Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Austin Chronicle
Blender
Christgau's Record Guide	B
Mojo
Pitchfork	8.7/10
Q
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Sounds
Spin

The Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British alternative rock band the Cure, released in August 1985 on record label Polydor. Preceded by the single "In Between Days" which had reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart,The Head on the Door was described by Melody Maker as "a collection of pop songs", while PopMatters declared that it defined alternative rock. 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 quickly became their most successful album to date, climbing to No. 7 on the albums chart.

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.

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Wikipedia