Unboxing: Mixed Up Deluxe detailed review
Jul 1, 2018 14:57:55 GMT 1
martyuk, BlueHughes, and 3 more like this
Post by AForestFan on Jul 1, 2018 14:57:55 GMT 1
My Unboxing Review of the Mixed Up 3-Disc Deluxe Edition
by A Forest Fan
We haven't had this big a release from the band since the 3-disc Disintegration Deluxe release. Those of you waiting for the ultimate Wish edition will have to wait, I suppose...
First a little history: Mixed Up was my first Cure purchase, I bought the CD when it came out in stores. Anyone remember when they released CDs in these tall plastic-wrapped cardboard sleeves so you wouldn't steal them? I guess they thought CDs were too small and encouraged shoplifting. Anyway, my original Mixed Up (which I still have) had that wonderful silver-foil layer in the text which I am told was omitted from future pressings of Mixed Up:
Disc 1: the original album remastered
Lullaby (extended): I avoided buying Disintegration for over a decade. I don't know why. I bought the CD singles, I bought all succeeding albums, but Disintegration was like my last purchase. So for some time, this version of Lullaby was the one I knew. Long, tedious, but still pleasing over the album version to me.
Close to Me (Closer Mix): Because of MTV, which before its slow decline actually ran music videos of talented artists, this is the version of this song I am familiar with. Silly and fun. Songs I considered to be my favorites off this album at its release have faded into the background like this one. It's always there, but I don't think about it these days.
Fascination Street (Extended Mix): The Mark Saunders Mix (on my original Mixed Up liner notes) is the definitive version of this song. I bought the CD single just to hear what the edit was like. I would listen to this late at night and appreciate how the various notes of the single version were stretched out and replayed, and of course that hypnotic drum rhythm last heard on The Figurehead. This sort of thing is what I found missing from The Cure over the past two decades. Sexy and mysterious.
The Walk (Everything Mix): At first I was disappointed that this track didn't sound like the eighties single. But I quickly got into the heavy synth reverb, this song beats you over the head. And you even get to hear little melodies playing in the background, brilliant!
Lovesong (Extended Mix): This was one of my favorites when I was just out of high school. Now I just kind of nod and pack it away. You can hear this too much. Oddly, everyone covered this song over the decades. What, no Like Cockatoos, Adele?
A Forest (Tree Mix): It was this track that induced me to buy Staring at the Sea, the Singles Collection. I wanted to hear what the original was like after this one. I don't know why this song isn't highly regarded, the Tree Mix has an absolutely amazing guitar solo by Robert that is superior to any solo from the entire catalogue. Torn up, indeed.
Pictures of You (Extended Mix): This song actually got radio airplay, something many don't remember. Or the original did, anyway. This one was so long, I tried to figure out what the original sounded like. Always an audience favorite at shows, I liked the CD single more for the Entreat tracks than the subject itself.
Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix): Never liked this song. For those of you alive at the time, sounded too much like one-hit wonder's Buster Poindexter's "Feelin' Hot Hot Hot" (1987). That song is actually far superior:
The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix): This song has always been a favorite. Not quite as dizzying as the eighties single, but a quiet and mysterious mood that I still like today. When listening to Mixed Up, I'd often leave the previous two off my playlist and finish with this one. Nice.
Inbetween Days (Shiver Mix): You shiver and wonder how this got released. The entire mix is ruined with a monotonous five-note computer network sound that is neither futuristic nor melodic. Horrible. Really needed reworked.
Never Enough (Big Mix): According to the helpful liner notes of the Deluxe edition, this track was considered a "return" to pure rocker music for The Cure. Must be why it's on every freakin' live performance. Literally the same song as Want or End. Never liked this in any form.
Overall assessment: Being from the generation that bought entire albums (some on vinyl and 8-track), I can point to entire albums where I only liked one song. For a new act such as The Cure, the fact that I liked so many tracks from Mixed Up was a real wake-up moment from me. I'd move on to other things and other loves (like electronic trance/house and obscure reggae), but this album still holds up well, 28 years after I saw it in the record bin and bought it on a lark. (The CD store that it was in? Bulldozed along with the rest of the mall and replaced with "open air" avenue stores as seems to be the trend these days.)
