Search - Cult :: Love

Gonna drive away in a big fast car...

Mark H. | Hanson, MA USA | 05/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"`Love' was a record that many rock fans of various genres could lay claim to as a representative of their style of music. Post punk, alternative, goth and metal followers all saw the Cult as their band and for the mid-eighties, they were fairly unique. I hated new wave yet the Cult I felt were different in that they rocked harder than the Cure or the Smiths. "She Sells Sanctuary" wasn't really metal, yet I think metal fans saw it as an acceptable copy of U2 style guitar but with a metal intensity of the band's performance. It was the first song I ever heard from the Cult and it immediately made an impact on me while most songs that came from pasty faced Englishmen had none. "Rain" and the title track also became instant favorites and listeners realized that the band that made `Dreamtime' was evolving into something much bigger and more interesting. Ian Astbury was on his way to becoming a dominating front man and "Love" the song had his charisma and talent oozing from every lyric. "Big Neon Glitter" draws U2 comparisons due to Billy Duffy playing an Edge like guitar but that scream about halfway through gives me goose bumps! "Phoenix" and "Nirvana" also rock with intensity especially on the former as Duffy employs the wah-wah pedal to great effect. "Revolution" is very anthemic and "Black Angel" closes the record in a melancholy manner but that doesn't make it a poor choice for a closer. `Love' introduced the band to America and its mild success inspired the band to further evolve their sound to become a stadium rock champion with the metal glory that was `Electric'."

One of top albums from one of best years in music

Deven Gadula | san francisco, ca, united states | 10/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1985 was a great year for music. It was the year of 4AD explosion of some truly special music. Love & Rocket released their phenomenal first album Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven. Cure released their Head On The Door, The Damned their Phantasmagoria, Legendary Pink Dots - Asylum, New Order - Low Life and on a bit different fronts Marillion released my favorite album of theirs Misplaced Childhood. Brian Eno gave birth to Thursday Afternoon (a great piece of music for people who want to run away from music) and Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas and Ravi Shankar's Song for Everyone are great as well. However, the dearest album to my heart back then was Love by The Cult. I also find this album to be one of the most magical albums I have ever had, because for whatever strange reason every week or so a different song on this album was becoming my favorite song. I am usually not like that. It does not take me very long to figure out which damn song is best, but Love for me was a changing environment. 24 years later (and I have not listen to this album more than maybe 10 times in the last 20 years but I don't need to, these songs are with me forever as most of music I get obsessed about and listen to 100 times or so in a matter of weeks over and over) I would say that Black Angel is and always had been the greatest. Ian's vocal and lyric are just incredible. Brother Moon Sister Wolf, Revolution, Big Neon Glitter, Rain, Nirvana, these were all my favorites at some point, but I also liked Hollow Man, and wait... I have left behind She Sells Sanctuary, the most famous song of the album. It was a great dance song I admit, but yes, my favorite songs and the greatest hits usually do not match well. Love is a great album, and to me The Cult's best by far. As I was very disappointed by their change of direction after Love I happened to change my own directions a couple of years later and our roads did not cross again. I did want to compile their songs a couple of years ago but I did not find enough excellent songs aside from Love to do it with. I like Ciao Eddie and a few others but...why no more Black Angels?

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