FEBRUARY

Robert and Simon met again for the first time since 1982. And as Phil Thornalley would go back to work in studios to produce other artists, Robert actually got Simon back in the band. The month was spent recording demos in London F2 and Fitz studios.


MARCH / APRIL

London, Islington, Angel Studios.
Recording the Head On The Door album. Robert felt the Cure was a real band again and things functionned the way he always wanted. The recording took longer than expected due to a different set up for the drums on each song. One of the tracks, A Night Like This, was based on an early version of Plastic Passion (same basic chords and synth intro).


JUNE

Porl and Andy Vella worked on the Head On The Door picture sleeve. A difficult process as the original idea went wrong and they were running out of time. The following day, they managed to get the definitive sleeve for the album : a very retouched picture of Janet Smith (Robert's sister /Porl's wife).

18th
London, Fulham
In Between Days video filming. The video was shot in a closed space allowing 360 degrees of camera movement. Many rehearsals since Tim Pope's ideas involved strapping a video camera to pretty much anything (Robert Smith, guitars, ceiling...).

20th
Barcelona, Studio 54
First coming to Spain and first show of the year. It was filmed for TV and the "new" line-up (Smith/Tolhurst/Gallup/Thompson/Williams) gave an excellent performance. The excitement playing live could easily be felt. The repertoire was basically the same as the one from late '84 with the addition of a few new tracks : In Between Days, The Baby Screams, Sinking.

The following nights being as exciting, Robert would try different things like singing a part of A Man Inside My Mouth during Forever in Hamburg or improvising guitar solos on The Hanging Garden and the Walk in Milano.


JULY

6th
BBC Radio, Saturday Live
Playing some songs from the forthcoming album in the studio : In Between Days, Close To Me, Kyoto Song, The Baby Screams, Sinking.

19th
In Between Days / The Exploding Boy single release.

25th
Nyon, Paleo Festival
The band had a crazy afternoon at the countryside motel they were staying in with Robert Smith being thrown in the pool there ! Unbelievable. The evening show included an unique ending to A Forest with Robert humming "do do do do do" to the very end of the song. In Between Days was also introduced as being "about socks". According to the legend, the socks were added to the video in post-production without Robert knowing.

27th
Athens, Rock in Athens Festival
First coming to Greece and Robert's favorite show. This concert would also make the band conscious they got a step up in their career, as even in a country they've never been before, the audience knew all the songs and lyrics and was extremely enthousiastic. And this, despite the loss of power after two songs only. Something was really happening... Also on the bill that night were The Clash, Nina Hagen, The Stranglers. The show was filmed.

30th
BBC Radio One, John Peel Session
Back to England to record their 6th Peel session. Quite surprising that a band this famous by now still did this show. Songs recorded : The Exploding Boy (including the strange "now wash your hands" line in the intro), Six Different Ways, Screw, Sinking.


AUGUST

03rd
Turku, Ruisrock Festival
First coming to Finland and last concert of the summer. Not the easiest one : rain, tight security refusing the band's admission on the site... The soundcheck took place on the previous day and included a short version of The Exploding Boy ! Too bad they never tried it during the shows...

6th
Tim Pope made a claustrophobic video for Close To Me using a wardrobe and putting the band in a tank full of water. Rumors (Robert on TV later !) said the water wasn't clean due to "calls of nature" involving the film director and everybody got sick aferwards. Part of the video was also filmed at Beachy Head (wardrobe falling from the cliff).

The Head On The Door album was released around this month and a new generation discovered the Cure. This went out of proportion in France, where the press would talk of "Curemania" without being able to explain why the band's popularity got multiplied by 10 in the course of just a year.

29th
Countdown, Dutch TV
The band mimed In Between Days and Close To Me for TV. They had Bananarama joining them for the "mime" : everybody being drunk, dancing and barely pretending to play anything. A rumor (spread by Robert ?) had both bands covering Tom Jones' "What's new Pussycat ?" together.


GO TO 1985 PART 2