The Cure – The Head On The Door (1985)

I loved the Cure's first two albums, but never really took much notice of them after that. I've no idea why. At various intervals over the last 40 years I've heard singles and odd bits and been reminded of the band, and generally enjoyed what I've heard.

And Robert Smith has always seemed to be a top bloke, marvellously self aware when he said in interview last year “I wear lipstick, I’m 65, I’m not the person to stand up to say what’s wrong with the world.”

So, on seeing a couple of mid to late 1980s Cure albums in Oxfam, very reasonably priced, I felt my reunion with the band was long overdue.

After a couple of listens, I'm not sure. Opening song, In Between Days, is a fine song, in that bouncy, engaging Cure way, that I've come to expect. It's a bit of a slowdown for the atmospheric Kyoto Song, and from there we move to Spain for The Blood, replete with classical guitar and castanets, to my ears not so accessible. Six Different Ways is enjoyable in an angular sort of way. Push opens with an intro so long that it has me believing it's a mid-album instrumental, but once Bob gets his vocal chords going, it's a fine listen. Baby Scream opens the second half of the album, lively, infectious, followed very much in the same style, by the great hit single Close To Me. But A Night Like This feels leaden after these two upbeat numbers, the percussive Screw doesn't convince, and I see why the album ends with the slow, dramatic Sinking, but it isn't what I want to listen to the Cure for. I'm much more comfortable with the earlier minimal sound than this big, well produced finish.

But for three quarters of this album I've been impressed, and I'm sure I'll be back to it. I'll still turn to Seventeen Seconds before this, but it might be an occasional treat.

Link to full album

3* - A really enjoyable album which seems to run out of steam towards the end.