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The Cult rose to fame from the streets of London, ENGLAND, to become
one of Rocks biggest attractions of the mid-'80s and '90s. Vocalist Ian
Astbury formed Southern Death Cult in British post-Punk 1983, then joined
guitarist Billy Duffy and bassist Jamie Stewart, first with drummer Ray
Mondo and later Nigel Preston, to become The Death Cult. The name was
shortened to The Cult with the release of their first album.
"Dreamtime", the debut album, an eclectic mix of Goth-Rock,
dark and psychedelia, was released in the fall of 1984; it reached the
#21 position on the U.K. Albums chart and spawned the minor hit single
"Spiritwalker".
The following year Nigel Preston left the formation, he was soon replaced
by Big Country's drummer Mark Brzezicki and the group delivered its sophomore
full-length disc, "Love", in late summer 1985 introducing a
more Hard-Rock oriented sound; the album was a worldwide smash thanks
to singles like "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain" which
both hit the U.K. top 20 and helped the album debut at #4 on the Official
British Pop chart; "Love" also became their first American Billboard
Top 200 entry at #87.
Over the next couple of years The Cult went through a series of line-up
changes, Les Warner replaced Brzezicki behind the drum kit. Bass player
Kid Chaos, real name Stephen Harris, joined the band in February of 1987,
so Stewart switched over to the rhythm guitar spot, that spring the group
released its third album, "Electric", which peaked at #4 in
U.K. and reached the #38 position on The Billboard 200; all the three
singles off the LP, "Love Removal Machine", "Lil' Devil"
and "Wild Flower" grazed the top 30 of the British Pop chart
and also crossed over into the top 40 in the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks,
with the first single, "Love Removal Machine", peaking at #15.
In the fall of 1988 Duffy and Astbury moved to Vancouver with former bassist
Jamie Stewart to record "Sonic Temple"; in the studio they were
joined by keyboardist John Webster and Bryan
Adams' drummer Mickey Curry. The record shot to #3 in U.K. and peaked
at #10 in U.S. powered by "Fire Woman", by the spring 1989 the
track was a genuine hit, climbing to #2 on The Modern Rock chart, to #4
on the album-Rock chart and just missing the top 40 on The Billboard Hot
100; in the U.K. "Fire Woman" reached #15 on the Official Pop
Sales chart. While on tour, with new drummer Matt Sorum, supporting Metallica,
the band racked up three more Mainstream Rock top 20 hits: "Sweet
Soul Sister", "Edie (Ciao Baby)" and "Sun King".
This was the period when Duffy and Astbury were at the top of their game.
Duffy's guitar playing has always been brilliant, his style and technique
are admired by musicians and his tone is always perfect for the song.
Astbury has developed into a strong, powerful Rock singer with a commanding
stage presence and a charismatic vocal and performing style. Like many
duos that have an awesome creative chemistry as a team, they've also had
problems working together, the addition of substances to the mix has been
another factor in the erratic nature of their career.
Recorded with bassist Charlie Drayton and once again with Mickey Curry
behind a shuffling drum kit as Matt Sorum left to join Guns
N' Roses, the band's fifth LP, "Ceremony", arrived in September
1991; it peaked at #9 in U.K. and at #25 in U.S. due to the exposure provided
by the main single "Wild Hearted Son", which rose to #4 on The
Modern Rock chart; the follow-up single, "Heart Of Soul", also
charted on alt-Rock radio across the United States.
The self-titled follow-up to "Ceremony" was released in autumn
1994, but the three year gap had seemingly lost the band a lot of fans
and the CD failed to dent the top 20 in Britain and only reached #69 on
The Billboard 200 in America; however, The Cult scored a new Mainstream
Rock top 20 hit with "Coming Down (Drug Tongue)".
Duffy, Astbury, ex-Porno For Pyros bassis Martyn LeNoble and Matt Sorum
on drums returned once again in the late '90s. The combination of supporting
Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes during
some of their tour dates, performing the opening track, "Painted
On My Heart", on the "Gone In 60 Seconds" soundtrack, a
single which hit the top 30 of The Mainstream Rock chart and the unmistakable
"She Sells Sanctuary" riff being used in a car commercial gave
the band wide exposure.
In 2001, the quartet recorded an album of new material, "Beyond Good
And Evil", which was issued on Atlantic in June; the CD restored
the band's chart status as it climbs to #37 on The Billboard Top 200 and
the lead single, "Rise", shot to #3 on The Mainstream Rock list
cracking the Modern Rock Tracks top 20 as well. The disc contained two
more minor hits: "Breathe" and "True Believers".
The Cult's latest album, "Born Into This", which marks the
band's debut on Roadrunner Records, was released in Octoebr 2007; it debuted
at #70 on The Billboard 200. The group's first CD since 2001 was recorded
in London by principals Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy alongside former Ozzy
Osbourne bassist Chris Wyse and ex-Helmet
drummer John Tempesta; the set included the Hot Mainstream Rock top 40
hit "Dirty Little Rock Star".
The Cult biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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