Let's Go to Bed (Extended 1982 Mix): I didn't get this song until I read that Robert released it as a joke on the eighties pop scene. In concert, everyone loves the part where he describes the Christmas lights being up and the keyboard chimes the melody. Nice bass on this one.
Just One Kiss (Extended 1982 Mix): I know this song from my "Join the Dots" collection. Is it really that old? 1982? Sounds like something off of the Kiss Me album. I consider this one of the standouts of the deluxe edition, worth getting the whole thing to hear this.
Close to Me (Extended 1985 Mix): Lots of trumpets, a real improvement over the Mixed Up version. Or it could just be that we've heard that one done to death...
Boys Don't Cry (New Voice 1986 Mix): I think this is the one in the music video with the kids performing and the real band behind a screen.
Why Can't I Be You? (Extended 1987 Mix): This sounds different than the vinyl single release, the only one ever released by the band. I like the little digressions in the theme, I can picture the band doing their little dance from the video release...
A Japanese Dream (12-inch 1987 Remix): I always think of this as the "Coming Down Like a Monkey" song. Are they in the same jungle as the Cockatoos? Not sure if making this one longer is better.
Pictures of You (Extended 1990 Mix): Different from the previous official releases. Closer in concept to the Fascination Street extension with a very long instrumental lead-up. Tear them up, already.
Let's Go to Bed (Milk Mix 1990): I like this a lot better than the opening track. Lots of great plodding bass in this one, with the themes bouncing back and forth with that little keyboard melody (is that Roger O'Donnell?). Nice to hear, one of the reasons I was looking forward to this set.
Just Like Heaven (Dizzy Mix 1990): Takes me back, the only Cure cassette I ever purchased! Dull and something best left on the remix shelf, but here it is. Like someone telling you a punchline and receiving only silence and crickets.
Primary (Red Mix 1990): Nice to finally pay for this one, ahem. Another deconstruction that never picks itself up. Says something about the mix when it finally picks up around the 5:25 mark.
The Lovecats (TC & Benny Mix 1990): One of the older ones in my head, because it was included in the website downloads extras from the band for those of us who bought the Greatest Hits CD. I bought mine with the 2nd acoustic CD, still a must-have.
Disc 3: Torn Down - Mixed Up Extras 2018
Look at this beautiful CD cover art, all pink and twisted and weird. You have to buy this, look at this!
These are from Robert's home studio, he's finally gotten some use out of it.
Three Imaginary Boys (Help Me Mix): I think we learn more about these new track from the parenthesis title than anything. Did this song need a remix? Well it's the only one we've got, so there it is.
M (Attack Mix): Love the opening, they've got me dancing to this one. I got to hear this live in 2016-06-27, Bayfront Amphitheater, Miami, USA. But I really love this remix, so melodic and fun. Easily the highlight of the third disc to me.
The Drowning Man (Bright Birds Mix): Not a fan of the original, although I prefer it over The Funeral Party whenever they come up in Robert's live play mix. An excellent inclusion and appreciated!
A Strange Day (Drowning Waves Mix): Did they mix up the album titles with the previous track? I don't like the "flushing" sound effect in the background, distracting and annoying. There are better fan remixes out there.
Just One Kiss (Remember Mix): The original mix was a bit overbearing, but as with all of Robert's B-sides it was completed. Setting a different tone for 2018, I guess. Would have liked something else from Join the Dots remixed like Splintered in Her Head or The Upstairs Room. It's pretty good, though.
Shake Dog Shake (New Blood Mix): This one comes out of nowhere. He keeps the drummy open. Pretty close to the live show, though.
A Night Like This (Hello Goodbye Mix): The first one I played after I ripped open the boxed set. Had to hear this first. I'd count this one as truly torn down. Great to hear that emphasis with the rain and sax, as Robert notes there was a heavy downpour outside the studio when they mixed the original. I would have loved to heard this track get the extended Fascination Street treatment, but this isn't it.
Very spare arrangement, yet recognizable. I'm smiling hearing this one again as I type this, a true highlight. The rhythm guitar is pushed way into the back so you can hear everything else going on. If Robert never released another Deluxe edition, this is how I'd want to remember the band going out. Thank you.
