Despite early concerns that it was too gloomy for radio airplay, The Cure's eighth studio album, 'Disintegration,' quickly became the groups most successful. Spurred by two Top 10 hits, 'Lullaby' and 'Lovesong,' album sale... more »s topped more than 3 million as the band sold out stadiums and arenas around the world during its 1989 tour. Rhino reissues this dark tour de force, remastering the original, adding a disc of unreleased outtakes and demos, plus a third disc that contains a live performance of the entire album recorded in 1989 at Wembley Arena, London. This Deluxe Edition comes with a 20 page booklet containing previously unseen pictures and art, as well as lyrics and an in depth overview of the period by The Cure's founder Robert Smith.
Robert Smith compiled, produced, and supervised the mastering of this three-disc collection, which covers the evolution of 'Disintegration,' from demos and rehearsals to studio and stage. The first disc contains newly remastered versions of the album's original 12 tracks.
Gathering 20 unreleased tracks, the second disc trawls through Smith's home recordings to find early instrumental demos of fan favorites 'Pictures Of You,' 'Prayers For Rain' and 'Fascination Street.' The band can be heard rehearsing and arranging various instrumental versions, including 'Homesick,' 'Closedown' and 'The Same Deep Water As You,' as well as studio outtakes of several other tracks, including 'Plainsong.' The disc also contains four unreleased songs: 'Noheart,' 'Esten,' 'Delirious Night' and a cover of Judy Collins' 'Pirate Ships,' the latter a solo performance by Smith that was recorded for, but ultimately not included on, 'Rubáiyát,' a 1990 album celebrating Elektra Records' 40th anniversary.
For the final disc, Smith remixes and expands 'Entreat,' a live album recorded in 1989 at Wembley Arena during The Cure's sold-out Prayer Tour. 'Entreat Plus' combines the original's eight tracks, remixed with the four 'missing' songs to create a complete contemporary live version of Disintegration.
* Previously unreleased song/Previously unreleased performance« less
All Artists:The Cure Title:Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (3CD) Members Wishing: 9 Total Copies: 0 Label:Rhino Records Original Release Date: 1/1/1989 Re-Release Date: 6/8/2010 Album Type: Box set, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered Genres:Pop, Rock Style: Number of Discs: 3 SwapaCD Credits: 3 UPC:081227981303
Synopsis
Product Description
Despite early concerns that it was too gloomy for radio airplay, The Cure's eighth studio album, 'Disintegration,' quickly became the groups most successful. Spurred by two Top 10 hits, 'Lullaby' and 'Lovesong,' album sales topped more than 3 million as the band sold out stadiums and arenas around the world during its 1989 tour. Rhino reissues this dark tour de force, remastering the original, adding a disc of unreleased outtakes and demos, plus a third disc that contains a live performance of the entire album recorded in 1989 at Wembley Arena, London. This Deluxe Edition comes with a 20 page booklet containing previously unseen pictures and art, as well as lyrics and an in depth overview of the period by The Cure's founder Robert Smith.
Robert Smith compiled, produced, and supervised the mastering of this three-disc collection, which covers the evolution of 'Disintegration,' from demos and rehearsals to studio and stage. The first disc contains newly remastered versions of the album's original 12 tracks.
Gathering 20 unreleased tracks, the second disc trawls through Smith's home recordings to find early instrumental demos of fan favorites 'Pictures Of You,' 'Prayers For Rain' and 'Fascination Street.' The band can be heard rehearsing and arranging various instrumental versions, including 'Homesick,' 'Closedown' and 'The Same Deep Water As You,' as well as studio outtakes of several other tracks, including 'Plainsong.' The disc also contains four unreleased songs: 'Noheart,' 'Esten,' 'Delirious Night' and a cover of Judy Collins' 'Pirate Ships,' the latter a solo performance by Smith that was recorded for, but ultimately not included on, 'Rubáiyát,' a 1990 album celebrating Elektra Records' 40th anniversary.
