The Cure's 1993 double live album Paris is getting a slightly belated 30th anniversary edition courtesy of Rhino. On March 22, Paris will return in 2LP and 1CD expanded editions premiering two bonus tracks, all newly remastered by frontman Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. The black vinyl edition has been cut by Showell.
Paris arrived in stores in October 1993 - the group's third live release in just over two years. This set arrived only one month after Show, both of which chronicled The Cure's 1992 tour in support of their ninth studio album Wish, the most commercially successful LP in the band's discography. Whereas Show captured a concert from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan, Paris - as the title indicates - was recorded in the City of Lights at Le Zenith de Paris.
Three nights of recording from Robert Smith (vocals/guitar), Simon Gallup (bass), Porl Thompson (guitar), Boris Williams (drums), and Perry Bamonte (keyboards/guitar) yielded the 14-track album which featured "Apart" and "A Letter to Elise" from Wish alongside live versions of such favorites as "Lovesong" (Disintegration), "Catch" (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me), "Close to Me" (The Head on the Door), and "Play for Today" (Seventeen Seconds). (Show had included live versions of many more Wish cuts including "Open," "High," "Trust," "Doing the Unstuck," "Friday I'm in Love," "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," "Cut," and "End").
Today, Paris reminds listeners of The Cure's vitality as a live act - a quality that's still strong today, as evidenced by their critically and commercially successful Shows of a Lost World Tour from last year, serving as a preview for the band's long-awaited Songs of a Lost World - the band's first planned studio album since 2008. (Founder Smith, longtime member Gallup and Bamonte - who joined the group shortly after Disintegration - still remain in The Cure, alongside longtime drummer Jason Cooper, Disintegration-era keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and former David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels.)
The original album reached No. 118 on the Billboard 200 and No. 56 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The 30th anniversary reissue adds previously unreleased live versions of "Shake Dog Shake" from 1984's The Top and "Hot Hot Hot!!!" from 1987's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The album sequence has been reconfigured to accommodate these tracks which now open and close the set, respectively.
Look for The Cure's expanded edition of Paris on CD or two LPs on March 22 from Rhino. You'll find pre-order links and the track listing below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
The Cure, Paris (30th Anniversary Edition) (Elektra/Fiction 61552-2, 1993 - reissued Elektra/Rhino, 2024)
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
- Shake Dog Shake *
- The Figurehead
- Play for Today
- At Night
- In Your House
- One Hundred Years
- Apart
- Lovesong
- A Letter to Elise
- Catch
- Charlotte Sometimes
- Dressing Up
- Close to Me
- Hot Hot Hot!!! *
* previously unreleased
Ross says
Fantastic news. I was worried this was going to be a vinyl only reissue. Delighted it's available on CD too. I have the original, but will happily pick this up for the two extra tracks.
Wondering if Show will now get a reissue too.
Michael Grabowski says
There was an RSD 2LP edition of Show last year but no new CD edition (which is what I prefer).