The Top [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered, Deluxe Edition]

The Cure | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1984
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered, Deluxe Edition
• Label: Rhino/Sire/Fiction
• ASIN: B000GGSM7G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,379 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Shake Dog Shake [Disc 1]

2. Birdmad Girl [Disc 1]

3. Wailing Wall [Disc 1]

4. Give Me It [Disc 1]

5. Dressing Up [Disc 1]

6. The Caterpillar [Disc 1]

7. Piggy In The Mirror [Disc 1]

8. The Empty World [Disc 1]

9. Bananafishbones [Disc 1]

10. The Top [Disc 1]

Disc: 2

1. You Stayed... (RS Home demo) [Disc 2]

2. Ariel (RS Home Demo) [Disc 2]

3. A Hand Inside My Mouth (Studio demo) [Disc 2]

4. Sadacic (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

5. Shake Dog Shake (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

6. Piggy In The Mirror (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

7. Birdmad Girl (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

8. Give Me It (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

9. Throw Your Foot (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

10. Happy The Man (RS Studio demo) [Disc 2]

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

First released in 1984, this album is a dramatic musical transition for The Cure, integrating the band's trademark dark textures with increased melodic and pop tendencies. The Top features 4 previously unreleased songs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Spurning sex like an animal of God"? Uh, okay..., May 29, 2002

By 

Angry Mofo "angrymofo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top (Audio CD)

This has to be the most bizarre Cure record ever, and its being inexplicably out-of-print only adds to the weirdness. It doesn't belong with the dour, slow Cure of Faith or Seventeen Seconds (too much instrumental variety), nor does it fit in with the lush, expansive Cure of Disintegration or Head on the Door (nowhere near as atmospheric). We've seen Robert Smith depressed before, but The Top is where he gets psychotic. His voice paints a picture of someone completely out of control and blind as a bat, utterly out of their mind. It's broken in pieces, and his inimitable tortured wails are at their most tortured and inimitable. Then there are the freakouts. The first time "Give Me It" came on, right after the hypnotic groove of "Wailing Wall," I practically had to jump and hide behind a chair. It is quite possibly Smith's most insanely frenetic song ever, placed and carried out somewhat like "Doubt" from Faith, except hitting a thousand times harder. And the lyrics carry Smith's most burningly bizarre imagery ever. Some songs are just surreal jumbles of these images. It rather borders on frightening.

No song on The Top sounds like any other. Thematic coherence? Nope, none of that. We start with a fevered rocker ("Shake Dog Shake"), switch gears completely for the lighter "Birdmad Girl" (great title on that one), then switch them again for the mesmerizingly hypnotic "Wailing Wall." This last one contains Smith's most "normal" singing on the album, making the next song ("Give Me It") that much freakier. From there we once again make a _complete_ about-face for the beautiful, melancholy pop of "Dressing Up" and the sad/cute "Caterpillar." What follows is the subdued weirdness of "Piggy in the Mirror," then another complete change into the military marching band tune of "The Empty World" ("stiff as toys and tall as men" is one of Smith's best lines ever), then yet another switch and more freakiness with the utterly incoherent "Bananafishbones," and finally an end with the pounding, despondent title track. The stylistic thrashing about makes for a difficult listen, but also actually serves to distinguish each song since every one of them stands out on its own. And the opaque, crazed lyrics add to the effect ("spurning sex like an animal of God"? whatever that is, it doesn't sound too happy, does it?).

It's hard to say which is the best track on the album, since they're all so different as to be incomparable. It's not an album to be played on every occasion, or even often, but for those times when you're feeling completely lost and confused, I daresay there's nothing better. Manic, paranoid and surreal, The Top is not an easy listen, but there's no other Cure album quite like it. The price is a bit steep, what with it being out of print in the States and all, but I declare it to be worth it. Purchase it today.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is A Psychedelic/Goth Masterpiece! -- A Note About The New Remaster . . ., August 28, 2006

By 

Rich Latta (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Top (Audio CD)

Complaints that Rhino "screwed up the pressing" are flat out wrong. I queried Rhino directly about this release and "Dr. Rhino" subsequently informed me that Robert Smith himself took the opportunity to make some adjustments to certain aspects of the album he was unhappy with. The opening drum roll on "Shake Dog Shake" has been edited to meet Robert's original intentions (sounds the same to me though!) and he also intentionally sped up "Bananafishbones" by a semi-tone. The following is my original review of THE TOP, followed by a review of the bonus disk. ------------>

This brilliant album is as colorful as its cover. It's a fascinating window into the darkly distorted state of mind that Robert Smith (the Cure's mastermind) was regularly experiencing at the time, thanks to high drug intake and an exhausting schedule recording with the Banshees during the day while working on THE TOP at night. Some of his best music and most tripped-out lyrics are featured here.

