The Cure’s now a few day into a month-long break in its summer festival tour, and frontman Robert Smith says the band will use the time to record with new guitarist Reeves Gabrels for the first time — plus, he claims, the long-promised Mixed Up 2 will come out before Christmas with new remixes by the likes of Mogwai and Cranes.
In a series of videos collected by fansite Chain of Flowers, Smith discusses his band’s plans at a post-show press conference Friday following an appearance at France’s Vieilles Charrues festival. Smith says: “We’ve got a month off between now and the next festival in Vienna, in Austria, and we will be recording. The Cure, as a band, with this lineup, will record for the first time.”
Smith also spoke of plans for a new remix album that will include Scottish post-rock favorites Mogwai taking a stab at the title track to 1981’s Faith for a sequel to 1990’s Mixed Up:
“There will be a Mixed Up 2 album coming out, probably this side of Christmas. Mixed Up 2. I’ve given songs to groups I really love, like Mogwai, Cranes and some other people. I thought the best thing to do would be to have some new remasters, but rather than by producers, I think that having groups that you love remix your songs is a much more interesting idea than producers remixing your songs. So Mixed Up 2 will be our favorite bands remixing Cure songs. It’s good. It’ll be this Christmas. Mogwai are doing ‘Faith.’ So good. It’ll be really good. Cure fans will love it.”
Now, longtime Cure fans know to be skeptical of nearly anything Smith says. In fact, the Mixed Up 2 album was first revealed by Smith in 2009, along with a The Cure @ The BBC box set and DVD releases of the concert films “In Orange” and “Show,” while announcing plans for the Disintegration 3CD reissue. Of those, only the Disintegration re-release has seen the light of day. Furthermore, there’s still no word of an expected 20th anniversary reissue of Wish this year.
With this in mind, Chain of Flowers queried Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell on Twitter, who cast doubt on new recording sessions (“hahahahahahahahahaha might be a little difficult as we are all going on holiday!”) and noted Smith can’t be trusted (“How many times does he have to tell you never to believe a word he says?”). Yet Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite did confirm to Chain of Flowers that his band is remixing “Faith” (“we are going to. it’s not done yet though. Can’t wait!”).
Check out some of that press conference below:
VIDEO: Robert Smith on recording with new lineup
VIDEO: Robert Smith on recording process
VIDEO: Robert Smith on Mixed Up 2
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Robert Smith: The Cure to mount first-ever full South American tour next year
- Video: The Cure’s Robert Smith plays rare solo set at Bilbao BBK Live — plus full webcast
- Video: The Cure at Belgium’s Rock Werchter 2012 festival — watch full hour-long webcast
- Video: The Cure at Germany’s Southside Festival — watch full 70-minute webcast
- Video: The Cure plays ‘The Top’ for first time in 28 years at Sweden’s Hultsfred Festival
- Stream: The Cure’s first American concert — newly discovered tape of Cherry Hill, NJ, 1980
- Video: The Cure at Primavera Sound — full webcast, plus rarities (‘Just One Kiss,’ ‘Fight’)
- Video: The Cure debuts guitarist Reeves Gabrels, digs out rarities at Pinkpop Festival
Better idea, retire.
No!
This used to be such a lovely site to read–all fans. If you were into Skinny Puppy and couldn’t stand Spandau Ballet, so what, you didn’t comment on a Spandau bit. Now it’s all so predictable–no one’s as good as they used to be, they should all retire, wah wah wah. My guess? All the negative vibes are provided by kids, people under 30. We veterans understand–Gary Numan’s hairpiece? So what. Robert’s gut? Look at mine. But I’m done, here. Now i’s like every other place on the internet, anonymous hate.
First of all I’m 42 years old and a huge fan of MANY of the acts on this site. I’ve supported them over the years, bought their discogs many times over as the formats change (cassette, vinyl, CD, expanded reissues etc.) while also supporting them live (have seen the Kiss Me and Music for the Masses tours). I also, from time to time, express displeasure and state that some of our beloved bands REALLY need to call it quits. Sure it’s easy to quip that these days Robert looks like a melting candle etc… But what I’m questioning is the overall quality of the artists output. I’m not expecting album after album of “Music for the Masses” or a discography full of “Pornography”. Variety and some risk taking is what keeps a musician fresh. But there comes a time in an artist’s career when you really risk looking foolish. I’m sorry, but today Gary Numan is a poor mans 90’s era NIN rip off and just looks really silly. Part of the problem is presentation because some of these guys can’t seeming accept their age and let go of the 80’s. How ridiculous would Bowie and Eno look if they were STILL doing the glam thing. I understand no one is making me listen to the new material, even though I DO give it a chance. But as a successful musician myself for over a decade, you really need to be critical of your own work and image as you move forward and not become a parody of yourself. Self assessment is critical. Some bands, Killing Joke for example, have been able to keep putting out quality music for three decades. The new Men Without Hats album too is very inspiring and quite good. In the end when the tire is flat, it’s time for a change.
