The Top  by The Cure

In 1984, the year The Top by The Cure was released, it was clear that the band from Great Britain, which had managed to become one of the most beloved bands of the post-punk and gothic scene in the early 1980s, was going through a deep crisis. Simon Gallup had left long ago, and Robert Smith was actively involved with the band Siouxsie and the Banshees.

In 1983 and early 1984, Robert Smith wrote a series of songs that would form the backbone of The Top, an album that would be released in May 1984 and would divide audiences and critics. In reality, from The Cure of the late previous decade, only Smith remained. The Top proved to be a record where The Cure presented a different musical style influenced by psychedelia, post-punk, and even art pop. Overall, musical experimentation (e.g., Wailing Wall experimentation with Middle Eastern sounds) and redefinition are pervasive.

The Top reached No. 10 in the United Kingdom. The only single from the record was The Caterpillar.