Customer Reviews

Head on the Door (Reis)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The review up top is right: This is the Cure album to start with. But maybe that's because this is the one I happened to start with. Actually, I think it's excellent because it's right at what I would call the middle of the Cure's range of sounds. It's still got some of their early punk edginess, some of their 80's danciness, some of the dark goth-like tones, and a hint of the gloss that you'll find in their more recent albums.

Even though it falls in this niche, the styles of music on this album vary widely and the lyrics are haunting as always. This is definitely one of my favorite albums and seems to fit a variety of moods and settings. I bought this album on vinyl when it first came out and have been listening to it periodically ever since (although I've "upgraded" to a CD version). Every once in a while I forget about it and find it dusty on my shelf. When I clean it off and pop it back in the player I'm always glad I did.

If you only know the Cure's recent stuff, definitely go out and get this album. If you've never heard of the Cure and don't just want a greatist hits album, get this one. If you don't care...well, then nevermind...

Whenever I hear the first drum beats of this album, I get a smile on my face. Since listening to this album for the first time in the winter of '86, I've savored every note, every word, every emotion, every second. It is truly one of the finest releases of the '80's, yet the music really is timeless. It's a happier Cure than found on "Faith", "Pornography", or "Seventeen Seconds". Don't get me wrong, those albums are excellent, but "Head On The Door" was a new direction for Robert Smith and company. The lyrics on this album are still dark, twisted, and thought provoking like earlier albums, but they are matched with a lighter, happier sounding music. Even on tracks like "Sinking", and "A Night Like This" where the images are dark and brooding, the music is unlike any they've done before. I love this album. It always seems fresh and vibrant...even after all these years (15 to be exact) "The Head On The Door" still makes me happy to be a Cure fan.

Track highlights from "The Head On The Door"? Hmm, they're all great but if I had to pick..."InBetween Days", "Six Different Ways", "A Night Like This", "Push", and "Kyoto Song". Some of the Cure classics by far.

Although the Cure has come to the end of the road in what has been an amazing musical career, I thank the musical gods that looked upon Robert Smith, Laurence Tolhurst, Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup and Boris Williams during the making of this excellent album. Five stars? Nah, I give it six.

Whenever I'm mourning the death of our old friend, Good Music, I just slap any Cure CD onto the disc player. The Cure is the definitive "80s and beyond" band. Their mercurial pop melodies mingled with singer Robert Smith's Poe-meets-Rimbaud-meets-Dr. Seuss lyrical musings and plaintive wail make The Cure a truly mesmerizing presence. All of its albums are stunningly solid efforts, including the recent "The Cure" and "Bloodflowers," but 1985's "Head on the Door" is its most intriguingly layered offering, serving up an experimental foray into various musical styles; bits of flamenco, Japanese new wave, funk, hard rock, and even jazz sneak their way onto this magical album. The best part is, the Cure manages all the musical genre-melding without surrendering its trademark surrealistic sound.

I was watching r.e.m's story on behind the music. They were showing some old alternative tv show and they were listing the top five alternative albums of 85. 1. Fables by r.e.m (their best), the rest go like this; one by the talking heads, low-life by new order, the queen is dead by the smiths and this album. Now in 2002 alternative is alien ant farm, limp bizkit, and linkin park. Can I go out on a limb and say there has been a precipitous drop in quality as to what is considered alternative music????

Okay, sure this may be poppish, but The Cure have always wavered back and forth between Pop and Gloom. To be honest, I think most people completely misread this band, either by hating them (criticizing that The Cure are all make-up and posturing) or loving them (I'm thinking now of those wistful days of my youth during the 1980s when girls would dress in black, stare up at their posters of Robert Smith and say "Ahhhhhh"). Truth is, even Smith has gone on record saying that he enjoys BOTH of the Cure's styles--it seems when he gets bored of one, he focuses on the other. The Cure, I feel, are brilliantly playing a postmodern game. Smith is hyper-aware of his image and status, and he milks it for all its worth. Kudos to you Robert!

