Miles Davis: Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants (1959)

Obviously, I do not have the original pressing from 1959. I think you would have to put out nearly $100 to get a copy in great condition. I have a small collection of Miles Davis, but it is all on CD. This compact collection includes Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, Bitches Brew, etc. My copy of this LP is a US repressing from 2015 on Prestige.

I'm not one of those major jazz fans, but my CD collection does have a few other notable releases, from people like Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, and John Coltrane. Nevertheless, I really enjoy jazz, just not smooth jazz so much.

Personelle appearing on this record are Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Thelonious Monk, Percy Heath, and  Kenny Clarke. I read that this is the only time that Monk and Davis recorded together. I'm not qualified to review jazz in any meaningful way, but I do enjoy this recording.

Terence Trent D'Arby: Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby (1987)

Until I consulted Wikipedia, I had no idea that this dude changed his name to Sananda Francesco Maitrey, and that his birth name was Terence Trent Howard. I've learned something today. But, isn't Prince the best example of why you should never change your name, even if it's to another name rather than a symbol?

I will admit that I like the song Wishing Well. Sadly, most of the other tracks on this record do nothing for me, apart from Sign Your Name. In other words, this is no where as good as Sgt Pepper. (I shouldn't have to explain that to hardcore fans).

Danny Wilson: Meet Danny WIlson (1987)

I'm really not a fan of Danny Wilson, even though I am part Scottish. I know very little about this band. There's nothing particularly offensive about this record but there's really nothing to love either. It's mellow, somewhat mediocre, and rather ho hum. I can't recall the last time I listened to it.

Roger Daltrey: Under a Raging Moon (1985)

The title track from this record is interesting because it features a fleet of drummers: Carl Palmer, Cozy Powell, Mark Brzezicki, Martin Chambers, Roger Taylor, Stewart Copeland, and Zak Starkey. I think that this song is fine and parts of the record are OK too. But, overall, I can't get too excited about any Daltrey solo stuff that I have heard. Oh, and the Moon is the album and song title refers to Keith Moon.

Roger Daltrey: After the Fire (1985)

I always felt that After The Fire was the best track from Under a Raging Moon, and now I just realized, for the first time, that the track was written by Pete Townshend. I think someone gave me this 12" single, though I am not sure.

Update: I have removed this record from my collection.

Roger Daltrey: Parting Should be Painless (1984)

I agree with Allmusic's assessment of this record: "...for the most part, it consists of mediocre material indifferently sung." [source].

Roger Daltrey: The Best Bits (1982)

This record collects the so-called Best Bits from Daltrey's solo career from 1973-1980. I suppose you either love his solo records or you don't. I picked up my Daltrey records on the cheap, in dollar bins and lawn sales, in the hopes that there would be something of the Who in them, but there really isn't.

Frankly, I find this video to be a bit bizarre.

Roger Daltrey: One of the Boys (1977)

If I had to choose the better Who side projects and solo albums, I would stick with Pete Townshend's solo records. Part of this feeling might come from the fact that Daltrey is a vocalist and Townshend is a singer/songwriter. One of the Boys is an adequate rock album, but it is nowhere as good as Townshend or The Who.

Dalis Car: The Judgement is the Mirror b/w High Places (1984)

This 12" single for The Judgement is the Mirror comes with a 23" x 23" poster. I used to hang some posters on the walls of my old bedroom, but I was always very protective of the posters that came with records. I stored all of the posters in the record sleeves. I never even unfolded the poster that came with Dark Side of the Moon. The stickers are still in the sleeve too.

Side B contains a curious piece of music--High Places--that I like very much.

Dalis Car: The Waking Hour (1984)

I lament the passing of the apostrophe. Is it so hard to write Dali's Car? They took the band's name from a song on a Captain Beefheart record--entitled Dali's Car--and failed to copy the apostrophe. For some reason, I find this really irritating.

For those of you who don't know, Dali's car is half Peter Murphy, from Bauhaus, and half Mick Karn, from Japan (more on that band later). The group only recorded one record, and it's not bad. In 2011, before Mick Karn passed away (at the young age of 52), a new EP was released, but I have never heard it.

The Cure: Torn Down Mixed Up Extras 2018 (2018)

I made the risky decision to avoid the picture disc of this release and hope that a black vinyl edition would be released, and it was. As it turns out, the picture discs are still easily obtainable, but I have heard issues about the quality. And, generally, I prefer black viny.

