Wish - 30th Anniversary Edition

Fans of The Cure will most likely have heard many of these rare instrumental demos and noodles on YouTube - sadly, most have been dramatically truncated to facilitate a 79-minute CD, which isn't too bad for some tracks like "Miss Van Gogh" which is basically a repeated guitar jangle, but it's hugely disappointing considering that the seven minute ice-cold luscious wash of gloom "T-7" (T for Teddy, Perry's nickname) is now just over two minutes long. Most of these rarities have been mixed down to a similar length, but I suppose your average punter will be oblivious. The four instrumental songs that comprise the mail-order only "Lost Wishes" cassette (four quid in 1995, all proceeds went to the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Trust, and reissued in 2022 in a lmited edition of 2,500 copies, just like the original) are featured here in full, which will please fans who couldn't get hold of the tape back in the day (or who weren't even born) and that's a big tick, they are excellent. Elsewhere, you can hear "End" recorded live at Le Zenith in Paris during the Wish tour (omitted from the live "Paris" release in 1993) which sounds epic, and some 12" mixes which were released on vinyl and CD maxi-single at the time, but were not featured on the original "Mixed Up" album or subsequent deluxe edition of "Mixed Up". Great to hear them again, as with the original album, sounding rather sparkly. We've all waited a very long time for this set, and it's great. Next up - looking forward to hearing the excellent demo for "Treasure" on the deluxe edition of "Wild Mood Swings" at some point before 2030.

Extra discs with different variations of the album plus rough tracks

30 year later, we finally get the mix that Robert wanted and is happy with. So am I, it sounds great.. wider and with more range. A real treat to your ears if you already love this album.

Not sure what I expected from this set when I preordered. I like the cure quite a lot particularly their darker work. ‘Wish’ is probably my 4th favourite of theirs after ‘pornography’, ‘disintegration’ and ‘blood flowers’.Sadly the remaster in this set sounds poor to these ears, quite tinny in fact! The demos I will never play again, and the remixes are all pretty pointless adding nothing to the originals.On reflection I would have preferred they release a good quality live album from the ‘wish’ tour to this.I saw them on that tour at Newcastle Mayfair and I still have the lovely blue/red ticket from the night!Bring on the new album!!