Like Cockatoos (Lonely in the Rain Mix): A bit of a surprise, nice that a fan favorite sticks in the creator's mind as well. A lot of interesting stuff going in the background including a child's xylophone melody. Not as good as the instrumental demo from the Kiss Me Deluxe edition, but a fine complement.
Plainsong (Edge of the World Mix): Some of these are going to take time to process. I'll have to listen to this one a lot to get a better feel for it. Robert gave it more of a Pictures of You vibe.
Never Enough (Time to Kill Mix): Just a very personal reaction, but nothing is going to make me like this song. Good arrangement, less hectic.
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea (Love in Vain Mix): Another that I'll need more time to wrap around my skull. Strings instead of the hammering guitar. I don't really like the overall feel of Wish, too much yelling and screaming guitar noise. As if anticipating that, Robert made this song for people like me, perhaps. What if the Love was in vain, is the question asked here. I like it!
Want (Time Mix): For a track I don't like, this is a nice arrangement. I recognize that this song, like The Hungry Ghost, represents Robert's mood during the mid-nineties. So it did need an update. I like it despite the repetitive theme of "woe is me, the conflicted artist".
The Last Day of Summer (31st August Mix): This is why Robert Smith is a treasure, he should be knighted by the Queen if he hasn't, already. I like the thought behind this piece. No one asked for any Bloodflowers remixes, this is just for Robert to smile over and be at peace with himself. So it succeeds without fan expectations. Brew up some hot water and enjoy this one over tea.
I didn't like the Bloodflowers album much, but the tracks came alive in concert (even in 2018, yay!). I really wouldn't mind if Robert had a few more Bloodflowers tracks on this CD instead of what follows...
Cut Here (If Only Mix): Something from the 2001 Greatest Hits CD. Robert tells a story set to music, kind of why I didn't like the Bloodflowers album of the time, either. It is what it is.
Lost (Found Mix): Robert yelling and screaming. Look, I'm glad you didn't adopt the 90s Kurt Cobain sound. I'm glad you didn't adopt the oughts sound, either. But I have no idea what the 2004 The Cure album was supposed to be about. All I know is that I never play and this song is a sterling example. Bring back some of your retired bandmates if you have trouble finding something new to say. Just rubbish.
It's Over (Whisper Mix): Included on the 2018 Cureation set. More yelling. Like the original Mixed Up, skip the final three tracks. At last, we have symmetry! Perhaps that was intentional.
As a final promotional bit for the album, The Cure put up this simple webpage puzzle of the Mixed Up cover for you to play with. Enjoy and buy the new album!!!
Old CD cover:
new one with obnoxious, obtrusive 'mixed up' label, duh:
by A Forest Fan
We haven't had this big a release from the band since the 3-disc Disintegration Deluxe release. Those of you waiting for the ultimate Wish edition will have to wait, I suppose...
Lullaby (extended): I avoided buying Disintegration for over a decade. I don't know why. I bought the CD singles, I bought all succeeding albums, but Disintegration was like my last purchase. So for some time, this version of Lullaby was the one I knew. Long, tedious, but still pleasing over the album version to me.
Close to Me (Closer Mix): Because of MTV, which before its slow decline actually ran music videos of talented artists, this is the version of this song I am familiar with. Silly and fun. Songs I considered to be my favorites off this album at its release have faded into the background like this one. It's always there, but I don't think about it these days.
Fascination Street (Extended Mix): The Mark Saunders Mix (on my original Mixed Up liner notes) is the definitive version of this song. I bought the CD single just to hear what the edit was like. I would listen to this late at night and appreciate how the various notes of the single version were stretched out and replayed, and of course that hypnotic drum rhythm last heard on The Figurehead. This sort of thing is what I found missing from The Cure over the past two decades. Sexy and mysterious.
The Walk (Everything Mix): At first I was disappointed that this track didn't sound like the eighties single. But I quickly got into the heavy synth reverb, this song beats you over the head. And you even get to hear little melodies playing in the background, brilliant!
Lovesong (Extended Mix): This was one of my favorites when I was just out of high school. Now I just kind of nod and pack it away. You can hear this too much. Oddly, everyone covered this song over the decades. What, no Like Cockatoos, Adele?
A Forest (Tree Mix): It was this track that induced me to buy Staring at the Sea, the Singles Collection. I wanted to hear what the original was like after this one. I don't know why this song isn't highly regarded, the Tree Mix has an absolutely amazing guitar solo by Robert that is superior to any solo from the entire catalogue. Torn up, indeed.