That said, Head on the Door is the CD to purchase for fans who want to hear irresistably catchy Cure songs. Head is solid and coherent, unlike the rambling mess of the follow-up, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (which would have made a better single record). Head contains "Inbetween Days," "Close to Me," and "A Night Like This" for singles fans. But the record also has "The Blood," and "The Baby Screams," for those who like their Cure, well, Curish!

I half agree with the reviewer from Malaysia. I don't think this is a quintessential Cure record. It's a quintessential mid-80's Cure record, to be sure, but for anyone who's really interested in this band I strongly recommend Boys Don't Cry, Seventeen Seconds (my favorite), Disentegration, and Wish.

Back in '85, it all came together in a big way for The Cure when Robert Smith assembled a supremely talented band that quickly began to fulfill its full potential as a first-rate alternative pop group with THE HEAD ON THE DOOR. This was a huge album for me personally as it was the first truly alternative rock music I became totally absorbed with. It was such a revelation to find this intriguing world of possibilities beyond the standard classic rock radio fare. Only 14, I listened to this album all through this pivotal year and began earnestly exploring their back catalog. This album encompasses the various strengths of all their previous efforts, from super-catchy pop to morbid melancholy. My song by song review of the original album can be found under other HEAD ON THE DOOR releases or my reviews page. The following is a review of each track on the bonus disk. As usual, this Deluxe Edition Cure package is first-rate with rare photos and excellent liner notes.

Bonus tracks (disk 2):

As one might expect, the majority of these bonus tracks will mostly appeal to obsessive Cure fans. Generic keyboard sounds were employed on these demos before the final textures were chosen and they're loaded with cheesy 80's drum machine "claps."

"In Between Days" (Robert Smith home demo) (1:25) - Robert Smith alone on electric guitar and keys, playing the basic melody along to a drum box beat. Serves as a pleasant little reminder of the final version. ***1/2

"Inwood" (R.S. home demo) (2:18) - a rather slight song sketch, this unreleased track still could've turned into something good. Smith overdubs rhythm and lead guitars, employing a slight Middle-Eastern sound reminiscent of "The Wailing Wall." Cool drum machine. ***1/2

"Push" (R.S. home demo) (2:31) - a breezy little song sketch with guitar, bass and drum box. ***1/4

"Innsbruck" (R.S. home demo) (2:37) - vaguely ominous unreleased cut with a cool guitar that builds intensity. ***1/2

"Stop Dead" (studio demo) (3:21) - featuring the full band, this cool song is inferior to the final version but not far off. The bass part isn't fully developed but still sounds great. ***1/2

"Mansolidgone" (s.d.) (4:06) - This unreleased track sports a light-hearted cabaret swing with jazzy keys and Robert Smith scat singing. Fun! ****

"Screw" (s.d.) (3:09) - has that great bass line with a different tone - lighter yet more metallic - and some keyboards not used in the final version. ***1/2

"Lime Time" (s.d.) (2:56) - happy, airy with lyrics that were later used on "In Between Days," Six Different Ways," and "New Day." Slight, a bit too repetitive and overly happy for my tastes. **1/4

"Kyoto Song" (s.d.) (4:28) - eerie background keys, slightly unhinged Robert Smith vocals with an improvised feel. Smith is an excellent vocal stylist and the way he just wings it on several of these demos, trying to figure out the part is so cool. ****

"A few hours after this . . ." (s.d.) (4:36) - this version features the full band in place of the gorgeous orchestral keys on the final master giving the song a quite different feel. The track originally released as a B-side is one of my favorites. ***1/2

"Six Different Ways" (s.d.) (3:00) - close to the final version of this quirky, playful track, yet this take is intriguingly unique at the same time. ****

"A Man Inside My Mouth" (s.d.) (3:00) - one of the most fantastic and bizarre Cure songs ever, this version, like most of the demos here, is less powerful than the final master. Features a drum machine and different lyrics. ***

"A Night Like this" (s.d.) (4:08) - close to the final version with some slightly different lyrics. Porl Thompson's sax solo is quite different here, reminiscent of his playing during the Top era. ***1/2

"The Exploding Boy"(s.d.) (3:06) - another great B-side, this version is very good. ****

