Customer Reviews

Born Into This

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is a 2 CD set and while first CD is the same as the "Born into This" standard edition the second disc contains an extended version of the "Savages" song which is a great tune. Two demo versions of songs on the first disc which are interesting to listen to since they have a totally different sound. There are also two new songs not on the first disc. One of them being possibly the best song on the whole set (War Pony Destroyer).

I have noticed some people have panned this CD but I totally disagree. This is a very solid set of songs with high production standards but with a raw feel to them. It is very much a Cult CD with the Indian and mystical connotations, roaring guitars, and Ian Astbury's one-of-a-kind vocals. My faves on the set are the rockers: "Savages", "Sound of Destruction", "War Pony Destroyer", and "Dirty Little Rockstar". There is also a very good slow song "Holy Mountain" that really showcases Ian's vocals.

I expected to be very disappointed by this album. Another literary reference for a title, from a Bukowski poem and Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil" for the last album. (Ian, we get it , you read). Then, the first time I heard "Dirty Little Rockstar" it sounded like The Cult covering INXS covering the Stones, "Undercover of the Night".

Nonetheless, I"m converted.

"I Assassin" and "Illuminated" instantly caught my attention and all but 2 of the other songs are rapidly growing on me. Granted, there are no riffs or solos that are gonna make any guitar players envious, but the album still stands on its own merits. I think the comparisons to "Love" and "Electric" are overblown. "Born Into This" sounds more like their under-rated, self-titled album with a few throwbacks to "Love". That's good enough for me.

Now if Ian would just lose the bandana and work the crowd when they tour.

Congratulations Billy and Ian - you have just released your worst album.

No, let me start over.
I am a huge fan of The Cult. I own everything they have released and not one of their studio albums is a dud...until now. This is a forgettable, harshly and roughly produced album of underwritten and sadly forgettable songs. There's not a memorable hook, lyric, or riff here and Ian's voice has developed an undefinable "something" which grates right alongside the grating bad production.

Like many others I have been waiting years for this thing, positive that it would be another classic Cult record, but as so many aging bands reach "that" age, they start to lose the plot, or just give up on trying very hard. There's no spark, no fire, no drive on display here. Don't even get me started on that cover-art or the song "Dirty Little Rock Star" which both scream Middle Age Out-of-Touch.

I will continue to look forward to Cult releases and try to block this one out of my head, it pretty much sucks.

DISCLAIMER: I am a huge Cult fan, so you can take this review with a grain of salt.

Virtually everytime the Cult has come out with a new album, even as a fan, the first 3 or 4 times I listen, my head is full of question marks as to whether I like the album or not... "Born Into This" is no exception. The first time thru, I felt my skin crawling during the opening line of "Holy Mountain" where Ian starts off sounding like a washed up Elvis. Yet once I got past that, I found myself sort of getting into it. Nonsensical lyrics are nothing new with the Cult - its part of what makes them so endearing.

On to the album;

Two albums in a row now, the Cult has left off a demo from the album and either a) put it on the import version (like 'Libertine' from BG&E - available on the Australian import) and b) "Stand Alone" - from Born Into This. In both cases (just my opinion) these two songs are not only the most Cult like but the best songs from each period.

Interestingly, the special edition of this album is selling much better than the standard version. That said, the majority are getting - my opinion - the best song on the album.

I find myself asking about the production as it sounds like it was recorded in a garage, perhaps that was on purpose after the bands own admission that BG&E was way over produced. The raw sound brings us back to Love and Dreamtime.

1. Born into this - Good riff - Missing the classic main verse that makes a Cult Song a Cult Song - 2 Stars

2. Citizens - Don't like it, missing too much of the main verse and Ian sounds tired - 1 star

3. Diamonds - Just average - like the beginning, but I find myself thinking about other things before the songs over - 1 Star

4. Dirt(y little rockstar) - This is where the album turns the corner - that said, I didn't get into this one until about the 10th listen, now it just soars to me - 4 Stars

5. Holy Mountain - I want to like it, but if you have Spirit/Light/Speed (Ian's dud 2000 solo album) - this sounds way too much like "Wild Like a Horse" - I swear its the same song with different lyrics - not bad, but Ian sounds better slow when he's rocking out to "Ciao Baby." This one belongs in the lounge - 2 Stars

6. I Assassin - Love the riff! I get more into this one with each listen - 3.5 Stars

7. Illuminated - I hear a little "Hollow Man" in this one - 3 Stars

8. Tiger In The Sun - One of the two gems on the album - reminds me of Creeds "Higher" in that its not a fast paced song, but Ian delivers a great main verse with a lot of passion. 4 Stars

9. Savages - a Rocker - reminds me of "Shake The Sky" (one of the more underated songs from BG&E - along with "American Gothic") - Billy sort of goes off the deep end with this one - 3 Stars

10. Sound of Destruction - Solid, solid - like the guitar work, the non sensical lyrics - catchy. 3.5 Stars

11. Stand Alone - The lone GEM on the album that you can really hang your Cult hat on. 5 stars

12. War Pony Destroyer - bad title, bad lyrics, good guitar, only Ian could make a main verse out of the words "War Pony Destroyer..." - 2.5 Stars

13. I Assassin (DEMO) - Can't tell which is better, the album version or the demo - like 'em both about the same, love the rawness of the demo. 3.5 Stars

14. Sound of Destruction (demo) - Cleaner sounding than the album version - 3.5 Stars

15. Savages (Extended) - Don't know that we need an extended version of this song... But even as I write this, I'm hearing it for about the fifth time, and frankly, it gets considerably better with successive re-plays... 4 Stars

All and all, I'm thrilled they're back, wish there were more Sanctuaries or Rains mixed in, but this is the Cult afterall, every album is a bit of a departure from the previous, with the only real distinguishing characteristic being Ian's voice. Like the new sound, and as I've mentioned, with each successive listen, I'm finding more to like about the album... See you in Tampa on October 30th...

