Electric (The Cult album)

Electric
File:The Cult-Electric (album cover).jpg
Studio album by The Cult
Released	April 6, 1987
Genre	Hard rock
Length	38:51
Label	Beggars Banquet, Sire
Producer	Rick Rubin
The Cult chronology
Love (1985)Love1985 Electric (1987) Sonic Temple (1989)Sonic Temple1989

Electric is the third album by The Cult. Released in 1987, the album marked a deliberate stylistic change in the band's sound from gothic rock to more traditional hard rock. Rick Rubin, the producer on Electric, had been specifically hired to remake the band's sound in an effort to capitalize on the popularity of hard rock and heavy metal in the 1980s. The album was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

In 2013 the album was re-released as a double CD set under the title Electric Peace, with one disc featuring the originally released album and the second containing the entire Peace album recorded during the Manor Sessions.

Production

After the breakthrough success of their second album, Love, the Cult began working on a follow-up with producer Steve Brown. In the summer of 1986, they recorded twelve tracks at the Manor Studio in Oxfordshire. These recordings, which came to be known as the Manor Sessions, were to make up a new album, tentatively entitled Peace. However, upon completion of the recording sessions, the band decided that they were unhappy with the sound, and began to look for a new producer.

The band went on to choose Rick Rubin, who was known for producing albums for hip hop artists and thrash metal band Slayer. These new recordings, with a slightly different track-list and running order, became the album that was released.

Although all twelve of the Manor Sessions tracks were initially scrapped, four of them would turn up as B-sides to singles from Electric. A further five of them appeared on a limited edition EP, and with the release of Rare Cult in 2000, the rest of the unreleased Steve Brown-produced tracks were made available, albeit in a limited edition format. They were finally made available on a mainstream release in 2013 as part of the Electric Peace release.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	B+
Rolling Stone	(mixed) link

Track listing

All songs written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, except where noted.

1. "Wild Flower" – 3:37
2. "Peace Dog" – 3:34
3. "Lil' Devil" – 2:44
4. "Aphrodisiac Jacket" – 4:11
5. "Electric Ocean" – 2:49
6. "Bad Fun" – 3:33
7. "King Contrary Man" – 3:12
8. "Love Removal Machine" – 4:17
9. "Born to Be Wild" (Mars Bonfire) – 3:55
10. "Outlaw" – 2:52
11. "Memphis Hip Shake" – 4:01

"Manor Sessions"/Peace track listing

All tracks appeared on Rare Cult in 2000. Tracks 2, 5, 6, and 10 first appeared on The Manor Sessions EP in 1988. Tracks 7-9, and 11 were issued as B-sides to singles from the Electric album in 1987.

1. "Love Removal Machine" - 5:16
2. "Wild Flower" - 4:10
3. "Peace Dog" - 5:09
4. "Aphrodisiac Jacket" - 4:25
5. "Electric Ocean" - 4:13
6. "Bad Fun" - 6:24
7. "Conquistador" - 2:53
8. "Zap City" - 5:15
9. "Love Trooper" - 3:55
10. "Outlaw" - 5:07
11. "Groove Co." - 4:13

Personnel

• Ian Astbury – vocals
• Billy Duffy – guitar
• Jamie Stewart – bass guitar
• Les Warner – drums

In popular culture

• The song "Love Removal Machine" appeared on Guitar Hero: World Tour.
• The song "Bad Fun" appeared on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.
• The song "Wildflower" was featured in the soundtrack to the British film The Business.
• The song "Lil Devil" was featured in the film Less Than Zero. Rick Rubin also produced the film's soundtrack. It also appears at the beginning the episode Table Stakes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
• The song "Aphrodisiac Jacket" was featured in the film White Water Summer.
• The song "Zap City" was featured in the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

References

2. Track #4 Aphrodisiac Jacket, lyric, "plastic fantastic, lobster telephone " Lobster Telephone