Shake POLL Shake: The Cure's "The Top"

The song on this album that I feel gets overlooked a lot is "Wailing Wall"; it's just to the point in its creepiness in the best possible way, plus those awesome wailing noises...!

Agreed on all that!

omfg why didn't I vote "Piggy in the Mirror"

oh right, because "Bananafishbones" is... wait for it... BANANAS

The song on this album that I feel gets overlooked a lot is "Wailing Wall"; it's just to the point in its creepiness in the best possible way, plus those awesome wailing noises...!

― WHEY AHR MAH DREGUNS? (DJP), Thursday, June 7, 2012 3:34 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I consider 'Wailing Wall' to be one of my favourites and completely agree that it's an often overlooked moment in the Cure catalogue. 'Bananafishbones' is at the other end of the scale for me, personally. It's one of my least favourite Cure songs ever and comfortably the worst track on this record as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy the rest of the material a lot. I've always had a lot of time for The Top, and feel that Robert himself underrates this record as much as he overrates Wild Mood Swings. It's amazing how some Cure fans lump those two albums into the "worst of The Cure" pile, because one record is clearly miles stronger than the other. It's a record that comes with a bit of mystery attached to it, as well, since it's one of those albums that Robert seems to seldom discuss.

For me, this album is an often psychedelic mish-mash of where The Cure had been and where The Cure would go: it's more brightly coloured than Pornography (while still retaining portions of that record's anger), yet not quite as slick as The Head On The Door or Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (although 'The Caterpillar', for one, would have went on either of those albums comfortably). Its confusion and mood swings is part of the appeal of this record for me, almost to the point where I feel it is THIS record that should have been titled Wild Mood Swings, instead of the record that was eventually called that.

This is by far my favorite cure album, and bananafishbones is my favorite cure song, so there you go

this might also be the only time in the history of our adolescence where i think i ended up with a cure album before DJP got his hands on it

happy to see all the love for this album. In my top 5 CURE albums.

I voted for piggy.

It's amazing how some Cure fans lump those two albums into the "worst of The Cure" pile,

from my experience the Cure fans on this message board have far more sense (except for the Disintegration love).

There's a lot of crazy itt.

one of my favorite cure albums, although probably their most hit and miss. top three are the caterpillar, birdmad girl and (surprised at the hating here,) dressing up. i'll vote dressing up because it is just so damn weird. bob sounds like he's going to have an orgasm just thinking about getting his extra big hightops on... and then there's the strange-ass synth bass bopping around in an otherwise dreamy song. and it's incredibly psychedelic. i dunno. if you don't like dressing up, i'd suggest listening again, ignoring the fact that it IS just a tad "dinky." it's a great song, and one of my favorite cure songs, and one i get a hankering for more often than any other.

i do love this album but don't think it touches the Top 5.

i think i'm voting for "Give Me It."

Got to be "The Caterpillar". As for the rest of the album, I admire their ambitions, but I don't see them quite fulfilled.

I love this album and the fact that it's crazy and weird. But most importantly, I just think the songs are GREAT. Having a real hard time picking a favorite. Possibly "Wailing Wall".

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

your dying
for the hope is gone
from here we go nowhere again
I'm trapped in my face
and I'm changing too much
I can't climb out
the way I fell in

I voted Caterpillar, predictably, but I am a huge fan of 'Shake Dog Shake'.

this was maybe the first cure album i owned due to finding it in a crap second hand vinyl shop. before that had just heard the Galore comp lent to me by a friend so The Top was pretty different but I ended up loving it and always been confused as to why its probably got the least love of any classic era album.

love Bird Mad Girl so voting for that. saw them 2 weeks back and they played Bananafishbones, Caterpillar and Dressing Up. was hyped.

Odd album, I can see what other people see in it (the Cure recording an angry, schizophrenic album while hopped up on booze and acid does seem tasty) but it's just not for me.

I do love some of the individual tracks though, especially "Shake Dog Shake". "Piggy in the Mirror" and "Give Me It" are great too.

love Bird Mad Girl so voting for that. saw them 2 weeks back and they played Bananafishbones, Caterpillar and Dressing Up. was hyped.

OMG would have died.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

so is "the empty world" just a rippling fart for 2:36? It's not among the four or so tracks I kept from this.

Glad that the Caterpillar won, but also that there were more loony diehards not voting for it than silent squares voting for it.

Even as a saddo fan of "Dressing Up" I have to say that I feel no remorse for voting here for GIVE ME IT GIVE ME IT!!! For me that one is probably in my top 20 Cure songs of all time.

wish i listened to this one more time before voting.

have no regrets, however, for voting "Give Me It."

You did the right thing.

so is "the empty world" just a rippling fart for 2:36? It's not among the four or so tracks I kept from this.

it's the one with the fife and drum; it sounds more like a B-side than the actual b-sides.

The imagery in "The Empty World" is fantastic

Like, it seems to be about a little girl playing war games with her toys, but it also kind of seems to be about someone's psychosis causes the apocalypse.

OTM - it's a variant on "Games Without Frontiers"

I've always liked "The Empty World", I don't know why it gets no love. I think Robert's singing really matches the despair of the lyrics.

I'm glad I gave "Wailing Wall" its only vote. Another underrated gem IMO.

"The Empty World" was another song based on the book Charlotte Sometimes.

listening to this right now. they played so many The Top songs in this summer tour, seeing them live this year was one of the few AMAZING things that happened this year.

"This girl has got a smile
That can make me cry
This girl just burns with love
She's burning burning deep outside

Night time night time
Sets my house on fire
I'll turn into the melting man
I'll lose my life
To feel I feel desire"

this results are whacked but i think ILM was in burn out mode from all the Cure polls at the time, we had poll after poll.

after listening right now:

The Empty World >>> Bananafishbones

don't think i would change my vote from up-thread: "Give Me it" but i could see voting differently today. also now one of my favorite Cure albums, never thought i would say that.

I still really love this era and the Japanese Whispers stuff. wasn't it around this time that Chris Parry gave Smith a bit of a lecture/pep-talk about doing too many drugs? the story is in Ten Imaginary Years I think. also isn't one of the songs pitched at slightly the wrong speed and it was sorted out on the reissue?

I love the way the drums are treated on 'The Empty World' ... that cavernous bottom end mixed with the relatively tighter sounding snare.

also isn't one of the songs pitched at slightly the wrong speed and it was sorted out on the reissue?
― piscesx

shake shake shake shake shake shake shake shake
shake dog SHAKE

https://img.discogs.com/PCaGgBBXBJ-wAjUumdEXEnx0AhA=/fit-in/599x947/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-387285-1227978226.jpeg.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Grk9uD-cbM

My best image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_WvRGacwQU

it's classic

xpost

and because i was at this fucking amazing show

our version of rock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_WvRGacwQU

sorry

"Our version of rock:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgFcfR12HNw

i can't believe how gread this band is and how good, in particularity this album is. last one for my drunk Friday night. my all-time favorite band and it really isn't even close:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNBrJy4Y4dk

bonus, because this is actually a good live, at the time, version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa2Y1H9bIU8