by negative1 » Mon Apr 23, 2018 7:11 pm
here is my review of the 'torn down' remix album.
i do a comparison with the original versions.
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01: Three Imaginary Boys - from the three imaginary boys album - the original was a slow tempo
barebones song with minimal guitar, bass and a drumbeat. there is
a strong guitar solo about 2/3 way through.
Three Imaginary Boys – Help Me Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:21 )
for the remix, the refrain, 'can you help me' is moved to the front,
a slow beat is added, and lots of reverb on the vocals is done, along with
a quiet electro background. the vocals are much clearer. the guitar
is more prominent in this mix. again, the 'can you help me' part
is repeated and looped at the end.
decent mix.
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02: M – from the seventeen seconds album, a midtempo track, with prominent guitars,
and somewhat muted vocals, the song has a cold ending which slows down to conclude.
M – Attack Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:07 )
the remix adds the reverb on the vocals, to a much more dedicated electro beat,
the guitar work remains similar in composition and sound. there is a long guitar
solo to close out the song.
again, a decent, but not radical version.
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03: The Drowning Man – from the faith album, a rather slow melodic take. with some nice guitar work,
alongside some ethereal vocals, and backgrounds. robert smiths gets rather impassioned at the last
chorus.
The Drowning Man – Bright Birds Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:29 )
for the remix, the etheral voices and echoes start off, which lead into the echoey vocals,
not really that different from the original, just reordered.
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04: A Strange Day – from the pornography album, a more upbeat tempo song, lots of droning
guitar sounds, and filtered vocals throughout. the heavy drumbeat is prominent too.
A Strange Day – Drowning Waves Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:05 )
the remix starts off with a similar intro to the original, just noisier. the drums
are altered, and a little more subtle in this mix. the synths and sounds sound similar too.
again, not that different from the original.
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05: Just One Kiss – from the japanese whispers album, a very cool uptempo song, lots
of rolling drum fills, and quivering vocals from robert smith. nice orchestral
synths play in the background, as the title is repeated at the end.
Just One Kiss – Remember Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:57 )
for the remix, the drums are introduced earlier, and more of a laidback beat to them,
along with addition of the orchestral synths too, the vocals and lyrics roughly match
the layout of the original. the jangly guitars sound a little more prominent.
a decent mix, mostly with some changes in the arrangement.
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06: Shake Dog Shake – from the top album, a very heavy sounding song, with guitars
and a big beat to it. a lot of repetition of the title throughout.
Shake Dog Shake – New Blood Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:11 )
the remix starts off with the same heavy drumbeat, but a slower tempo, and more
ominous sounding synths to it. again, a lot of reverb and echo on the vocals
are applied. this sounds more like a dub, with a lot of tape looping sounds,
and effects in it.
a good remix, with lots of variation from the original.
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07: A Night Like This – from the head on the door album, an excellent moody
upbeat song, great lyrics, great guitar work, and a nice jazzy saxophone solo near the end,
all create a standout song from this album.
A Night Like This – Hello Goodbye Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:24 )
the remix starts off with the saxophones, and a shuffle beat. then it goes into
the vocals isolated with some minimal synths.
in this case the remix is a downgrade, the original is much more powerful,
and has been reduced to a much more mellow take.
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08: Like Cockatoos – from the kiss me kiss me kiss me album, a rather
slow tempo song, full of dramatic drums, and jangly guitars start out.
the lyrics come in late in the song, and just add some flourishes to the song.
ends on some keyboard chords.
Like Cockatoos – Lonely In The Rain Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:49 )
for the remix, an electro remix of the song is very heavy throughout.
a very radical revamp of the song, slight improvement over the original.
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09: Plainsong – from the disintegration album, one of the more dramatic sounding songs,
with a grandiose synth intro, leading into dreamy lyrics halfway through it. beautiful guitar
work and drums mesh well.