For the final disc, Smith remixes and expands 'Entreat,' a live album recorded in 1989 at Wembley Arena during The Cure's sold-out Prayer Tour. 'Entreat Plus' combines the original's eight tracks, remixed with the four 'missing' songs to create a complete contemporary live version of Disintegration.
"It always grates on me when all a person has to do is see the word "remastered" and they immediately spew out the blind praise that it "sounds amazing". In most cases, that's a very incorrect statement. The two recent Duran Duran reissues are some of the worst I've heard, (and notice the difference between reviews of those CD's on Amazon's UK site compared to here). "Disintegration" is no exception in the world of bad remasters.
On the plus side, the CD had not been brickwalled and compressed to the point that the dynamics are squashed out. However, it's the re-equalizing that's been done that destroyed it for me. The bass has been WAY too enhanced. My headphones were distorting and thumping, and I've never heard these powerful headphone respond this way. "Plainsong" also displays very obvious distortion during the crashing sounds if you view the wave file in a program that displays a spectral view. After I listened to three songs from this lousy "remaster", I sold it on eBay and will stick to the original CD I purchased 21 years ago.
So all of you can praise this release for the supposed improved sound, but as a long time audiophile I can tell you that this CD had not been improved..., unless you consider distorted bass and increased volume an improvement."
Get it live, pick and choose the rest
Michael Grabowski | Lake Forest, CA United States | 06/03/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not sure that it isn't counterproductive to remaster a CD and then offer it for sale as compressed mp3 files. Disintegration is a great album, the peak of The Cure's "big band" sound, with some of Robert Smith's best lyrics and vocals, and a cohesive sound that maximizes the band's strength at musically evoking a mood while avoiding the band's occasional pop excesses. The decision to let the songs really extend musically was a good one, taking advantage of the CD format to produce a longer album that's still engaging all the way through. As to the remasters, though, I can't say that I notice an audible difference, let alone improvment, between the original CD and these tracks, and these compressed files are unlikely to offer any revelation. At least the price for the entire set in this format is reasonable.
The rarities--largely instrumental, as you can see--are interesting but not likely to deserve the kind of repeat play either the first or third discs should get, unless you like to host Cure karaoke. At least you can select the ones you like here based on the samples. The exceptions are the non-album songs, which are worth it.
The real treat here is the live disc. The Cure aren't exactly a stage phenomenon on the level of U2 or Springsteen. However, this edited selection reproducing the album live, while slightly out of the context of the original performances, and apparently remixed to sound a little more contemporary (mainly Smith's vocals aren't quite as prominent as on the original Entreat release of these songs), gives a little added oomph!, particularly in the urgency of Smith's delivery. He convincingly tries to express the feelings of the lyrics as he sings them. "Disintegration" itself is glorious and "Prayers For Rain" is another standout but the rest of the songs hold up well in a live context and the band succeeds at delivering the consistent mood of the album in a real-time performance. (Or maybe that's the production. In the original shows, songs like "Just Like Heaven" and "Let's Go To Bed" interrupted the sequence and presumably the mood.)
Unfortunately, "Same Deep Water As You" just barely cracks that cursed 10 second barrier beyond which you can't buy the song individually, which means you can't purchase the whole live set alone, but again the overall package price is pretty good considering the number of tracks, even if you already have Disintegration.
In case you miss the fringe benefits that come with buying a physical package, the band and label have set up a dedicated website where you can access for free the liner notes from this release. It also features some complete songs from each of the discs as well as audio for an entirely different selection of rarities (albeit of the same mostly instrumental nature) and an entirely different performance of the album (from Dallas), and videos from the singles. [After a deeper listen to the online "Alternate Rarities" selection, my favorite song on the entire set is the performance of "Faith" from a 1989 concert in Rome. You have to hear it to believe it, and it's a shame that this song wasn't selected for inclusion on the actual release of this set.]"