As a Cure fan, I will more or less buy everything the band releases. I am missing a few items, but I have a solid collection. I have only had a chance to listen to this once all of the way through, so I can't really comment on the mixes. I liked Mixed Up very much, so I will probably come to love this as much.

The Cure: Acoustic Hits (2001)

Acoustic Hits was originally released in 2001 as the second CD of the double CD version of Greatest Hits. In 2017, a remastered version was released on picture discs for Record Store Day, and then shortly after that on black 180 gram vinyl. I didn't buy the RSD picture discs for the same reasons I mentioned for the Greatest Hits collection.

When I bought this record, very recently, the guy at the counter of my local record store told me that a customer tried to return it because it "wasn't acoustic enough." I'm not sure what he had in mind, but I gather it was something like Robert Smith depressively strumming his acoustic guitar all alone in a darkened room. That is not what this record is. It's very upbeat, in fact, and very faithful to the originals. I think this is a brilliant record, and I would award it 10/10.

As I wrote with respect to Greatest Hits: "Buying new vinyl can be a challenge, mostly because of limited supply and crazy prices. Many stores sold out of this re-release immediately. I looked around before I bought it, passing on the first one I saw at $44.99 (which was the same price as Amazon.ca). I then left behind the copy I saw for $39.99, and finally decided I couldn't do better than the $34.99 that I eventually paid."

The Cure: Greatest Hits (2001)

Greatest Hits was released in 2001 on CD in a single or double CD configuration, with disc two being Acoustic Hits. In 2017, a remastered version was released on picture discs for Record Store Day, and then shortly after that on black 180 gram vinyl. I didn't buy the RSD picture disc for three reasons:

1) I have never been to a record store on Record Store Day;
2) I am not a huge fan of picture discs (though I have a few in my collection);
3) I have found some RSD releases after the fact, but this one was gone early, by all accounts (and I would have waited for the black vinyl anyway).

This collection is a very good overview of The Cure. It excludes some of the earlier, darker Cure material to make room for the later stuff, but it does a reasonable job at collecting the band's music. 

Buying new vinyl can be a challenge, mostly because of limited supply and crazy prices. Many stores sold out of this re-release immediately. I looked around before I bought it, passing on the first one I saw at $44.99 (which was the same price as Amazon.ca). I then left behind the copy I saw for $39.99, and finally decided I couldn't do better than the $34.99 that I eventually paid.

The Cure: Early BBC Sessions 1979-1985 (2011)

This double LP set was released in several colour configurations: grey and teal marble, grey and orange marble, purple marble, olive and blue or teal marble, and black. My copy is grey and what I would call red marble. This is an unofficial release, otherwise known as a bootleg. One always has high hopes that the sound quality will be outstanding on bootlegs, only to be disappointed. The exceptions are radio broadcasts, but some of those have been buggered by the bootleggers. I would describe the sound on this record as good, but not great. In other words, I was disappointed. Also, as usual for bootlegs, there are mistakes on the song titles. Can't they hire a fan to go over the track listing to make sure it is correct?

On the other hand, the record captures some early and interesting Cure. If you are a big fan, you should have this.

The Cure: 4:13 Dream (2008)

I have CD copies of the next few Cure releases, like Wish, Paris, Show, Galore, Wild Mood Swings, etc., some of which were released on vinyl, and are now priced well out-of-range for me. But, I do have the thirteenth album, 4:13 Dream, on vinyl. Generally speaking, I think this is a good record, and any Cure fan would want a copy. I am not sure that the band will ever release anything as good as Disintegration, ever again, but that's OK. Here's a live version of Underneath the Stars.

The Cure: High (1992)

The packaging of this disc is a bit misleading. A casual glance would suggest that the record is a picture disc with graphics from the Wish album embedded in the vinyl. However, the disc is clear vinyl. The image is printed on the insert which shows through the record.

This is a limited, numbered edition from the UK. Again, I wish I knew how many were pressed. It contains two interesting mixes. I've always thought that Open was the best track on Wish, and it sounds great in this remix.

Contents:

High (Trip Mix)
Open (Fix Mix)

The Cure: High (1992)

This UK 12" 45RPM single contains three tracks:

High (Higher Mix)
This Twilight Garden
Play

The Higher Mix of High is pretty cool.

The Cure: Never Enough (1990)

This 12" UK 45 RPM single contains three tracks: Never Enough (Big Mix), Harold And Joe, and
Lets Go To Bed (Milk Mix).

The Cure: Lovesong (1989)

This 12" is a US pressing, containing two versions of Lovesong as well as 2 Late, and the really cool Fear of Ghosts.

