CURE "STANDING ON A BEACH" US FIRST PRESS A1/B1 SRC GATEFOLD w/ INNER A BEAUTY

$

81

THE CURE "STANDING ON A BEACH" US FIRST PRESS GATEFOLD w/ INNER SLEEVE  SRC ~ A1/B1  ~ A REAL BEAUTY!
THE CURE "STANDING ON A BEACH ~ THE SINGLES" LABEL: ELEKTRA – 60477-1, 9 60477-1 RELEASED: MAY 6, 1986 EDITION: US FIRST PRESSING  GATEFOLD w/ CUSTOM 'FISH" INNER SLEEVE ARTWORK/COVER DEISGN ~ PARCHED ART MASTERING: SPECIALTY RECORDS CORPORATION PRESSING: SPECIALTY RECORD COMPANY ~ SRC LOGO BOTH SIDES w/ 'E A S T' EMBOSSED LABEL ON B-SIDE MATRIX (SIDE A): STE-60477A-1 "ALL OF THIS" /-/ SM1-1 (SRC LOGO) MATRIX (SIDE B): ST-E-60477B-1 /-/ "AND BACK AGAIN" (SRC LOGO)
CONDITION:  VINYL EX- to EX   JACKET:  EX- to Ex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection recently and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 40 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this fantastic, clean copy of the US First Pressing of The Cure's great singles compilation, "Standing on a Beach" from 1986.
A very nice, clean, crisp copy I purchased 'new' in the summer of 1986.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the original US Elektra 1986 first pressing, with the Gatefold, showing all of the Cure's singles laying in the sand on a beach and the great, iconic cover featuring a Hemingway-ish 'Old Man and the Sea'. John Button was a local retired English fisherman who was just at the right place at the right time, and was willing to help out the young band. He also appeared in their music video for “Killing an Arab.” 
The cover art was designed by 'Parched Art' a collective run by artists Porl Thompson and Andy Vella, who designed many of the Cure's album jackets.
This album also has the original black custom inner sleeve with the fish on one side and the song selections on the other.
The album gets its name from the lyrics to the opening track, the poorly understood and misinterpreted, Albert Camus inspired, 'Killing an Arab,' their first debut single.
'Arab' was a political hot-potato in the early days. It was purposely left off some early pressings and purposely included on others. The original hype sticker on the shrink of this album tried to explain that 'Arab' wasn't a racist hate song like many thought, it was a nod to Camus' novel 'The Stranger'
Unfortunately, this beautiful copy of the album does NOT have either of the original hype stickers, but is otherwise crisp & clean.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When this album was released in May 1986, the Cure were getting ready for a huge World Tour and working on their latest album, 'The Head on the Door' which was a little less dark and Goth than previous releases. They were shifting towards a more pop-oriented sound that would make their career explode. 
Although they went on to create much more great music, their late 70s and early 80s output, represented on this record, is truly magnificent in its own right.
This terrific album was the Cure's first, best, and still most popular compilation.
'Standing On A Beach' collects the first 13 singles from The Cure in chronological order. Absolute gems spanning their first eight years (1978-85). Timeless music that still sounds fresh and vibrant today.
This set traces The Cure's evolution from a rebellious energetic trio, through the early years of the band's Post-punk reinvention, to the more gloomy, yet romantic and psychedlic, sounds they were developing by the mid 80s.
The remarkable thing about The Cure is how excellent they were right from the start. From Robert Smith's young, energetic voice, to the small band's energy, verve and vitality. Early songs like 'Primary' and 'Train' were like nothing else in the UK at the time. Perfect little singles.
The Cure had released 6 albums by the time this compilation was released, but they were all slightly uneven affairs. The Cure could be catchy & edgy, tense & nervy, intellectual, moody and romantic; all on the same same album, sometimes all in a single song, but it was obvious that the Cure's finest moments occurred on their singles, many of which were non-LP tracks. 
This album, with all of the Cure's biggest hits and best-known songs from the late '70s and early '80s, is a perfect introduction to the early period of The Cure.
