The Cure “Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018” 2xLP (Half Speed Master)

180-gram double LP

Half-speed remastered, gatefold jacket

The Cure are treating their 1990 remix album Mixed Up to new vinyl editions. Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018, presents a pile of remixes not included on the original album.

“I wanted a package, but (I feared) we didn’t have enough ‘historic’ remixes,” said frontman Robert Smith. “(It) got me thinking maybe I should have a go at one… so in early August 2017, I decided to experiment with ‘Three Imaginary Boys’. It is a pretty sparse multi-track; I pulled it apart at home and finished the initial remix in one session and I really enjoyed the whole process.”

Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late ’70s, few were as enduring and popular as The Cure. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith (born April 21, 1959), the band became notorious for its slow, gloomy dirges and Smith’s ghoulish appearance, a public image that often hid the diversity of The Cure’s music.

At the outset, The Cure played jagged, edgy pop songs before slowly evolving into a more textured outfit. As one of the bands that laid the seeds for goth rock, the group created towering layers of guitars and synthesizers, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-’80s, The Cure had moved away from the genre. By the end of the ’80s, the band had crossed over into the mainstream not only in its native England, but also in the United States and in various parts of Europe. The Cure remained a popular concert draw and reliable record-seller throughout the ’90s, and their influence could be heard clearly on scores of new bands during the new millennium, including many that had little to do with Goth.

LP 1
1. Three Imaginary Boys Help Me Mix by Robert Smith
2. M Attack Mix by Robert Smith
3. The Drowning Man Bright Birds Mix by Robert Smith
4. A Strange Day Drowning Waves Mix by Robert Smith
5. Just One Kiss Remember Mix by Robert Smith
6. Shake Dog Shake New Blood Mix by Robert Smith
7. A Night Like This Hello Goodbye Mix by Robert Smith
8. Like Cockatoos Lonely In The Rain Mix by Robert Smith

LP 2
1. Plainsong Edge Of The World Mix by Robert Smith
2. Never Enough Time To Kill Mix by Robert Smith
3. From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea Love In Vain Mix by Robert Smith
4. Want Time Mix by Robert Smith
5. The Last Day of Summer 31st August Mix by Robert Smith
6. Cut Here If Only Mix by Robert Smith
7. Lost Found Mix by Robert Smith
8. Its Over Whisper Mix by Robert Smith