The Cure - Closer (12" Closer Mix)

The Cure - Close To Me (Closer Mix) / 12 Inch Extended Remix (HQ Audio)

There was a trend for remixing old songs and releasing them as singles in 1988-1990.

This was largely driven by the technological advances of the late 1980s, particularly in sampling, digital recording, and mixing. Suddenly, it was quicker and easier to combine old and new elements in an arrangement and to create and add drum loops.

The "baggy" sound of Manchester in 1989 and 1990 relied heavily on these technological advances, as did the trend for remixes of 1960s and 1970s hits, such as Downtown by Petula Clark and Lovely Day by Bill Withers.

The Cure's Mixed Up project was perhaps the most unexpected example, introducing digital and electronic sounds to a band whose previous album, Disintegration, had a particularly dark and atmospheric new wave gothic rock feel.

Robert Smith explained that the Mixed Up album's original aim was to bring together 12" versions from the past decade or so, which fans were struggling to find, other than at exorbitant prices.

"As it ended up, most of the old 12 inches aren't on the album, so we didn't succeed in our primary aim. Along the way, we realised we could do so much more with something like this, so we farmed out our old stuff to new people."

Smith also mentioned that the band wanted to do something fun after their last album. Often bands attribute re-release or remix projects to their record company and struggle to explain them well, so it's refreshing to hear Smith owning the project fully, with a clear rationale.

The lead single from the project was this new version of Close To Me, which had reached number 24 just five years earlier. This new version made it to number 13.

Remixers Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne went on to become one of the most prolific remix teams of the 1990s under the name Perfecto, producing high-profile releases for U2, Madonna, Arrested Development, Elvis Presley, and Duran Duran. They were already in demand in 1990, producing Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches for Happy Mondays, which included their biggest hit, Step On.

Oakenfold also produced his own hits under various guises: Movement 98 (Sunrise, their biggest hit, reached number 27), Perfecto Allstarz (Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag, which reached number 6), and Grace (Not Over Yet, also a number 6 hit).

Two versions of this particular track exist: the shorter single version, called the Closest Mix, and the extended version, clocking in at 90 seconds longer, called the Closer Mix, which features here.

Year: 1990 Label: Fiction Records Cat no: FICDR 36