This pretty terrific box of b-sides and rarities was originally issued in the UK and has now been released here in America. Though it's a welcome collection anywhere, it was intended for a British audience, so space is consumed by songs which most US fans have already, while some material that's probably easier to obtain in England is sadly excluded.

For example: 10:15 Saturday Night, Plastic Passion, Just One Kiss, The Dream, The Upstairs Room, Lament, and Speak My Language have all been available for years in America on such albums as Japanese Whispers and Boys Don't Cry. While stuff like Curiosity, Carnage Visors, and the club mix of the Boys Don't Cry single were only briefly available in America (generally on cassette) and at stiff import prices. Maybe these gems will appear as bonus tracks on the forthcoming reissues, but it's an expensive hassle to rebuy albums you've had and played for years just for a handful of otherwise ungettable tunes that could easily have been included here. So much exquisite care went into the liner notes and packaging of this four-disc set that it might have been worth the extra time to prepare a US version to satisfy Cure completists on this side of the pond.

I also think there are some rare but useless songs on this compilation that again just fill space. Do we really need multiple versions of mediocre covers like Hello I Love You and Purple Haze? And the remixes are almost all inferior to the originals.

My complaints are kinda nit-picky, but since only hardcore fans will likely purchase this box set, buyers should probably be aware of them.

In sum, Join The Dots is a highly enjoyable release that needlessly falls just short of perfection.

Being a fan of the Cure since I first heard the Concert and Curiousity cassette in late 1984, I have always searched out the more difficult to find material, B-sides, concert bootlegs, etc. If, like me, you like that sort of thing, you won't want to miss "Join the Dots." And don't get me wrong, no one I know loves this band as much as I do. So first the good news: It is a treasure trove of rare tracks. And as other reviewers have noted, the sound is greatly improved on the earlier B-sides that were put on the cassette version of Standing on a Beach back in 1986, especially "I'm Cold" one of my personal favorites. And now the bad : Their are several B-sides here that are readily available ( the Japanese Whispers set for starters ) and a few live B-sides I was hoping for that are not ( the incredible "Faith" from the Charlotte Sometimes 12" single, and the cuts from the UK multi pack of the "Hanging Garden"). Maybe those will be included in next year's set of re-releases. I dock this one point for the covers included. The Cure have never been a covers band in my opinion. I have heard them tackle Hendrix before ( "Foxy Lady" on the "Three Imaginary Boys " cd, which Robert Smith either didn't want to, or just couldn't bring himself to sing, as that vocal was done by then bassist Michael Dempsey )and wasn't too impressed. The covers I found here are ill-conceived and poorly excecuted. Most especially the anemic version of Bowie's Young Americans. I shuddered when I first heard it, and skip it when it comes on my cd player. In fact I will more than likely burn the 4 disc set down to my favorite tracks, which will fill maybe 3 discs, and keep the originals in a safe place. One last note, the book that comes with "Join the Dots" actually makes me re think my 4 star rating, and give it 4 1/2 stars. It is invaluable for the Cure fan. Thanks for taking the time to read my review. J

If you are not a big Cure fan then go away. This is not for you. If you are keep reading.

It's great to finally have all of those wonderful B-sides and rarities in 1 place. And it's about time those great songs from the b-side of the 'Staring at the Sea' tape got remastered (wasn't that outtake collection called 'Standing on a Beach'). You'll also get lots of remixes and covers. Having 3 versions of The Doors' cover "Hello I Love You" seems excessive but I'd rather have more than less - wouldn't you? They also have the Bowie cover "Young Americans". Wondering why they didn't include Hendrix' "Foxy Lady" though. Do you realize The Cure has done 3 Hendrix covers (Hey Joe, Foxy Lady and Purple Haze)?

The most pleasant surprise was the inclusion of the painfully hard-to-find "To the Sky" from the b-side of the 'Concert' live tape release. The biggest disappointment is the non-inclusion of the excellent "Forever" from that same release. Why o' why can they not release this on CD?! And I'll bet you that it doesn't find it's way onto any of the upcoming studio remasters because it wasn't a b-side from any particular release. Also missing are "Carnage Visors" and "Curiousity". Still the collection is nearly complete and long overdue.

The packaging is very nicely done. It looks like a long, thin hardcover book (I didn't just say long, thin and hard did I?) and includes loads of color photos spanning the band's history. Also includes a narrative history that I plan to read soon.

OK now, less reading... more buying.

