Customer Reviews

Sonic Temple

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'd forgotten about this LP until just recently. Yes, I'm showing my age kids - I used the term LP :). After I pulled this album out of my vinyl stash last month. I threw it on the platter and put the needle to it

In listening to it, I'm blown away how good it is over 10 years later. Truely great music is timeless and this album qualifies for this hands down. The album has no weak material on it. Once you get into "Sun King" and past "Fire Woman," you are on ride that makes you stay on till the LP is over. Bob Rock does a first class job in the production and Ian ;)... oh,how can the boy wail.

I purchased the CD last month because of it being remastered. In listening to the CD, I've appreciated how well this effort flows from stem to stern. It builds a mood and holds it tight. The CD with its seamless track list allows the flow and mood to really shine.

I would strongly recommend to anyone wanting to get into essential 1980's hard rock to snag this baby. All the notorious 1980's hairspray and glam is left in the dust here. This is an album that harks to the days with rock meant something. Check it out - its class all the way.

If you must buy one recording by The Cult, this is the one. I would give very few records 5 stars, but 1989's 'Sonic Temple' is one of them. Emerging from the late 1980s era of glam metal and mindless dance music, this was the welcomed return of rock music - a perfect combination of the ethereal elements of The Cult's major label debut, 'Love', and the bombastic rock of their sophmore outing, 'Electric'. Of course, everyone knows "Fire Woman," the record's catchy jam, and "Edie", the tribute to Warhol's muse which defied the contemporary power-ballad circa 1989. All the familiar Cult themes are here - peace ("Soldier Blue"), Native American ("American Horse"), drug-culture ("Medicine Train"). But unlike their other efforts, this record is top-notch from start to finish - the Zeppelinesque "Soul Asylum", the anthemic "Wake Up Time for Freedom", and the manic "New York City" (with appropriate backing vocals by Iggy Pop) - putting the ROCK back into Alternative Rock with the help of producer Bob Rock (who would go on to produce Metallica's eponymous and most successful record, as well as the new Cult album).

The Cult found themselves enveloped in a wave of expectations as they entered the studio in September of 1988. Their previous album "Electric" had been a surprise hit and subsequently earned them praise with the hard rock crowd starved for guitar licks from a Marshall turned up to 11. Interestingly, "Electric" had left fans of 1985's "Love" unsatisfied and wanting more of Billy Duffy's spacey, flanged guitar parts and Ian Astbury's gothic poetry. Therefore, The Cult had not one but two musical demographics to mollify in the autumn of 1988. Enter "Sonic Temple": a truly rich hybrid of gothic new-wave music and muscular hard rock riffing from a Les Paul. What is striking at first is how dynamic the album sounds; It isn't static like "Electric" and not quite as watery as "Love", thus it is it's own monster: A true product of The Cult and not their influences. Nowhere is this more evident than on the album's lead-off song "Sun King", where Astbury proclaims "This is where it all begins", only to be followed by an absolute explosion of sound from the guitars and rhythm section. Astbury's lyrics on "Sonic Temple" are intensely dynamic and range from sounding like a dog in heat to the introspective musings of Warhol scenester Edie Sedgewick. Billy Duffy also shines on "Sonic Temple", ripping out a few leads that would've impressed the shred crowd (particularly on "Sun King" and "Sweet Soul Sister"). His guitar sound is also much more textured than on "Electric" and has alot more width in the mix (undoubtedly because there is reverb on the guitar signal, unlike the super-dry Gretsch). What this all amounts to however is a well-produced hard rock album with alot of character and dynamics. You can forget about being pounded by the same tempo for 12 songs. I think this album should be considered one of the greatest of the 1980's. Period. Take a chance and try it yourself though.

Sonic Temple was produced when The Cult were in thier prime. Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy produce some all time greats on this album with a distinct Rock feel to it. This CD is a brilliant driving CD turned up loud with some wonderfull guitar work and vocals.

In the summer of '88, a dozen of us went to see Metallica with special guests The Cult. Although I only knew "Fire Woman", I didn't hate them...but the croud did. Middle fingers, obscenities, and pure venom was thrown at them. And that's a shame, because I bought the album the following week to find out for myself why it was being praised to the skies in magazines, etc.
After one listen, I was hooked. Powerful and memorable riffs, Zeppelinesque tunes like AUTOMATIC BLUES and SWEET SOUL ASYLUM (BLACK DOG and KASHMIR), and great production by Bob Rock makes this the group's masterpiece. There's not one dog on this disc. The album really smokes when after SWEET SOUL ASYLUM, Ian Asburry launches into NEW YORK CITY (a blistering verbal scathing on the Big Apple) "...crashed the big apple...so I took a bite but she bit me back..." "Hell's Kitchen is a DMZ/I ain't never coming back." Next is the "Black Dog"-ish AUTOMATIC BLUES, and continues with the incredible SOLDIER BLUE that has a hook so powerful you'd have to be deaf not to tap your foot. Oh sure, this album was eclipsed by the Metallica phenomenon and the God-awful hair bands that now make up most of the discount bins. Yes, even lead singer Asburry was criticized for constant use of "Lil' Honey," "Sugar" and "Lil' Sista" (DO any of these women have names?) But those are pretty sorry criticisms for one of the best hard rock albums of the 80's.

