The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Cure. It was released on 30 August 1985 by Fiction Records. Preceded by the single "In Between Days" which had reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart,[5]The Head on the Door was described by Melody Maker as "a collection of pop songs".[6] With its variety of styles, it allowed the group to reach a wider audience in both Europe and North America. In the United Kingdom it became their most successful album to date, entering the albums chart at No. 7 on 7 September.[7]
The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams. Bassist Simon Gallup, who had previously worked on three major Cure albums of the early 1980s, was called back before the recording. In 1985, the band became a quintet with instrumentalist Porl Thompson as their fifth official member. The Head on the Door is the first Cure album where all the songs were composed solely by singer and guitarist Robert Smith.
This album marks the return of Simon Gallup in the group; he had performed and composed with Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst on the dark trilogy Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography. Guitarist Porl Thompson, who had played guitar during the very early days of the band, and also played keyboards and saxophone during The Top tour, became an official member. Drummer Boris Williams, who had previously worked with Thompson Twins, finally joined the ensemble after playing with the band during the US leg of the 1984 tour.
During promotion for the record, Smith stated that The Head on the Door was inspired by the albums Kaleidoscope by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dare by the Human League. He wanted the album to be eclectic with different styles and moods: "It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colours".[8] "Kyoto Song" contains an oriental hook, while "The Blood" is played in a flamenco style.[9] The piano tune of "Six Different Ways" had been previously used by Smith during his tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees, for the single "Swimming Horses".[10] The last song of the album, "Sinking", was reminiscent of the band's Faith era, while "Close to Me" (released as the album's second and final single) was described as a "disco thing" by critics.[6] The opening track and first single, "In Between Days", was compared to New Order's material.[11] "A Night Like This" contains a saxophone solo by Ron Howe from Fools Dance. The title of the album comes from a line in the chorus of "Close to Me".
Released on 30 August 1985, The Head on the Door was the first big international success for the band, notably entering the top 75 in the US and reaching the top 20 in numerous other countries.[21] The album is certified gold in the US, UK and France.
Upon its release, The Head on the Door was well received by the British press. In a very favourable review, Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland hailed the "liberty" that Smith took to conceive a multifaceted record.[6] Chris Roberts of Sounds said that it "makes you wish more pop stars were hip enough to stay in bed all day".[11]Record Mirror reviewer Andy Strickland wrote that The Head on the Door "may lack the swirls of chorused guitar that many adore, but there's a wider more mature musical approach".[10]Mat Snow of NME found that the album "is really quite pop", and that "tunes abound".[22] In December 1985 it was named the best album of the year by Melody Maker.[23]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Tim Sendra noted that The Head on the Door marked a new musical direction for the Cure in that Smith had managed to make the band's trademark "gloom and doom" style both "danceable and popular"; Sendra also found that the album's "inventive" arrangements provide "a musical depth previous efforts lacked".[13] Writing for Q, Tom Doyle said that songs such as "In Between Days" and "Close to Me" showed Smith "bridging the brooding of yore with their recent pop highs".[18] Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork deemed it the band's "most focused pop album" and "a tight, terrific package".[17]PopMatters included The Head on the Door on its list of 12 essential alternative rock albums from the 1980s, calling the record "an outstanding example of Smith's ability to use pop music as a means to express angst while applying just a hint of the polish".[25]
^McNair, James (September 2006). "The Cure: The Head on the Door". Mojo. No. 154.
^ abAbebe, Nitsuh (25 August 2006). "The Cure / Robert Smith: The Top / The Head on the Door / Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me / Blue Sunshine". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
^ abDoyle, Tom (September 2006). "Born Again". Q. No. 242. p. 118.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – The Cure – The Head on the Door" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"European Top 100 Albums". Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 43. 28 October 1985. p. 15. OCLC 29800226.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – The Cure – The Head on the Door" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 December 2023. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "The head on the door" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
^"Charts.nz – The Cure – The Head on the Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"Swedishcharts.com – The Cure – The Head on the Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"The Cure Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"Italiancharts.com – The Cure – The Head on the Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^"Ultratop.be – The Cure – The Head on the Door" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^"Ultratop.be – The Cure – The Head on the Door" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
External linksedit
The Head on the Door at Discogs (list of releases)
April 13, 2024
head, door, sixth, studio, album, english, rock, band, cure, released, august, 1985, fiction, records, preceded, single, between, days, which, reached, singles, chart, described, melody, maker, collection, songs, with, variety, styles, allowed, group, reach, w. The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Cure It was released on 30 August 1985 by Fiction Records Preceded by the single In Between Days which had reached No 15 on the UK Singles Chart 5 The Head on the Door was described by Melody Maker as a collection of pop songs 6 With its variety of styles it allowed the group to reach a wider audience in both Europe and North America In the United Kingdom it became their most successful album to date entering the albums chart at No 7 on 7 September 7 The Head on the DoorStudio album by the CureReleased30 August 1985 1 Recorded1985StudioAngel Recording LondonGenreAlternative rockpost punk 2 art pop 3 new wave 4 Length37 46LabelFictionProducerRobert Smith David M AllenThe Cure chronologyThe Top 1984 The Head on the Door 1985 Standing on a Beach 1986 Singles from The Head on the Door In Between Days Released 19 July 1985 Close to Me Released 13 September 1985The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams Bassist Simon Gallup who had previously worked on three major Cure albums of the early 1980s was called back before the recording In 1985 the band became a quintet with instrumentalist Porl Thompson as their fifth official member The Head on the Door is the first Cure album where all the songs were composed solely by singer and guitarist Robert Smith Contents 1 History and music 2 Release reception and legacy 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 Certifications 7 References 7 1 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory and music editThis album marks the return of Simon Gallup in the group he had performed and composed with Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst on the dark trilogy Seventeen Seconds Faith and Pornography Guitarist Porl Thompson who had played guitar during the very early days of the band and also played keyboards and saxophone during The Top tour became an official member Drummer Boris Williams who had previously worked with Thompson Twins finally joined the ensemble after playing with the band during the US leg of the 1984 tour During promotion for the record Smith stated that The Head on the Door was inspired by the albums Kaleidoscope by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dare by the Human League He wanted the album to be eclectic with different styles and moods It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album the idea of having lots of different sounding things different colours 8 Kyoto Song contains an oriental hook while The Blood is played in a flamenco style 9 The piano tune of Six Different Ways had been previously used by Smith during his tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees for the single Swimming Horses 10 The last song of the album Sinking was reminiscent of the band s Faith era while Close to Me released as the album s second and final single was described as a disco thing by critics 6 The opening track and first single In Between Days was compared to New Order s material 11 A Night Like This contains a saxophone solo by Ron Howe from Fools Dance The title of the album comes from a line in the chorus of Close to Me When he was interviewed that year Smith said that his five favourite albums were at that time Mirror Moves by the Psychedelic Furs This Year s Model by Elvis Costello Low by David Bowie Kaleidoscope