Sonic Temple

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Sonic Temple
The Cult Sonic Temple.jpg
Studio album by
The Cult
ReleasedApril 11, 1989[1]
RecordedSeptember - November 1988
StudioLittle Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenreGlam metal[2][3][4]
Length52:23
LabelBeggars Banquet, Sire
ProducerBob Rock[5]
The Cult chronology
Electric
(1987) 		Sonic Temple
(1989) 		Ceremony
(1991)
Singles from Sonic Temple
  1. "Fire Woman"
    Released: March 13, 1989
  2. "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
    Released: August 1989
  3. "Sun King"
    Released: 1989
  4. "Sweet Soul Sister"
    Released: January 1990

Sonic Temple is the fourth studio album by British rock band The Cult, released on April 11, 1989.[5] The album features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)". Sonic Temple was the last album recorded with longtime bassist Jamie Stewart, who left in 1990, and the first to feature former Hall & Oates and then-current Bryan Adams drummer, Mickey Curry.

Album information[]

During 1988, The Cult recorded the first (14 track) demo version of this album with Eric Singer (of Kiss) on drums. Later on, they tracked a new demo version of the record (15 songs) with Chris Taylor (drummer for the Bob Rock band). Sonic Temple marked the first time the band worked with Bob Rock, who would later produce The Cult, Beyond Good and Evil, Choice of Weapon and Hidden City. The album reached the Cult's highest chart position in the US, peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200 charts, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1990.

The album cover features guitarist Billy Duffy with his Gibson Les Paul, partially obscuring a picture of vocalist Ian Astbury. The back cover features bassist Jamie Stewart, and an additional illustration on the insert, from left to right, features Astbury, Duffy, and Stewart.

On 4 October 2019, Sonic Temple was re-released as a 5 CD box set and as a 2 LP/1 cassette box set, with a different cover, the original album digitally remastered, numerous rarities, a live album recorded at London Wembley Arena and a comprehensive booklet featuring rare photos and background info on the album and the band. The LP/cassette edition has a limited release of 3500 copies worldwide.[6]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Robert ChristgauB-[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA:2[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
Stereo Reviewlouder than bombs[13]

Critical reception[]

The album received mixed reviews, with some interpreting the change in sound positively and some negatively. The New York Times wrote: "Sonic Temple is both [the band's] most conventional album and its most convincing. Using a few simple riffs and images, the Cult creates an entire environment, one more exciting and stimulating than our own. Bob Rock, the album's producer, washes blunt, powerful sound over the broadness of most of the band's strokes. Sonic Temple makes a virtue of its lack of subtlety."[14] Writer John Sellers in his book "Perfect from Now On" criticized the album for "emulating a hair-metal band", saying "the Cult had moved from the hearts of alt/rock fans to the walkmans of Warrant disciples-completely unacceptable".[4] Rock critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B-, explaining his rating with the summary of "[h]aving risen from cultdom as a joke metal band metal fans were too dumb to get, they transmute into a dumb metal band. Dumb was the easy part. Ha ha".[8] Chris Willman writing for the Los Angeles Times heavily criticized the album calling it "stupid".[11]

Track listing[]

All tracks written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.

  1. "Sun King" – 6:09
  2. "Fire Woman" – 5:11
  3. "American Horse" – 5:19
  4. "Edie (Ciao Baby)" – 4:46
  5. "Sweet Soul Sister" – 5:08
  6. "Soul Asylum" – 7:26
  7. "New York City" – 4:41
  8. "Automatic Blues" – 3:51
  9. "Soldier Blue" – 4:36
  10. "Wake Up Time for Freedom" – 5:17

Bonus tracks[]

  • "Medicine Train" – 4:42 (On CD and, in some countries, cassette release)
  • "The River" (Only on Russian and Eastern European pressings)
  • "Lay Down your Gun" (Version two) (Only on Russian and Eastern European pressings)

Saudi Arabian version[]

There was a Saudi Arabian version released, with the track listing expanded (although "Soul Asylum" had been removed) and slightly rearranged:

  1. "Sun King"
  2. "Fire Woman"
  3. "American Horse"
  4. "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
  5. "Sweet Soul Sister"
  6. "NYC"
  7. "Automatic Blues"
  8. "Soldier Blue"
  9. "Wake Up Time for Freedom"
  10. "Medicine Train"
  11. "Electric Ocean"
  12. "King Contrary Man"
  13. "Born to Be Wild"
  14. "Outlaw"

Personnel[]

The Cult
Additional personnel
  • Eric Singer - drums during first demo version of Sonic Temple 1988
  • Chris Taylor - drums during second demo version of Sonic Temple 1988
  • Iggy Pop – backing vocals on "New York City"
  • John Webster – keyboards
  • Bob Buckley – string arrangement on "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
Technical

Charts[]

Chart (1989/90) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 13
UK Album Chart[16] 3
Billboard 200[17][18] 10
Cash Box Charts[19] 4

Certifications[]

Country Organization Year Sales
USA RIAA[1] 1990 Platinum
Total available sales: (+ 1,000,000)

Accolades[]

Publication Country Accolade Year
Guitar World US Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties[2] 2015
Ulltimate Classic Rock US Top 30 Glam Metal Albums[3] 2021

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties - Page 2 | Guitar World". 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b Rolli, Bryan (1 July 2021). "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Sellers, John (2008). Perfect from now on : how indie rock saved my life. [Place of publication not identified]: Simon And Schuster Trade. ISBN 978-0-7432-7709-9. OCLC 175285134.
  5. ^ a b "Cult".
  6. ^ Group, Beggars. "The Arkive".
  7. ^ Sonic Temple - The Cult | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 3 March 2021
  8. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 1861". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Douthwaite, Karen (June 1989). "Review: The Cult — Sonic Temple" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 6. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 101. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ a b "THE CULT "Sonic Temple." Sire **: Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic)". Los Angeles Times. 21 May 1989.
  12. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (22 June 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (August 1989). "Review: The Cult — Sonic Temple" (PDF). Stereo Review. Vol. 54, no. 8. New York: Diamandis Communications Inc. p. 75. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ Leland, John (2 July 1989). "REOCRDINGS; The Cult Dons the Armor of Heavy Metal". The New York Times.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Cult – Sonic Temple". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "UK CULT - Album". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  17. ^ "The Cult's 'Sonic Temple' at 30: Revisiting The Watershed Album". Billboard. 10 April 2019.
  18. ^ "The Cult - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  19. ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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