Monday, February 6, 2017

Cure - Head On the Door - 1985

So with Disintegration being my favorite Cure album, followed by Kiss Me x 3, then Three Imaginary Boys...  I guess HOtD is my 4th favorite Cure album.  It would probably slip a place or two if I added in Mixed Up and Japanese Whispers, but those technically aren't albums.  As it is, when looking at the amount of work RS has released, being in 4th really isn't so bad.  Better than being 4:13 Dream, which came in dead-fucking last on my list.

Best songs on the album are In Between Days and Push, two absolute pop hook songs, and  A Night Like This.  The opening guitar cords on Push awaken younger feelings and times, that almost seem like long lost friends coming back to visit.  There's always a sense of forlorn and loss when I listen to this album, and I don't know why.  Maybe because I loved being a teen, and now that's all gone......

Worst song on the album is Close To Me.  Don't know why I feel this way, but I can't stand it.  Don't like it now, didn't like it then, won't like it tomorrow, either.

I redid this "Deluxe" version, as the official version had too many live tracks and home demos on the bonus disc, and not a single remix or b-side.  Is he serious?!  Really?  Come on, Robert.  Half that crap no one really cares about, and you didn't even add anything extra on the album disc, either.  So, I added the b-sides and mixes, and a few of the STUDIO demos, to make it more worthwhile.  What I have here is definitely more in line with what I wanted/expected from a deluxe version.

The two demos I included - Lime Time and Mansolidgone - are definitely period, and would have sounded good on the album.  Obviously, Lime Time (fabulous name) shared lyrics with Inbetween Days and seemed a tad too cheerful for the actual album.  Mansolidgone (stupid name) was also a little too cheerful for the album, but also could have changed the face of the album all together.  It sounds like a precursor to a Kiss Me track, reminding me a little of Hot x 3 and WCIBY?  Both are great demos, just wish the lyrics and melodies had been filled out a little bit more.  But, that's why they're demos, I guess.

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10 comments:

  1. Puffin RandyFebruary 6, 2017 at 5:53 PM

    Cool, Thanks I've always liked this one... and I agree about the "deluxe" edition, especially about the live tracks. I don't know why, but live tracks have never really done it for me. Thanks again.

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  2. -= Martin L. Gore =-February 7, 2017 at 8:53 AM

    oh man, I couldn't agree with you more. After inundating us with a 4xCD full of demos, it was completely unnecessary to fill these deluxe CDs with more demo material. I usually love demo recordings as they reveal the true nature of a band before they were commercialized. However, in this case it was too much. A good 2xCD Deluxe re-release should be filled with all the b-sides and remixes from that album along with compilation contributions and other rarities from that time period ... kinda the way you are doing it.

    Thank nyou again.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2017 at 3:38 PM

      What, pray tell, is this "4xCD full of demos" you speak of? Because if you're referring to Join The Dots, apparently you've never actually heard that, or looked at the tracklisting, as there is not a single demo to be found on it. What IS on it, of course, are all the B sides you chaps are bemoaning the lack of on the deluxe editions.

      So, to be fair, while I agree for the most part on the live and demo stuff being of less interest, it would have been a far tackier and shittier stunt for him to pull had he just repeated all of them again, after the box set, which was most excellently executed and put together. (And which was, in effect, the beginning of the deluxe issues.)

      Delete
    2. UnknownFebruary 7, 2017 at 4:01 PM

      I am wondering what you were referring to, as well with the 4 cds thing, as it's something I don't have, then.

      As for Join the Dots, I am happy that we got it, but still would have preferred the deluxe versions as I stated above. Plus, most of the b-sides on JtD were ones I already had, so not having them on the same set as the original albums did nothing more for me than what I already had. He could have made more money off of it if he had broken all the b-sides to relative albums and released them that way. Like an 11-disc set, one for each album up to then.

      It sounds so anal and nerdy to make critiques like this. I guess I should be fucking happy that we got what we did (like the Glove cd with RS vocals...)

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    3. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2017 at 4:41 PM

      Well, again, I think JTD was very nicely done and thorough. And I'm certainly not going to bitch about somebody who is more concerned with how they present their work than they are with how much money they'll make off it.

      As for the Glove reissue and those vocals...lord, let's not re-open THAT can of worms here.

      Delete
    4. Grebo GuruFebruary 9, 2017 at 6:48 AM

      So odd, as I feel the exact opposite with JOIN THE DOTS. I already have the albums on vinyl/CD and they sound great. So having all of the collected b-sides as a separate purchase is perfect IMO - I really don't want to re-purchase the entire album again just to get some b-sides and ephemera.
      JOIN THE DOTS was like a super-deluxe version of the b-side of the STANDING ON A BEACH cassette.... glorious. I prefer many of those songs to their a-side proper.

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  3. jamie37February 7, 2017 at 9:55 AM

    I enjoy hearing where my favourite tracks began life. I get where you are coming from though. Its a money spinner.

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  4. crtFebruary 11, 2017 at 6:15 PM

    Glad to hear someone else think that disintegration is their favorite Cure album - it is mine by far!

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  5. angstytimelordFebruary 17, 2017 at 10:54 AM

    This is actually my favorite Cure album. It was the one that really got me into the band -- I'd heard songs here and there before, but nothing that grabbed me like "Inbetween Days" did. And I agree with you about "Push" being an amazing pop hook -- once I heard that one, I was a Cure fan for life. I also really like "Six Different Ways," just because it's so quirky and fun. And, like you, I'm not overly fond of "Close To Me." Compared to the rest of the album, I just find that song incredibly boring.

    But the rest of it -- pretty much dead solid perfect. I still love this album after all these years. It'll never get old.

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  6. jasonAugust 1, 2021 at 11:07 PM

    can you reup the download the link is dead, thanks

    ReplyDelete

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