Plainsong – Edge Of The World Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:33 )
the remix starts off with some chimes, and a more midtempo beat, the guitars and
effects are similar, but the song is much more subdued.
again, another song that does not match the intensity of the original.
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10: Never Enough – from the mixed up compilation, a very catchy, hook filled song,
with lots of classic cure sounds in it. even in the short version. great guitars,
drums, and frantic beat to it.
Never Enough – Time To Kill Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:34 )
the remix is probably one of the standout ones here, despite its short length,
a much more fuzzy sound to the guitars, along with the same beat, and
catchy lyrics with roberts vocals on it.
a good remix of the song, but still too short.
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11: From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea – from the wish album, one of the longest
tracks from the album, a very long intro goes into some great guitar solos, leading
up to some complex interplay between the drums and other instruments. one of their
classic songs.
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea – Love In Vain Mix by Robert Smith ( 6:21 )
the remix is actually one of the longest ones, and removes the instrumental intro.
the vocals are moved forward, and the symphonic sound is kept. the song builds up,
and different drums and other sounds have been replaced.
the original is a classic, but the new remix is decent also.
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12: Want – from the wild mood swings album, a much heavier, guitar oriented track,
there are some passionate vocals near the middle until the end of the song.
Want – Time Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:44 )
the remix puts an emphasis on the lyrics, moving them to the front of the song, but
reducing the drums, and adding more of a breakbeat to them. the guitar emphasis is
also gone. there are more syths added throughout.
quite a radical remix of the original.
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13: The Last Day of Summer – from the bloodflowers album, a midtempo song, nice
melodic guitar work, piano fills, and soft hushed vocals in it. one of the more
commercial sounding songs.
The Last Day of Summer – 31st August Mix by Robert Smith ( 5:44 )
the remix starts off quietly, and builds up, with the piano chords, then adding
the guitars, and other instruments. the vocals are similar.
another song that is very similar to the original.
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14: Cut Here – from the greatest hits compilation, a rather simple vocal, over
some basic drums and guitars, in theme with the other acoustic tracks. it picks
up near the end.
Cut Here – If Only Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:25 )
here is a much more processed version of the song. the vocals are the same.
but the background has been replaced by more electronic beats, and looped guitars.
almost a lite dubstep or drum and bass approach to it.
a very radical remix of the original.
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15: Lost – from the cure album, what starts off as a quiet, slow tempo slong, slowly
building up in intensty, to almost yelling in the vocals. very intense.
Lost – Found Mix by Robert Smith ( 3:59 )
the remix starts off quietly also, but quickly adds some drum and bass beats behind it.
the vocal intensity remains though.
a good but different take on the song, not necessarily better.
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16: It’s Over – from the 413 dream album, the original has a nice heavy distorted guitar
sound, with rock beats, and minimal vocals in it. again, another song with a frentic
ending to it.
It’s Over – Whisper Mix by Robert Smith ( 4:54 )
the remix slows down the tempo, especally with the drums, but retains the guitar distortion.
the vocals lose some of their intensity in it.
a radical remake, but loses the intensity of the original.
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overall, it's an exercise from the cure. there are interesting additions, and
attempts on revamping the songs.
however in the end, most of the songs are not so much remixed, as redone. the main
problem is that they are too short, and don't allow for the song to develop like
the songs on the 'mixed up' compilation did. to me, that one is still much more
interesting, and developed than this.
there are a few good versions in there, but most of them are too similar to the
originals to really make them stand out. when listening to these, the first half
of the mixes are rather slow, and midtempo, but pickup greatly in the second
half of them. while mixed up, had a ton of hits, and hooks, along with iconic
sounds, these seemed to be chosen to highlight the softer side, and the writing
and compositions of various songs, none (except for 'never enough'), which would
be considered commercial.
a good bookend to the remixes, but mostly just a curiosity for fans to check out.
not recommended unless you're a big fan, or completist.
later
-1