Here's a section for comments on my personal compilations of rare recordings, b-sides and whatnot that I've made over the years and reviews of the few bootlegs I've come across that I saw fit for purchasing. These recordings are generally for longtime followers of the band and are discussed here only for those looking for info. No ratings will be given because most of this stuff wasn't intended to be judged in the same respect as their proper albums. Split into two sections: Compilations and bootlegs. Compilations are all CD-r's that I've recorded myself from different sources (basically everything except MP3's, which I do have, but no way to transfer them to anything in acceptable quality) and bootlegs will be specified. On with it already!
Basically the b-side of the Standing On A Beach cassette with a few extras. Tracks 1 & 2 are taken from the b-side of the 12" single for the 1986 re-release of "Boys Don't Cry" and the thirty minute instrumental track "Carnage Visors" was taken from the b-side of the Faith cassette. I mastered the recordings from tapes as best I could on my miniscule mixer and it actually came out decent, with minimal hiss. Some real classics by the band on here and some of my personal favorite songs are included with "Throw Your Foot," "The Exploding Boy," and "Another Journey By Train."
All tracks taken straight from the mighty analog vinyl. Some really great stuff here, even though I'm missing most of the Kiss Me-era b-sides. The Mixed Up and Wish outtakes are all inherently excellent; highlights including the tongue-in-cheek pseudo-Happy Mondays keyboard symphony "Harold & Joe" (complete with whistle solo, courtesy of RS), the chaotic revision of "Primary," and the Wish should-have-been-on-the-album tracks "The Big Hand" and "This Twilight Garden."
All tracks taken from CD. Mostly Wild Mood Swings-era stuff here and most of it excellent (more on that in a minute). The Bloodflowers stuff is all pretty great, even the so-called "acoustic" version of "Maybe Someday" that clearly isn't acoustic (moreso an alternate recording than anything else). Most of the Wild Mood Swings stuff is kind of on the heavily reflective side of things so this is good for late night solo walks/drives/whatevers. One of the band's best ever songs is also included with "Signal To Noise."
All tracks taken from various different vinyl sources with varying quality. Some interesting oddities here. The original Cult Heroes single appears here in its entirety to kick things off. The following Peel Sessions are all pretty much excellent. Tracks 3-6 were taken from the official Strange Fruit release while tracks 7-9 were taken from a bootleg 7" where the group is billed as "The Bob Smith Combo" on the label and "Primary" is listed as "Primary (Yellow Version)" and "Yellow Primary" in two different spots and "All Cats Are Grey" is listed as "Off White Cats" on the label. Along with that, "The Holy Hour" and "Primary both receive fantastic renditions with completely different lyrics ("The Holy Hour" starting off with RS practically screaming "Oh Fuschia!" Awesome!). The rest is even more of a mixed bag with some definite long time Cure mysteries included, highlighted by the enigmatic and cryptic studio recording of "Forever." I only used up about 50 minutes of this CD-r on this one so it could probably do with a revamp.
All tracks taken from sweet sweet vinyl. Most of the early mixes are pretty cut and paste sounding (save for "The Lovecats" which is the version I prefer). Disintegration is definitely where they mastered the art of the extended remix. "Fascination Street" gets the drawn out epic treatment it so rightly deserved and it's easily my favorite long mix the band ever did. The rest is all pretty good, albeit a tab predictable.
All tracks recorded from VHS audio. Quality is generally fairly good. 1-5 are selections from the Play Out video. "The Big Hand" gets a great run through, even though I think RS forgot the lyrics and improvised the majority of them. The Wish track "Cut" receives an early performance (and a different title -- "Away") that is noticeably slower than the studio and subsequent live recoridngs. The version of "A Forest" live at Wembley Stadium is one of the top three ever versions I've heard of the song. The Show encore set was taken from the VHS and it is puzzling why it wasn't released on the accompanying album because it's absolutely fantastic (in fact, for more interesting than the regular setlist!). "To Wish Impossible Things" receives an incredible, jaw-dropping rendition and is definitely the highlight of this compilation. I should probably note that "A Forest" from the Show encore receives some improvised lyrics from RS and a borrowed riff from Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" towards the end -- awesome. You probably already knew that though.
All tracks taken from CD. Basically my own personalized version of the Wild Mood Swings album. Using the b-sides, cutting out the tracks I didn't care for and resequencing the original nightmarish sequencing, it works infinitely better than the proper LP and makes a good --dare I say GREAT-- album out of the affair. You could probably make one of these for yourself if you have the resources.
In a picture sleeve on Stigma Galore Records. The group is billed as "The Cure" on the sleeve but "The Bob Smith Combo" on the label. "Holy Hour" and "Primary" both receive alternate lyrics and all three tracks are pretty much superb run throughs, even though it sounds as if someone tape recorded the actual radio broadcast and the songs seem a bit too fast (this is where pitch control comes in handy). It's a 7" record, but plays at 33rpm. Great and well worth picking up if you can find it. Found mine on a fluke.
Absolutely wonderful setlist and cover art. Piss poor recording. Avoid.
This boot is a mixed bag but it contains no less than five Cure Holy Grails in excellent quality. "Happy Birthday," here dedicated to Simon, is considered one of the very first live performances of what would become known as "Forever" and it's interesting because it musically bears a striking resemblance to the Seventeen Seconds track "Three." Next up is "All I Have To Do Is Kill Her" which, in later years, was actually decided to be the track "All Mine" (but to my ears, the bassline and increasing tempo at the end sounds more like live recordings of "Forever" that would appear in following years). In any case, whatever it is, it's an absolute monster of a track. One of the single most emotional RS moments. And it's the full almost ten minute version, in what has to be a soundboard recording; the highlight of this boot, hands down. The rest of the album is rounded out by the excellent alternate take of "Siamese Twins" recorded after Simon quit and the official studio recording of "Forever," indecipherable lyrics and all. Overall, a mixed bag, but some excellent selections in superb quality. Great cover art as well, with a photo of RS circa The Top.
