Sonic Temple (Indie Exc., Clear Green Vinyl)

Beggars Arkive presents a colored vinyl 2LP reissue of The Cult's fourth album Sonic Temple. Originally released in 1989, it proved to be a pivotal moment for both the band and the wider rock scene. Produced by the legendary Bob Rock, Sonic Temple had four chart-topping singles including "Fire Woman", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", "Sun King" and "Sweet Soul Sister". The album's sound is rooted in classic rock and heavy metal, but incorporates a range of influences, from punk to psychedelic rock, creating a sound that is both familiar yet unique.

In a recent interview about the album, Ian Astbury explained how the band brought together hard rock and indie rock to create the unique, game-changing sounds on Sonic Temple: "We wanted to retain our core DNA as we went deeper into psych and hard rock influences. It was a complete immersion for me into art, film, music, poetry and literature, weaving those influences into what was to become Sonic Temple. The band was becoming more popular. We were in uncharted waters. Most of the bands we had come up with had split up or fallen off. We were accelerating. There was no real time to breathe. We were forming new allegiances and breaking the glass ceiling of ‘the indie outsider.'"

The album catapulted The Cult into superstar status and remains their most commercially successful release. It has sold over a million and a half copies in the US alone, and was certified platinum in 1990. It climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard charts, and the aforementioned songs all remain rock-radio staples to this day.

LP1

1. Sun King
2. Fire Woman
3. American Horse
4. Edie (Ciao Baby)
5. Sweet Soul Sister
6. Soul Asylum
7. New York City
8. Automatic Blues

LP2

1. Soldier Blue
2. Wake Up Time For Freedom
3. Medicine Train
4. The River
5. Bleeding Heart Graffitti
6. Messin' Up The Blues
7. Fire Woman (NYC Rock Mix)
8. Edie (Ciao Baby) (Acoustic)