The Cure “Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras” 2018 (Record Store Day 2018 exclusive, limited release). Yesterday, April 21st, was Robert Smith’s 60th birthday (b. 1959). I’ve been hanging onto this 2 LP colored vinyl/picture disc filled with 18 tracks culled from The Cure’s discography beginning at their first album – and remixed by Robert Smith himself – since last year in anticipation of his big day (which I missed because we were visiting family for Easter).

Side A begins with the title track from Three Imaginary Boys (their debut, 1979), “Three Imaginary Boys (Help Me Mix),” which is sparse and alien as compared to the gothy original, followed by a much less urgent “M (Attack Mix)” off of Seventeen Seconds (1980), dreamy “The Drowning Man (Bright Birds Mix)” from Faith (1981) and the goth-goes-psychedelic “A Strange Day (Drowning Waves Mix)” pulled from Pornography (1982). Early Cure is my favorite Cure so the remixes are super-cool but also weird to my ears since I’m so used to the originals.

Side B continues with The Cure’s earlier recordings and also more material I’m most familiar with: a barely brightened version of “Just One Kiss (Remember Mix)” from Japanese Whispers (a singles comp released in ‘83), a really heavy take on “Shake Dog Shake (New Blood Mix)” from The Top (1984, and in my opinion one of their more under-appreciated LP’s), “A Night Like This (Hello Goodbye Mix)” from The Head on the Door (1985) which is one of the more bizarre remixes (to me, anyway) – it’s got this funky, pop beat with 80′s era saxaphone that’s jarring me a ton since this particular song (and album) was instrumental to teenage goth despondency (one reviewer I read said Smith, “turns it into a strange blend of yacht rock and acid jazz, with trademark levels of angst thrown in for good measure”) – and an electronica goes carnival funhouse version of “Like Cockatoos (Lonely in the Rain Mix)” from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987, this was the first Cure release I bought on CD back in the day, when vinyl was on its way “out” hahaha).

Side C kicks off with a track from Disintegration (1989, I think this was the last Cure LP I bought for many, many years): “Plainsong (Edge of the World Mix)” followed by “Never Enough (Time to Kill Mix)” from Mixed Up (1990, a remix album, which this 2018 release is the sequel to; “Never Enough” was the only new track on the LP), “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea (Love in Vain Mix)” from Wish (1992) and “Want (Time Mix)” off of Wild Mood Swings (1996).

Side D has “The Last Day of Summer (31st August Mix)” from Bloodflowers (2000), “Cut Here (If Only Mix)” from the 2001 compilation Greatest Hits (one of two new tracks among a bunch of their earlier singles), “Lost (Found Mix)” from The Cure (2004) and concludes with “It’s Over (Whisper Mix)” off of 4:13 Dream (2008). Since I’ve only half-heartedly listened to The Cure’s releases post-1989 I don’t have much to say about any of the remixes since I don’t really know the originals but some of the tracks on the final side remind me a lot of what David Bowie was doing in his later years.

Overall this is a really beautiful release – the vinyl is particularly mesmerizing as it spins on the turntable – and while I might not agree with all of the remixing (it’s not my place, really, to agree or disagree), it is certainly interesting to hear how Robert Smith reimagines his compositions from the past 40 years.