I was tempted to pick a band like Deep Purple or Queen for this post due to their relatively diverse range of styles across the entire career but in the end, I opted to write about three consecutive albums by The Cult which arguably contain their best material. This was due to me not really dedicating a post to the band (whereas I have done with other big name Rock bands) and wanting to give these three albums some love on the blog.
Kicking the list off is their second album, Love.
1. Love - The Cult
Released in 1985, Love marks the beginning of The Cult's transition from Goth Rock to Hard Rock to a sort of amalgamation of the two that took four years and three albums. Most people would probably recognise this album's (and this band's) signature hit, "She Sells Sanctuary" as it's a fairly catchy tune that contains your typical hallmarks of The Cult. Standard 4/4 beat? Check. Clean guitar riffs? Check. Rolling bassline? Check. Ian Astbury's hauntingly raw vocals? Check CHECK!
It's probably the most "Cult" song in existence but don't think that this album doesn't try to create a couple more in the form of album opener "Nirvana", underrated filler track "Hollow Man" and additional single "Rain". There are also a few more gothic sounding tracks with some eerie guitarwork such as "Black Angel", "Phoenix" (a slightly heavier song possessed with the ghost of The Stooges) and title track "Love", a tune that owes a fair bit to "Lunatic Fringe" - Red Rider which came out about four years before.
As far as Goth to Hard Rock transition albums go, Love is pretty great. It's got a solid variety between both subgenres and it's a decent follow up to the band's debut, Dreamtime, that still echoes some of the spiritual vibes they were big fans of when they started out. I recommend it if you've ever heard a song by The Cult and enjoyed it, which is a phrase I imagine I'll be rewriting and regurgitating throughout this post.
1. Nirvana
2. Big Neon Glitter
3. Love
4. Brother Wolf; Sister Moon
5. Rain
6. Phoenix
7. Hollow Man
8. Revolution
9. She Sells Sanctuary
10. Black Angel
ALBUM RATING - 7/10
2. Electric - The Cult
Two years later, The Cult returned with this categorically Hard Rock album. You can tell from the album opener, "Wild Flower", that the band weren't pissing about and were ready to cash in on the genre (even if they were about a decade too late). Billy Duffy's guitar is less mysterious and more crunchy, Jamie Stewart's bass is still present but has been buried under the mix, Les Warner's drumming is giving the cymbals a bit more voice and Ian Astbury's vocals...well, they're still amazing but then you don't fix what isn't broken, otherwise you end up with [INSERT "EXPERIMENTATION" ALBUM HERE].
This album also gave birth to two Cult classics, so to speak: "Love Removal Machine" and "Lil' Devil", both carrying the aforementioned qualities of a typical Cult song but with a few alterations to the guitar. Firstly, it's no longer as clean and secondly, the use of soloing is permitted. In fact, "Love Removal Machine" has two beastly solos and a double time section that the end that makes you wonder why this band didn't start out rocking the fucking house years earlier.
The album is full of guitar-heavy tunes but slightly less variety than Love. Sure, there are a few standout tracks that deviate from the band's cookie cutter material ("Bad Fun", "Memphis Hip Shake") and there is a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" which is easily one of the shittiest covers ever to ruin a classic hit in all of Rock music but aside from those niggles, Electric is brilliant. Definitely an album for Hard Rock lovers, even if it feels a little more corporate than the early AC/DC records.
1. Wild Flower
2. Peace Dog
3. Lil' Devil
4. Aphrodisiac Jacket
5. Electric Ocean
6. Bad Fun
7. King Contrary Man
8. Love Removal Machine
9. Born To Be Wild
10. Outlaw
11. Memphis Hip Shake
ALBUM RATING - 8/10
3. Sonic Temple - The Cult
The last of the unofficial trilogy, released in 1989 and containing the band's best album cover even if the guitarist is annoyingly off-centre. To paraphrase the opening line of album opener "Sun King", this is where The Cult's rise to power all ends. It might be because the band regressed slightly and went back to their mystical themes in both music and lyrics, it might be because the band decided to break into the Hard Rock genre about five years after the golden age of the genre had ended; all I know is this album still contains some killer tracks.
You've got epic stringed ballads ("Edie (Ciao Baby)"), remnants of Rock from a better album ("New York City") and of course, Cult classics ("Fire Woman"). It's an album perfect for fans of the last two but potentially a bit off-putting for purists belonging to either Goth or Hard Rock, not both. Fortunately, I love both genres so I can confirm that it's a damn good listen!
Sonic Temple could've been even better if the band decided to continue down the path they were headed with Electric but something tells me it wouldn't have been as unique. It would've been more of the same and could've spelled the end for the band so even if I didn't quite enjoy this album as much as the previous one, it's still an important part of the band's career, hence its inclusion in this Rapid Fire post. Much like Love and Electric, I recommend this album for lovers of Rock and The Cult as that's exactly what you get from start to finish.
1. Sun King
2. Fire Woman
3. American Horse
4. Edie (Ciao Baby)
5. Sweet Soul Sister
6. Soul Asylum
7. New York City
8. Automatic Blues
9. Soldier Blue
10. Wake Up Time For Freedom
11. Medicine Train
ALBUM RATING - 7/10
If you haven't heard them already, do yourself a favour and give each of these albums a listen. As for me, I'm going to go and do something Ian Astbury has never done; celebrate the fact that I made it the entire way through without referring to "shooting from the hip".
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