Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (3CD) [Box set, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

The Cure | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Rhino Records
• ASIN: B0030U1TLQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered and expanded deluxe three CD edition of the Alt-Rock band's 1989 dark tour de force containing the remastered original album, a disc of unreleased outtakes and demos, plus a third disc that contains a live performance of the entire album recorded in 1989 at Wembley Arena, London. This edition comes with a 20 page booklet containing previously unseen pictures and art, as well as lyrics and an in depth overview of the period by The Cure's founder Robert Smith. Robert Smith compiled, produced, and supervised the mastering of this three-disc collection, which covers the evolution of Disintegration, from demos and rehearsals to studio and stage.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are The Loudness Wars over for The Cure?, August 18, 2010

By 

Garry Foster (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (3CD) (Audio CD)

When The Cure's reissue campaign began in 2004, many fans were anxiously awaiting the release of the Disintegration deluxe edition. Due to the band's lengthy touring schedule and album recordings, the reissue series began to falter and some years passed without any word on future releases. Fortunately, Robert Smith announced late last year that the Disintegration project was underway and scheduled for release. Unlike previous Cure reissues, the Disintegration deluxe features an extra bonus disc which consists of live material from the 1989 Prayer tour. Entitled Entreat Plus, this new mix expands on the original Entreat album by capturing the four missing album tracks from the Wembley concert. After six long years and several release date postponements, the Disintegration deluxe has finally arrived.

The original album was remastered by Kevin Metcalfe with Robert Smith at The Soundmasters in London. Although this is Metcalfe's first mastering stint with the Cure, he has an exhaustive resume that spans many decades of mastering expertise. On the first few listens, the remastered album didn't sound dramatically different to the original 1989 CD release. Although it wasn't much louder than the original (which is a good thing), the murkiness of the recording was unfortunately still evident. It wasn't until I A/B'd the remaster to the original which ultimately exposed some noticeable differences. One of the most obvious improvements of the remaster is in the bass region. There's more bass impact in this remaster than any other Cure reissue I've heard. I even remember Robert mentioning in an old interview once on how they couldn't flood the original CD with bass due to some technological restrictions at the time. And although I echo another reviewer's comments that the bass can sometimes be overbearing, the only real problem with this is in Prayers for Rain -- which is a bassy song to begin with. Robert's vocals are not only higher in the mix but cleaner as well. The keyboards, as well as Boris Williams drums, are more pronounced and better defined. Stereo separation has been improved and the whole album sounds a bit cleaner; the entire thing just sounds more convincing.

While the rarities disc is probably best served for only the diehard fans of the band, it does contain several interesting instrumental demos and even some unreleased songs from the era. The only true worthy songs that require repeated listens are Esten, Delirious Night, and Robert's cover of Pirate Ships. The alternative version of the songs are quite different as well and I actually prefer the alt. version of Babble to the released b-side. The only real disappointment with the set is the bonus disc, Entreat Plus. It does not retain the same quality of the original Entreat album and has been mixed to sound identical to the 2009 live Cure sound more than anything. Seeing that Robert has mixed many high quality live albums in the past like the original Entreat and Paris, the new mix will disappoint many who already have high expectations. It does not capture the true sound of the 1989 Prayer tour and the dynamics are pretty lousy to boot.

Despite Entreat Plus's shortcomings, the Disintegration deluxe can be chalked up as a success due to the improvements in the original album. While the remastering is far from perfect, it offers an improvement over the original album and is sonically superior to anything the Cure has released since 2000. It may be a bit louder and bassier, but it's still listenable and enjoyable at louder volumes and in the year 2010 that's a hard feat to do (try playing 4:13 Dream loud in a decent setup, ouch!!!). Let's hope that the Mixed Up and Wish deluxe editions, as well as the future "Dark album", will soon see the light of day and are mastered with the same amount of care which Disintegration has received, albeit with even more headroom to spare.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cure - Disintegration, June 9, 2010

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (3CD) (Audio CD)

Disintegration is a landmark achievement in popular music. Frequently heralded as one of the best records of the 1980's and of the new wave/alternative movement, this newly remastered and expanded edition features the original album in new remastered form, mixed louder and with more punch, but at the cost of some dynamic range. As expected from a modern remaster, the overall levels have been increased, but not in an offensive way and the record doesn't suffer from the heinous clipping that some remaster jobs get. Guitars sparkle anew, vocals echo and soar, bass slinks, and drums boom and pop on the twelve original tracks, all of which are classics in their own right. I'll forgo discussing the album in and of itself, because anyone considering buying this already knows that Disintegration is must-own. If all you're looking for is a more modern sound, then you've come to the right place, but never one to skimp, Robert has put together a very solid 3 disc set for the 20th anniversary of the album. The additional discs feature a fleshed out version of the 1990 Entreat live album, including a live take of each of the tracks from Disintegration, in the album's sequential order. These live cuts show the Cure in very solid, if not stellar, form, and is a definite treat for fans. The other disc is a collection of rarities, demos, and unreleased tracks recorded during the Disintegration sessions. Truly one for the fans, this collection of cuts will not likely appeal to casual fans, but for someone interested in hearing the evolution of these songs and of the album as a whole, the rarities collection is an interesting historical piece. I just wouldn't expect it to spend a whole lot of time in your car's CD player in lieu of the album proper. Another excellent addition to the Cure remaster series, I just wish it hadn't taken so long for the album to get arrive. Here's hoping the rest of the planned remasters are a little more expedient in their release.

46 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The sound has been damaged, not improved, June 15, 2010

By 

S. Davies - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (3CD) (Audio CD)

It always grates on me when all a person has to do is see the word "remastered" and they immediately spew out the blind praise that it "sounds amazing". In most cases, that's a very incorrect statement. The two recent Duran Duran reissues are some of the worst I've heard, (and notice the difference between reviews of those CD's on Amazon's UK site compared to here). "Disintegration" is no exception in the world of bad remasters.

On the plus side, the CD had not been brickwalled and compressed to the point that the dynamics are squashed out. However, it's the re-equalizing that's been done that destroyed it for me. The bass has been WAY too enhanced. My headphones were distorting and thumping, and I've never heard these powerful headphone respond this way. "Plainsong" also displays very obvious distortion during the crashing sounds if you view the wave file in a program that displays a spectral view. After I listened to three songs from this lousy "remaster", I sold it on eBay and will stick to the original CD I purchased 21 years ago.

So all of you can praise this release for the supposed improved sound, but as a long time audiophile I can tell you that this CD had not been improved..., unless you consider distorted bass and increased volume an improvement.