Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits (Bonus Disc)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yes, as posted here by many others, this is not a really strong representation of The Cure. It completely zaps a few important songs that WERE hits, like "Pictures of You" and "Hot Hot Hot," and hardly scratches the surface of the pre-MTV era Cure. If you need those songs, get "Staring At The Sea" and "Galore" as a twofer.

On the other hand, if you're a Cure buff, the bonus disc is a treat. All 18 songs from the "Hits" disc, played out acoustically and live in studio. The band sounds loose and chipper, obviously having a jolly good time with songs they've done to death. I'd have bought THAT as a single disc without any complaints! So just consider the live CD the main attraction and the studio "A" disc as the bonus. You'll like "Greatest Hits" a lot more that way.

Some of the above mentioned comments might be said to apply to this album--its not the greatest of compilations,but as said before, how can you chronicle the career of a band as diverse and prolific as the Cure on just one disc?

But for the bonus disc, this album is worth its price for new and old Cure fans alike...and I totally disagree that the acoustic disc is not interesting...its great and it pushes the beautiful lyrics up to the front just a bit...plus BOTH of the new songs are awesome and "Say Yes" has some great lyrics which someone in the position I have recently been in could instantly identify with.

The beauty of the Cure, of Robert's voice, his lyrics, and their amazing guitar work is all here, and if its missing such tracks as pictures of you, fascination street, etc, I would add that I already own three cd's, all of which have the above-mentioned, so its not like its hard to find those songs on other discs.

And sadly, this is not a perfect world, so you can't expect to find your favorite b-sides on a greatest hits package. I would like to see songs like "Burn" (one of the most haunting Cure songs ever!) collected on one disc, too, but in the meantime I'll pop the acoustic disc in and wallow in bliss somewhere south of heaven. Just steer clear of the version of this cd that does not have the acoustic disc--do yourself a favor and get the limited edition version!

Robert Smith all the way to back in the day! This CD really takes me back to the good ole Cure days. And on top of that, a bonus CD with the same stuff live and unplugged! The new songs are absolutely fabulous. It's good to know that Fat Bob is still singing those tunes and hitting those high notes. Bottom line: if you are a die hard Cure fan, this album is a must must MUST for your collection. Solid Gold!

I really like the bonus unplugged CD. The band seems to have a lot of fun playing the music and the songs really stand on their own once stripped of the synth and production. Made me appreciate the Cure in a brand new way.

Plain and simple this is the "pop" side of the Cure, hence the title "greatest hits". Fans of the "goth" Cure may want to look elsewhere. The 2 new songs are ok, but nothing to get excited about. As mentioned in other reviews, nothing from the Bloodflowers album. That did have one hit, didn't it? I was one of many (and probably most) that got this for the "acoustic" disc. Im glad I did, and though its cool to hear a different version of these songs, its not quite what I was hoping for. Bob's voice is a bit loud, and some of the songs border on annoying, especially when attempting to listen to the entire disc. The best bet for any newcomers, or anyone, would be the 2 previous collections. Those will give you alot more songs, many that are missing here, and more than just "hits". Everyone who's really interested should have more than one disc by this amazing band anyway.

okay all you cynical cure fans that think this is a money maker (can you blame them???), waste of time, etc. would you please just relax and enjoy the acoustic disc???? you have to admit it is fun to listen to, even if it just for the part in Close to Me where Bob says, "We couldn't get anyone to play trumpet." makes me giggle insanely each time. yeah, so they're making some money. so what??? yeah, so they could have put some more energy into some of the acoustic versions, but i say the more cure stuff for my collection, the better. and i am looking forward to another b sides adventure. go listen to the acoustic disc again. and try to smile this time!!!!!

I can imagine this being said (perhaps by members of The Cure, or more likely the managers) immediately before this album was conceived. Don't get me wrong, I love this band and everything they've done.

Another compilation album... but nobody needs to read a review of that, they want to know if the bonus disc is any good, right? Well, I can't say it did anything for me. At all. I actually couldn't listen to some of the acoustic songs all the way through, I got the strong feeling that they were all knocked off in a single day at the studio. Every song starts with the same drumstick timing, and only a couple of the songs try (and fail) to create any atmosphere. Very short and infrequent glimmers of passion on the acoustic disc from Robert.

The new songs are good - probably the floor cuttings from the recording they're doing for their 'real' post-Elektra album :) I think the only thing you should expect from this album is for it to fill the space between Bloodflowers and whatever Robert has planned for us next, and it barely accomplishes that. The flip case on mine is a bit uncooperative - it's gotten stuck shut, trapping the acoustic disc within. Is the CD case trying to protect me, or perhaps apologize to me? Either way, I think I'll leave it there - I was hoping for MTV Unplugged, but got soulless contract fulfillment instead. No real harm done, I'll still buy your next disc guys :)

I have only recently gotten into the Cure, but they have quickly become one of my favorite bands. Their sound is unique and instantly appealing. That having been said, this album is NOT their best work. As a compilation, it is incomplete, tossing out some of their best songs for some irritating ones. The objective was to make a road map of the Cure's developement, but were songs like "the Walk" and "Never Enough" really that popular? As an album, it is too dissconnected. the songs don't fit together, and don't flow at all.

The accoustic disc is dissappointing, as well. The performances are drab and emotionless, like Robert and the band were too tired to care. The production and arrangements are boring and uninspired. There are much better live albums out there.

If you are looking for a primer to the Cure's mountain of work, this is your album. Otherwise, don't bother. "Cut Here", one of the new songs on this album, is great, but the rest is terribly sub-par.

This is the best the cure album ever. It collects its best songs, and includes the spectacular unplugged versions. All the cure's fans should have it

Wow. Even though I already own every Cure album and have all the songs on the Greatest Hits, I had to buy this for the Acoustics version. I thought it was going to be alright, but I was afraid the songs would lose their trademark Cure sound. Despite my reservations, I bought the album because I'm obsessed and have to have everything. Boy am I glad I did! This is one, if not the best, Cure purchases I have made. The acoustic versions, bring new life and sound to the classics. They sound so much more natural and pure. Even if you are not a die hard Cure fan, I strongly recommend this as a first buy.