592. The Cult - Electric (1987)
















Track Listing

1. Wildflower
2. Peace Dog
3. Li'l Devil
4. Aphrodisiac Jacket
5. Electric Ocean
6. Bad Fun
7. King Country Man
8. Love removal machine
9. Born to be wild
10. Outlaw
11. Memphis Hip Shake

Review

The Cult used to be a goth band, then they came out with this album and became a hard rock band. Fortunately this is not Hard Rock in the tradition of Judas Priest or Def Leppard, The Cult are going further back into musical history to the likes of The Doors, Stones or Led Zeppelin.

This makes the album both better and slightly worse, it is better because honestly that other kind of Hard Rock is pretty horrible and worse because it is profoundly derivative, and not in a particularly good way.

The Cult never really make anything better than the bands they are so clearly influenced by, and you would have thought that with 20 years of hindsight they could have, but then those bands are so good that it isn't even worth trying unless you are self-confident to the point of self-deluded. And I think The Cult might just be self-deluded enough to think they were making something amazing... they weren't. But it is quite listenable.

Track Highlights

1. Love Removal Machine
2. Wild Flower
3. Lil' Devil
4. Electric Ocean

Final Grade

7/10


Trivia

From Wikipedia:

After the breakthrough success of their second album, Love, the Cult began working on a follow-up to build on their success. In the summer of 1986, they recorded twelve tracks at the Manor Studio in Oxfordshire. These "Manor Sessions" were overseen by Steve Brown, who had produced Love. The twelve tracks were to be the basis of a new album, tentatively entitled Peace. However, on completion of the recording sessions, the band decided that they were unhappy with the sound, and looked for a new producer.

The band went on to re-record the entire third album with producer Rick Rubin, with a slightly different track-list and running order. These new recordings became the album that was released, Electric.

Love Removal Machine: