Faith [Deluxe Edition] - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
Originally a Goth-flavored post-punk outfit, the Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the '80s, and ultimately one of modern rock's most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, the Cure's signature sound balances a dreamy pop savvy with a dark, brooding majesty and fuses superbly crafted, literate songs with a feverish emotional intensity. The band's early catalog-newly remastered and expanded wtih a wealth of rarities-is a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity.

Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Essential reissue for Cure enthusiasts April 27, 2005
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

Out of the three reissues, this one has my vote for the most "revealing" of the three that just were released. The remastered sound of the original album is a great improvement over the original issue and reveals a lot more going on under the spare arrangements. If there's one thing about these reissues that is most noticeable, it's that the distant quality of Robert Smith's voice is enhanced and made even more ghost-like. The echoes ring out more, things are given much more space. 'Other Voices' and 'The Drowning Man' are the best examples of this. One of the biggest incentives to buy this is the full, remastered version of 'Carnage Visors' is present on the first disc.

The bonus material is first rate. These demos show the most of the developement process out of all of the reissues. Many of these discarded instrumental demos, specifically 'A Normal Story' would sound completely out of place on the album, being much too upbeat. The 'Doubt' and 'Primary' demo recordings are almost completely different songs, especially 'Primary' which in ways might be cooler than the album version. The live material shows the limitations that The Cure had as being a trio (as well as the keyboard sounds being, a bit cheesy to today's standards, or even compared to the album itself). The live version of 'The Drowning Man' sounds very strange, even filled with sound effects, but is a great performance from Smith. 'Forever' is another obscure Cure song that has been on a million and a half bootlegs, but has finally found the light of day here, given in a version not quite as good as some other ones I've heard. It's also a huge plus to have the 'Charlotte Sometimes' single here with the b-side version of 'Faith'.

This reissue, is nearly flawless, and is certainly essential to any Cure fan's collection. The sound quality is a substantial improvement over the original issue and the rare material is extremely fun.

5 out of 5 stars

Utter Perfection May 20, 2005
18 out of 20 found this review helpful

Sleek. Streamlined. Minimalist. Incredibly beautiful and surprisingly varied. Faith manages to capture the Cure at their creative peak. From start to finish, this album is nothing short of perfection. The words and vocals, the music, the production and engineering - they all fall right into place. Nearly all these songs can be considered Cure classics ( for the fans of the band who prefer the darker, more serious Cure to the upbeat, more pop oriented side). Primary. Other Voices. The Funeral Party. And my personal favourite The Drowning Man. All incredible. This remastered and expanded edition sounds terrific as well, which is icing on the cake. The original cd issue on the Elektra label just didn't sound quite right. There was distortion in many of the basslines, and the keyboards sounded hollow and tinny. This version corrects those mastering mistakes. The synths are warm and rich in tone, and the highs and lows in the mix are much easier on the ear. Granted, the subject matter isn't exactly "upbeat" but the messages are important, and certainly open to interpretation. Listen to the final, title track. The last words - "there's nothing left but faith" - can be seen as a sign of defeat or of hope, depending on how it is taken. The extras on the bonus disc are a revelation, tracking the evolution of the songs on Faith, from listening to the demos, the songs in their rawest form, to hearing the live versions, where they are performed with complete conviction, if not total technical proficiency. My favourite here has to be the often bootlegged, 10 minute version of the title cut "Faith" performed in Australia and originally featured on the b-side to the Charlotte Sometimes 12" single. "This is the last song it's called Faith" Robert says. Turn the volume up very loud and you can here one lone female scream, then the count-off "one, two, three, four" and the familiar beat kicks in, the mourful bassline, and Robert's signature guitar playing. This IS the Cure.

4 out of 5 stars

Headlong dive into grey. May 4, 2005
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

Often considered the middle of a trilogy of albums progressively darker in mood, "Faith" is an album about just that, about faith, or lack thereof. It is a stark, almost minimalist album, with Robert Smith handling keyboard as well as well as guitar duties and joined by bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Lol Tolhurst, the album is hushed, almost minimalist-- stretches where notes ring out over the light percussion background, there's little in the way of the ringing guitars that dominated the previous record, and the album is largely unaggressive in its presentation. This actually works quite to the strengths of Gallup and Tolhurst-- with the guitars and keyboards assuming a passive role, the bass is as aggressively voiced and Tolhurst's somewhat limited and minimalist technique match the music beautifully.

In fact, its a dark, funereal tone that drives the majority of this material, songs like "Holy Hour", "All Cats are Grey" and the bizarrely uplifting "The Funeral Party" don't rise in aggression above a sort of dark hazy swell, and even somewhat more aggressive pieces like the fantastic "Primary" and the title track maintain a despondent tone and a sort of hushed feel. The result is largely an album of delicate, fragile beauty, where the rare extroverted moments (the positively jangly "Doubt" and the much more aggressive "The Drowning Man") are somewhat shocking and almost out of place.