The Cure: Pictures of You b/w Prayers For Rain (Live) & Disintegration (Live) (1990)

The live cuts on side B (Prayers For Rain and Disintegration) were recorded live in July 1989 at Wembley Stadium. The A side is the "Strange Remix" of Pictures of You. Again, I wish there was a way to know how many copies of a particular record were pressed. This copy is from the UK. It doesn't seem like any copies were pressed in Canada.

The Cure: Mixed Up (1990)

Mixed Up is a piece of vinyl you don't see very often. In fact, since the time I bought my copy, I have never seen another one. This is a double LP of remixed tunes from previous 12" singles, some newly remixed stuff, some with new vocals, and one new tune, Never Enough. I have always been a little apprehensive about remixes, because most times, they suck, though I still buy 12" singles which often feature remixes. Some longtime Cure fans might have been dismayed by the dance-like approach to most tracks, but if you are a hardcore Cure fan, you will want this anyway.

The Cure: Lullaby (1989)

This is a 12" UK pressing of an extended mix of Lullaby, which originally appeared on Disintegration. 

Side A:
Lullaby (Extended Remix)

Side B:
Babble
Out of my Mind

The Cure: Fascination Street (1989)

This is a Canadian pressing of Fascination Street (extended remix), the first single from Disintegration. The other two tracks are Babble and Out of Mind.

The Cure: Entreat (1990)

Entreat is a live recording of eight tracks from Disintegration, recorded at Wembley Arena on July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 1989.

From Allmusic:

"Essentially a Cure live album, recorded at Wembley Stadium in 1989. All of the cuts compiled here were distributed through a series of Cure CD singles alongside extended remixes and other B-sides. The performance is noisily energetic, with quirky moments. Entreat was released only as a promotional item, and is fairly difficult to find." [source]

The last sentence is incorrect. By the end of 1990, there was a commercial release, like my UK pressing. And, in 2010, an expanded version was released that includes the entire concert. It would be nice to have.

The Cure: Disintegration (1989)

Some people would argue that Disintegration is the Cure's best album. Even though I prefer the first four albums, it's difficult to disagree. The Cure's eighth studio album is an amazing record. My copy is a West German import.

The Cure: Why Can't I Be You b/w A Japanese Dream (1987)

This is a good song and the flip-side is OK too. This is a Canadian 12" single.

The Cure: Hot Hot Hot!!! (Extended Mix) b/w Hot Hot Hot!!! (Remix) & Hey You!!! (Extended Mix) (1988)

This is UK 12" single. I have it just because.

The Cure: Just Like Heaven (1987)

I have the Canadian 45RPM 12" single which includes the Bob Clearmountain remix of the titular track, plus Breathe and A Chain of Flowers. There is a copy of the exact pressing for sale on discogs for $32.91, which is insane, even considering the fact that the copy for sale is still sealed. This is the official video for the album version:

The Cure: Catch (1987)

Catch, released in 1987, contains four tracks. Side A: Catch, Breathe; Side B: Kyoto Song (Live), and A Night Like This (Live). The two live tracks on side B were taken from the film, The Cure in Orange, which is a live video recording of the band at the Théâtre antique d'Orange in Orange, Vaucluse, France, in August of 1986. This is a UK pressing.

The Cure: Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987)

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me is one of those records that reminds me of a very specific time and place. Although I think that there are far better Cure records, I am very fond of this one because of that reason. The fact that this record came out in 1987 makes me feel very old. My copy is a West German import.

The Cure: Boys Don't Cry (New Voice Club Mix) (1986)

The title really says all you need to know. I don't mind this mix, but I prefer the original. The flipside of this UK 12" contains Pillbox Tales and Do The Hansa.

The Cure: Standing on a Beach - The Singles (1986)

I also own the CD counterpart of this release, renamed Staring at the Sea, which contains a few extra tracks. It's a really good intro to The Cure. It covers the early darker tracks, up to The Hanging Garden, on side A, while side two commences with Let's Go to Bed, and runs though the Cure's later semi-commercial hits. I used to like side two better, but these days, I prefer side one.

The Cure - In Between Days (1985)

This UK 12" single contains three tracks:

In Between Days
The Exploding Boy
A Few Hours After This

It comes in a rather boring plain black sleeve.

The Cure: In Between Days b/w The Exploding Boy (1985)

If I see any reasonably-priced 12" singles from The Cure, I pick them up, though I haven't seen any reasonably-priced Cure 12" singles for years. For some reason, Cure vinyl is very pricey. But, here is one from my collection. The flip side is quite good too.