Pretty damn good show. It's an audience recording but it's the highest quality audience recording I've ever heard. All of the instruments are easily audible. This was recorded on what must have been quite a hot Los Angeles summer evening because the boys seemingly played everything a bit slower than usual. The crowd is not so excited by most of the then new material (I think I can actually hear a guy yell 'You boys are boooooorrring!' at one point). They only really react to the faster and/or louder songs. Idiots. The performance from RS is pretty heavy emotionally. "Splintered In Her Head" is performed after "Griding Halt" but isn't listed on the cover. Apparently, they performed "A Forest" and "Faith" after that, but I guess it just wouldn't all fit onto this one disc, so I'm left without those tracks. The cover art is misleading because the front cover has a Head on the Door-era photo while the back has a photo of the current lineup of the band. Overall, though, this is probably my favorite boot that I've been able to track down.
Prime mid-80's stuff here. I think most of this stuff was originally recorded for radio braodcast (though I know the Decmber 6, 1987 one is incomplete because I have downloaded a complete 12 song version of the broadcast). The levels and quality are all pretty consistent, even if the performances are somewhat dry at times. Hearing "The Baby Screams" is nice, as are both run throughs of "Charlotte Sometimes" and a rare performance of a b-side with "A Japanese Dream." Great for fans of Head on the Door and Kiss Me-era material. The highlight of the entire thing is RS announcing "Let's Go To Bed": "This is another slinky pop song..." Classic!
What a beast this one is! A wonderful, wonderful beast! Although the main setlist is identical to Show (which was recorded only a few days after this show), the encore is the real attraction here. You get "Charlotte Sometimes" along with really rocking versions of "Three Imaginary Boys," "Cut" and "A Strange Day." RS even pays tribute to John Denver at the beginning of "Close To Me." It's an audience recording, but a nice one. The drums are a bit echoey and Simon could be a little more audible at times, but for the most part, it's a great performance. Kind of like an alternate recording of Show. Best between song moment: RS forgetting the chords to "Three Imaginary Boys."
A really great live document of the misunderstood Wild Mood Swings material. Taken from various live and TV appearances mostly in the spring of 1996 following the release of the record. Tracks 1-10 are from an invite-only gig in London and the between song banter is great. There's actually a point where you hear someone yell something unintelligible at RS and he chuckles, sighs, and says "Oh dear... *ahem* I'll just bite my lip and count to three." The real highlight and what you should buy this for are the three tracks recorded a few days prior on the 30th of April at the Jools Holland program. "Club America" receives a true rock and roll rendition, while "This Is A Lie" sounds incredible with a live string accompaniment and "Gone!" gets its best rendition ever with a four piece brass section and female backup vocalists. Worth seeking out, especially if you're a fan of the Wild Mood Swings material. But even if you're not, it'll give you a different point of view on the stuff.
Title: Stained Glass Smile
Format: CD
Date: various
Quality: A
Tracklist:
1. The Baby Screams (London, November 19, 1985)
2. Primary (same as above)
3. In Between Days (same as above)
4. Close To Me (same as above)
5. Let's Go To Bed (same as above)
6. The Walk (same as above)
7. Charlotte Sometimes (same as above)
8. Boys Don't Cry (same as above)
9. A Strange Day (London, April 25, 1986)
10. A Night Like This (same as above)
11. A Forest (same as above)
12. Charlotte Sometimes (same as above)
13. Torture (Birmingham December 6, 1987)
14. A Japanese Dream (same as above)
15. Catch (same as above)
16. In Between Days (same as above)
17. The Perfect Girl (same as above)
18. The Snakepit (same as above)
19. Why Can't I Be You? (same as above)
Title: U.S.A. 1992
Format: Double CD
Date: July 11, 1992
Quality: B+
Tracklist:
1. Open
2. High
3. Pictures of You
4. Lullaby
5. Just Like Heaven
6. Fascination Street
7. A Night Like This
8. Trust
9. Doing The Unstuck
10. The Walk
11. Let's Go To Bed
12. Friday I'm In Love
13. In Between Days
14. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
15. Never Enough
16. Cut
17. End
18. Lovesong
19. Charlotte Sometimes
20. Primary
21. Boys Don't Cry
22. Close To Me
23. Why Can't I Be You?
24. Three Imaginary Boys
25. A Strange Day
26. A Forest
Title: Slashed With Lipstick
Format: CD
Date: various
Quality: varies from B+ to A
Tracklist:
1. Want (London May 7, 1996)
2. Club America (same as above)
3. This Is A Lie (same as above)
4. Mint Car (same as above)
5. Jupiter Crash (same as above)
6. Round & Round & Round (same as above)
7. Return (same as above)
8. Trap (same as above)
9. Treasure (same as above)
10. Bare (same as above)
11. Club America (London April 30, 1996)
12. This Is A Lie (same as above)
13. Gone! (same as above)
14. Friday I'm In Love (London April 26, 1996)
15. The 13th (same as above)
16. Just Like Heaven (London December 15, 1995)
17. Mint Car (same as above)
18. Friday I'm In Love (same as above)
