Standing on a Beach

Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea
Compilation album by The Cure
Released 6 May 1986
Recorded 1978–1985
Genre
Length 45:44 (Vinyl edition)
60:40 (CD edition)
85:37 (Cassette edition)
Label Fiction (UK)
Elektra (US)
Producer The Cure
The Cure chronology
The Head on the Door
(1985)The Head on the Door1985		 Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea
(1986)		 Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
(1987)Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Standing on a Beach (titled Staring at the Sea in CD format in some countries) is a singles compilation album released by English rock band the Cure in May 1986, marking a decade since the band's founding in 1976. The album's titles are both taken from the opening lyrics of the Cure's debut single, "Killing an Arab".

The "New Voice - New Mix" of "Boys Don't Cry" (released as a single little over a fortnight before Standing on a Beach) was not included on the album; thus the album's singles span only from 1978 to 1985.

The version of "A Forest" here is neither the album version (which was also on the 12" single), nor is it the 7" single edit (which removes a few bars between verses and fades out part way through the guitar solo ending).[5]

The album was critically acclaimed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "one of the finest albums of the '80s".[6]

Release formats

The album was released in six formats: vinyl record, compact disc, audio cassette, laser disc (US and Japan only), CD Video (China only) and VHD (Japan only).

The vinyl edition is a collection of all 13 of The Cure's commercially released singles up to that point in chronological order. "10:15 Saturday Night" was dropped though, possibly because it was only released in France.

The CD edition features the same tracks as the vinyl edition, but also includes an extra track from four of the band's albums. The four songs, although not released as singles, all had music videos made for them.

The cassette edition features the same tracks as the vinyl edition, but also contains all of the band's B-sides that had not, to that point, received a long-play release. This excludes "10:15 Saturday Night" from the "Killing an Arab" single, which was released on the Three Imaginary Boys album, "Plastic Passion" from the "Boys Don't Cry" single, which was released on the Boys Don't Cry album, and the five B-sides from the "Let's Go to Bed", "The Walk" and "The Love Cats" singles, which were released on the Japanese Whispers compilation album. However, the B-side "Mr. Pink Eyes" from the 12" version of "The Lovecats" was omitted from Japanese Whispers, and so was included on this release.

These releases were accompanied by a VHS and laserdisc release, a music video collection titled Staring at the Sea: The Images with the same setlist as the CD version of the album.

All the B-sides on the cassette edition were also later released on the first disc of the Join the Dots compilation in 2004.

The album has been certified 2x platinum in the US.

Also missing is the special "Lament" Flexipop single from 1982, as this was not a proper single, and "I'm a Cult Hero" from 1979, probably because it was released under a different band name (Cult Hero).

Album art

The man featured on the album cover was not a member of the Cure; he was chosen because his appearance fit the desired aesthetic of the album. His name is John Button, and was at the time a retired fisherman. He also appeared in the music video for "Killing an Arab". According to the band's 2005 biography by Jeff Apter, when asked why he agreed to lend his face to the band's media, Button's answer was, "If I can help these youngsters break through, after all, why not?"[7] He also reportedly said that he would buy a player and listen to one of the band's songs "out of curiosity, just to see".[8]

Track listing

Vinyl edition

Side A

  1. "Killing an Arab" (Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst, Michael Dempsey) – 2:22
  2. "Boys Don't Cry" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:35
  3. "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:54 (from Boys Don't Cry, 1980)
  4. "A Forest" (Smith, Tolhurst, Simon Gallup, Matthieu Hartley) – 4:53 (from Seventeen Seconds, 1980)
  5. "Primary" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 3:33 (from Faith, 1981)
  6. "Charlotte Sometimes" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:13
  7. "The Hanging Garden" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:21 (from Pornography, 1982)

Side B

  1. "Let's Go to Bed" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:33
  2. "The Walk" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:28
  3. "The Love Cats" (Smith) – 3:38 (from Japanese Whispers, 1983)
  4. "The Caterpillar" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:38 (from The Top, 1984)
  5. "In Between Days" (Smith) – 2:56 (from The Head on the Door, 1985)
  6. "Close to Me" (Smith) – 3:39 (from The Head on the Door, 1985)

CD/video editions

  1. "Killing an Arab" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:22
  2. "10:15 Saturday Night" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 3:37 (from Three Imaginary Boys, 1979)
  3. "Boys Don't Cry" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:35
  4. "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:57
  5. "A Forest" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Hartley) – 4:53 (from Seventeen Seconds, 1980)
  6. "Play for Today" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Hartley) – 3:42 (from Seventeen Seconds, 1980)
  7. "Primary" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 3:33 (from Faith, 1981)
  8. "Other Voices" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:26 (from Faith, 1981)
  9. "Charlotte Sometimes" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:13
  10. "The Hanging Garden" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:21 (from Pornography, 1982)
  11. "Let's Go to Bed" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:33
  12. "The Walk" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:28
  13. "The Love Cats" (Smith) – 3:38
  14. "The Caterpillar" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:38 (from The Top, 1984)
  15. "In Between Days" (Smith) – 2:56 (from The Head on the Door, 1985)
  16. "Close to Me" (Smith) – 3:39 (from The Head on the Door, 1985)
  17. "A Night Like This" (Smith) – 4:11 (from The Head on the Door, 1985)

