Just a Coincidence

Like I said, it is nothing but a coincidence that my last post came on the same day as the Cult (MySpace) released Born Into This, their first studio album in 6 years. I'm sad to say that I haven't enjoyed anything they've released since before I could drive. The tracks I've heard off the new record seem to be an improvement over Ceremony forward, but still nothing that really grabs me. However, the three albums they released between 1985 and 1989 were among the best of the late eighties. With the look and flair of Ian Astbury, the comparisons to Jim Morrison were inevitable, but tiresome and Billy Duffy's grinding guitar and knack for riffs invited critiques with relation to Led Zeppelin. While the Cult as a band were clearly never modern peers of the afore mentioned bands, they were a hybrid creation of the Doors, Zep, & AC/DC as well as other influences that saw the band morph from their early goth days as the Southern Death Cult into a hard rocking band with alternative street cred. The band continued to change over the four year span covered here, from the new wave goth remnants present on Love, to the stripped down raw rock of Electric, and finally to the polished area rock of Sonic Temple.

Lest their legacy be forgotten or worse tarnished by later releases, here are selections from their heyday. And don't just take my word on the new record, try a few tracks on for size and, who knows, they may suit you better than they did me.

Love
Nirvana
Love
Rain
She Sells Sanctuary (Long Version)

Electric
Aphrodisiac Jacket
Electric Ocean
Love Removal Machine (Peace Remix)

Sonic Temple
Sun King
Sweet Soul Sister
Soul Asylum

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