The Top [LP] in Bloomington, MN

Recorded in the midst of
Robert Smith
's tenuous tenure with
Siouxsie and the Banshees
,
The Top
is arguably the most hedonistic record
the Cure
ever produced. Essentially
Smith
and
Lol Tolhurst
working with studio musicians (this being the period when
's lineup was never assured), it's an album obviously recorded under stress, drink, and drugs. More wildly experimental musically than anything before it, it laid the foundations for
's pattern of unpigeonholable albums that were to erase their reputation built by
Pornography
and eventually culminating in
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
. That said, it's still very much a
Cure
record. Heavy on the percussion and quaint keyboard effects that were so big in the '80s, the melodies (
"The Caterpillar,"
"Shake Dog Shake"
) are unmistakably
. The big change this time around is his ability to fuse the paranoia and neuroses of former work (
) with his newfound use of
pop
melody and outside influences (i.e., world travels, sounds, instruments) to moderate success (
"Wailing Wall,"
"Piggy in the Mirror"
). A more
psychedelic
descent than
is a transition, never really feeling like a full-length release, but it does meld all former phases of
Rob
and company, which would fully gel on
The Head on the Door
. At best an imperfect record,
is a necessary step in the evolution of the band. ~ Chris True