The Cult - Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.99 You Save: $2.99 (18%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $8.63 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995
Free Music Review: Join The Cult!!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is simply excellent! You get exactly what you pay for, so you can't possibly complain. Indeed, the title says it all: you get all the singles that you know and love from their albums between 1984 and 1995 AND you also get the singles that were NOT included in their albums, namely "Resurrection Joe" (the 80's version of Bowie's "Aladdin Sane", even going as far as including the same type of dissonant piano in the background), "The Witch" and "In the Clouds", all excellent additions.
If you're a long time fan of The Cult, I think you'll appreciate this compilation because it does include pretty much all songs you'd expect it to have, and the compilation is well made too: with a great song selection, it's hard to go wrong, and this compilation also benefits from a great track sequence, beginning with "She Sells Sanctuary" and ending with "Sweet Soul Sister". It just flows like a breeze!!! And the sound is great as well.
But I think that those looking for an introduction to The Cult are probably the ones that will enjoy this compilation the most: most people who listen to rock are familiar with at least a few songs from the band, such as "She Sells Sanctuary", "Love Removal Machine", "Sweet Soul Sister", "Edie (Ciao Baby)" and/or "Fire Woman". These songs are all here, but in addition to those favorites, you also get a wealth of extra material that is just as strong: "Sun King", "Rain", "Revolution", "Wild Flower", "Heart of Soul" and all the others included here are sure to appeal to those occasional fans that know the band only by its most popular material. My only possible observation/warning (not really a complaint...) is about the "versions" used, meaning the "single edit" thing: if you know The Cult solely by the their singles in rotation in classic rock radio, this point is not gonna be relevant to you at all (since these are the versions that normally receive airplay), but if you're a long time, die hard and finnicky fan...well, I'll leave it up to you to decide...in fairness, it was a compromise: using the radio edits meant that they were able to include ALL the singles, as the title of the compilation accurately states...
The Cult enjoyed a golden age of sorts between the release of "Electric" and the end of the "Sonic Temple" tour, simply because this was their most straight forward period, where their music, their songs, their sound and their albums (and even their image) were reduced to the most basic and this sound hit a home in the US. Before and after, The Cult managed to keep a healthy following in their native UK and other parts of the world, but struggled to keep a strong fan base in the US. This was due to a simple fact: The Cult kept evolving, reshaping their sound and their image (just have a look at their pictures in the booklet!) as their mood took them, and that was extremely difficult for fans to accept. I remember that the first song I ever heard from them was "Love Removal Machine", which I loved, and then the next thing was "Revolution"...I was a bit confused by the abrupt changes, but ultimately the quality of their music was enough to put my doubts to rest.
Many people liken their sound to a "heavy U2", and while I agree that that generalization is as accurate as any generalization can be, it applies to the band's first 2 records, "Dreamtime" and "Love", but definitely NOT to their latter output, such as the Rick Rubin produced "Electric" which harkens back to classic AC/DC, or "Sonic Temple" and some its "Zeppelin meets The Doors" overtones. Some of that early sound came back with "Ceremony" and "The Cult", but for the most part, this band simply shifted its sound every so often, which was good from an artistic point of view, but it probably backfired from a commercial perspective. For instance, right now in 2007, the band is back and in "heavy metal" mode: two guitars, bass, vocals and their heaviest drummer yet (John Tempesta, of Testament/White Zombie fame).
Bottom Line: If you're a Cult diehard, you'll enjoy this because it is very well made. If you are more of an occasional fan familiar with their "hits" and in search for a little more, this is the perfect place to start: having enjoyed their most recognizable tunes, you're sure to like the material included here. You can't go wrong with this purchase, so go ahead, dig in and join The Cult!
Free Music Review: CD Rocked HARD
Hit: 5 Stars
A great compilation CD...it ROCKED, if you want to experience classic Goth Rock, this is a must have.Free Music Review: The best of The Cult on one disc
Hit: 5 Stars
THE BAND: Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitars) are/were the main members of The Cult. They've had a host of others helping in the way of other guitarists, keyboardists, bassists, and drummers.... mainly Jaime Stewart (guitar, bass), James Stevenson (guitar), Bob Rock (guitar, keyboards), John Sinclair (keyboards), Ritchie Zito (keyboards), John Webster (keyboards), Kinley Wolfe (bass), Craig Adams (bass), Charley Drayton (bass), Nigel Preston (drums), Matt Sorum (drums), Scott Garrett (drums), Michael Lee (drums), and Mickey Curry (drums).
THE DISC: (2000) 19 tracks clocking in at approximately 77 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing a 6-page intro to the band and their albums, song titles/credits (no lyrics), band photos, what songs came from which albums and the year released. The songs here follow the band from 1984-1995 (as the title states). Remastered sound. Label - Beggars Banquet.
ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Dreamtime (2 songs), Love (3), Electric (3), Sonic Temple (4), Ceremony (2), The Cult (2), Unreleased (3).
COMMENTS: Still trying to figure out why The Cult has 2 differently named compilations with only 1 song being the difference between the two (this disc, and 1996's "High Octane Cult")... the two songs "Go West" (from "The Singles" album) and "Beauty's On The Street" (from "High Octane") are both simply unimportant songs. The music on "The Singles" is digitally remastered so if I'm standing in the music store with both in hand, I'll choose this one. I read decades ago that Astbury and Duffy were difficult to get along with... perhaps this is why they couldn't get 2-3 additional members to stay on a more permanent basis... seems like every album there was different personnel on supporting instruments (bass/keyboards/drums). With that being said, Astbury and Duffy wrote some great music. Covering several spectrums - rock, hard rock (some classified as metal, but I'll call it borderline metal), punk, psychedelic, and alternative. The studio albums were up and down... often times mixing some wonderful melodies, hard rocking songs, and a few oddballs that were just plain weird (and some annoying). Astbury's distinctive vocals was the first thing that hooked me in. Duffy's guitar licks were simple, but catchy (he's no Satriani, Malsteen, or Vai). As far as this compilation goes, the songs chosen are dead on accurate... I couldn't have picked them better myself. The staples are all here - including "She Sells Sanctuary", "Fire Woman", "Love Removal Machine", "Sweet Soul Sister", "Lil' Devil", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", etc. The tracks from "Dreamtime" (1984) and "Love" (1985) are very 80's in style (they could easily be inserted to any number of John Huges' movies..."16 Candles", "Breakfast Club", "Pretty In Pink"... almost Duran Duran or Haircut 100 in flavor. The later 80's and into the 90's saw The Cult in hard rock form. Even though "Sonic Temple" was the band's most commercially successful release (featuring 4 decent hits), "Electric" was always my favorite of theirs due to the break-through songs "Love Removal machine", "Lil' Devil" and "Wild Flower". The Cult always had their own sound, but if I had to put them into a category... they'd be in with the likes of Billy Idol, The Pretenders, and the Clash. With so many band member changes, each album had a slightly different feel to it... to me, this was intriguing aspect of The Cult's sound and their albums. Some great tunes here from an underrated British band. "The Singles 1984-95" is a great intro to Astbury and Duffy's "Cult" (5 stars).
Free Music Review: Pure Cult The Singles 1984-1995 - Good...
Hit: 4 Stars
Pure Cult The Singles 1984-1995 is a good addition for anyone that is forming a "Music that I will be listening to 20 years from now" library. I'll be keeping it for life. I finally have Wild Flower & Lil Devil on CD and I am not letting go of this CD for those two reasons for starters!Free Music Review: Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995
Hit: 5 Stars
Memories of "big hair" 80's and the mullet. Great album, a band ahead of its time that didn't fit the 80's pop metal scene.