Smith plays most of the instruments on THE TOP while the talented but soon to be booted Andy Anderson plays the drums. Porl Thompson and Lol Tolhurst do contribute, but this is the closest thing to a solo album Smith has released, although I do have a bootleg solo album that Smith did by himself (it's mostly acoustic and sounds rather warm and sunny)[unfortunately, that tape was stolen]. With the JAPANESE WHISPERS singles, Robert Smith realized he could do any kind of music, and with the hallucinogenic TOP takes that notion to an extreme where he really lets it all hang out.

The breakdown:

"Shake Dog Shake" - a creepy, nightmare-ish vision with churning psychedelic guitar, death knell pacing and a grim smile. "Make up in the new blood/ And follow me to where the real fun is." *****

"Birdmad Girl" - beautiful song, lighthearted yet tinged with melancholy. Exudes an exuberant lust for life. Great piano, great guitars (both acoustic and electric). "She sends me everything/ She sends me everywhere" (love the way "me" switches from indirect object to direct object). *****

"Wailing Wall" - a fantastically gloomy Middle Eastern atmosphere pervades as Smith's electric guitar hovers in waves throughout the background. *****

"Give Me It" - full-throttle chaos and desperation, a truly harrowing vision. "Give me it, give me it give me it!/ Deaden my glassy mind!/ Give me it, give me it/ Make me blind!" ****

"Dressing Up" - a dreamy, soothing respite from the madness. Soothing woodwind keyboards, very intimate. ****1/2

"The Caterpillar" - A sweet, mildly plaintive song and quite unique. Highly creative with distinctive percussion (bongos, a clapper that flickers like butterfly wings) and other interesting touches. *****

"Piggy in the Mirror" - The surreal lyrics reflect a very warped state of mind and are simply brilliant. The acoustic guitar solo at the middle 8 is otherworldly and exquisite. ****1/2

"The Empty World" - Easily the weakest track on THE TOP, it features a military march on drums and a keyboard line that sounds like a Revolutionary War flute. It also explores THE TOP's central motif - altered mind states. ***

"Bananafishbones" - Possibly Smith's most wigged-out, warped and psychedelic song ever and the best song on THE TOP. Absolutely churning and thick like caramel with an uneasy, off-kilter heaviness that makes the room swim. "Turn off the lights/ And tell me 'bout the games you play." ***** [I loved the sound of the original recording, but Robert Smith must've thought it was too sludgy. This speeded-up version is snappier, but that "churning effect" is compromised and Smith's voice is considerably higher in pitch, halfway to Micky Mouse! Quite frankly I think he pretty much ruined this song by tampering with it, a form of historical revisionism that I'm totally against anyway. If you're a fan, hang on to your old copy or get one of those great sounding German imports of the original album]

"The Top" - a dark, hypnotic, "place where nobody goes/ You just imagine it all." Conveys a frightening sense of isolation. Cadences from percussion waver in tone and methodic drum rolls are divided into segments that make your mind swirl until an actual spinning top comes to a stop and falls over. ****1/2

For some reason THE TOP is often misunderstood and slagged, but mostly by people who don't get the Cure anyway. Claiming the album is "incoherent" is missing the point, and calling it "disjointed" sounds ridiculous coming from people who love KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME as that particular album could be described the same way. In both cases, I'd use the word "eclectic" rather than "disjointed." THE TOP is one of my favorite albums, by the Cure or anyone else.

Disk 2 - rarities

The unreleased songs on this disk are even weirder than the ones on THE TOP and some of the most interesting in this series of Cure album deluxe re-releases. The demos are actually pretty good, but mostly just show these songs in development and are inferior to the final versions. One exception is "The Caterpillar" featuring a very interesting take worth repeated listens, and the rough mixes of "Dressing Up" and "Wailing Wall" sound cool. The live bootlegs are pretty good/OK or fantastic, depending on how big a fan you are, but the live "Top" is really good. It burns slowly, sounding like a feverish nightmare. The rare, non-album "Forever" is also a gem well worth hearing. As usual, the whole package, including an informative essay and rare photos, is excellent.

The first 4 tracks are previously unreleased songs.

