the Cure

Join The Dots: B-Sides And Rarities 1978- 2001

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Editor's Review:

For a band that has always prided itself on its quality B-sides, a proper collection of them has been a long time coming. The only previous collection was on the second side of Standing on a Beach in 1986. So to have all of them up to 2001 - along with rare songs off soundtracks and compilations - released on compact disc, some for the first time, is quite a treat. But is it worth the wait?
Yes. With eight unreleased songs, including "Possession," which shows that the initial recordings for the Bloodflowers album started off much more upbeat than the final product, Join The Dots has tunes even deft downloaders might not have been able to track down. Plus, the re-mastering of these songs by Robert Smith often makes a difference when compared to their previous incarnations. This is especially true for "Fear Of Ghosts," which was erroneously mastered the first time when the engineer pushed the fader up too late at the point when the music returns after the song's '60s style fade.
To round things out, some songs help to show a lighter side to these tenebrous rockers. The full band version of "Purple Haze" makes me long for the guitar talents of the now departed Porl Thompson as they jam out this Hendrix classic. "Lament (Flexipop version)" features the preposterous singing of a soused Smith. Add in the career-spanning booklet, with comments on each track, and this four-disc box set is a worthy investment.
- Connell Burton McDaniel
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