Pure Cult [Original recording remastered]

The Cult | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Beggars UK - Ada
• ASIN: B00004STYJ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,897 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Rock
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial
  • #2 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Hard Rock & Metal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of The Cult on one disc, March 26, 2007

By 

R. Gorham "RCG2" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Pure Cult (Audio CD)

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).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine overview and a thorough collection., April 12, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Pure Cult (Audio CD)

"Pure Cult: The Singles 1984-1995" is a collection of singles by the Cult during the band's initial lifetime, stretching from the band's early days as psychedelic goths through the band's hard rock days and their eventual fade. The Cult seemed to have a knack for picking fantastic material for singles and this overview will provide most casual fans with pretty much eveything they need. For the more diehard types, there's a trio of single-only releases on this album that deserve attention.

The Cult rose from from the ashes of the Southern Death Cult-- a goth band in the early '80s featuring vocalist Ian Astbury that split up after issuing only one single (it along with other studio and live material available has been released under the title "Southern Death Cult"). Astbury, a singer of enormous presence, had reportedly grown bored with the goth style and formed a new band with Theatre of Hate guitarist Billy Duffy. The new project was called the Death Cult and after issuing an EP and a single (collected as "Ghost Dance"), shortened their name to The Cult, which is where this set picks up.

This collection nicely tracks the band's history, from their early days as psychedelic post-goths ("Spiritwalker", "She Sells Sanctuary") to the stripped back hard rock of "Electric" ("Lil' Devil", "Love Removal Machine"), the overarrangements of "Sonic Temple" ("Fire Woman", "Sweet Soul Sister") and "Ceremony" ("Heart of Soul") and the inspired sounds of the band's eponymous final album before breaking up ("Star", "Coming Down"). Put simply, it's about everything anyone knows by the band. If you're not too familiar with the Cult, this is a superb place to start, and if you are, you'll want it for "The Witch", "In the Clouds" and "Resurrection Joe"-- the former two are among the best of the Cult's later material. Highly recommended.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Rock, July 10, 2000

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pure Cult (Audio CD)

The Cult are an overlooked rock band that produced some great music from the mid 80's to early 90's. They only had one top ten album, Sonic Temple, and no hit singles in the States. Their music always reminds of the Doors with a harder edge. "She Sells Sanctuary" is a truly great song and makes this disk worth buying by itself. Other stand out tracks include "Fire Woman", "Love Removal Machine", "Rain" & "Edie (Ciao Baby)". There are few cuts from their later 90's albums that could have been cut out, but one can't really complain when you get 19 songs on album.