This album, when it was released in May 1986, was the definitive retrospective of the Cure. It has stood the test of time as one of the finest albums of the '80s. One of the best post-punk compilations ever released.
This album finishes of with their latest hit, 'Close to Me' which shows how the band was evolving and how Smith was changing and metamorphizing into the dark, gloomy but romantic, Pop star he would become on The Cure's late 80s masterpieces 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me' and 1989's masterwork 'Disintegration'.
To hear the best singles of their later, post 1986 years, I highly recommend the 'Galore' compilation album, or the rare 'bonus' disc from original pressings of the 'Greatest Hits' album. Perfect supplements to this album.
1986 was a time of experimentation as far as musical formats go. This album was released in six formats, with varying amounts of audio and visual content: vinyl record, compact disc, audio cassette, laser disc (US and Japan only), CD Video (China only) and VHD (Japan only).
As mentioned, this is the very first US pressing, A1/B1, vinyl record version from the summer of 1986.
The Cure was one of the best singles bands of 1970s and 80s. It's surprising just how many great, brilliant songs they had. The music really grips you. There really isn't a weak track on this album. Absolutely essential.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The 13 Singles compiled on this album and their sources (at the time) include:
"Killing an Arab"  Non-album single (1978) "Boys Don't Cry" Non-album single (1979) "Jumping Someone Else's Train" Non-album single (1979) "A Forest"  Seventeen Seconds (1980) "Primary"  Faith (1981) "Charlotte Sometimes" Non-album single (1981) "The Hanging Garden"  Pornography (1982) "Let's Go to Bed"  Non-album single (1982) "The Walk"  Non-album single (1983) "The Love Cats"  Non-album single (1983) "The Caterpillar" The Top (1984) "In Between Days" The Head on the Door (1985) "Close to Me"  The Head on the Door (1985)
~~~~ The songs are arranged chronologically, starting with the dark, ragged fury of their first single "Killing An Arab" and ending with the classic, lush Pop sensibilities of "Close to Me," which leaves you wanting to hear more....
In-between are many other classics.
The pulsating, energetic early singles "Jumping Someone Else's Train" and “Primary” sound great.
"A Forest," many fan's favorite song, is tense and creepy, drenched in reverb, and a dark post-punk classic. Unfortunately the very slow, moody beginning, which really sets up the song, is edited. The original long version from their 2nd LP is fantastic, hypnotic and addictive. My favorite Cure song.
The bright, catchy, upbeat early hit "Boys Don't Cry" is also fantastic.
The playful charms of "Let's Go to Bed, "In Between Days" and "Just Like Heaven" just jump out of the speakers.
"The Walk" has a unique vibe all it's own. It was The Cure's response to New Order's 1983 'Blue Monday' an electronic dance music classic.
"The Love Cats" was a popular radio hit and crossed several Genres, sounding upbeat, pop, and almost Jazzy.
This album also has the hauntingly beautiful "Charlotte Sometimes" which was very popular with Fans, but wasn't available on any of the band's albums at the time. Someone once said it sounds like the band is playing in a dark chamber, all dressed in black, and slowly melting as they play the song. Very Goth.
There are many other great songs, 13 in total, packed onto this album. Highly recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're still with me, here's
THE HISTORY OF 'THE CURE' UP TO 1986
The Cure was formed in 1976, a time when Punk Rock was trying to find it's footing, New Wave was still waiting for Punk to burn out, and Glam Rock was coming to an end, but somehow Robert Smith and the Cure took elements from all of these genres and blended it into a unique individual style and, many claim, created the 'Goth' sound.
By 1986, when this album was released, the Cure had been a band 10 years, and were a tight knit group. They already had six studio albums and more than a dozen singles to their credit.
~~~~ The Cure started out way back in 1976, during the roots of Punk in Southern England. They called themselves 'The Easy Cure' and the early line-up included Robert Smith (guitar & vocals), schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), and Lol Tolhurst (drums), plus a locally well known guitarist/artist Porl Thompson. 
Unlike many local bands who were 'cover' bands, The Cure began writing and demoing their own songs, playing London gigs and attracting a bunch of loyal fans.