The Cure's four disc "Join The Dots" boxed set is the rare box set that is a must have for both comnpletists and novists alike.

Completists need it as it shows a complete alternate reality/history of The Cure (not to mention the wonderfully direct history of the band included in the liner notes). It parallels the many stages, phases, and styles that Robert Smith and the boys have experimented with and morphed in to (and out of) while gathering the numerous rarities, b-sides, alternate versions and non-album tracks that The Cure have recorded over their 25 year career.

Novists need this set because to be honest - nearly all of the songs are damn good. Many of these songs could have been on the albums proper (sometimes they were left off simply because they didn't fit the style of the album, or sometimes the band had written an overabundance of quality material). "Pillbox Tales" (with Banshee Siouxsie Sioux on background wailing) is good enough to be on either "Boys Don't Cry" or "Seventeen Seconds" but doesn't really fit into the style of either album. While "Charlotte Sometimes" b-side "Splintered In Her Head" would have fit in on "Pornography" perfectly and foreshadowed what was to come with that classic album.

From there the songs even get better: "The Exploding Boy", "A Few Hours After This...", and "Stop Dead" all could have been on "The Head on the Door" and likely would have been had this album been made in the CD, rather than the casette, era. The tracks from the "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" era are good typical cure tracks from that era with two standouts in "A Japanese Dream" and "Sugar Girl" that would have been great on the album. The "Disintegration" album is near perfect as is and I wouldn't mess with it. That said, "Fear of Ghosts" is a perfect fit for that album, while "To The Sky", "2 Late", and "Out Of Mind" are all good tracks that simply would not have fit in on "Disintegration" and were rightly left off for stylistic reasons despite the fact that the songs are all very good. "Babble" is of a little lower quality but is a sonic cousin of the song "Disintegration".

The songs that are from the "Wish" era on these CD's are among some of the strongest and I can't for the life of me understand why some of these tracks were left off of that album. "This Twilight Garden" is a flat-out masterpiece that would have fit in on "Wish" or "Disintegration", while "Play" is an elegant and understated ballad. Furthermore, both "The Big Hand" and "A Foolish Arrangement" would have fit nicely as well as they are both moody pop gems that are similar to much of "Wish". Heck, the cover art of "Wish" is even based on "The Big Hand".

Interestingly, many of the tracks included on "Join The Dots" that were outtakes from "Wild Mood Swings" are more "classic" sounding Cure than much of that album. "It Used To Be Me", "Ocean", and "Adonais" are all maudlin Cure-esque ballads while "A Pink Dream" is a frothy latter day Cure pop piece ala "Friday I'm In Love", "High", or "Mint Car".

Finally, "Coming Up" and "Possession" are "Bloodflowers" outtakes that indicate the original direction that album was to take. Both tracks are solid with hard rock/techno beat overtones in the general tone of "Wrong Number" from "Galore". I will admit while I like these tracks I prefer the direction "Bloodflowers" ended up going in.

Finally, "Join The Dots" collects the various soundtrack and compilation album songs the Cure have done. Some are excellent, like "Burn" from The Crow and "More Than This" from the X-Files. Others are interesting such as the Jimi Hendrix and Doors covers, while a couple are misses - Judge Dredd's "Dredd Song". Finally, the amazing "Greatest Hits" outtake "Signal To Noise" which can serve as the single for this box set (although not officially) which is a good enough song to beg the question as to why they are not recording a new album.

If you own everything Cure or just the Greatest Hits - spend the $60 and get "Join The Dots".

Five stars:
It's good to see a non-bootleg CD with remasters of all the fantastic B-sides from the 1986 cassette-only version of Standing On a Beach. I have waited a long, long time for this (and I still wait patiently for the original Star Wars on DVD).

But...

Minus 1 star:
They really should have released a separate disc with ONLY the Standing On a Beach B-sides about ten years ago. I would pay good money for disc 1 in this set, which is basically the equivalent. I would also shuck out for disc 2, but...

Minus another star:
What I definitely don't want to pay for is all the cheesy discharge that came out after 1990. I dearly love The Cure, but admit it, people. Everything from Wish onward is crap. It's time for the old boys to retire. Discs 3 and 4 are coasters.

Minus another freakin' star:
...oh yeah, and where the hell is Carnage Visors?!! Another cassette only track. I lost my copy that I was planning on burning to CD. Oh well, I'm sure someone will put it up on BearShare.

I suppose that makes 2 stars. Sorry, Bob.