Looking back at The Cure’s “Mixed Up”
Revisiting The Cure’s first Remix compilation
Looking back at The Cure’s “Mixed Up”
David Warren an editor and author for Pop Expresso and in the free time enjoys making instrumental music – davidwarrenmusic.com – and to learn about history and cultures. Reach out at david@popexpresso.com
Usually for those who are fans of Greatest Hits compilations, the remixes aren’t always the best ones to get, but in this Cure release from 1990 you will find one that included some of their best songs to date, bringing in a rare moment a solid “best of” extended and remixed versions, just enough to not lose track of the original song’s essence. By 1990 The Cure already had released their successful greatest hits album “Standing On A Beach”, “Mixed Up”revisits some of those songs in a different shape, the band though, opted to exclude their smash hit “Boys Don’t Cry” from it. The majority of the songs remixes reflect the dance/beat culture of the early 90’s, singer Robert Smith described the album as something “fun after the doom and gloom of Disintegration”. There are also tracks like “Fascination Street” that are outsiders to that dance culture and throws in The Cure’s original new wave organic sound into the “mix”, “The Forest (Tree Mix)” and “Inbetween Days” are the weakest point in the album, the final results are not as satisfying as the majority of the tracks. On a side note due to the original master tapes of both “The Forest” and “The Walk” gone missing, both songs were re-recorded to be included in the album. This album should be listened as a companion to other Cure’s compilations or, as a suggestion, to the live album “Entreat” released just after it in 1991 that melts perfectly into the beat.
Side A
“Lullaby (Extended Mix)”
“Close to Me (Closer Mix)”
“Fascination Street (Extended Mix)”
Side B
“The Walk (Everything Mix)”
“Lovesong (Extended Mix)”
“A Forest (Tree Mix)”
Side C
“Pictures of You (Extended Dub Mix)”
“Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix)”
“Why Can’t I Be You? (Extended Remix)” (Appears on the French 5 CD version, LP and cassette versions only)
Side D
“The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)”
“In Between Days (Shiver Mix)”
“Never Enough (Big Mix)”
Personnel:
Robert Smith: Vocals, Guitar, Six-String Bass, Keyboards
Simon Gallup: Bass
Porl Thompson: Guitar, Six-String Bass
Boris Williams: Drums
Roger O’Donnell: Keyboards
Lol Tolhurst: Keyboards on Tracks 2,8,9 and 10
Recorded during: 1989-1990 Outside Studios, England
Produced by: Robert Smith, Chris Parry, Mark Saunders, Dave Allen
Release Date: November 20th, 1990
Label: Fiction Records (UK) / Elektra Records (U.S)
Singles:
“Never Enough” Released: September 17, 1990
“Close to Me (remix)” Released: October 22, 1990
“A Forest (Tree Mix)” Released: December 6, 1990[1]
Suggested tracks:
“Lullaby (Extended Mix)”, “Close to Me (Closer Mix)”, “Fascination Street (Extended Mix)”, “Pictures of You (Extended Dub Mix)”, “The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)”, “The Walk (Everything Mix)”
Listen to “Mixed Up” on Spotify:
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