By 1978 they were popular enough to trim their name to 'The Cure', dump Porl Thompson and tighten up their performances as a trio. They turned down several record offers, insisting on doing things their way, and eventually signed with the brand new 'Fiction' label run by Chris Parry.
Their first album, 1979's 'Three Imaginary Boys' burst onto the scene with the hit singles "Boys Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train."
For their next album, they changed their sound slightly, adding Matthieu Hartley on keyboards, and started exploring the darker side of Robert's song writing. In one of their best management decisions, they dropped bassist Michael Dempsey and replaced him with Simon Gallup.
Gallup was an amazing bass player and he fit the band perfectly. His style was more melodic, but still deep and heavy. He could keep the rhythm, darkness, and melody of the songs, freeing up Robert Smith to be more theatric and concentrate on his vocals.
He was a great lead guitarist, but on Bass guitar, like other classic British bass players Jack Bruce, Bill Wyman, and John Entwhistle before him. Not many bands on the scene at that time had a Lead Bass player. His sound really made the difference in The Cure's music.
Their next album 'Seventeen Seconds' defined their somewhat minimalist, deep, gothic style. The hit 'The Forest' is a classic and many fans favorite song. 
After a grueling World Tour, keyboardist Matthieu Hartley left the band and they were back to a trio. 
Several more albums and large tours followed. They released 'Faith' in 1981 and 'Pornography' in 1982. In-between albums, they released several great non-album singles including the very popular "Charlotte Sometimes"
By the end of 1982, The Cure was getting more into Robert Smith's ugly fascination with despair & decay and really pushing the limits. They held onto a large fanbase, but the public started to lose interest in the group. Simon Gallup also lost interest and quit, for the first time, at the end of 1982.
Robert then pulled himself together, changed direction a bit, and wrote the upbeat catchy single "Let's Go To Bed." It was a big hit and the video was also popular. The song somewhat saved the band from obscurity, getting them back on the charts.
The band now went into a more electronic, groove, dance direction releasing the hits "The Walk," "Lovecats," and the Psychedelic "The Caterpillar." 
The band expanded in order to take these more complex songs on the road. It was now a 5-piece outfit with Andy Anderson (drums), Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of their old mate Porl Thompson (guitar). The Band did a massive World Tour which was well received.
Simon Gallup liked the new direction and the new material and rejoined the band in 1985. The Cure had new blood, new drive and was writing great material. There was a real sense of 'something happening'... 
This great compilation 'Standing on a Beach' was released just before the 1986 tour, reminding older fans what a great singles band they were, and introducing newer fans to their fantastic rich history.
They also released the 2 great upbeat singles, "In Between Days," & "Close To Me," and started to put together 1985's 'The Head On The Door' album. They were at the peak of their skills as well as the peak of their popularity when they released this fantastic album. Great songs, great band and great attitude.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures. I purchased this copy 'new' in the Summer of 1986, over 35 years ago, at Tower in Greenwich Village, one of my 'regular' stops while digging in those days, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks great. Clean and Bright. I almost never call non-sealed vinyl Excellent, but this one is close. I'll say conservative EX-, no scuffs, scrapes or hairlines. Visually fine.
The Matrix is marked 'A1/B1' with all the first pressing indicators and the first pressing "All of this/and back again" etched into the runoff. Pressed by Specialty.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it looks. It's been in an old-school poly lined sleeve since I purchased it. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
LABELS: This is pressed on custom black labels. The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and careful handling.
JACKET: The Gatefold Jacket is in very nice condition. The all-white cover is notorious for showing dirt, scuffs and ringwear, but this has been sleeved and stored properly for years, and is still fantastic. Clean and bright. The corners are sharp and crisp. Spine is fine, no ring wear, no seam splits. You can see from my pictures it's quite nice.
The only 'flaw' is some mild wrinkling to the original inner sleeve and NO original hype stickers. I don't remember if it had them on the shrink.
This is a great record to add to any Cure or classic Rock collection. Original pressing A1/B1 copies don't turn up for sale often and it's a real gem.
Overall, a very nice crisp, clean, A1/B1 copy of this classic Cure First Pressing Grail from 1986. I'm sure you'll love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN