CULT, PURE. For Rockers, Ravers, Lovers, and Sinners Per Chitarra TABLATURE e Basso.
Per Chitarra (TABLATURE), e Basso NOTAZIONE
Transcriptions for guitar, bass, and vocals of 18 Cult classics, including: She Sells Sanctuary * Fire Woman * Spiritwalker * Love Removal Machine * Wildflower * Sun King * and more. Also includes photos and a bio of the band.
Released 9 February 1993
Recorded 1984-1992
“The Cult? Crazy, but corrosive!" Odious as it
may seem to self-quote, the above words,
(which were written after witnessing The Cult
performing in Sweden exactly a year ago), still
seem to sum up the band succinctly as ever.
There is nothing 'standard' about The Cult;
nothing 'Workaday'. The fire that propels the
band has often led them into musical territory
which others would describe as crazy ... and
that's why only The Cult have a compilation
album as flexible, entertaining and, yes,
awesome as ''!
The Cult is the last bastion of art in Rock, the
last true exponent of forward-thinking guitar
music. Often mocked and frequently reviled
by a supposedly knowledgeable music press,
vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy
have righteously earned themselves
legendary status for throwing curves that other
Rock artists had barely even recognised. The
Cult is the only British Rock band of the last
decade that has meant anything!
If you want to argue, then listen to ''
and reconsider. From the early post-Goth
charge of '84's 'Spiritwalker', which alerted a
dormant world to the nascent vocal potential
in the kid called lan, right through to the
bands latest offering, an ambitious techno -
come-retro stomp titled 'The Witch', The Cult
have constantly stretched barriers. The
sinewy threads of Duffy's distinctive guitar
style and Astbury's unmistakable vocals have
retained band identity, yet the scope of how
much of the Rock wilderness they have
charted is unique and ... well, 'Legendary'.
Astbury has always been ahead of the game,
even when his own life was blurring 'round the
edges through the rigours of excessive
touring and drink. Whenever you'd meet him,
he'd be telling you what would be the next
happening thing; 'Zeppelin revival' in '85,
'Mother Love Bone and Seattle' in '87, 'Happy
Mondays and Rave' in '88. Not bad
stargazing from a man dismissed as a bozo
by many infinitely less tuned in!
From the moment 'She Sells Sanctuary'
became a major U.K. hit in 1985, to be
regarded by many as the Rock song of
eighties, The Cult have been recognised as
influential and highly copy-worthy. The band
introduced a second summer of 'Love' in '85,
sacked original drummer Nigel Preston (R.I.P)
due to excessive drug abuse, recorded an
entire album with producer Steve Brown
before binning it and starting allover again
with an AC/DC nut named Rick Rubin in New
York. Definitely 'Electric'! The Cult grew their
hair when all U.K. acts were staring at their
shoes, brought in circumstantial members
with odd names like 'Haggis' and sacked
them just as quickly, embraced America like a
long-lost and wild-hearted son, got up the
noses of lots of people, and sold more and
more records! The band suffered from the
antagonistic push and pull between the
cerebral Astbury and the physical Duffy. They
suffered from the booze. They recorded a
magnificent Rock album in Canada in '88 with
'Star producer to be', Bob Rock, titled 'Sonic
temple'. They got bigger. They recruited a
californian beach bum to drum for them. He
got poached by Guns n' Roses! They lost
long-time bassist Jamie Stewart. Very
traumatic! They relocated to California
because they liked it, even if many petty
jealousies didn't. They recorded another
album with a notorious A.O.R. producer at the
helm. It didn't come out sounding like A.O.R!
It came out sounding like a 'Ceremony',
someone with an eye for the main chance
and an American lawyer tried to sue the band
for big bucks, on the pretence of the band
causing undue trauma to a little Red Indian
boy adorning the album sleeve. We all said
bullshit'! Astbury and Duffy hired bassist
Kinley Wolfe and drummer Michael Lee for
the 'Ceremony' tour. They are no longer! Both
Astbury and Duffy cut all their hair off and
proclaimed that Rock was dead!
Er.... pardon?!
Y'see, this kinda stuff doesn't happen to
'ordinary' bands! This is set aside for the
legends. Mad, bad and dangerous to know,
I've been trying to get to the bottom of The
Cult for ten years. I sure as hell haven't
figured it out yet! But what I do know is that
the music says it all.
When you can move from the majestic sweep
of an 'Edie (Ciao Baby)' to the blistering
boogie of 'Wildflower', from the expansive
canvas of 'Sun King' to the the pop notability
of 'Rain', without losing any of the bands
identity, then you know you're listening to
something special, to the best!
Where The Cult go from here is anybody's
guess. In the next week Billy will probably
head for main road to watch our beloved Man
City. Ian will be making for Canada and more
Red Indian culture! In the long term, who
knows? But that's the very beauty of The
Cult.The journey will always be unpredictable,
and anyway, it's the getting there that's the
interesting bit, not the arrival!
So here's 'Pure Cult' for you, a look at the
story so far; a picture of the past. Here's The
Cult for you; a promise for the future!
HOWARD JOHNSON 1993
All compositions by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.
See also Pure Cult: The Singles 1984 - 1995
She Sells Sanctuary
Fire Woman
Lil' Devil
Spiritwalker
The Witch
Revolution
Wild Hearted Son
Love Removal Machine
Rain
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Heart of Soul
Love
Wild Flower
Go West (Crazy Spinning Cirlcles)
Resurrection Joe
Sun King
Sweet Soul Sister
Earth Mofo
Italiano
English
