This thread seems to have already resolved itself but I feel compelled to speak anyway. Shows what kind of annoying dick I am.
The Cure's discography can be divided into four easily delineated categories/eras. Their first album Three Imaginary Boys is very much a poppy upbeat punk record and is, along with assorted non-album recordings, it's own era.
The next three albums, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography represent a dramatic downturn in mood and verve. Seventeen Seconds retains a little bit of the poppiness of Three Imaginary Boys, particularly the single "A Forest" but largely falls into a glum spell. Faith is grey, grey and slow and mopey, but if you're a fan of Siouxsie, Joy Division and the like you might take a fancy anyways. Pornography is considered by the fanboys to be some sort of fantastic holy grail of 80s goth rock (at that point you couldn't call their music much else). It's not, really. But with that in mind, it's not to say it isn't very good, it's just seriously over hyped, depending on who you choose to listen to.
Pornography was the high watermark for The Cure's goth period, so of course the next album Robert Smith and the boys decide to do something else.
The Top is awkward and transitional. If you were already a fan and were interested as to how their sound developed from album to album, it'd be worth a listen or two. Otherwise, the singles from the period are fun, but the album is lackluster. I always forget about it in the context of The Cure's greater body of work.
The third major period of The Cure's discography begins with The Head on the Door. The Head on the Door combines much of their earlier mopiness and the attempted pop success of The Top in a way that actually (surprise) works. It is one of the most widely beloved Cure albums by pretty much anyone who claims to enjoy The Cure. It also features a handful of their most well known songs, like "In Between Days," "Six Different Ways" and "Close to Me." Following that is Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. It's a double album (whaaaat?). Yes, a double album. And it's how The Cure poked it's nose into the American mainstream and left it there. Here, the Cure become very, very silly. There are bits of the Cure's trademark angst, occasionally longwinded, and other bits which showcase their ability to write concise pop songs. But seriously? "Hot Hot Hot!!!" is practically self-parody. At this point they kind of knew what was expected of them, and served it up above and beyond the top (ha) of their poppiest dreams. Next came Disintegration. On Disintegration, the band delved more thoroughly back into the angst and mope and gloom. The songs are very good, but also on the long side. I can't fathom how it would be considered very accessible, but it is considered by many their best album, as well as "the best album ever" by Kyle, from South Park. The album is also very lush and layered, marking the peak of this upward trend in production values and musical complexity from Three Imaginary Boys to Disintegration. Three Imaginary Boys is a very simple straightforward album; Disintegration is anything but.
4th and last comes the suck period. We'll ignore it. With genuine criticism and quality discernment. But that aside I still listen to pretty much any Cure single past that period, except from the self-titled. That shit was ugly. Except "The Promise." Uhh. Yeah.
