Favorite Albums: 112 - 111

112. Mixed Up by The Cure (1990)

This was basically a filler album, killing time between Disintegration and Wish. It is just remixes of ten songs, plus one new song, "Never Enough." Four of the remixes are from Disintegration ("Lullaby" "Pictures Of You" "Lovesong" and "Fascination Street") and none of the four are that ambitious, compared to the rest of the songs. They are basically just extended versions, no major changes. "Pictures Of You" gets a new funky beat, "Lullaby" just gets a bit repetitive, and "Lovesong" nearly becomes an instrumental. "Fascination Street" is the most radically reworked of the four, and is actually a bit more interesting on Mixed Up than on Disintegration. The real value of this album comes in the reworking of the older material. "Close To Me (Closer Mix)" is the first of the older songs to appear, and while it isn't significantly different from the original version, the new drums added in, as well as the addition of a horn section, give it a much different feel than the original. "The Walk (Everything Mix)" is almost a disco song, with a little bit of attitude thrown in. "A Forest (Tree Mix)" has some extra bits thrown in that make it pretty fun and interesting, extra keyboards and drums and such. "Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix)" Doesn't change much from the original either, just gets some longer instrumental sections added and, again, new drum parts. "The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)" is amazing, easily the best song on the album. The original was very peppy and up beat (see the last post for a live version.) The "Flicker Mix" is completely different, extremely slow and somber. The lyrics are exactly the same, but they completely change tone and feeling between the two versions. "In Between Days (Shiver Mix)" becomes almost unrecognizable from the original. The original version was one of the best pop songs The Cure ever recorded. The remix is a techno laced near instrumental that just begs to be danced to. "Never Enough" closes out the album, a nifty new song that has become a staple in The Cure's live shows. While this is definitely not a "must have" album, it is good for what it is. It also started a trend where every Cure single released for Wish and Wild Mood Swings ended up having remixes on them, some of which ("Just Like Heaven" and "Primary" especially) should have gone on this album.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Pictures Of You (Extended Dub Mix)"
4. "Close To Me (Closer Mix)"
3. "Never Enough (Big Mix)"
2. "A Forest (Tree Mix)"
1. "The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)"

"Never Enough (Big Mix)"


"A Forest (Tree Mix)"


"The Caterpillar (Flicker Mix)" (pretty quiet... turn it up)


111. Songs From the Big Chair by Tears For Fears (1985)

This was one of the first cassettes I ever bought, and I still have the original copy. My cousin had it when he was living with us, and when he moved out, I had to have it. Now, twenty some years later, I still have to have it. This is just a really great album, start to finish. It kicks off with "Shout," one of the great '80s anthems. "The Working Hour" follows, a beautiful saxophone driven tune. Next is "Everybody Wants To Rule the World," which you all know. "Mothers Talk" is next, and should have been a single as it is one of the best songs n the album. "I Believe" is the only song on the album that I don't care for. It's just a little too much, and really doesn't go well with the rest of the album. "Broken" is next, and is basically a two minute intro to "Head Over Heels." Both songs play off each other, and "Broken" is even reprised in a live version at the end of "Head Over Heels." The final song, "Listen," is just a nice mellow tune to kind of wrap everything up in a nice neat package. Unlike Mixed Up, this is a "must have" album. It is one of the signature albums of the '80s, and for good reason.
5 Best Songs:
5. "The Working Hour"
4. "Everybody Wants To Rule the World"
3. "Head Over Heels"
2. "Mothers Talk"
1. "Shout"

"Head Over Heels"


"Mothers Talk"


"Shout"