Paul Hartnoll featuring Robert Smith - Please

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 20 / 5 / 2007

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Review

‘Please’ was written by both the Cure's Robert Smith and Orbital's Paul Hartnoll, and has been released on Paul's Kids Records label which also released iLiKETRAiNS’ ‘A Rook House for Bobby’. It is the ultimate dance track for fans of the Cure. Sung as a duet between Robert and Lianne Hall, it is mainly keyboard based with no guitars on it at all, and is absolutely massive in sound. Robert's vocal reminds me of the Cure track, ‘Harold and Joe’ as he sings on it “You know you got me needing you please.” ‘Please’ has various remixes, which are shared across a CD EP, a 7” single and a 12” remix single. The original mix which appears on the CD and the 7” is the best. ‘Old School Tie’, which also appears on the CD version, is a Paul solo track. It is a pleasant-on-the-ears dance number, which is easy to digest and has a harmony based vocal to assist. The CD EP also features the Statik Remix and the KGB Mix. The Statik Remix sounds very much like a Cure remix. It is very perky with an upfront feel to the vocal, while the keyboard beat is so strong it is almost as if it is a different track. The KGB mix has a paranoid edginess. The vocals are fresh, and much slower and lush in a slowcore Cure way. The bass recalls that of the Cure’s Simon Gallup and by the end it is turned into a Gothic dance number. The B side of the 7” is called ‘Please44,’ and, a remix by Culprit1, has a lively rave feel and a distorted vocal. The 12 inch features on it’s A side Paul Hartnoll‘s own remix, which has a house and early 90’s club sound. The Whip Remix, the first of the B sides, is the fastest of the remixes. Robert and Lianne’s vocals, totally inaudible as their own, sound like Pinky and Perky. Lastly there is the Boss Boss remix, which is slow and moody and club land based.

Track Listing:-

1 Please
2 Please44 (Remember 1992?) (Paul Hartnoll Mix)