For this reissue, the remastering has, if anything added to the album a great deal-- while the record deals in hushed tones and quiet synths, there's no sense of fuzziness throughout the album courtesy of the crisp remastered sound. Again, the liner notes detail the creation of the album (in rather candid tone at that), and the reissue is filled with extra material-- the dark and bubbling (and seemingly endless at 27+ minutes) "Carnage Visors" and the great single "Charlotte Sometimes" are the gems this time around, with again a number of great live takes on material from the album and a series of demos that are interesting but ultimately unfulfilling on their own.

"Faith" is in many ways the musical equivalent of its cover-- a sort of grey album. It has a number of powerful moments, and while it can be a bit overwhelming due to its endlessly dark quality, it is a fine album. Recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

Sounds better than before April 28, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

**This review reflects the Pornography and Seventeen Seconds re-releases as well, but mostly discusses Faith** Classic Cure remastered. Awesome. The middle of the three of their most morose works, Faith, is definitley their peak. The state of the band at this time influenced this record and especially Pornography, and thank goodness for it. The bass is thumping louder and the drums have more life to them. You have to hear it to know what I mean. Carnage Visors is the ultimate treat on this remaster. Its a 30+ minute soundtrack that The Cure did to an eerie student film of the same name that they played before shows to get the crowd in the right(or wrong) mood for what lied ahead. It has a brooding, menacing sound to it; It climax's towards the end too, starting off slowly with metallic guitars, thundering bass and macabre synths until ultimatley everything grow louder and more intense. A must hear for any Cure fan who loves the Faith album(or any of them). Even if you have the original album it is worth it to get this, there is a BIG difference in sound. The best part is that the new mastering doesnt hinder the music. It actually makes it better to listen to. The bonus songs truly are hit and miss, mostly quality-wise. The good studio songs that are on here for the first time are excellent. It's just too bad their are no vocals...for any of them...on any of the three recent remasters. But they are still good. The live stuff is so-so...quality is pretty sour and the "home demos" are about the same quality as the live stuff so ya know. This goes for Seventeen Seconds and Pornography(which has the best new sound!). These albums managed to pack an emotional punch when they were first released, and they still do the same thing to this day. The lyrics on Faith create a vision of desolation and despair, and the music guides these visions into your very heart. You can call it goth. I call it soothing. This album along with Pornography and Seventeen Seconds all have the same eerieness; The same chilling edge that makes these albums so timeless...and classic. They literally self-destructed for a short while during this time period, and these albums reflect the emotional tailspins and debauchery shown in Robert Smith's lyrics. Just read the lyrics to Doubt and you'll see what I mean. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. A great buy even if you have to shell out a lil' cash for it. Special note: All Cats Are Grey is somehow twice as intoxicating now...

3 out of 5 stars

Questioning the new "Faith" January 6, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Although heavy in topic the music of FAITH is marked with a sad beauty. Icy synth sounds feature heavily throughout and, combined with the machine-like pulse of Lol Tolhurst's drum kit, gives the music a fragile feel. Echo and reverb are treated on instruments and voices alike that linger over the music of FAITH like a heavy fog.

"All Cats Are Grey" is lyrically sparse, yet conveys greater emotion through it's lengthy instrumental passages. The superb "Other Voices" has a great bass riff (courtesy of Simon Gallup) and opens with one of Robert Smith's memorable anguished howls. Two of FAITH's songs disrupt the dark tranquility of the album with surprising jolts (one being the propulsive tempo of "A Primary" and the other the jarringly violent "Doubt"). "The Holy Hour" and "Faith" are also standouts.

FAITH is a four-star recording, but the latest repackaging of this fine album adds a bonus disc of largely forgettable material, and for this I feel I must subtract a star from the overall rating. Because B-side material from the Cure's singles was relegated to the Join the Dots box set, that leaves out-takes (mostly uninteresting instrumentals), demo material (murkily recorded, skeletal versions of FAITH tracks), and live performances to fill the bonus CD. Still, there are a few treasures to be found here. The early version of "A Primary" that is revealed here is practically a new song in itself. The A-Side single "Charlotte Sometimes" is awkwardly tacked on at the very end, but is a welcome addition nonetheless. And immerse yourself in the extended live version of "Faith" if you want the lingering feeling of gloom to last a little longer.

If the bonus disc did not add to the sticker price of the final product then I wouldn't raise much fuss. I have nothing but praise for the Rhino label and the packaging for the Cure reissues is very impressive (lyrics, liner notes, and lots of photos including Robert Smith entering his trademark wild-hair and make-up persona). This reissue nicely summarizes the look and sound of this early period in the Cure's history. More surprises were yet to come.

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