The Cure: "Japanese Whispers" C/D?

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OK, so this release is considered "unofficial" enough not to get the remaster treatment, which means the Cure track that would have needed a remaster the most - "The Walk" - never gets the treatment.

Leaving that alone, I feel like the only major flaw about this underrated album is its length. The Cure released some marvellous singles during this period, and the non-a-sides on the album hold up very well IMO too.

I still hold this as one of the best Cure albums. So, classic!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 9 November 2006 18:38 (nineteen years ago)

Surely a remastered version of "The Walk" has shown up somewhere (I haven't heard or seen the tracklisting for the box set, but was it on there?).

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 9 November 2006 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

Bob mentioned some plan to do a singles collection deluxe something or other on the main site.

of course, it was in one of his many ALL CAPS RANTS TALKING ABOUT ALL SORTS OF THINGS COMING BUT DETAILS WERE STILL PENDING AND HERE IS SOME SNARK JUST BECAUSE I AM THAT WAY BLAH BLAH BLAH (you get the idea)

― gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 9 November 2006 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

"the upstairs room" is in my top 5 cure songs ever ever ever and needs remastering!

oh, wait, it's on join the dots. i really should listen to that more.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 9 November 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

The whole of "Japanese Whispers" HAS been remastered. Between "Join The Dots" + "Greatest Hits", it's all there.

― mwb (losingsoul), Thursday, 9 November 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

But this is still a great album in its own right, and it would at least have deserved to be included in the "The Top" double CD.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

Uh, no

― gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:18 (nineteen years ago)

Where else were these songs issued in this form besides the U.S.? That said, it's my favorite period of their stuff.

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:21 (nineteen years ago)

I almost owned Japanese Whispers as a kid, until I bought the U.S. version of "The Walk" EP and realized that it was basically 75% of Japanese Whispers at less than half the price. Then I bought the "Let's Go To Bed" 12" and that was that.

― gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:30 (nineteen years ago)

Japanese Whispers isn't an "album" per se.

It was some weird stop gap compilation of tunes between Pornography and The Top. Mostly The Walk EP as noted above.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:34 (nineteen years ago)

Well, it was *priced* as a full album, at least in the U.S... so it's a compilation album, but still a full length release.

― gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:36 (nineteen years ago)

I got it on cassette; it's somewhere on my closet. I seem to remember "Speak My Language" and "Lament" being good songs (besides the singles, obv).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 9 November 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

omg, for once I find myself agreeing with Geir. JW was my introduction to the Cure and I was hooked. Jaded 30-something jazz freak won over to the plaintive Mr. Smith.

― J Arthur Rank (Quin Tillian), Friday, 10 November 2006 01:08 (nineteen years ago)

And then you glammed up, and then you found us here and can't escape. OUR PLOTS ARE WORKING.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 November 2006 01:10 (nineteen years ago)

Well blimey, I do believe this album was my first introduction to the Cure as well. It really is a fantastic collection of songs. I'm sorry it's been neglected. When I DJ'd at Brit Pop nights I would put on "The Upstairs Room" and people would ask me what song it was. I guess that's kindof sad in a way. Everyone who knows the Cure ought to know that stuff, you know? "Lament", too.

― A Chocolate Ball of Sweet Confectionary Fire (Bimble...), Friday, 10 November 2006 02:13 (nineteen years ago)

Absolutely, positively, 100 percent classic.

― Stephen Bush (Stephen B.), Friday, 10 November 2006 03:58 (nineteen years ago)

It sounds like they were listening to the band Japan before recording these songs. All it does is make me want to listen to Japan.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Friday, 10 November 2006 07:33 (nineteen years ago)

The only of the songs that really sounds like an attempt at doing "Japan" is "The Walk" and that is the weakest out of the three singles IMO.

"Let's Go To Bed", on the other hand, remains The Cure's one single superior best moment.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 10 November 2006 11:30 (nineteen years ago)

I'll see your "Let's go to bed" and raise you an "In Between Days"

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 10 November 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

Which was a great song that would have been better without the mock-New Order arrangement.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 10 November 2006 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

I remember watching the Cure's climb upwards via MTV after they were dropped from A&M post-"Pornography." "Let's Go to Bed" went through so many label credits on there -- wasn't it just a 12-inch on PVC at one point?

― A Radio Picture (Rrrickey), Friday, 10 November 2006 11:43 (nineteen years ago)

The Cure and New Order were very similar at that point in time, musically.

But basically, I disagree with your last post Geir.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 10 November 2006 12:13 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure that they were that similar at that time, but they had a rivalry going on.

The Cure "borrowed" Blue Monday for The Walk.

New Order "borrowed" A Forest for Sunrise

The Cure borrowed ?Age of Consent? for Inbetween Days

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 10 November 2006 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

It sounds like they were listening to the band Japan before recording these songs. All it does is make me want to listen to Japan.

RS said (in an old interview I remember reading) he liked the production on Japan's Steve Nye-produced records - something about how he made synths sound organic - and that's why they got Nye to produce "The Walk". Didn't Nye produce "Let's Go to Bed"and "La Ment", also. Can't remember.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Friday, 10 November 2006 13:11 (nineteen years ago)

The Cure borrowed ?Age of Consent? for Inbetween Days

You mean The Cure borrowed 'Dreams Never End' for 'Inbetween Days'

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Friday, 10 November 2006 13:44 (nineteen years ago)

New Order "borrowed" Just Like Heaven for All The Way.

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Friday, 10 November 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

.. which was what I was meaning when I said The Cure and New Order were very similar at that point in time, musically.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 10 November 2006 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

New Order seemingly borrowed from "The Hanging Gardens" for "Murder"... at least the drum sounds.

― gwynywdd dwnyt fyrwr byychydd gww (donut), Friday, 10 November 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

Woah, woah woah. This borrowing stuff is making me queasy. A Forest does not equal Sunrise, not by a long shot, etc etc. I'm okay with the drum sound comparison, though.

― A Chocolate Ball of Sweet Confectionary Fire (Bimble...), Friday, 10 November 2006 18:46 (nineteen years ago)

Now on tour: New Cure.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 November 2006 18:51 (nineteen years ago)

xpost: The closest New Order came to ripping off "A Forest" was "Crystal", and even that's not a [i]total[/i] rip; the third chord is a step higher.

― Brandon Edmark (Brandon E), Friday, 10 November 2006 22:20 (nineteen years ago)

Stupid italic tags. How does that work on this board anyway.

― Brandon Edmark (Brandon E), Friday, 10 November 2006 22:20 (nineteen years ago)

Use the HTML code characters instead.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 November 2006 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

I like using cartoon characters. Alfred E. Neumann anyone?

― A Chocolate Ball of Sweet Confectionary Fire (Bimble...), Saturday, 11 November 2006 08:08 (nineteen years ago)

http://forums.ni.com/attachments/ni/40/3884/2/alfred_neuman.jpg http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/0/04/200px-Donald_Duck_suitcase_small2.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 12 November 2006 01:46 (nineteen years ago)

i think my brother still has my copy, i'll have to have a listen next time i see him.

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Sunday, 12 November 2006 11:03 (nineteen years ago)

I am listening to my old tape of CONCERT! Featuring, now, 'Charlotte Sometimes'. Live. Naturally.

― the pinefox (the pinefox), Sunday, 12 November 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

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