Tracks 1 & 2 - are Robert Smith home demos

"You Stayed..." - an otherworldly acoustic guitar excursion full of strange chords, Smith cooing and meowing in his highest range, his voice circling like a tortured ghost. *****+

"Ariel" - The beat would end up getting used on the harrowing B-side "New Day," but "Ariel" remains a serene gem. *****

"A Hand Inside My Mouth" - lurching, lounge-y and groovy, full of clanging guitars, icy keyboards, a distorted trumpet and another genius vocal from Smith. *****

"Sadacic" - a supremely sinister track. Robert Smith was burning his candle at both ends when these songs were recorded and his creative juices were sizzling. Like "Ariel," this song contains elements later used on "New Day." Features some deadly psychedelic guitar as only Smith can deliver it. *****+

"Shake Dog Shake" - Andy Anderson joins in on drums here as he does on most of these demos. He's the only black man I've ever known to play in the Cure and he's got a terrific feel, always giving these songs a certain "pop." This stab at "Shake" is inferior to the final master as are pretty much all of these demos but it's always interesting to hear Robert sing. His guitar sounds great. ****1/4

"Piggy In The Mirror" - Actually one of my fav Cure songs, I had a blast listening to Smith try to work out his vocal parts on it as the tape rolls. ****1/2

"Birdman Girl" - Another great song, this one sounds cool despite being a little half-hearted in places. Robert tries out some lyrics, seemingly improvised, and he plays the bass - quite well in fact. I know I'm gushing about the guy but he IS ridiculously talented and his only company during this time was a drummer and a drunk - oh, and a pile of mushrooms. ***3/4

"Give Me It" - sounds fantastic. If you like the album version, you'll like this. Some might even prefer it. ****1/2

"Throw Your Foot" - Inspired by the boys' nightly mushroom mind trips, this song is a goofy blast. Sounds great although it's nearly identical to the final master. ****

"Happy the Man" - Another unhinged masterpiece, Cure fans surely drool over this demo. Invokes a peculiar atmosphere. Different lyrics - funny how Smith threw away so many great lyrics on these demos! He seems much more lucid on this version than the bizarre performance he unleashed on the world with the released version. ****1/4

"The Caterpillar" - Worthy of repeated listens - the piano plays a much larger role on this version and it sounds absolutely fantastic. *****

tracks 12 & 13 are rough mixes

"Dressing Up" - gorgeous version. ****1/4

"Wailing Wall" - The guitar sounds like a black hole sucking in planets! Almost identical to the album, it's still worth checking out for the true fan. ****1/2

Live bootlegs:

"The Empty World" - sounds cool, makes me appreciate the original more. ****

"Bananafishbones" - a super-pumped-up blast through one of the best songs on The Top. The beat on this bootleg is faster than the version found on the original release. As mentioned earlier, the remastered album version on this release has been sped up (I know, it's cheating). Smith increased the speed by a semi-tone and the difference is quite noticeable. I prefer the slower, almost lethargic version which appears on the original LP, the way it swims and churns around like cold molasses. The title is taken from the J.D. Salinger short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" whose central character suddenly and inexplicably blows his brains out. *****

"The Top" (7:13) - mind-blowing, a must for Cure fans. *****

"Forever" - Off-and-on Cure member and multi-talented instrumentalist Port Thompson rejoins the fold on these live tracks and producer Phil Thornally fills in on bass. Originally released on the CURIOSITY cassette, this version of the rare, non-album "Forever" is quite different from the one released on the FAITH deluxe edition and features Porl playing some tortured, spasmodic saxophone. It's a stunning song that builds into a dizzying sonic frenzy. A must! *****+

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Ghoulish Nightmares to Powder Pink Dreams, July 5, 1999

By 

Thomas Baldwin (Upland, California 90210) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Top (Audio CD)

I didn't know what to expect when I first popped this into my CD player. I had heard plenty of negative reviews in the music press (like their opinion matters anyway), which now seem horribly wrong.

The opener "Shake Dog Shake" is one of the most intense Cure songs ever, its brilliant layered sound and haunting lyrics push my mind into a dark realm reserved for my worst nightmares. Spectacular.

"Birdmad Girl", "Dressing Up", and "The Caterpiller" are the light and airy tracks reminescent of the 1983 "Japanese Whispers" EP. "Birdmad Girl" is my favorite track on this disc for reasons I have yet to figure out. The gorgeously ambigious way Robert sings about being a polar bear just gets to me.

"Dressing Up" is a dreamy little tune with the dated synth sound I really love. Probably Robert Smiths favorite track on The Top, or so I've heard.

"The Caterpiller" is a worthy single, incredibly fun to sing along to as well. Why only 1 single was picked is beyond me. "Birdmad Girl" and "Dressing Up" seem single worthy.

"Bananafishbones" is extremely weird, I can't even describe it... but it's very cool. Same goes for the fun little "Piggy In The Mirror".

"Empty World", "The Top", and "Wailing Wall" sound like lost sessions from the Pornography era.

The only song I don't care for (maybe I have to develop a taste for it?) is "Give Me It", which is just too disorderly. A frenzied mess!

If you are looking for an album full of "Friday I'm In Love" type songs, look elsewhere! This is suggested for people after they have been aquanted with The Cure for awhile. It's a bit much to jump into for the casual listener.