An Understated and Rewarding Album
The Cult's final album before their breakup (and eventual reunion), this record can be best described as a mixed bag. Although it is generally an overlooked album, it does offer some treats, particularly for Cult fans.
Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy obviously took some time to try and update the sound of The Cult, as there is less reliance on shiny production and more on performance. There are obvious well-blended alternative rock influences creeping through the record, which help to make the band sound more intriguing and cryptic than they have in a while (check out Dreamtime, Love, and Electric). The downsides to this record are the lack of strong hooks and, more importantly, the lack of exposure. Upon release, this album sank into relative obscurity simply because it was marketed incorrectly. While this was a shame, the record's sound nonetheless paved the way for the band's unbelievable comeback effort, Beyond Good and Evil.
Best Rock Album
Have been a Cult fan for about 8 years now. This is by far my favorite Cult album and quite possibly the best rock album of all time. It is solid cover to cover. The Cult's songwriting reaches an all time high as they meld their balls out rock with the capabilities of the new technology. Songs like Coming Down, Star, Be Free, Emperor's New Horse, Sacred Life all offer incredible listening experiences. The album could have easily had 6 or 7 hit singles with proper promotion. Unfortunately it was overlooked back in 1994, but lucky for you, you don't have to miss out. Get it now.
On the brink
This record is on the brink of being bad. A few redeeming moments here and there, but not what I would call a solid effort. Unfortunate, because many people were eagerly awaiting this release at the time. I'e been getting my Cult 'fixes' with the Pure Cult compilation of late, and it's been working well for me. I wouldn't recommend this record.
A strange and quiet killer
I would have to file the Cult's 1994 eponymous album under "guilty pleasure." I really have to admire Cult fans because the band never knows what it wants to be. And for having a reputation for being rock posers, I have found their catalog to be hit (Love) and miss (Ceremony, Electric).One thing that probably hurt this album considerably was that the sound/style is difficult to pigeon-hole. While that is all well and good for a listener like myself, that did not sit well with radio. You were either grunge or you weren't.
But this album is probably the most successful example I've heard of blurring the lines. The sound of the Cult is still rooted in early 1980s gothic/alternative but the distorted guitars of Electric and Sonic Temple have been slimmed down to a more subtle production. In other words, it's heavy music performed softly. As Bill Duffy said to Guitar Player magazine just prior to this album's release, "we need to get in touch with our feminine side."
A strange paradox it is, yes. But the agression is intact. The first song Gone seems to sum up the whole conundrum as Ian Astbury screams profanity over a steady, heavy groove. And this flavor carries over to other songs, such as Black Sun. The basis of the tune is a slow burn, but the buildup paints an ugly picture of child abuse as Ian's lyrics recall the time he was raped by his boss when he was 13 years old: "Don't you hit that defenseless child/what gives you that empty right?/you'll carry that for the rest of your life/you'll carry that for the rest of time." By the end of the song he is screaming at his violator stating "gonna stick you in the ground!"
If you are a fan of the Doors, there is no way you could not at least admire the song Joy. The opening notes would make Ray Manzarek proud, but the title is not indicative of the song. It somehow steers into Ian calling out to his dead mother. If you hate the Doors, stay away.
The singles Star and Coming Down could very well have carried the weight of the album if it weren't for such tenuous music tastes of the mid-1990s. Coming Down is the goth anthem: Billy Duffy plays a cyclical riff of three notes just before Ian comes in, singing "you dirty hippie girl/your soft lips make me swirl." Star builds on a very simple blues-oriented riff set against a rhythm track that sounds like it was lifted from U2's The Fly.
But those looking for incredibly creative guitar work will not find much to satisfy them here. Billy Duffy has never created a complex riff in his life, and he still sounds like he's not interested in starting anytime soon. This does not strike me as a negative, since the guitars rely more on their role as a piece of texture rather than serving as a blistering riff.
But the album does stumble from time to time. Sacred Life, which has to be the most uninteresting song on this collection, sounds like something written at 3:00 am by two guys who were too tired to care about making something great. Add this to the fact that Astbury informs us that all of society's martyrs have disappeared. In this list he mentions Abbey Hoffman, Kurt Cobain, and Andrew Wood (?). It distracts you from the song's central message that you need to evaluate what is important in your short life.
The Cult, as a disc, is a strange beast indeed. I became weirdly addicted to it many years ago, and I still find it fresh to listen to today. It's full of contradictions that do not bode well for popular music. That's probably why it suffered a sad commercial death.
A Departure
I'm an early Cult fan primarily. I own just about everything they ever put out, but I've found that the early stuff is the most enduring for me (Dreamtime and such)...with one exception. This album is unlike anything else they ever put out, but it's still the Cult.
This album has atmosphere. For most the most part it's not upbeat. At times it's brutally honest...even creepily so. This one definitely took a few listens to get into, but once it did I kept it close at hand and have ever since.
Domestic reissue of alternative rock band's 1994 album. Digitally remastered from the original masters with expanded artwork which includes new photos & liner notes.