Before I get to Born Into This, I must get something out of the way that bothers me about this great band: one reviewer stated about the 1994 album that The Cult doesn't have an ear for their own best tunes. I agree. For most of their albums, they leave off tunes I consider better than the ones to make the cut, and I am left scrambling for the imports or singles. It happened as early as Dreamtime(Bonebag is a great tune and should have been on the US version), likewise for Love (I LOVE Little Face, but it's only on a rare pressing), Electric, when The Manor Sessions were first recorded (Love Trooper and others from Manor are among my all time faves of theirs), it happened again with BG and E (Libertine was amazing), and, yes, it happened again for this album. In my opinion, Stand Alone and War Pony Destroyer are the two best songs and most Cult-like that only made the Savage Edition. Something MUST change!

Now, to this album. As others have stated, the band is tight and plays well as a unit, but we have a lack of composition here. Something is just missing. There is energy. Energy needs to be harnessed and directed. That added touch that defines vintage Cult isn't present. There are hints of potential, but it's ultimately a misfire. Billy's leads are sparse; I only counted 3 songs with any soloing. Lest' the boys not dare follow Metallica's St. Anger goof of no solos! The drums are a bit hollow, too. Even Ian's lyrics could use some catchier choruses. Some nice bass lines, but that's it. Chris Wyse is the best bass player they've had in a while. Ian was proud of the quick studio time it took to cut the tracks. True, 2 years in the studio to over produce is not good, but neither is a 2 month rush job when the band has 2-3 singles and decides to make a full album. What matters is the final product, and it just isn't quite up to this great duo's standards. If War Pony Destroyer and Stand Alone were included and a couple of the lesser tunes axed (Dirty Little Rockstar, Citizens, Holy Mouintain), we'd have a little more promise here.

Beyond Good and Evil was red-hot, but this one's a little pink. More time in the fire, Ian and Billy. You can do much better!

I am a lifelong fan of The Cult. This album is disappointing for several reasons. First - Billy Duffy does not play enough guitar. Billy proved early on in his career to be a blistering soloist, but he doesn't do any of the "Electric" era soloing on this. The second problem is that the production is all wrong on this. It sounds kind of low-budget and watery to me, where I prefer the Rick Rubin or Bob Rock clean amped up sound for this band. Third, the lyrics seem like they were thown dowm in a hurry, and Ian is flat out losing his voice, although he still sounds cool. The songs, fo the most part, are kind of flat and uninspired, and Dirty Little Rockstar is a complete rip-off of Undercover by the Stones. Two stars because its the Cult, but I'm pretty bummed overall.

Longtime Cult fan, and this is definitely the Cult still going strong in my opinion. Hard rocking with a good group of songs. Nothing earth shattering about the basic hard rock approach, but these guys are proven rock stars and this is basically to me your basic Cult CD, I'm just happy to have another group of great songs by them to listen to endlessly till hopefully another CD comes out in a couple years.

In the Savage Edition there is a free sticker and some demos and full length versions of some songs. Plus one of my favs kicks off disc two in Stand Alone. I can't see buying the regular version (of just ten songs), plus Stand Alone is not currently on that one. So this version is the best to get right now.

Favs include Illuminated, Citizen, DLR, Stand Alone, and of course Tiger In The Sun...oops almost abbreviated that one too! Anyway, just be happy these guys are still going strong (Billy and Ian) after all these years.

Like many of the other reviewers, I am a huge Cult fan. For years, I wished for a new Cult album until 2001, when "Beyond Good and Evil" was released. I bought the album, but feared the worst - these "comeback" album usually suck and break the hearts of hardcore fans. I was amazed at how good that album was! There was no question - The Cult still had the juice.

It's amazing how much can change in six years. "Born Into This" is the stereotypical lame flop I've been fearing. Asbury sounds shaky and weak... he just sounds "old". Duffy needs to find where "11" is on his amp again. And the production just leaves the whole album flat; it sounds like a high school AV club project. I had to force myself to listen all the way through the disc, hoping that it would improve. I then forced myself to listen to it again, hoping that it would grow on me.

Neither worked, and this disc is ending up on the heap of examples of why music "sharing" is so popular. We are sick of paying good money for turds like this. I think my "Cult fan" status has now officially become "classic Cult fan".

Whew!!!....Thank God that's over!!!!Man, I just had the worst dream ever!!! I was dreaming that my favorite band in the world, THE (friggin') CULT, put out this CD called "Born Into This"...It was like somebody said," Hey, I want you guys to make 7 versions of the same bad song, and then purposely write the remaining songs to almost be good".....And, supposedly, this charlatan named "Youth" produced it...and he was acting like their friend and telling them this was cutting-edge modern rock and roll....And I was thinking that nobody would let them release something this terrible.....and.....and....wait a minute.....oh no.....THE HORROR........THE HORROR..............

I'm not sure why so many people think this new Cult CD is lousy. It's quite good in fact, and I agree that this is a band that has never made the same CD twice. "Born Into This" presents a vibrant band making memorable music that I love to hear. There are many strong tracks on this CD, but "I Assassin" stands out for me. While the self-titled CD, "The Cult", represents their creative peak and is simply an amazing CD, "Born Into This" is really good and well worth hearing.