The Top [Deluxe Edition]

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Chris True
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 the Cure'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 the Cure'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 ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Chris True
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 the Cure'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 the Cure'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 Robert Smith. The big change this time around is his ability to fuse the paranoia and neuroses of former work Pornography 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 Pornography, The Top 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, The Top is a necessary step in the evolution of the band. [A two-disc deluxe edition of the album was released by Rhino in 2006. The first disc contained the album proper, while the second featured 11 demos, a pair of alternate mixes, and a handful of songs pulled from a live bootleg.]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 3/12/2008
  • Label: Universal Uk
  • UPC: 602498400128
  • Catalog Number: 9840012
  • Sales rank: 79,114

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Shake Dog Shake (4:56)
  2. 2 Birdmad Girl (4:05)
  3. 3 Wailing Wall (5:23)
  4. 4 Give Me It (3:42)
  5. 5 Dressing Up (2:51)
  6. 6 The Caterpillar (3:41)
  7. 7 Piggy in the Mirror (3:39)
  8. 8 The Empty World (2:36)
  9. 9 Bananafishbones (2:59)
  10. 10 The Top (6:58)
Disc 2
  1. 1 You Stayed... (2:21)
  2. 2 Ariel (2:58)
  3. 3 A Hand Inside My Mouth (3:40)
  4. 4 Sadacic (4:17)
  5. 5 Shake Dog Shake (4:56)
  6. 6 Piggy in the Mirror (3:40)
  7. 7 Birdmad Girl (3:36)
  8. 8 Give Me It (3:43)
  9. 9 Throw Your Foot (3:31)
  10. 10 Happy the Man (2:46)
  11. 11 The Caterpillar (4:17)
  12. 12 Dressing Up (2:14)
  13. 13 Wailing Wall (4:59)
  14. 14 The Empty World (2:47)
  15. 15 Bananafishbones (2:57)
  16. 16 The Top (7:13)
  17. 17 Forever (4:58)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
The Cure Primary Artist
Phil Thornalley Bass
Andy Anderson Percussion, Drums
Porl Thompson Guitar, Keyboards, Saxophone
Laurence Tolhurst Keyboards
Robert "Big Bert" Smith Guitar, Vocals
Technical Credits
Howard Gray Engineer
Robert Smith Composer, Audio Production
Laurence Tolhurst Composer, Instrumentation
Johnny Black Sleeve Notes
Dave Allen Producer, Engineer
Zoe Roberts Tape Research
Dave Allen Engineer
Robert "Big Bert" Smith Producer, Reissue Producer, Instrumentation
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