The Cure - Galore

Standing on a Beach, the first singles compilation from Britain's premiere love cats, was the capper on a period of startling, evolving growth for Robert Smith & Co. This rather less interesting 18-song companion piece documents a peak commercial run that ended abruptly with last year's Wild Mood Swings disc. The one new studio track here, "Wrong Number," is a buzzing, synth-suffused delight that hooks deep after three spins. It's the cherry on a cake built from latter-day gems like "Lovesong," "Just Like Heaven," and "Friday I'm in Love." --Jeff Bateman Amazon.com

Sound Check, please!

The songs themselves are as good as everyone says, however, there's a major problem with the mastering on this collection! Some songs (e.g., "Close to Me") are so soft that I have to crank up the volume on my headphones to make out the words, and then when louder songs come on (e.g., "Friday I'm in Love"), my ears get blasted and I have to rush to turn it back down again. Not a fun listening experience, despite the brilliant tunes! I'd be interested to hear if people buying the CD version have the same problem or if it's just the mp3 album. February 19, 2008

Excellent first half. But incomplete.

I've been a Cure fan since I was 10 back in '87 and they were my first real band that I liked. So I've been on a long ride with them. Unfortunately I had to put with their stuff from the 90's as opposed to growing up in the 80's when they were at the height of their creativity. That's where this Singles compilation gets hit hard. This compliation covers many songs from only 4 albums; 1987's 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me', 1989's 'Disitegration', 1992's 'Wish' and 1996's 'Wild Mood Swings'. Plus 3 singles 1990's 'Never Enough', 'Close To Me' (remix) and new single 'Wrong Number'.

The first 8 tracks are excellent mainly to the fact that they came from quite possibly their two best albums in Kiss Me... and Disintegration. The next 5 are very good with Never Enough (original version) and the remixed version of Close To Me, while the next 3 are singles from the good, but patchy at times 'Wish' album. However due to radio overkill I can't listen to 'Friday, I'm In Love' anymore without cringing. Us Cure fans know that they have better songs that deserve more recognition. The last 5 songs fall short by Cure standards with 4 songs from the bad 'Wild Mood Swings' and the below average 'Wrong Number'.

All in all, if you get this you'll want to own 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' and 'Disintegration' eventually. Which is why you should probably just save up a few more dollars and just get those 2 albums instead. This compilation ends on such a bad note that I wish that they had waited until they released 'Bloodflowers' and their self titled 'The Cure' for a wider range of sounds and more material for a proper second 'Singles' compilation. Somehow I almost feel like this was rushed out to appease the masses after the catastrophe that was 'Wild Mood Swings'. Unless you're a complete novice to The Cure there's no real reason go out and get this. February 3, 2008

Relentlessly cheerful

I bought this album for just one track - 'Lullaby' - but am playing the whole thing endlessly. The Cure are perfect car music and this selection of their boppy singles is a good representation of their later work. March 5, 2007

Single Versions of songs used rather than Album versions

Galore covers the Cure from 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' through 'Wild Mood Swings'. The only reason it does not include 'A Head on the Door' is that those songs were included on the Best of Vol 1 called 'Standing on a Beach'
But 'A Head on the Door' really belong on this comp.

Some problems with this era are that Robert Smith wrote a few great songs on KMKMKM, then Disintegration, which is the best CD in the catalog, then Wish...which has a few great songs, and finally Wild Mood Swings...which isn't very good.

But after reading 62 Amazon regarding this cd, not one person mentioned that several of the song are the single version and not the album versions.
They are:
# "Just Like Heaven" (Bob Clearmountain Mix) - 3:32
# "Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Francois Kevorkian and Ron St. Germain Mix) - 3:35
# "Lullaby" (Single Mix) - 4:10
# "Fascination Street" (Single Mix) - 4:20
# "Lovesong" (Single Mix) - 3:28
# "Pictures of You" (Single Mix) - 4:48
# "Never Enough" (Single Mix) - 4:28
# "Close to Me" (Closest Mix) - 4:21
# "High" (Single Mix) - 3:33
# "Friday I'm in Love" (Single Mix) - 3:36
# "A Letter to Elise" (Single Mix) - 4:20
# "The 13th" (Swing Radio Mix) - 4:17
# "Mint Car" (Radio Mix) - 3:31
# "Strange Attraction" (Album Mix) - 4:21
# "Gone!" (Radio Mix)

So it is well worth seeking out each individual cd to get the album versions, which are better.

The second problem I have with this comp is the song selection.
They get all the best songs from Kiss Me & Disintegration , and Wish, but there are way too many songs from Wild Mood Swings.
The new song, wrong number is very good, btw.
So if I were making a vol 2 to Standing on a Beach, here would be my best of:
1) In Between Days
2) Close to me (Version off of Head on the Door)
3) Push
4) Why Can't I be You
5) Catch
6) If only Tonight we could sleep
7) Just Like Heaven
8) Pictures of You
9) Lullaby
10)Fascination Street
11) Love Song
12) Friday I'm in Love
13) A Letter to Elise
14) High
15) To wish impossible Things
16) The 13th
17) Mint Car
18) Wrong Number February 12, 2007

A great find!

This is the album that introduced me to The Cure. I found it in a box of random cds near a dumpster of an apartment complex. Now I don't know why someone would want to throw this cd away because I think it is fantastic, I guess one persons trash is anothers treasure. Personally I like the first half of the album better than the second, but in general all the songs are decent. My favorite is lullaby! Like another reviewer wrote it is eerie and I love the lyrics and the video as well--go check it out. Other than lullaby my other favorites are why can't I be you, hot hot hot, fascination street, wrong number and gone! I give it a 4/ 5 and definitely recommend it! January 29, 2007

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