The Head on the Door

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The Head on the Door
Studio album by The Cure
Released	August 13, 1985 August 8, 2006 Deluxe Edition Reissue
Recorded	Angel Studios, London, 1985
Genre	Gothic Rock, Alternative Rock, New Wave
Length	37:46
Label	Fiction Records (UK) Elektra Records (U.S.)
Producer(s)	Robert Smith and David M. Allen
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link The Music Box link Pitchfork Media (8.7/10) link Robert Christgau (B) link Prefix Magazine (7.5/10) link
The Cure chronology
The Top (1984)	The Head on the Door (1985)	Staring at the Sea: the Singles (1986)

The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure, released in 1985 (see 1985 in music).

Contents 1 History 2 Track listing 2.1 Original 1985 release 2.2 2006 "Deluxe Edition" 2.2.1 Disc one 2.2.2 Disc two 3 Personnel 3.1 Additional personnel 4 Sample 5 Charts 6 Certifications

[edit] History

This album follows the return of Simon Gallup and the official re-induction of Porl Thompson as a band member (he made a small contribution to The Top but wasn't an official band member until the album's tour). This is also the first Cure album with drummer Boris Williams, who has done work with the Thompson Twins. Special guest Ron Howe from Fools Dance plays a saxophone solo on the track "A Night Like This."

This album is considered one of the band's best by many fans, and the beginning of The Cure's modern style of music. The album gave The Cure credibility in the United States. It is also the first Cure album, not including the compilation Boys Dont Cry, to have two singles pulled from the album ("In Between Days" and "Close to Me"), both of which became very successful worldwide. Robert Smith has been known to say that this album represents the first he has recorded in which all of the members could play what he envisaged in his head.

In 2006, the album was re-released by Universal on their Fiction Records/Warner Bros./Rhino Records labels, digitally remastered with various demos and live tracks from the era. Included are demos of the four b-sides from the era ("The Exploding Boy", "A Few Hours After This", "A Man Inside My Mouth", and "Stop Dead") and four songs that were never released. It was released August 8 in the U.S. and August 14 in the UK.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Robert Smith.

[edit] Original 1985 release

1. "In Between Days" – 2:57
2. "Kyoto Song" – 4:16 produced by Smith, Allen and Howard Gray
3. "The Blood" – 3:43
4. "Six Different Ways" – 3:18
5. "Push" – 4:31 produced by Smith, Allen and Gray
6. "The Baby Screams" – 3:44
7. "Close to Me" – 3:23
8. "A Night Like This" – 4:16
9. "Screw" – 2:38
10. "Sinking" – 4:57

[edit] 2006 "Deluxe Edition"

[edit] Disc one

Original album, as above

[edit] Disc two

1. "Inbetween Days" (Instrumental Demo) – 1:25
2. "Inwood" (Instrumental Demo) – 2:18
3. "Push" (Instrumental Demo) – 2:31
4. "Innsbruck" (Instrumental Demo) – 2:37
5. "Stop Dead" (Demo) – 3:21
6. "Mansolidgone" (Demo) – 4:06
7. "Screw" (Demo) – 3:09
8. "Lime Time" (Demo) – 2:56
9. "Kyoto Song" (Demo) – 4:28
10. "A Few Hours After This..." (Demo) – 4:36
11. "Six Different Ways" (Demo) – 3:00
12. "A Man Inside My Mouth" (Demo) – 3:00
13. "A Night Like This" (Demo) – 4:08
14. "The Exploding Boy" (Demo) – 3:06
15. "Close to Me" (Demo) – 4:03
16. "The Baby Screams" (Live) – 3:46
17. "The Blood" (Live) – 3:34
18. "Sinking" (Live) – 5:06

[edit] Personnel

• Robert Smith - vocals, guitars, keyboards
• Laurence Tolhurst - keyboards
• Porl Thompson - guitars, keyboards
• Simon Gallup - basses
• Boris Williams - drums, percussion

[edit] Additional personnel

• Ron Howe – saxophone on 8

[edit] Sample

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1985	The Billboard 200 (U.S.)	59
1985	UK Albums Chart	7
1985	France Top 50	6

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1985	"In Between Days"	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play (U.S.)	39
1985	"In Between Days"	The Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.)	99
1985	"In Between Days"	UK Top 40	15
1985	"In Between Days"	France Top 50	23
1985	"Close to Me"	UK Top 40	24
1985	"Close to Me"	France Top 50	17
1986	"Close to Me"	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play (U.S.)	32
1991	"Close to Me" (Remix)	The Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.)	97

[edit] Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
BPI – UK	Gold	December 9, 1985
RIAA – U.S.	Gold	March 18, 1991
SNEP – France	2x Gold	1985

The Cure

Robert Smith | Porl Thompson | Simon Gallup | Jason Cooper

The Cure personnel

Discography

Studio albums: Three Imaginary Boys | Seventeen Seconds | Faith | Pornography | The Top | The Head on the Door | Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me | Disintegration | Wish | Wild Mood Swings | Bloodflowers | The Cure

Live albums: Concert | Entreat | Paris | Show | Trilogy

Compilations: Boys Don't Cry | Japanese Whispers | Standing on a Beach / Staring at the Sea | Mixed Up | Galore | Greatest Hits | Join the Dots

EPs: Half an Octopuss & Quadpus | Lost Wishes | Five Swing Live

Singles: "Killing an Arab" | "Boys Don't Cry" | "Jumping Someone Else's Train" | "A Forest" | "Primary" | "Charlotte Sometimes" | "A Single" | "Let's Go to Bed" | "The Walk" | "The Lovecats" | "The Caterpillar" | "In Between Days" | "Close to Me" | "Why Can't I Be You?" | "Catch" | "Just Like Heaven" | "Hot Hot Hot!!!" | "Fascination Street" | "Lullaby" | "Lovesong" | "Pictures of You" | "Never Enough" | "Close to Me (remix)" | "High" | "Friday I'm in Love" | "A Letter to Elise" | "The 13th" | "Mint Car" | "Gone!" | "Strange Attraction" | "Wrong Number" | "Cut Here" | "End of the World" | "Taking Off" & "alt.end"

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