If you want to get off the bandwagon, go ahead. Someone is still buying these CDs, and no doubt some people are enjoying them. Do these later-career releases in any way diminish your favourite, older ones? There’s no need to linger and poison the well. Move on!
That should be your new catchphrase man…. “Move On”. So ironically, has it escaped your notice that the Cure have done the complete opposite of “moving on…..” Going in ever decreasing circles more like…?
Nicely done
edie – very well put – I am a cure fan and very excited about the potential for new music or even old music remixed!
I’m excited for both albums.
Always loved Mixed Up, and love that Mogwai and the Cranes are part of it. Maybe people like Sinead O’Connor, Robin Guthrie and Toni Halliday of Curve will do one?
And long overdue for a proper new Cure studio album.
The problem is Robert Smith is either a liar or fool when it comes to promising releases. There has been more promised that hasn’t come out versus actual releases!
I don’t believe anything he says, until I see it in the store or can purchase it. Next month, it will be a different story from Bobby the pathological liar.
If he is just fucking with the media, he needs to post on thecure.com that we should only listen to info on their. Or COF. Anyway, yes – I’m tierd of his BS too.
hello Robert!
Oh please….just what the world needs…another duff remixes project and no doubt several more interminally boring trilogy/quadrilogy/quintilogy live albums….. You know, I used to love – REALLY LOVE – The Cure in their heyday (1979 – 1989). Nothing The Cure have brought out since 1990 has moved me at all…… And now, they’re just bloated old dinosaurs continually treading water, sticking to the same formula, trading on former glories, bringing out ever weaker facsimiles of their classic records, whilst at the same time threatening to make true the prophetic title of the opening track to their magnificent “Pornography” album…..
“it feels like a hundred years…….”
It sounds like you’re 10-15 years overdue moving on, then. Who’s more the fool: the artists or the has-been-fans, posting their hate?
They’re going through the motions. They have nothing new to offer. Isn’t that surely worth commenting on? Anyway, it’s not “hate” as you put it – but boredom. I have exactly the same problem with New Order – who also ceased to matter since 1993.
As a live act, The Cure is still very much relevant and they give fans every cent worth of the ticket price. I’ll still buy any album they want to put out but it doesn’t mean I’m going to like it. I thought 4:13 was just awful but I bought it anyway because I support the group. I’ll buy Mixed Up 2 if they put it out but I’m not looking forward to it.
Nobody can take away what Smith and Co. have accomplished but there does come a time, a line, a point or whatever you want to call it where the creativity is just gone and I feel The Cure crossed it long ago when it comes to recording. I wish them the best but I’d rather wait 10 years for a good offering then get repackaged shit I already own or another live album.
His appearance these days is another story. Its time to let all that go. The hair used to be an elegant mess and now its just a mess.
The Cure are still a superb live act, hard to dissagree with that. Yes, their studio work has fallen flat since Wild Mood Swings, which I thought was their last really good album. I have been a fan since I was sixteen, and I’m 43 now…seen them numerous times and still appreciate their more current work but hey, how about this…post what you would prefer to see from the boys and you never know, they might just hear about it…..for me, a bit more Disintergration / Wish and a bit less 4.13 Dream and I would be a happy man….and will still try and see them live whenever I get the chance…..
Really Pinhead,
You really need to get on with your own life. The fact that you feel the need to come on here over and over to post that you feel this or that group need to quit doing what they enjoy. Get a hobby or something.
I feel that Robert Smith is an artist and wants to write music. That is what musicians do. They enjoy making music. So dont buy it.
As far as The Cure live, to this day they are kicking ass on the stage! Performing for over three hours every night, FANTASTIC!!!
So drop it Pinhead find a hobby and maybe one day too you will have done something that someone may take notice whether its good or shit.
Oh and go back and Listen to some Men Without Hats!!!
HAHAHAHAHA!
That pretty much says it all right there.