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The Cure Plans Double and Single Disc Versions of New Album

In an interview with Billboard magazine, The Cure's Robert Smith has revealed that he's working on releasing two different versions of his band's thirteenth studio album: a "limited edition" double disc set and a more traditional single disc record.

"Rather than cut it down, at the stage we're at with the band, I'm making this record because I want to enjoy the process and be proud of the finished result," Smith told Billboard. "It isn't a commercial concern for me."

Smith hinted that he would have preferred the untitled album, which is due out sometime in October on Suretone/Geffen, to only be released as a double disc, but that the label objected. "It is almost impossible to get a double album nowadays," he said. "I naively thought my standing as an artist would push aside all objections, but the world gets ever more commercial as it turns."

The double disc version of the album would be mixed by Smith himself and be sold for the price of a single disc, "because I feel that strongly about it," Smith said.

Smith also revealed that the album will include such tracks based on material he dug up from old Cure '80s demos. "They've changed quite a lot, but the basic melody and chord structure has remained. They do have a certain old Cure-ness about them."

The Cure will head out on tour this fall prior to the new album's release, and although they will be previewing new material, Smith promises a hearty dose of the band's classic catalog. "The idea of going out and doing a two-and-a-half hour show and including 10 or 12 new songs would actually be really awful, I think," Smith said. "A show is an experience. Anyone coming to a Cure show isn't going to go home and think about buying the album. They've already made their minds up by the fact they've bought a ticket to see us."

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
07.09.07