Pictures of You (Extended Mix): This song actually got radio airplay, something many don't remember. Or the original did, anyway. This one was so long, I tried to figure out what the original sounded like. Always an audience favorite at shows, I liked the CD single more for the Entreat tracks than the subject itself.
Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix): Never liked this song. For those of you alive at the time, sounded too much like one-hit wonder's Buster Poindexter's "Feelin' Hot Hot Hot" (1987). That song is actually far superior:
The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix): This song has always been a favorite. Not quite as dizzying as the eighties single, but a quiet and mysterious mood that I still like today. When listening to Mixed Up, I'd often leave the previous two off my playlist and finish with this one. Nice.
Inbetween Days (Shiver Mix): You shiver and wonder how this got released. The entire mix is ruined with a monotonous five-note computer network sound that is neither futuristic nor melodic. Horrible. Really needed reworked.
Never Enough (Big Mix): According to the helpful liner notes of the Deluxe edition, this track was considered a "return" to pure rocker music for The Cure. Must be why it's on every freakin' live performance. Literally the same song as Want or End. Never liked this in any form.
Overall assessment: Being from the generation that bought entire albums (some on vinyl and 8-track), I can point to entire albums where I only liked one song. For a new act such as The Cure, the fact that I liked so many tracks from Mixed Up was a real wake-up moment from me. I'd move on to other things and other loves (like electronic trance/house and obscure reggae), but this album still holds up well, 28 years after I saw it in the record bin and bought it on a lark. (The CD store that it was in? Bulldozed along with the rest of the mall and replaced with "open air" avenue stores as seems to be the trend these days.)
Disc 2: Remixes 1982-1990
These are 2018 revised treatments that had previously been released as hard-to-find singles.
Let's Go to Bed (Extended 1982 Mix): I didn't get this song until I read that Robert released it as a joke on the eighties pop scene. In concert, everyone loves the part where he describes the Christmas lights being up and the keyboard chimes the melody. Nice bass on this one.
Just One Kiss (Extended 1982 Mix): I know this song from my "Join the Dots" collection. Is it really that old? 1982? Sounds like something off of the Kiss Me album. I consider this one of the standouts of the deluxe edition, worth getting the whole thing to hear this.
Close to Me (Extended 1985 Mix): Lots of trumpets, a real improvement over the Mixed Up version. Or it could just be that we've heard that one done to death...
Boys Don't Cry (New Voice 1986 Mix): I think this is the one in the music video with the kids performing and the real band behind a screen.
Why Can't I Be You? (Extended 1987 Mix): This sounds different than the vinyl single release, the only one ever released by the band. I like the little digressions in the theme, I can picture the band doing their little dance from the video release...
A Japanese Dream (12-inch 1987 Remix): I always think of this as the "Coming Down Like a Monkey" song. Are they in the same jungle as the Cockatoos? Not sure if making this one longer is better.
Pictures of You (Extended 1990 Mix): Different from the previous official releases. Closer in concept to the Fascination Street extension with a very long instrumental lead-up. Tear them up, already.
Let's Go to Bed (Milk Mix 1990): I like this a lot better than the opening track. Lots of great plodding bass in this one, with the themes bouncing back and forth with that little keyboard melody (is that Roger O'Donnell?). Nice to hear, one of the reasons I was looking forward to this set.
Just Like Heaven (Dizzy Mix 1990): Takes me back, the only Cure cassette I ever purchased! Dull and something best left on the remix shelf, but here it is. Like someone telling you a punchline and receiving only silence and crickets.
Primary (Red Mix 1990): Nice to finally pay for this one, ahem. Another deconstruction that never picks itself up. Says something about the mix when it finally picks up around the 5:25 mark.
The Lovecats (TC & Benny Mix 1990): One of the older ones in my head, because it was included in the website downloads extras from the band for those of us who bought the Greatest Hits CD. I bought mine with the 2nd acoustic CD, still a must-have.
Look at this beautiful CD cover art, all pink and twisted and weird. You have to buy this, look at this!
These are from Robert's home studio, he's finally gotten some use out of it.