by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Rattus Norvegicus by the Stranglers 12 Release reception and legacy editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 Blender nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 14 Christgau s Record GuideB 15 Mojo nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 16 Pitchfork8 7 10 17 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 18 Record Mirror4 5 10 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 19 Sounds nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 11 Spin nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 20 Released on 30 August 1985 The Head on the Door was the first big international success for the band notably entering the top 75 in the US and reaching the top 20 in numerous other countries 21 The album is certified gold in the US UK and France Upon its release The Head on the Door was well received by the British press In a very favourable review Melody Maker s Steve Sutherland hailed the liberty that Smith took to conceive a multifaceted record 6 Chris Roberts of Sounds said that it makes you wish more pop stars were hip enough to stay in bed all day 11 Record Mirror reviewer Andy Strickland wrote that The Head on the Door may lack the swirls of chorused guitar that many adore but there s a wider more mature musical approach 10 Mat Snow of NME found that the album is really quite pop and that tunes abound 22 In December 1985 it was named the best album of the year by Melody Maker 23 In 2000 it was voted number 833 in Colin Larkin s All Time Top 1000 Albums 24 In a retrospective review AllMusic critic Tim Sendra noted that The Head on the Door marked a new musical direction for the Cure in that Smith had managed to make the band s trademark gloom and doom style both danceable and popular Sendra also found that the album s inventive arrangements provide a musical depth previous efforts lacked 13 Writing for Q Tom Doyle said that songs such as In Between Days and Close to Me showed Smith bridging the brooding of yore with their recent pop highs 18 Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork deemed it the band s most focused pop album and a tight terrific package 17 PopMatters included The Head on the Door on its list of 12 essential alternative rock albums from the 1980s calling the record an outstanding example of Smith s ability to use pop music as a means to express angst while applying just a hint of the polish 25 A cover version of A Night Like This was released on the 1996 reissue of the Smashing Pumpkins Bullet with Butterfly Wings single Track listing editAll tracks are written by Robert SmithSide oneNo TitleLength1 In Between Days 2 572 Kyoto Song 4 163 The Blood 3 434 Six Different Ways 3 185 Push 4 31 Side twoNo TitleLength1 The Baby Screams 3 442 Close to Me 3 233 A Night Like This 4 164 Screw 2 385 Sinking 4 57 2006 deluxe edition bonus discNo TitleLength1 In Between Days RS Instrumental Home Demo 12 84 1 252 Inwood RS Instrumental Home Demo 12 84 2 183 Push RS Instrumental Home Demo 12 84 2 314 Innsbruck RS Instrumental Home Demo 12 84 2 375 Stop Dead Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 3 216 Mansolidgone Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 4 067 Screw Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 3 098 Lime Time Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 2 569 Kyoto Song Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 4 2810 A Few Hours After This Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 4 3611 Six Different Ways Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 3 0012 A Man Inside My Mouth Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 3 0013 A Night Like This Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 4 0814 The Exploding Boy Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 3 0615 Close to Me Fitz F2 Studios Demo 2 85 4 0316 The Baby Screams live bootleg Bercy Paris 12 85 bootleg audience recording 3 4617 The Blood live bootleg Bercy Paris 12 85 bootleg audience recording 3 3418 Sinking live bootleg Bercy Paris 12 85 bootleg audience recording 5 06Personnel editRobert Smith vocals guitars keyboards production Lol Tolhurst keyboards Porl Thompson guitars keyboards Simon Gallup bass guitar Boris Williams drums percussion Ron Howe saxophone on A Night Like This David M Allen production Howard Gray production on Kyoto Song Frank Barretta EngineerCharts editWeekly charts edit 1985 1986 weekly chart performance for The Head on the Door Chart 1985 1986 PeakpositionAustralian Albums Kent Music Report 26 6Dutch Albums Album Top 100 27 3European Albums Eurotipsheet 28 7German Albums Offizielle Top 100 29 15Italian Albums Musica e dischi 30 18New Zealand Albums RMNZ 31 11Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 32 24Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 21 14UK Albums OCC 7 7US Billboard 200 33 592006 weekly chart performance for The Head on the Door Chart 2006 PeakpositionItalian Albums FIMI 34 962023 weekly chart performance for The Head on the Door Chart 2023 PeakpositionBelgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 35 99Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 36 189 Year end charts edit 1985 year end chart performance for The Head on the Door Chart 1985 PositionAustralian Albums Kent Music Report 37 65Dutch Albums Album Top 100 38 491986 year end chart performance for The Head on the Door Chart 1986 PositionAustralian Albums Kent Music Report 39 43European Albums Music amp Media 40 71Certifications editCertifications for The Head on the Door Region Certification Certified units salesFrance SNEP 41 Gold 100 000 United Kingdom BPI 42 Gold 100 000 United States RIAA 43 Gold 500 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone References edit Head on Cure PDF Record Mirror 24 August 1985 p 6 Retrieved 21 July 2022 Inskeep Thomas 20 November 2006 The Cure The Top The Head on the Door Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me Stylus Magazine Archived from the original on 16 February 2022 Retrieved 25 May 2022 Sodomsky Sam 29 May 2022 The Cure Wish Album Review Pitchfork Retrieved 29 May 2022 TOP OF THE POPS Chicago Tribune 26 February 1998 Archived from the original on 25 May 2022 Retrieved 25 May 2022 The Cure Official Charts Company Retrieved 25 March 2022 a b c Sutherland Steve 31 August 1985 Head case Melody Maker p 27 a b Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 25 March 2022 Sutherland Steve 17 August 1985 A Suitable Case for Treatment Melody Maker pp 24 25 37 Grant Steven Robbins Ira Reno Brad Cure Trouser Press Retrieved 17 January 2016 a b c Strickland Andy 31 August 1985 The Cure The Head on the Door Record Mirror p 20 a b c Roberts Chris 31 August 1985 Sox Appeal Sounds The Cure on 4C French t v show Canal YouTube 11 December 1985 retrieved 1 August 2023 a b Sendra Tim The Head on the Door The Cure AllMusic Retrieved 8 January 2016 Wolk Douglas October 2005 The Cure The Head on the Door Blender Vol 4 no 9 Archived from the original on 23 November 2005 Retrieved 8 January 2016 Christgau Robert 1990 The Cure The Head on the Door Christgau s Record Guide The 80s Pantheon Books p 110 ISBN 0 679 73015 X Retrieved 8 January 2016 McNair James September 2006 The Cure The Head on the Door Mojo No 154 a b Abebe Nitsuh 25 August 2006 The Cure Robert Smith The Top The Head on the Door Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me Blue Sunshine Pitchfork Retrieved 8 January 2016 a b Doyle Tom September 2006 Born Again Q No 242 p 118 Sheffield Rob 2004 The Cure In Brackett Nathan Hoard Christian eds The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 4th ed Simon amp Schuster pp 205 206 ISBN 0 7432 0169 8 Dolan Jon September 2006 Reissues Spin Vol 22 no 9 p 107 Retrieved 8 January 2016 a b Swisscharts com The Cure The Head on the Door Hung Medien Retrieved 16 June 2016 Snow Mat 31 August 1985 Our Man Still Awake Shock NME p 27 Albums of the Year Melody Maker 21 28 December 1985 p 44 Colin Larkin 2000 All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd ed Virgin Books p 259 ISBN 0 7535 0493 6 Hope Despite the Times 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s PopMatters 27 August 2014 p 1 Archived from the original on 30 November 2018 Retrieved 11 February 2020 Kent 1993 pp 79 80 Dutchcharts nl The Cure The Head on the Door in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved 16 June 2016 European Top 100 Albums Eurotipsheet Vol 2 no 43 28 October 1985 p 15 OCLC 29800226 Offiziellecharts de The Cure The Head on the Door in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved 16 June 2016 Classifiche Musica e dischi in Italian Retrieved 29 December 2023 Select Album in the Tipo field type The head on the door in the Titolo field and press cerca Charts nz The Cure The Head on the Door Hung Medien Retrieved 16 June 2016 Swedishcharts com The Cure The Head on the Door Hung Medien Retrieved 16 June 2016 The Cure Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved 16 June 2016 Italiancharts com The Cure The Head on the Door Hung Medien Retrieved 16 June 2016 Ultratop be The Cure The Head on the Door in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved 29 December 2023 Ultratop be The Cure The Head on the Door in French Hung Medien Retrieved 29 December 2023 Kent 1993 p 437 Jaaroverzichten Album 1985 in Dutch Dutch Charts Retrieved 29 December 2023 Kent 1993 p 438 European Hot 100 Albums Hot 100 of the Year 1986 Music amp Media Vol 3 no 51 52 27 December 1986 p 35 OCLC 29800226 French album certifications The Cure Head on the Door in French InfoDisc Retrieved 16 June 2016 SelectTHE CUREand clickOK British album certifications Cure The Head on the Door British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 16 June 2016 American album certifications The Cure The Head on the Door Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 16 June 2016 Bibliography edit Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 External links editThe Head on the Door at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Head on the Door amp oldid 1197068938, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
