Cream [Import]

Holy Barbarians | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 1, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Beggars Banquet Intl
• ASIN: B00001ZTLP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #622,732 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a really good album, December 20, 2000

By 

Professor and Dad (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cream (Audio CD)

I am a major Cult fan from 1985 on. I have everything they have ever done and really admire how Ian has evolved with age. This album was a predictable outcome of that evolution that you could hear in his stuff from the early 90's. BTW- for those who say this album doesn't rock like the Cult albums are forgetting that the Cult didn't always rock. Certainly "Love" and the earlier Southern Death Cult didn't rock like "Electric" and their latter stuff didn't rock like "Electric" either. This is a first rate CD with innovative sounds, enjoyable riffs, and great singing. The songs aren't cookie cutter fluff like so many other solo albums people do. This is a real treasure in my collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great CD in its own right., April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cream (Audio CD)

This is NOT a Cult CD, even though Ian Astbury is the lead singer, so do not compare it to Cult CDs. It's definitely not as "rocking" as the Cult, but there are plenty of guitar riffs and heavy rythms to satisfy most Cult fans and rock fans in general. In short, this CD is great, as long as you aren't expecting to hear the classic Cult style. Actually, I would say this CD is to Cult releases as Alice in Chains' "Jar of Flies" was to "Dirt". Defintely not as heavy, but still a great disc.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Something different., April 28, 2006

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cream (Audio CD)

In 1995, Ian Astbury, apparently fed up with the internal struggles of the Cult, left the band, resurfacing later with a new act and a new songwriting partner in guitarist Patrick Sugg. The Holy Barbarians, as the band was called, toured with Astbury fiercely avoiding any Cult songs called for by the audience ("that's a different band, mate" were his exact words in Hartford). The band also yielded one album, "Cream", before Astbury canned the project.

Musically, the Holy Barbarians seems to be a lot less muscular than the Cult, drawing as much from '60s pop and psychedelia as the goth and hard rock influences of the Cult. One unfortunate side effect is that without the presence of guitarist Billy Duffy, like Astbury's band before the Cult, this one feels lopsided with Astbury's personality so far over the top. The album seems to excel at its best when it embraces a quieter, hushed sound, in particular standout track "Opium". Filled with gypsy styled acoustic guitar and an impassioned vocal from Astbury that sings of pain, loss and almost torment, the piece stands up alongside anything in Astbury's repetoire. Likewise, title track "Cream" and "Magick Christian" both excel in this sort of puffy, Faces/flower power fusion of sound.

When the band tries to develop more of an edge, it generally is less inspiring-- several tracks are at best unmemorable ("Dolly Bird") or at worst totally lifeless post-punk ("Space Junkie", "Blind"). The exception to this is opener "Brother Fights", which alternates between melodic choruses and fierce verses, somehow the mix works out. But Sugg is no Duffy and when the intensity picks up, he falls by the wayside.

While "Cream" may be a curiosity, it is certainly an intriguing album, if nothing else as an opportunity to see what Astbury would do with a band when he could hide from his legacy.