Cassette edition

Side 1: The singles

  1. "Killing an Arab" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:22
  2. "Boys Don't Cry" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:35
  3. "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:54
  4. "A Forest" (Smith) – 4:53
  5. "Primary" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 3:33
  6. "Charlotte Sometimes" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:13
  7. "The Hanging Garden" (Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup) – 4:21
  8. "Let's Go to Bed" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:33
  9. "The Walk" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:28
  10. "The Lovecats" (Smith) – 3:38
  11. "The Caterpillar" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 3:38
  12. "In Between Days" (Smith) – 2:56
  13. "Close to Me" (Smith) – 3:39

Side 2: The B-sides

  1. "I'm Cold" (Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey) – 2:47 (from "Jumping Someone Else's Train")
  2. "Another Journey By Train" (Smith, Gallup, Tolhurst, Hartley) – 3:04 (from "A Forest")
  3. "Descent" (Smith, Gallup, Tolhurst) – 3:07 (from "Primary")
  4. "Splintered in Her Head" (Smith, Gallup, Tolhurst) – 5:16 (from "Charlotte Sometimes")
  5. "Mr Pink Eyes" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 2:42 (from "The Love Cats")
  6. "Happy the Man" (Smith) – 2:45 (from "The Caterpillar")
  7. "Throw Your Foot" (Smith) – 3:33 (from "The Caterpillar")
  8. "The Exploding Boy" (Smith) – 2:52 (from "In Between Days")
  9. "A Few Hours After This" (Smith) – 2:26 (from "In Between Days")
  10. "A Man Inside My Mouth" (Smith) – 3:05 (from "Close to Me"/Half an Octopuss)
  11. "Stop Dead" (Smith) – 4:02 (from "In Between Days"/"Close to Me"/Half an Octopuss)
  12. "New Day" (Smith, Tolhurst) – 4:08 (from Half an Octopuss)

Comparison

Presented here is a comparison showing in what format each of the 29 songs on the album can be found, with the position number of that song on that particular format.

Song Vinyl LP CD and VHS Cassette
"10:15 Saturday Night" 2
"A Few Hours After This" 22
"A Forest" 4 5 4
"A Man Inside My Mouth" 23
"A Night Like This" 17
"Another Journey By Train" 15
"Boys Don't Cry" 2 3 2
"The Caterpillar" 11 14 11
"Charlotte Sometimes" 6 9 6
"Close to Me" 13 16 13
"Descent" 16
"The Exploding Boy" 21
"The Hanging Garden" 7 10 7
"Happy the Man" 19
"I'm Cold" 14
"In Between Days" 12 15 12
"Jumping Someone Else's Train" 3 4 3
"Killing an Arab" 1 1 1
"Let's Go to Bed" 8 11 8
"The Love Cats" 10 13 10
"Mr Pink Eyes" 18
"New Day" 25
"Other Voices" 8
"Play for Today" 6
"Primary" 5 7 5
"Splintered in Her Head" 17
"Stop Dead" 24
"Throw Your Foot" 20
"The Walk" 9 12 9

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[9] 3× Platinum 210,000^
France (SNEP)[10] 2× Gold 312,900 [11]*
Germany (BVMI)[12] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[13] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[14] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Worldwide (IFPI) N/A 2,300,000+[17]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Staring at the Sea: The Singles - The Cure". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/53540/standing-on-beach-aka-staring-at-sea.html%5Bdead+link%5D
  3. ↑ "CG: The Cure". Robert Christgau.
  4. ↑ "The Cure: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Cure – Standing On A Beach – The Singles". Discogs. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  6. ↑ Staring at the Sea: The Singles – The Cure | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
  7. ↑ Apter, Jeff (2005–2009). Never Enough: The Story of the Cure. Omnibus Press 14/15 Berners Street London W1T 3LJ: Omnibus Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-85712-024-3.
  8. ↑ "Rock & Folk (France)". July–August 1986. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  9. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  10. ↑ "French album certifications – The Cure – Disintegration" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081118054734/http://www.infodisc.fr/CDCertif_O2.php?debut=100
  12. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Cure; 'Standing on a beach')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  13. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a beach" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 5 August 2018. Enter Standing on a beach in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  14. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Cure; 'Standing on a beach')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  15. ↑ "British album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a beach". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Standing on a beach in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. ↑ "American album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a beach". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  17. ↑ https://books.google.hr/books?id=Y6O0Pv8aG44C&pg=PT339&lpg=PT339&dq=kiss+me+kiss+me+kiss+me+the+cure+worldwide+sales&source=bl&ots=Hf70MYhKEX&sig=HzUFzdBZvrb1_B_IOP8mICeBdUI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK2-rWhbDYAhUJoaQKHdlhBl8Q6AEIUDAF#v=onepage&q=kiss%20me%20kiss%20me%20kiss%20me%20the%20cure%20worldwide%20sales&f=false
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