For example: 10:15 Saturday Night, Plastic Passion, Just One Kiss, The Dream, The Upstairs Room, Lament, and Speak My Language have all been available for years in America on such albums as Japanese Whispers and Boys Don't Cry. While stuff like Curiosity, Carnage Visors, and the club mix of the Boys Don't Cry single were only briefly available in America (generally on cassette) and at stiff import prices. Maybe these gems will appear as bonus tracks on the forthcoming reissues, but it's an expensive hassle to rebuy albums you've had and played for years just for a handful of otherwise ungettable tunes that could easily have been included here. So much exquisite care went into the liner notes and packaging of this four-disc set that it might have been worth the extra time to prepare a US version to satisfy Cure completists on this side of the pond.

I also think there are some rare but useless songs on this compilation that again just fill space. Do we really need multiple versions of mediocre covers like Hello I Love You and Purple Haze? And the remixes are almost all inferior to the originals.

My complaints are kinda nit-picky, but since only hardcore fans will likely purchase this box set, buyers should probably be aware of them.

In sum, Join The Dots is a highly enjoyable release that needlessly falls just short of perfection.


Lesser known facts....   January 29, 2004
 40 out of 44 found this review helpful

Being a fan of the Cure since I first heard the Concert and Curiousity cassette in late 1984, I have always searched out the more difficult to find material, B-sides, concert bootlegs, etc. If, like me, you like that sort of thing, you won't want to miss "Join the Dots." And don't get me wrong, no one I know loves this band as much as I do. So first the good news: It is a treasure trove of rare tracks. And as other reviewers have noted, the sound is greatly improved on the earlier B-sides that were put on the cassette version of Standing on a Beach back in 1986, especially "I'm Cold" one of my personal favorites. And now the bad : Their are several B-sides here that are readily available ( the Japanese Whispers set for starters ) and a few live B-sides I was hoping for that are not ( the incredible "Faith" from the Charlotte Sometimes 12" single, and the cuts from the UK multi pack of the "Hanging Garden"). Maybe those will be included in next year's set of re-releases. I dock this one point for the covers included. The Cure have never been a covers band in my opinion. I have heard them tackle Hendrix before ( "Foxy Lady" on the "Three Imaginary Boys " cd, which Robert Smith either didn't want to, or just couldn't bring himself to sing, as that vocal was done by then bassist Michael Dempsey )and wasn't too impressed. The covers I found here are ill-conceived and poorly excecuted. Most especially the anemic version of Bowie's Young Americans. I shuddered when I first heard it, and skip it when it comes on my cd player. In fact I will more than likely burn the 4 disc set down to my favorite tracks, which will fill maybe 3 discs, and keep the originals in a safe place. One last note, the book that comes with "Join the Dots" actually makes me re think my 4 star rating, and give it 4 1/2 stars. It is invaluable for the Cure fan. Thanks for taking the time to read my review. J


A Treasure for Cure Completists   March 4, 2004
 23 out of 27 found this review helpful

If you are not a big Cure fan then go away. This is not for you. If you are keep reading.

It's great to finally have all of those wonderful B-sides and rarities in 1 place. And it's about time those great songs from the b-side of the 'Staring at the Sea' tape got remastered (wasn't that outtake collection called 'Standing on a Beach'). You'll also get lots of remixes and covers. Having 3 versions of The Doors' cover "Hello I Love You" seems excessive but I'd rather have more than less - wouldn't you? They also have the Bowie cover "Young Americans". Wondering why they didn't include Hendrix' "Foxy Lady" though. Do you realize The Cure has done 3 Hendrix covers (Hey Joe, Foxy Lady and Purple Haze)?

The most pleasant surprise was the inclusion of the painfully hard-to-find "To the Sky" from the b-side of the 'Concert' live tape release. The biggest disappointment is the non-inclusion of the excellent "Forever" from that same release. Why o' why can they not release this on CD?! And I'll bet you that it doesn't find it's way onto any of the upcoming studio remasters because it wasn't a b-side from any particular release. Also missing are "Carnage Visors" and "Curiousity". Still the collection is nearly complete and long overdue.

The packaging is very nicely done. It looks like a long, thin hardcover book (I didn't just say long, thin and hard did I?) and includes loads of color photos spanning the band's history. Also includes a narrative history that I plan to read soon.

OK now, less reading... more buying.


Finally!   February 9, 2004
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

If you were a diehard fan of the Cure and wanted to listen to their b-sides and rare tracks, you had mainly two options: listen to the original vinyl/CD single or grab the "Standing on a Beach" cassette, which had a bonus selection of early b-side cuts. "Join the Dots" now makes things easier for the fan who's got to own every hard-to-find release by the Cure. On 4 CDs, the band covers their 23-year discography of rarities, and all the tracks are digitally remastered under the supervision of Robert Smith. The first disc is a virtual trip down memory lane and it's easily the best, featuring songs that trace back to the Cure's punk roots. Notable gems are "I'm Cold," "Another Journey by Train," the orchestral "A Few Hours After This," and "Throw Your Foot." The second disc covers 1987-92, and by this point, the band found a mainstream audience in America. Its twin peaks are the poppy "2 Late" and the dark and atmospheric "Fear of Ghosts," which stands as good a track as anything off their 1989 album "Disintegration." Another highlight is a respectable cover of the Doors' "Hello, I Love You," and three versions of this song are found. Disc 3 covers 1992-1996, with some good tracks ("Play" and "This Twilight Garden") and some notable misfires, such as a cover of Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and a not-bad-but-pointless cover of Bowie's "Young Americans." The fourth disc, which covers 1996-01 finds the group experimenting with electronica with varying degrees of success. It's not a bad disc, and much of the stuff on here is good, but it's my least favorite among the four. Tracks that make it worth the trip are the Palmer remix of "This is a Lie," the Oakenford remix of the "Bloodflowers" cut "Out of this World," an acoustic version of "Signal to Noise," and the beautiful "More Than This" (which, by the way, is NOT a cover of the Roxy Music classic). All in all, "Join the Dots" is a no-questions-asked must buy for Cure diehards like myself, but first-timers who are green to the band should start with their studio albums first. For those who have been longing to get these tracks on CD, this is more than a box set. It's also an answered prayer.


Finally on CD!! But...   May 4, 2004
 11 out of 31 found this review helpful

Five stars:
It's good to see a non-bootleg CD with remasters of all the fantastic B-sides from the 1986 cassette-only version of Standing On a Beach. I have waited a long, long time for this (and I still wait patiently for the original Star Wars on DVD).

But...

Minus 1 star:
They really should have released a separate disc with ONLY the Standing On a Beach B-sides about ten years ago. I would pay good money for disc 1 in this set, which is basically the equivalent. I would also shuck out for disc 2, but...

Minus another star:
What I definitely don't want to pay for is all the cheesy discharge that came out after 1990. I dearly love The Cure, but admit it, people. Everything from Wish onward is crap. It's time for the old boys to retire. Discs 3 and 4 are coasters.

Minus another freakin' star:
...oh yeah, and where the hell is Carnage Visors?!! Another cassette only track. I lost my copy that I was planning on burning to CD. Oh well, I'm sure someone will put it up on BearShare.

I suppose that makes 2 stars. Sorry, Bob.