Totally opportunistic, yet most welcome re-release of a mast
Erick Bertin | Santo Domingo, Heredia Costa Rica | 08/19/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Indeed, ever since the massive "garage sale" that was 2000's "Rare Cult" boxset that very much cleaned all the shelves from unreleased and/or hard to find material, Beggars Banquet had been sitting on this one. Bearing in mind that the boxset was a limited edition release, it would only have been fitting for the company to re-release all of the band's albums in expanded format with a second CD of extra goodies. But nooo, instead, Beggars decided to wait until a more "marketable" opportunity arose, and so it did, only 9 years later, just as Ian Astbury announces that "There will be no new album. I don't think we'll ever see a Cult album. Albums are dead." (his words, not mine, look it up on the internet if you don't trust me...) and that the band will launch a tour where they will showcase the "Love" album from start to finish live for the first time ever.
And thus we get "Love Expanded Edition". So obviously, as a consumer and record buyer I'm not too crazy about the opportunistic, blood sucking move from Beggars, but as a Cult diehard, this is a total treat and I can't help but salivate and drool all over it! It comes down to this: if you, like me, are a Cult fan who couldn't get a hold of the boxset, this is a must, period. You need to get this now.
In my humble opinion, "Love" is THE quintessential Cult album. If I were ever forced to choose one and only one album from The Cult to include in my solar powered coconut MP3 player in a desert island, this would be it. Sure, they went on to become rich and famous with other releases (namely "Electric" and "Sonic Temple"), but this, my friends, is The Cult at their most unique and their most inspired. In the midst of the 80's music scene, dominated by hair metal, synth-pop and new wave, no other band sounded like The Cult, who boldly spat on the face of the music biz and made exactly the album they wanted to make.
A perfect collusion of neo-hippy sensibility, Zeppelinesque guitar riffery and punk attitude, "Love" was "alternative rock" before it was cool to be alternative and remains a true masterpiece 24 odd years later. Songs such as "Rain" (one of my all time favorite songs!), "Hollow Man", "Big Neon Glitter" or "Nirvana", while retaining faint hints of their post-punk/goth roots, resonate with a power and confidence that's awe-inspiring. The core of the band at the time, formed by singer Ian Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart shine throughout as a true unit, perfectly complemented for this recording by session drummer Mark Brzezicki who replaced original drummer Nigel Preston after the recording and release of the single "She Sells Sanctuary". And while this feels like a group effort through and through, especial praise must go to producer Steve Brown and to Billy for creating such a shimmering, powerful and kicking wall of guitars.
Other songs, such as "Love", "The Phoenix" already point at heavier things to come from a band that refused to stagnate and repeat itself. And of course, "She Sells Sanctuary", their first big hit, remains as vital today as it did back then, its eastern-flavored riff perfectly setting the tone of the album as a whole. The album never lacks intensity, even during the softer/slower numbers, and every song is a classic, including the haunting "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon", the contradictorily titled "Revolution" (with such a title, wouldn't you be expecting a total blast in face? and yet...) and the dark and beautiful "Black Angel". Not a weak link to be found here, and the clarity of the sound of the original album is only enhanced by this release.
Disc 2 of this release is filled with b-sides and remixes. Most were used as single b-sides, and unless I'm mistaken, they were all included on the boxset. This is a great opportunity to get all of this in one convenient package, especially since some of this material is absolutely gorgeous: songs such as "Judith", "Sunrise" and "All Souls Avenue" were all worthy on inclusion on the album, but they had to be sacrificed at the time due to time constraints. I'm not a particularly big fan of remixes, especially of remixes of my favorite tunes, and the "Here Comes the Rain" remix is a good example of why: while the song is too good to be ruined by a remix, I'm not particularly fond of this extended version. That being said, some of the other remixes are interesting enough to warrant the purchase of this release.
Only one more question remains: will Beggars continue this trend and re-release all of the band's albums in expanded format? They certainly could, since there is no shortage of additional material to make such releases and it is readily available in light of the work done for the boxset. But will they? I would definitely go for expanded editions of "Dreamtime" (including the extra songs "Resurrection Joe" and "Bonebag", in addition to the ultra rare "Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum"), "Electric" (including the entire "Peace" album), "Sonic Temple", "Ceremony" and "Black Sheep" (all of which had tons of outtakes, remixes, demos and so forth), but I'm not sure the company will do that. Perhaps they'll just wait until the band decides to showcase each of those albums live in order to cash in...? or maybe, just maybe, they are testing the waters with this release before going any further? Oh well, I guess we'll see...
Anyway, the bottom line: this is a 5 star CD (I just took a star off as a protest at Beggars' opportunism), and if you're a Cult-head (such as myself), you have to have this, and if you didn't buy the boxset back in 2000, even more so. If you are more of a casual fan, this might be a little too "complete" and a little too much for you, but I honestly believe that you'd enjoy it a great deal if you give it a shot. And finally, for the uninitiated, this is THE ALBUM: if you have to buy one and only one album by this band, let "Love" be the one. It is a timeless testament to Billy's, Ian's and Jamie's talents. This is The Cult at their most unique, and no rock fan should do without this album. And if you definitely, absolutely, most assuredly have to have it all, then wait a bit longer and save a bit more and purchase the 4CD, "Omnibus" edition coming out on September 2009. Peace!
"
A SONIC IMPROVEMENT
LedMan | California | 08/21/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Cult "Love" is one of my top 10 albums of all time and for that reason I've purchased all the US editions. When I raced home to pop this in the CD player and after the first few notes of "Nirvana", my ears detected a sonic improvement. This 2 CD set has more bottom end and the highs are crystal clear. Even if you already have "Love" this is worth picking up for the first disc alone. To my ears it sounds like the 2nd disc has also been remastered and is recommended for those that even were fortunate to obtain the "Rare Cult" box set. Personally I don't feel that Beggars Banquet is trying to milk this release. CD Technology has improved even in the last few years and for that reason this is a welcome addition.
For fans of Zeppelin and other "Classic Rock" this is recommended."
Excellent remaster 2nd cd just okay
Unquiet American | 09/23/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I just received this remaster of one of my favorite albums by The Cult, Sonic Temple running a close second.The remastering on this disc is a welcomed sonic improvement and I can't get over how much more crunchier and at The same time clean this remastering sounds. The first Cd is a 5 star album in remastering and content. The second cd not so much, some of the remixes no matter how much remastering is done sound dated and quite frankly annoying. I do like Little Face a lot but the rest of the 2nd cd is a throw away. Still Love is a great album and that makes this a must have purchase."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1