Cupid & Psyche 85: the deluxe remaster keeps its core sharp

Scritti Politti's Cupid & Psyche 85 arrives on Rough Trade July 10 as a 16 track deluxe remaster. The core run is ten pieces, every title tagged Remaster, from 'The Word Girl' to 'Flesh and Blood.' That run is a compact 44 minutes. The label did not stop there: six versions and mixes stretch the collection past 79 minutes.

The main record has the shape of something built to be remembered in order. Openers like 'Small Talk' and 'Absolute' give the front quick turns, while 'Flesh and Blood' ends the proper album at 5:35, the longest of the ten originals. Track titles are doing clear work: 'Don't Work That Hard' sits across from 'Perfect Way,' and 'A Little Knowledge' follows 'Absolute.' You can map the record's attitude without hearing a note.

What works about the deluxe edition is its respect for the original sequence. The versions come after the ten originals, not woven into them. The four Version remasters stay between 4:21 and 6:10; the two 12-inch mixes run 6:18 and 7:24. The longest item is 'Perfect Way (12-inch Mix),' and 'Lover To Fall' gets the dance mix, so the extended section has its own scale.

The weak point is repetition. 'Absolute,' 'Wood Beez,' 'Hypnotize' and 'Perfect Way' each appear twice; 'Lover To Fall' and 'Perfect Way' get the 12-inch treatments. That is six extra tracks attached to a 10 song album. For fans of the record that is the appeal. For anyone who wants the statement, a third of the tracklist is spent repeating songs.

The score is for the package, not the reputation. Cupid & Psyche 85 was structured like a pop album that knew its own mind, and the remaster preserves that. The extras dilute the finish but they make the collection honest about what a reissue is for. The original sequence, with its 44 minute runtime and deliberate order, is still the reason to stay.

The tracklist

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