{"product_id":"the-cure-the-top-cd","title":"The Cure - The Top [CD]","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Top is the Cure at their most unhinged and colourful, a 1984 album that sounds like Robert Smith emptying out his notebooks and his nightmares at the same time, presented here as the CD edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt arrived during a strange, prolific period. The band had splintered after the bleak intensity of Pornography, Smith was moonlighting with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Cure had just scored a run of quirky pop singles. The Top pulls all of those threads together into one restless, psychedelic swirl, with Smith playing much of it himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The Caterpillar\" is the hit, a playful, tumbling song full of violin, piano and fluttering percussion that still sounds wonderfully odd. \"Shake Dog Shake\" opens the album with a snarling, guitar-heavy jolt, while \"Bananafishbones\" bounces along on a jittery rhythm. The closing title track sinks into something darker and heavier, a reminder that the gloom never fully left.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOdd instruments and sound effects pop up in unexpected places, keeping you guessing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOften overlooked between the darker classics and the later hits, The Top is overdue for a fresh listen. It's the Cure's most adventurous album of the period, and a lot of fun once you surrender to its weirdness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57518460043569,"sku":"602498400135","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/The_Cure-The_Top_CD.jpg?v=1794678805","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/the-cure-the-top-cd","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}