So I'm going through a bit of a Cure obsession right now. Sue me.*



Before you go sending Jill Jones out to deliver subpoenas, though, answer me this: which is your favorite Cure anthology...Japanese Whispers, Staring At The Sea, Galore, or Greatest Hits?

(I considered throwing in Mixed Up and Join The Dots, cuz technically speaking they're Cure comps, but I figured it would be more fun for me to be a hardass and just stick to the singles collections.)













* Better yet, sue Moonbeam and GangstaFam, because it's their damn fault.

Anxiety said:

Hooray for Cure kicks!

I've gotta go with Staring at the Sea. Especially the tape version. That was such a little treasure back in the day. Plus, all of their singles and most of those b-sides on there are completely killer. I love the cover picture, I have the songbook, the video is priceless. It's all good.

Galore is good for what it is, the 2nd singles collection. And while I might love as many songs on it, it doesn't have the startling evolution or flow that their first set of singles does. I think it's cool how on the first set that have the old man on the cover and on their 2nd, it's a baby.

Japanese Whispers I think of as its own little album at this point. All you needed back then was 8 tracks and you had a full length project. All the songs go really well together and they're kind of in their own little Cure world. Not really like what came before or after, although the playfulness would show up many times in later work. Not one of my favorite Cure albums, but quite a fun romp.

Greatest Hits seems pretty pointless other than the new tracks and bonus acoustic disc, especially when Starting and Galore cover most of the territory here and especially since Galore was released just a few years prior. Not sure how this came about.

And just for the sake of gushing, Join the Dots might be the single most perfect, indulgent, gorgeous, well thought out, fan-pleasing smorgasbord ever assembled! He's really workin' us lately and I love him for it.

GangstaFam said:

Great assessment and I agree on all points. Especially about "Greatest Hits"...it didn't even have anything from the ablum that came after "Galore", "Bloodflowers" (but of course, there were no hits on there). And I wish I had "Join the Dots" (and even "Japanese Whispers" now that you mention it).

also, to play compare and contrast some more, they're both on the beach, and the first one's a washed-out black and white cover, and the second one is a saturated color cover. nice indeed.

i agree with you on 'staring at the sea', though my choice is about as subjective as it can get - it was the album that introduced me to all things cure, and for the longest time, it was the only pre-KMKMKM album i'd listen to (though i'd eventually sneak in 'head on the door', and after that it was all over for me). i loved that the tape had all the b-sides, and the CD had some extra songs, and that those and the videotape were packaged with such wonderful consistency, both in terms of design and content.

i found 'greatest hits' to be pretty useless, too. i only just bought it a week or two ago, and it was just because it had the acoustic disc and it was a cheap used copy. i really do like the acoustic disc, though. i think it has a lot of personality and fun.

OH: and i don't have japanese whispers, either. is there a reason to hunt it down? is there enough unique stuff on it to merit an inclusion in the cure reissues? i don't know a lot about that album, and i just figured 'staring at the sea' would render it moot.

Does Staring At The Sea cover their early years, hits & all? Is their a comp that covers everything up to Wild Mood Swings ? I want to get some of their stuff, but after Kiss Me X 3 and Disintegration, what would be a good start?

Anxiety said:

It was an album put together from the singles they put out between Pornography and The Top. You have the majority of it on "Join the Dots". They were the b-sides to the singles, and one Dots you've got:

Speak My Language
Lament
The Upstairs Room
The Dream
Just One Kiss

also included on Dots, but not JW are the Lament flexi version and "Mr. Pink Eyes", the 2nd b-side to "The Lovecats".

Other than that, you've got the 3 singles, "Let's Go To Bed", "The Walk" and "The Lovecats" all remastered on the Greatest Hits CD, I guess another good reason for having it.

UncleGrandpa said:

It's most of their singles from 1979 through 1985, and a great place to start. If you don't want to spring for the remastered double discs that are coming out, I would highly recommend Head on the Door, Bloodflowers and the self-titled new one.

Anxiety said:

They need to put that out on DVD.


I like it too. I wish they'd put out an official video of their Unplugged session.

Aw shit, Anx. Now you've gone and done it. Since I'm in disc burning mode, I'm gonna have to go and perfect my Cure set now.

I'll post my compilation results here when I'm done.

UncleGrandpa said:

"Galore" has the singles from "Kiss Me..." to "Wild Mood Swings" while "Greatest Hits" has all the "hits" (the hits are for the most part obivious choices and their might be different tracklisting for different countries) and has I think one single from "Wild"....("Mint Car" or "The 13th"). I don't think any "Bloodflowers" songs appear on any verisons of "Greatest Hits".

VinnyM27 said:

Nope. None of the songs from that album were hits. Although 3 of the songs were released as singles, promo mostly I think.

GangstaFam said:

but you know they won't because the greatest hits DVD is the "official" video anthology.

which sucks, because the segues in between the videos really made that first cure video compilation special.

If it was there
I would pick MIXED UP
but its not
so I go GALORE

Anxiety said:

I never got that. Are there any goodies on there that make it worth having? Does it only have the videos that were on the CD? How complete is it?

TRON said:

for the most part, it was just the stuff that was on the CD. i don't remember anything being left out. but in between the videos was 1 or 2 minute clips of live footage, or bits of them goofing around on video sets, or home movies of the band doing whatever. the background music for these segues came from the b-side songs that were on the cassette version. it was all edited very nicely. there's even a really cute 'easy cure' performance in a park (i think it's easy cure, anyway - robert looks like he's about 10 years old ).

I love "The Images." I wish the 8 mm film they shot had sound, but I guess most
cameras in the late '70's didn't.

My favorite thing is Join The Dots, but the cassette of Staring At the Sea
used to be the best. But I like albums, much more than compilations.

Anxiety said:

Oh, sorry for the confusion. I have the Standing on a Beach video.

I was wondering if you had the Greatest Hits DVD and if it was worth getting.

"just Father up above.
sweet mother down below."

...sorry, just felt like letting that out.

japanese whispers.

violett said:

Hey girl! Sup?

TRON said:

hi! not much....just sittin around...waitin to go to work at 10.30

making a quick run thru the org...

how are you?

violett said:

Still stuck with the late shift, eh? Poopy.

I'm doing well. I'm finally on the verge of not being broke anymore, so that's got me quite excited.

You get the Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography reissues?

TRON said:

not yet....but its on the list. of things i gotta buy before IM broke from quitting this job.

im pretty much out of every loop there is to be out of right now...just have a lot going on...and trying to manage. but im fine

i misss you!

TRON said:

oh. nah. don't have it. almost bought it on several occasions, but the oogly cover art dissuaded me every time.

violett said:

I always miss you.

I'm thinking of making a trip out this summer once things settle down a bit. I'd love to make it for the annual river tubing excursion.

Anxiety said:

TRON said:

LOL yeah id love to make it to that too....i havent made it to that in about 2 years though...due to this job....so well see what happens. would be awesome if you came for it though!

violett said:

It sounds like the perfect combination of relaxing and fun that I could really use this summer. I hope we both can make it!