The Top (studio album) by The Cure

From HoldenM 09/07/2023 18:18

Their weakest since their debut. Fundamentally, it's fine. You see the band really embracing their poppier side--something plenty of their earlier singles showed they were capable of. And yet, they haven't quite figured it out yet. There are a handful of decent songs, but all in all, it's a first draft of the sugary highs of The Head on the Door and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me.

Not one of their best. Birdmad Girl is a great song, and Dressing Up is tolerable, but the rest of the album is very forgettable.

This album, while definitely being one of the groups weaker albums, isn't actually that bad and is actually pretty good. It is far from the highs of their career but there is quite a few gems you can find on this album that are really worth exploring. For example, songs like Wailing Wall, which is brilliantly composed and has some great lyrics on there. This is true with most of the record with little lines cropping up which are just pure poetry. Sonically it is a bit repetitive though and lacks a bit of substance in places compared to their other records and could do with a few more layers for us to explore. Overall, this is a decent record and if you are a Cure fan, like me, you will find lots to love but if you aren't then maybe give this album a miss as there are better albums like Disintegration that you should be listening to first.

From santropez 04/15/2019 23:30

Best track: "The Caterpillar"
Weakest track: "Give Me It"

From Brad1770 12/15/2018 10:17

'The Top' - not as good as the champions claim yet not as bad as the detractors cry .

Me , I really like it . It is leg 2 of the remarkable run of albums The Cure punched out in the mid to late 80's with each release better than the previous...'Pornography' 82 , followed by 'The Top' 84 , followed by 'The Head On The Door' 85 , followed by 'Kiss Me , Kiss Me , Kiss Me' 87 and finally 89's masterpiece 'Disintegration' before the miss-fire 'Wish' in 92

It came at a critical point in my young self having just fell in love with 'Pornography' ( the album !) this follow up was to my mind a bet each way , it still had the Pornography darkness but something else was there that was weird and different and seemingly taking the band in a new direction . Being 17 at the time I was too naive to fully appreciate what was happening and it was only much much later I "got" this album

Anyway 'The Top' holds a special place in my musical heart

70/100

Worth a listen, especially if you're into the pop side of The Cure. Some cool experimental stuff in here.

Highs: The Caterpillar, Dressing Up, Shake Dog Shake

Lows: Give Me It

this is the album that changed the game. the cure went from dark goths to great pop songwriters. it may not be their best album but its importance for the band's sound evolution is undeniable. The Top is actually a very experimental album more than pop and there's a great diversity between the tracks which space frome Shake Dog Shake, which is probably the heaviest song on the album, and Dressing Up, which is kinda quiet but still very sad sounding. The Caterpilar is a fine pop tune too. some of the songs on the album are forgettable but The Top is definitely worth a listen.

totally underatted

this is my favourite cure album - and my most listened Cure album

Honestly I don't get all the hate for this album, it's pretty good. I enjoy the whole psychedelic marries gothic vibes, and I absolutely love the drums. I still have to listen to a lot from the cure, but this is currently one of my favorites from the band. From what I gather, people are unhappy with it because it's radically different than what you'd expect from the band. Still, I think it's good.

Probably The Cure's weakest album of the eighties. There really isn't much to recommend it, maybe, the caterpillar, and, shake dog shake. It's all okay, but that's not good enough. Really a Robert Smith solo album in all but name. So so