Customer Reviews

The Cult - Pure Cult DVD Anthology 1984-1995

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are a lot of DVDs out there that try to cover a band or artist's entire career but just don't cut it. The Cult DVD covers it all. Interviews from three CULT eras, every video they ever put out, the first TV performance to present the CULT to the world and truly a great way to introduce someone to the band.

The interviews show how THE CULT were probably one of the most egotistical bands out there. And they pretty much admit it because they know they're just that good.

The DVD also proves that THE CULT were a band that actually evolved and took risks with their sound and image. The great song writing was always there and the change in the delivery of the sound shows how a band can truly challenge its audience.

A true retrospective look at an under appreciated band who continues to prove themselves today. All true, fomer and new CULT fans should own this DVD.

This is a superb anthology of a badly underrated band. From their early 80's goth-rock leanings to their 90's guitar attacks and distorted crunch, there isn't a loser in this set.

"Fire Woman" was always my favorite video, but this DVD showed me that there was much more to this band.

The REAL treat has to be the live rendition of "Sun King" from 1992. The band is indeed on fire. Page/Plant fans, notice who's behind the drum kit. This is an amazing performance.

On the fence regarding The Cult? Buy this DVD. NOW. You'll be a believer in no time.

If you are a Cult fan, a member of the Tribe, this is a must have!!! Ian and Billy are awesome!! The music, the videos, the comentaries are put together perfectly!! You also need to get the "The Cult - Live Cult (Music Without Fear) DVD". Saw the tour and this DVD captures it!! Enjoyed Ian & Billy in Vegas, March 3, 2006, for Cult Forever Forever Cult. Awesome!!!Sure hope to see more of them in the future! Rock on, Tribe!

I'll preface my review by first stating that I'm a big fan, so I'm biased.

This dvd is great, both in terms of content and presentation. Plenty of material to see, and I like how they chose to make continuous-play the default mode (I hate how some bands have DVDs which make you flip back to the DVD-menu after each video).

What really makes the collection feel complete is that Billy and Ian introduce some videos, which makes it seems like they care and support this release. That really adds a lot to it for me. I also finally get to see all the videos I've never seen before, especially Heart of Soul. And now I can finally watch the Edie video whenver I want, and that alone is worth the price of the dvd.

The only critical thing - Like most things that came from video material, the resolution is still the same as what it looked like on TV. I wish it was 'cleaned up' with a better transfer, especially the Edie video (and there's an odd video glitch during the song's bridge when Ian throws his hands up)

I still can't get used to Ian's dancing in the early days. He may still dance that way, since I've never seen then play live. But watching the band's career evolve through their videos though, is just fantastic, and I walk away with a greater level of respect for some of the material that I didn't get tuned into before.

Fans of The Cult can rejoice about this DVD which features all the music videos from their "Love" album all the way through to their self-titled album. The Cult has only put out two DVD's (the other being a live DVD from the tour of their "Beyond Good & Evil" album) and, despite the fact the DVD is sans Chapter Selections, this is the superior one. As I said, all the videos are here (including rare live performances) and all are good (although some I hit the skip button on). There are also some interviews and some of the videos are introduced by Ian Astbury & Billy Duffy's comments. This DVD portrays the two as very laid back rock stars who are brilliant songwriters and terrific performers. Having seen Ian Astbury live (with Riders on the Storm) I know how good this guy is both in performing and singing and few singers can do what Astbury does. The guy has a voice that sounds like two men in one body. Duffy is a brilliant guitarist and even with the lineup of the band changing significantly over the years, the band never ceases to amaze me.
Any fan of The Cult needs to see this DVD.
GRADE: B+

this is an amazing collection of videos ~ and so much fun to watch and rock out to!!! the cult are one in their own.
if you like the cult ~ you must own this collection!

If you're a Cult fan, you'll want to own this collection of videos not because they're especially great or memorable. No... you'll want this because it's so interesting to see this band go from garage band proficiency to arena rock star performers. The black and white video for 'Lil Devil' is pure sex, drugs, harleys and rock n' roll. The lead singer Ian Ashbury wears a metal belt buckel that says 'Wolfchild'. Best clip goes to 'Wild Hearted Son' video... it's the bands best performance and they live up to their image... wild hearted free spirits. Also, check out Ian's hot girlfriend in 'Ciao Baby' video.

Several people have mentioned quality issues with this disk and here's my two cents. The audio *could* be better, but it is still "good". If you play this disk at high volume on a home theatre or audiophile level system, there is very noticeable hiss at the end of each song. And let's face it, most Cult fans *are* going to crank up the volume. However, if you play this disk at normal volume, you won't notice it. As for the video quality, this is archival material, some of it from 18 years ago! It has been cleaned up but if the video were digitally remastered, this disk would cost $100! Let's face it, there aren't enough Cult fans out there to justify them spending millions to remaster the video (which is a lot harder than remastering audio). Let's be thankful the live stuff was shot by the BBC for the most part. The interviews with American televison show just how abysmal it could have been over all. Is the video as good as those done recently, primarily for DVD release? (The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over disk comes to mind immediately) No. But I would say it is still good to very good and for video that was originally shot 15+ years ago, it is excellent. This is a must have for even casual Cult fans.

I have to echo the comments of Joe Flip. Where is the 5.1 audio? The 2.0 just doesn't cut it. The footage is great, but due to the sound limitations this one wont see much playing time. Being a huge fan I have been eagerly awaiting their first DVD release only to disappointed. All in all I would buy it again, but it could have bene SO much better.

If you are a fan of the Cult, this is a great video. All of their videos including some rare early performances. This dvd is out of print, so if you find it, grab it quickly.