I'm not real clear on my memory of how I got into The Cult, I think it was because I saw them with pics of one of my favorite pro wrestlers way back when and it made me think hey, must be a good band! I had heard "Bad Fun" (which is on their album "Electric") from a video game and thought it was one of the coolest songs ever. I started listening to a few of their songs that I could find, and they all rocked hard. The first song that really got me into them, the song that started it all for me, was the second track on this record: "Fire Woman". Eventually I decided it was time to buy a record. Reading reviews from this site, I decided "Sonic Temple" would be a good place to start.

This album blows my mind. I already knew the opening track "Sun King", the uplifting "Fire Woman", and the soulful "Sweet Soul Sister". What I discovered after playing this album through a few times was that every song on here is rock solid. The Cult is a band that writes some of the most engaging music I've ever heard, and for me, that's saying a lot. Two songs on here that really stand out to me are "New York City", which rocks with soul and passion, and "Soldier Blue", which has a tune that draws you in and makes you want to sing along. Ian Astbury sings with his heart, which is in the music, and I love his voice in general. Billy Duffy is an outstanding guitarist, whose chalant charismatic playing will appeal to many. This is by far one of rock's finest moments, and the music is so much better than a lot of the stuff that's out there. This album is for everyone.

if your a major cult fan, like me, and you dont have this yet there is something very wrong with you. this is one cd you could listen to everyday and never get sick of it NEVER! and the song fire woman,what an anthem! since no song on here is bad,i'll just say that my absolute favorites are sun king,fire woman,soul asylum,sweet soul sister,edie,and wake up time ... well just get it you wont believe your ears!

the cult,s sonic temple released in 1989 was the follow up to their electric album from 1987.by the time the cult started recording sonic temple the line up that made electric had fragmented,the core of the group was still intact which was billy duffy guitarist,ian astbury singer and jamie stewart bassist and keyboards, decided to create a new album which would accentuate the best points of love and electric and with producer bob rock they did this very well!!for the tour for sonic temple the cult hired future guns,n,roses and velvet revolver drummer matt sorum.the album cover for sonic temple is another one of the coolest in rock!!!for me the great cuts are;sun king,fire woman,new york city,automatic blues,wake up time for freedom,medicine train,sweet soul sister and soldier blue!!this is a great album!!!there was also a 12 inch single extended version of fire woman released in 1989 that is great. i hope they will rerelease these extended versions!!

How can you ever hope to follow up a masterpiece like Electric? That was one of the all time best hard rock albums ever, easily the best Cult album ever. So how did The Cult follow up their milestone of an album, with another amazing album. While Sonice Temple might not have as many classics as Electric and not all the songs are as good as on Electric Sonic Temple is still one of the very best hard rock/heavy metal albums to come out of the 1980's.

The Cult is one of those bands that to me can't totaly be placed into one catagory or genra. Their style is early 1980's New Wave meets heavy metal of the 1970's and the result of those two styles is one very good rock band. Ian Astburys voice is something of Glen Danzig meets Jim Morrison of the legendary Doors, and the mans voice is nothing short of amazing. Billy Duffy's guitar playing is always amazing, the man is truly one of the most underrated musicians/song wrighters of all time. Jamie Stewart is also one hell of a bass player. Most of the songs by The Cult would be lost without his playing. The whats more impressive about this band is that they have no drummer! Yeah you read correct no drummer, crazy huh?

Sonic Temple is full of guitar driven bluesy hard rock. 'Fire Woman' is one of the bands all time best songs, and it has one of their best chorus' as well. 'American Horse' is a song that was never released as a single but should have been because it would have easily been a massive rock hit. The albums big single 'Sweet Soul Sister' was not only one of the bands biggest hits if not the biggest but it is also one of the bands best songs period. The chorus is great, nice vocals, killer guitar solo by Duffy and the lyrics are perfect, I just cant beleave a band from England wrote a song the sounds so L.A. The only song on this album that I think I could have dont without is 'Edie (Ciao Baby)' because I just dont think the song is that good and it doest really fit in with the rest of the album.

Sonic Temple is to The Cult as Goats Head Soup is to The Rolling Stones. The both came out after the bands biggest and best albums so they sometimes get bad reps, more so Goats Head Soup but the point is this is not an album you can measure to Electric it has to be appreciated as its own excelent album, and excelent it is!

OK.. Firstly. I am not.. I repeat, NOT a deranged fanboy.
My tastes range from jazz (Coltrane, Brubeck, Alpert) to Metal (Pantera, Metallica, Nuclear Rabbit.... never heard of the last one? look em up.) and all the Classical, Pop, Rock etc you can fit in between.
Sonic Temple by The Cult is the one album that I never get tired of. As far as I am concerned there is no 'weak' track on this album.

From start to finish this album provides a veritable rollercoaster for the aural senses. Kick starting the ride with the opening chords of Sun King it's time to rock! I'm fighting the urge to describe every track in detail here. Let's just say that from the next track (the seminal Fire Woman) through the haunting Edie (Ciao Baby), and Wake Up Time For Freedom (This one sends a shiver up my spine every time) to the finale of Medicine Train we bear witness to a captured moment in time that defines an era.
A Time when all that mattered was the music and the feeling.


This is truly both Ian Astbury and Bob Rock's finest hour.


If you don't own it, buy it.
If you can't justify buying it, steal it... NOW!