The Cure - Disintegration
Andrew Vice | Plano, TX | 06/09/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Disintegration is a landmark achievement in popular music. Frequently heralded as one of the best records of the 1980's and of the new wave/alternative movement, this newly remastered and expanded edition features the original album in new remastered form, mixed louder and with more punch, but at the cost of some dynamic range. As expected from a modern remaster, the overall levels have been increased, but not in an offensive way and the record doesn't suffer from the heinous clipping that some remaster jobs get. Guitars sparkle anew, vocals echo and soar, bass slinks, and drums boom and pop on the twelve original tracks, all of which are classics in their own right. I'll forgo discussing the album in and of itself, because anyone considering buying this already knows that Disintegration is must-own. If all you're looking for is a more modern sound, then you've come to the right place, but never one to skimp, Robert has put together a very solid 3 disc set for the 20th anniversary of the album. The additional discs feature a fleshed out version of the 1990 Entreat live album, including a live take of each of the tracks from Disintegration, in the album's sequential order. These live cuts show the Cure in very solid, if not stellar, form, and is a definite treat for fans. The other disc is a collection of rarities, demos, and unreleased tracks recorded during the Disintegration sessions. Truly one for the fans, this collection of cuts will not likely appeal to casual fans, but for someone interested in hearing the evolution of these songs and of the album as a whole, the rarities collection is an interesting historical piece. I just wouldn't expect it to spend a whole lot of time in your car's CD player in lieu of the album proper. Another excellent addition to the Cure remaster series, I just wish it hadn't taken so long for the album to get arrive. Here's hoping the rest of the planned remasters are a little more expedient in their release."
Definitive Masterpiece
O | Here There and Everywhere | 06/11/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Cure's finest work manifested in these 12 songs - they are intricate in detail and grand in scale - you could call it Cure Cinema - this kind of emotionally charged fragile musical onslaught happens rarely because it is so demanding of the artist to reach into the grayest depths of one's soul and have courage to translate it, effectively, to music and lryic. This is not only The Cure's masterpiece, but an album that ranks with the greatest of all albums ever produced. Particularly, if you are a fan of high concept albums as Pink Floyd's The Wall, you likely will appreciate this one.
The remastering is excellent - all the crisp fine-details in each song is brought to the front, and in surround sound it is even better, so you can feel it all stronger than in the original CD issue - the vocals are clearer, in a good way, as well.
As for the bonus discs, they are good but not essential - if you love the album you'll appreciate the extra stuff. If you're a casual fan of it then the bonus you may find too repetitive.
Overall, highly recommended!"
One of the best remastered "rock" CDs I have ever purchased
Alex Salerno | 08/06/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"So, I was considering purchasing the new re-matered release of REM's Fables of the Reconstruction, but decided, partially based on price, to restrain myself and read a few reviews before I spend the money. My first stop was Amazon.com. Overwhelmingly, the critics gave a positive reviews of the remastered original CD, but did not like the "extras." OK. But, one reviewer, claiming to be an audiophile (with initials S.D.), gave a clear thumbs down. This put me off (momentarily). I also have been very disappointed with remasters over the years--i could not appreciate the differences they introduced--if any.
So, logically, I went to see what Mr. D. had to say about the new Disintegration remaster (if anything).
After reading the glowing reviews of the Disintegration remaster in the popular audiophile mags, and, being a Cure and Disintegration album lover, I decided to make the purchase. I can't say enough. Dynamic range has been expanded--and yes, this means the loudest parts are going to be more louder on average. Guitar twang now had body and definition (reminds me slightly of Nick Drake's acoustic twang). Bass has been extended to make the drama of Plainsong fantastic. [BTW: if your systems can't handle this without booming and distortion, well than...].
Suggestion to Mr.D.: My new favorite contemporary "reference" song in OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass." The recording has been pushed to the limits regarding low compression. You should be able to follow each part through every crescendo and not notice clipping or distortion within the limits of your system.
One final note: this remaster was fully supervised by Robert Smith. Think about it folks. This is not someone else's interpretation."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1