"Close To Me" (s.d.) (4:03) - hasn't yet achieved the jittery, quiet yet playful intensity of the final version but it's quite listenable. Great Smith vocals! ****1/2

"The Baby Screams" (live bootleg) - good version, decent sound. ***1/2

"The Blood" (live bootleg) - Robert Smith always seems to screw up the lyrics when he sings this one live. The crowd singing along is quite audible on these boots, especially this one. ***1/2

"Sinking" (live bootleg) - great version, this song is a harbinger of their even more masterful forays into depression rock later heard on DISINTEGRATION. ****1/2

Where are all the reviews for The Head On The Door? At the time I'm writing this, there are only six. This is definitely the most unheralded album in The Cure's collection. That's a shame, because this is a great, great album and a stellar representation of what The Cure was doing in the 80's. I have the entire Cure studio discography, and I can say without hesitation that the song Push from this album is easily one of my very favorite Cure songs. Other favorites on here include In Between Days, Screw and Sinking, with The Baby Screams getting an honorable mention. In fact, everything about this album is brilliant in my opinion. It's all over the place sonically, which is a good thing; it's The Cure branching out even more than usual, if that's possible. In my opinion, 1984's The Top was one of The Cure's weaker efforts, and in 1987, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me dazzled all Cure fans. And, of course, Kiss Me paved the way for one of the greatest albums ever released: 1989's Disintegration. But in the middle of all that was this tiny masterpiece, which has been sadly overlooked since it's release. This is outstanding stuff and, I think, one of The Cure's best albums, right behind Disintegration, Faith and Bloodflowers. Please get this album, and then you may commence to kicking yourself for ignoring it for so long.

CD Review: The Cure - The Head On The Door: Remastered And Expanded Edition

Have you ever been to a concert where nobody showed up?

I've actually been to a number of these type of shows over the years. I can remember for example seeing Genesis with Peter Gabriel around the time of Selling England By The Pound with about 50 other people in the 8000 seat capacity Seattle Center Arena. The crowd was so small they actually put the stage in the center of the arena and had one full half of the place curtained off. Genesis themselves, God Bless Em', still delivered their full theatrical spectacle even if it must've felt more like a dress rehearsal to them. So roughly fifty delighted fans we're treated to Peter Gabriel complete with his various fox heads and masks, weaving his stories around the wildly progressive for the time sounds of Genesis at a creative peak, years before they devolved into the worst formula rock band of all time under Phil Collins leadership.

I had another such experience seeing The Cure about ten years later in the same building. Same deal. A curtained off stage in the center of the arena this time before a slightly more respectable crowd of about 200 devotees decked out in various shades of gothic black.

My interest in the band at the time was strictly casual as the darker sides of my musical taste ran more to bands like Echo And The Bunnymen and the lesser known Chameleons. So I really didn't know what to expect from the band who would soon launch a million or so covens of goth kids around the globe.

In a word, The Cure were dark. Very dark.

So much so it prompted the friend I went with to come up with one of the most original one sentence reviews of a concert I've ever heard.

By the second song my friend looked over at me and said, "Glen, it's midnight and the crows are beckoning." It was at once the most hilarious and the most accurate description of what we saw on that particular night I've ever heard.

But there was also some very interesting musical terrain being mined by the Cure onstage that night. In between all of the darker hues, you could make out some very distinctive pop hooks and even a hint of funk in the basslines. Underneath the wiry jet black hair and pasty white facial makeup, Robert Smith was also an impressive vocalist who managed to somehow make the dark detachment of his songs sound almost, well emotional.

About a year after that show The Cure released The Head On The Door, the album many fans cite as the record which began The Cure's evolution from the goth dungeonmasters that I saw in concert that night into the worldwide pop phenomenon that produced a string of hit albums like Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and Disintegration.

And make no mistake about it, with The Head On The Door, Robert Smith was intent on broadening the musical canvas of The Cure. Coming off what was arguably The Cure's most non-commercial album ever, The Top, The Head On The Door sounds like a downright collection of pop singles by comparison.

