Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. The recent success of some U.S. dates from The Cure have us thinking about their first compilation - a must-own for alt-rock fans when it was released a quarter-century ago - and how its best configuration deserves a release on CD.

With a catalogue that stretches back to the late '70s and starts off far more solidly than most bands, it was a treat to see The Cure celebrate their early years in 2011 with a series of "Reflections" concerts, which saw them perform their first three albums (and more hits and rarities) in their entirety. (The run closed with three shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre this past weekend, and frontman Robert Smith ended the last concert with a promising "We'll see you again next year.")

The run got Second Disc HQ thinking about the band's first compilation, 1986's Standing on a Beach: The Singles (or, as it was known on some CD copies, Staring at the Sea), which captured the group's original gamut of college rock hits (including early classics like "Killing an Arab," "Boys Don't Cry," "Let's Go to Bed," "The Lovecats," "In Between Days" and "Close to Me") before 1987's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and 1989's Disintegration took the group to a beautiful round of crossover pop success.

In retrospect, what made Standing on a Beach so exciting at the time was its clever use of formats. Vinyl listeners had a taut 13 tracks to enjoy on their edition, while CD connoisseurs could take advantage of the longer playing times with an additional four non-single tracks ("10:15 Saturday Night," "Play for Today," "Other Voices" and "A Night Like This," all of which received airplay through their music videos). But cassette owners had it best. The 13 tracks of the vinyl edition of Staring were on one side of the tape, while another dozen "unavailable B-sides" (all previously released on vinyl) made up the other side.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHhOquNVtEA]

Ultimately, Standing on a Beach became the group's highest-charting album at the time, peaking at No. 4 in the U.K. and No. 48 in America and ultimately selling two million copies on our shores. Less successful but just as intriguing for collectors was one single released to promote the set: a remix of 1979's "Boys Don't Cry," featuring a new vocal track from Robert Smith. Fans didn't warm up to the "New Voice - New Mix" too well - Smith's vocal sort of clashes against the original track, and it only went to No. 22 in 1986 - but there was manna for collectors in the form of two previously unreleased tracks recorded in 1979 on the B-side, "Pillbox Tales" and "Do the Hansa" (the latter of which was performed for the first time by the band, fittingly enough, at their last Reflections show).

While all of the B-sides were collated on Rhino's Join the Dots box set in 2004 (freeing up space for demos, rough mixes and session material on the label's ongoing series of deluxe editions), it would be fun to see a reissue of Staring at the Sea with its original B-sides playlist reinstated, as either a two-disc set or a novel cassette reissue. Throw the remixed "Boys" on there (which should make the first time the track's appeared on CD) and its two B-sides, and you have a nice little curio for collectors.

Go on, go on and check out our dream deluxe arrangement of Standing on a Beach after the jump!

The Cure, Standing on a Beach/Staring at the Sea: The Singles (originally released as Fiction FIX H/HC 12/829 239-2, 1986)

Disc 1: Original compilation and bonus track

1. Killing an Arab
2. 10:15 Saturday Night
3. Boys Don't Cry
4. Jumping Someone Else's Train
5. A Forest
6. Play for Today
7. Primary
8. Other Voices
9. Charlotte Sometimes
10. The Hanging Garden
11. Let's Go to Bed
12. The Walk
13. The Lovecats
14. The Caterpillar
15. In Between Days
16. Close to Me
17. A Night Like This
18. Boys Don't Cry (New Voice - New Mix)

Disc 1, Track 1 was Small Wonder A-side SMALL 11, 1978
Disc 1, Track 2 from Three Imaginary Boys (Fiction, 1979)
Disc 1, Track 3 was Fiction Records A-side FICS 002, 1979
Disc 1, Track 4 was Fiction Records A-side FICS 005, 1979
Disc 1, Tracks 5-6 from Seventeen Seconds (Fiction, 1980)
Disc 1, Tracks 7-8 from Faith (Fiction, 1981)
Disc 1, Track 9 was Fiction Records A-side FICS 14, 1981
Disc 1, Track 10 from Pornography (Fiction, 1982)
Disc 1, Tracks 11-13 from Japanese Whispers (Fiction, 1983)
Disc 1, Track 14 from The Top (Fiction, 1984)
Disc 1, Tracks 15-17 from The Head on the Door (Fiction, 1985)
Disc 1, Track 18 was Fiction Records 12" A-side FICS 24, 1986

Disc 2: B-sides

1. I'm Cold (B-side to "Jumping Someone Else's Train" - Fiction FICS 005, 1979)
2. Another Journey by Train (B-side to "A Forest" - Fiction FICS 10, 1980)
3. Descent (B-side to "Primary" - Fiction FICS 12, 1981)
4. Splintered in Her Head (B-side to "Charlotte Sometimes" - Fiction FICS 14, 1981)
5. Mr Pink Eyes (B-side to "The Lovecats" - Fiction FICS 19, 1983)
6. Happy the Man (B-side to "The Caterpillar" - Fiction FICS 20, 1984)
7. Throw Your Foot (12" B-side to "The Caterpillar" - Fiction FICS X 20, 1984)
8. The Exploding Boy (B-side to "In Between Days" - Fiction FICS 22, 1985)
9. A Few Hours After This (12" B-side to "In Between Days" - Fiction FICS X 22, 1985)
10. A Man Inside My Mouth (B-side to "Close to Me" - Fiction FICS 23, 1985)
11. Stop Dead (12" B-side to "Close to Me" - Fiction FICS X 23, 1985)
12. New Day (from Half an Octopuss EP - Fiction FICS T 23, 1985)
13. Pillbox Tales (B-side to "Boys Don't Cry" reissue - Fiction FICS 24, 1986)
14. Do the Hansa (12" B-side to "Boys Don't Cry" reissue - Fiction FICS X 24, 1986)