In a surprise move, The Cure today launched a special standalone website dedicated to the upcoming Disintegration: Deluxe Edition that features videos, liner notes and photos — plus streaming audio of 20 additional demos and live tracks that won’t be on the 3CD set when it arrives June 8.

Dubbed Alternative Rarities 1988-1989, the collection of unreleased tracks — which are in addition to the 20 outtakes already appearing on the upcoming reissue (see that tracklist here) — can be streamed at TheCureDisintegration.com or, for the moment anyway, downloaded from a link provided to our friends at Chain of Flowers.

The set features 13 of Robert Smith’s home and full-band demos, three studio mixes and four live cuts, including a recording of “Faith” from a 1989 concert in Rome (see full tracklist below). The rest of the tracks are either songs that ended up on Disintegration, became B-sides or are leftover session material, including a different version of outtake “Delirious Night” than appears on the Deluxe Edition and two previously unheard full-band jams: “Tuned Out on RTV5″ and “Fuknnotfunk,” an odd foray into funk.

In the sleevenotes posted on the new site, Smith writes:

“Every member submitted home recordings for consideration, in a varied range of styles, and with varying degrees of success… from Roger’s prog-jazz sketches, a couple of which evolved into the B-sides ‘Fear of Ghosts’ and ‘Out of Mind,’ through Boris and Porl’s howling-Beefheart jams, one of which turned into ‘Delirious Night,’ to Simon’s hissy but gleaming happy/sad creations, which became most notably ‘Lovesong,’ ‘Untitled’ and the B-sides ‘Babble’ and ‘2 Late.’ Even Lol pitched in with a flute sample that inspired the band to construct ‘Homesick’!”

On Twitter tonight, Disintegration-era keyboardist Roger O’Donnell chimed in on the newly posted, decades-old outtakes, writing: “I don’t remember half this shit!” He later added: “Some of those tracks definitely sound like we were on serious drugs. White boy funk by The Cure? What the hell were we doing?”

The new site also is currently streaming the 3×3x3 sampler, which features nine tracks from the 3CD set, and is available free to fans who pre-order the reissue from Rhino.com. Beginning May 24, the site also will stream a full live performance of Disintegration recorded on Sept. 15, 1989 at the Dallas Starplex — a different recording than appears on the Entreat Plus portion of the upcoming reissue.

See full tracklist for The Cure’s ‘Alternative Rarities 1988-1989′ after the jump…
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Tracklist: The Cure, Alternative Rarities 1988-1989

1. “Closedown” (RS Home Instrumental Demo 5/88)
2. “Last Dance” (RS Home Instrumental Demo 5/88)
3. “Lullaby” (RS Home Instrumental Demo 5/88)
4. “Tuned Out on RTV5″ (Instrumental Rehearsal 6/88)
5. “Funknnotfunk” (Instrumental Rehearsal 6/88)
6. “Babble” (Instrumental Rehearsal 6/88)
7. “Plainsong” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
8. “Pictures of You” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
9. “Fear of Ghosts” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
10. “Fascination Street” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
11. “Homesick” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
12. “Delirious Night” (Instrumental Demo 9/88)
13. “Out of Mind” (Studio Instrumental Jam 10/88)
14. “2 Late” (Studio ‘WIP’ Mix 11/88)
15. “Lovesong” (Studio ‘WIP’ Mix 11/88)
16. “Prayers for Rain” (Studio ‘WIP’ Mix 11/88)
17. “The Same Deep Water as You” (Live Dallas Starplex 9/15/89)
18. “Disintegration” (Live Dallas Starplex 9/15/89)
19. “Untitled” (Live Dallas Starplex 9/15/89)
20. “Faith” (Live Rome Palaeur 6/4/89 – Crowd Bootleg)

all i can say is wow... those WIP studio mixes of Lovesong and 2 Late are freakin' incredible. I need to figure out how to capture the streams so I can get these onto my ipod.

Edit - there's a d/load link on Chain of Flowers.

been listening to these tonight.. great stuff indeed.

my only complaint: is it possible for robert to learn the lyrics of Disintegration? I don't think i've ever heard a live version of that song w/ all the lyrics correct.

although the live performances here are absolutely stellar. The Cure has always been a phenomenal live band.

NoVideo said:

The Duran Duran re-issues are on this order too, 2 discs a dvd etc..mixes live stuff, but i agree this is how re-issues need to be done, NOT like that "thriller" anniversary wtf was that, a couple of demos and re-vamped versions with old vocals and new artists, criminal!

WIP studio mixes of Lovesong and 2 Late

I could do with a whole disc of the WIP mixes...