The themes of darkness and isolation are still prevalent and the album still has enough minor chords to keep the black nail polish crowd happy. But there are plenty of hints here at the poppier direction to come, most notably on tracks like the leadoff "In Between Days" and the hit single "Close To Me."

On "Kyoto Song", Smith incorporates oriental brushstrokes into the mix. On the album's standout track "A Night Like This," the band mines a more familiar dark drone which is then broken up about midway through by the sort of gorgeous sounding sax solo you'd find more at home on a Supertramp record.

Returning bass player Simon Gallup again provides a hard funk bottom popping his way through what would otherwise be more standard Cure fare like "Screw." The seeming contrast of a decidedly funkier rhythm section and the more standard doom and gloom of The Cure actually works remarkably well throughout The Head On The Door.

On the remastered treatment of this new version from Rhino, those nuances--from Gallup's bass popping to the broader textures added to the Cure's trademark drone--are newly enhanced in the mix, making this reissue that all too rare case where the treatment is actually warranted. The recording here is mixed several notches brighter, allowing the high end to shine far above the droning low of the original version.

The bonus disc is also truly a real bonus. Nearly all of Head's original 10 tracks appear here in various stages of their growth in demo versions. The result is a rare glimpse into the actual creative process where you are able to almost visualize these songs as they began to take shape. On "A Night Like This" for example, the smooth sax solo of the final version veers into more experimental territory, sounding almost like something out of the Coltrane book of avant garde jazz.

Rhino has also reissued new remastered versions of The Top and Kiss Me, Kiss Me which I will most definitely check out based on the results here. If those reissues are anywhere near as surprisingly good as this, this represents an all too rare example of the label getting it right, rather than just simply cashing in.

1985's "The Head on the Door" is The Cure's most accessible album. 35 minutes long, oozing with catchy melodies and infectious pop hooks.

The depressed lyrics in songs like "In Between Days" and "Push" are overshadowed by the insanely catchy, upbeat synth-pop music.

"Close To Me" is an absolute pop gem; so simple (bass, hand claps, basic synth melody, and Robert Smith's anguished panting), yet so deliciously infectious.

Also really good is "A Night Like This", a meeting of the ways between 'goth' and smooth pop - with a saxophone too!

"The Baby Screams" and "Screw" are two of the less moments on here; the latter is the most dated thing on here, which almost makes it sort of fun in a 'throwaway' sense.

The album closes with the towering "Sinking", a 5 minute blast of detached melancholia that foreshadows 1989's ambitious masterpiece "Disintegration".

Other highlights include the bouncy Beatlesque pop of "Six Different Ways", the flamenco/latin tinged "The Blood", and the dark, chilling "Kyoto Song".

Pop gems galore on this sucker. A great starting point for new fans. Sure, it sounds a little mid-80's dated at times, but you can't deny Robert Smith's songwriting ability.

Best Songs: In Between Days, Kyoto Song, Close To Me, Sinking, The Blood.

Take one part renewed band confidence and camaraderie, one part incredibly strong songs, one part compelling visual identity ( this was, after all, the mid-Eighties ), throw in the fact that they're English and just *slightly* mad and you've got the recipe for the undeniable, unstopable force of "the Head on the Door." Helped no doubt by two of the best, most recognisable singles these lads have ever released, THOTD finally broke the Cure as a viably popular band around the world. I think the main reason is that this is an all-Cure-for-all-people kind of album. Neither completely bleak nor completely "pop", it has elements of all the sounds the Cure had explored up to that point. A few angry, tense moments ( "Push", "Screw" ), melancholy navel-gazing ("Sinking"), a bit of mindless dance fun ( "Close to Me", "the Baby Screams" ) some world music textures ( "the Blood" "Kyoto Song" ) and timeless pop ( "Inbetween Days", "A Night Like This", "Six Different Ways" ) all come together in this, a definite keeper in the Cure's catalogue. The remastered reissue is a real sonic improvement, the liner notes, commentary and photos are nice extras, and the demos and live performances on the bonus disc show the song development in a fascinating way. A Highlight of popular music, and Very Highly Recommended.