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Standing on a Beach Staring at the Sea
Greatest hits album by the Cure
Released	15 May 1986
Recorded	1978–1985
Length	45:44 (vinyl edition) 60:40 (CD edition) 85:37 (cassette edition)
Label	Fiction
Producer	The Cure
The Cure chronology
The Head on the Door (1985) Standing on a Beach Staring at the Sea (1986) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Robert Christgau	B+
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Standing on a Beach (titled Staring at the Sea in CD format in some countries) is a greatest hits album by English rock band the Cure, released in the United States on 15 May 1986 by Elektra Records and in the United Kingdom on 19 May 1986 by Fiction Records, 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.

"A Forest" on this compilation is the album version (which was also on the 12-inch single) but with the first 59 seconds removed. It is not the 7-inch single edit (which removes a few bars between verses and fades out part way through the guitar solo ending).

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

Release formats

The album was released on vinyl record, compact disc, audio cassette.

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-inch version of "The Lovecats" was omitted from Japanese Whispers, and so was included on this release.

These releases were accompanied by a video release, a music video collection titled Staring at the Sea: The Images with the same setlist as the CD version of the album. This was released on Betamax and VHS videocassettes, laser disc (US and Japan only), Video CD (China only) and VHD (Japan only).

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 2× platinum in the US.

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?" He also reportedly said that he would buy a record player and listen to one of the band's songs "out of curiosity, just to see".

Track listing

Vinyl edition

CD/video editions

Cassette edition

Side 1: Standing on a Beach – 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: Standing on a Beach – 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 "Close to Me"/ 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.

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

1. "Staring at the Sea: The Singles - The Cure". AllMusic.
3. "CG: The Cure". Robert Christgau.
4. "The Cure: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
5. "New Releases". The Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report. 9 May 1986. p. 34. OCLC 857904873.
6. "New Albums (Mon 19–Fri 23 May)". Music Week. 17 May 1986. p. 19. ISSN 0265-1548.
7. Staring at the Sea: The Singles – The Cure | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
8. Apter, Jeff (2005). Never Enough: The Story of the Cure. London: Omnibus Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-85712-024-3.
9. Blanchet, Philippe (July–August 1986). "Cote Cure". Rock & Folk (in French). No. 232. p. 80.
10. Kent 1993, pp. 79–80.
11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0709". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Cure – Standing on a Beach - The Singles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
13. "European Top 100 Albums". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 27. 12 July 1986. p. 19. OCLC 29800226.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cure – Standing on a Beach - The Singles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
15. "Charts.nz – The Cure – Standing on a Beach - The Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – The Cure – Standing on a Beach - The Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
17. "Swisscharts.com – The Cure – Standing on a Beach - The Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
19. "The Cure Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
20. "Lescharts.com – The Cure – Standing On A Beach - The Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
21. Kent 1993, p. 438.
22. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
23. "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226.
24. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
25. "Top Selling Albums of 1986". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
26. "Top 100 Albums (January to December 1986)". Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548.
27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
28. "French album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a beach" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 9 July 2023. Select THE CURE and click OK. 
29. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Cure; 'Standing on a Beach')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
30. "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. Select 1988 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
31. "New Zealand album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a Beach". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
32. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Standing on a Beach')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
33. "British album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a Beach". British Phonographic Industry.
34. "American album certifications – The Cure – Standing on a Beach". Recording Industry Association of America.
35. Pareles, Jon (21 May 1989). "RECORDINGS; The Cure Provides Company for Misery". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

Bibliography

• Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

• 1986 compilation albums
• The Cure compilation albums
• Elektra Records compilation albums
• Fiction Records compilation albums