Three Imaginary Boys (Help Me Mix): I think we learn more about these new track from the parenthesis title than anything. Did this song need a remix? Well it's the only one we've got, so there it is.
M (Attack Mix): Love the opening, they've got me dancing to this one. I got to hear this live in 2016-06-27, Bayfront Amphitheater, Miami, USA. But I really love this remix, so melodic and fun. Easily the highlight of the third disc to me.
The Drowning Man (Bright Birds Mix): Not a fan of the original, although I prefer it over The Funeral Party whenever they come up in Robert's live play mix. An excellent inclusion and appreciated!
A Strange Day (Drowning Waves Mix): Did they mix up the album titles with the previous track? I don't like the "flushing" sound effect in the background, distracting and annoying. There are better fan remixes out there.
Just One Kiss (Remember Mix): The original mix was a bit overbearing, but as with all of Robert's B-sides it was completed. Setting a different tone for 2018, I guess. Would have liked something else from Join the Dots remixed like Splintered in Her Head or The Upstairs Room. It's pretty good, though.
Shake Dog Shake (New Blood Mix): This one comes out of nowhere. He keeps the drummy open. Pretty close to the live show, though.
A Night Like This (Hello Goodbye Mix): The first one I played after I ripped open the boxed set. Had to hear this first. I'd count this one as truly torn down. Great to hear that emphasis with the rain and sax, as Robert notes there was a heavy downpour outside the studio when they mixed the original. I would have loved to heard this track get the extended Fascination Street treatment, but this isn't it.
Very spare arrangement, yet recognizable. I'm smiling hearing this one again as I type this, a true highlight. The rhythm guitar is pushed way into the back so you can hear everything else going on. If Robert never released another Deluxe edition, this is how I'd want to remember the band going out. Thank you.
Like Cockatoos (Lonely in the Rain Mix): A bit of a surprise, nice that a fan favorite sticks in the creator's mind as well. A lot of interesting stuff going in the background including a child's xylophone melody. Not as good as the instrumental demo from the Kiss Me Deluxe edition, but a fine complement.
Plainsong (Edge of the World Mix): Some of these are going to take time to process. I'll have to listen to this one a lot to get a better feel for it. Robert gave it more of a Pictures of You vibe.
Never Enough (Time to Kill Mix): Just a very personal reaction, but nothing is going to make me like this song. Good arrangement, less hectic.
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea (Love in Vain Mix): Another that I'll need more time to wrap around my skull. Strings instead of the hammering guitar. I don't really like the overall feel of Wish, too much yelling and screaming guitar noise. As if anticipating that, Robert made this song for people like me, perhaps. What if the Love was in vain, is the question asked here. I like it!
Want (Time Mix): For a track I don't like, this is a nice arrangement. I recognize that this song, like The Hungry Ghost, represents Robert's mood during the mid-nineties. So it did need an update. I like it despite the repetitive theme of "woe is me, the conflicted artist".
The Last Day of Summer (31st August Mix): This is why Robert Smith is a treasure, he should be knighted by the Queen if he hasn't, already. I like the thought behind this piece. No one asked for any Bloodflowers remixes, this is just for Robert to smile over and be at peace with himself. So it succeeds without fan expectations. Brew up some hot water and enjoy this one over tea.
I didn't like the Bloodflowers album much, but the tracks came alive in concert (even in 2018, yay!). I really wouldn't mind if Robert had a few more Bloodflowers tracks on this CD instead of what follows...
Cut Here (If Only Mix): Something from the 2001 Greatest Hits CD. Robert tells a story set to music, kind of why I didn't like the Bloodflowers album of the time, either. It is what it is.
Lost (Found Mix): Robert yelling and screaming. Look, I'm glad you didn't adopt the 90s Kurt Cobain sound. I'm glad you didn't adopt the oughts sound, either. But I have no idea what the 2004 The Cure album was supposed to be about. All I know is that I never play and this song is a sterling example. Bring back some of your retired bandmates if you have trouble finding something new to say. Just rubbish.
It's Over (Whisper Mix): Included on the 2018 Cureation set. More yelling. Like the original Mixed Up, skip the final three tracks. At last, we have symmetry! Perhaps that was intentional.
Mixed Up Puzzle Game
umusic.digital/yyooue/Old CD cover:
new one with obnoxious, obtrusive 'mixed up' label, duh: