dream album, the original has a nice heavy distorted guitar
sound, with rock beats, and minimal vocals in it. again, another song with a frentic
ending to it.

It’s Over – Whisper Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:54 )
the remix slows down the tempo, especally with the drums, but retains the guitar distortion.
the vocals lose some of their intensity in it.

a radical remake, but loses the intensity of the original.
==================================================================

overall, it's an exercise from the cure. there are interesting additions, and
attempts on revamping the songs.

however in the end, most of the songs are not so much remixed, as redone. the main
problem is that they are too short, and don't allow for the song to develop like
the songs on the 'mixed up' compilation did. to me, that one is still much more
interesting, and developed than this.

there are a few good versions in there, but most of them are too similar to the
originals to really make them stand out. when listening to these, the first half
of the mixes are rather slow, and midtempo, but pickup greatly in the second
half of them. while mixed up, had a ton of hits, and hooks, along with iconic
sounds, these seemed to be chosen to highlight the softer side, and the writing
and compositions of various songs, none (except for 'never enough'), which would
be considered commercial.

a good bookend to the remixes, but mostly just a curiosity for fans to check out.

NOT recommended unless you're a big fan, or completist.

later
-1

 

Great post Negative thank you.

Really dig the Mixed Up Picture Disk. Despite the awful whooshing noise it sounds pretty good. Very fun album. Picked up Torn Down as well...looking forward to it.

 

ah, for f***'s sakes....I just bought this & had no idea picture disks sounded so bloody terrible!!

have always been a fan of the original Mixed Up CD I had back in the day, so I grabbed both of these when I saw them, on RSD

everything sounds like it has a low pass filter on it, not to mention the WHOOSH

what a waste of money

 

Frame them for wall display? Didn't yours come with download code?

 

hmm no download code, that I can see? that would at least be a positive thing

was the download code a separate piece of paper? or is it printed on the sleeve?

yes I guess I can make some sort of wall art out of it. was buying primarily to listen to though!!

thx