Hey, Folks! Here finishes up my series of EP’s. Hope you dug em as much as I wrote about em! I’m taking a few weeks off so if you need a daily fix of blog action check out Mike Ladano and John T Snows blog as they are lunatics at posting stuff every day. I’ll post their links below. Do the right thing and follow them. Both excellent writers!
The Cult!
Man, I love these guys! Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury know how to get down to business, and this little excellent song EP from 1989 has The Cult getting on down to some serious business!
You had to handle it to Billy and Ian as when it came time to release the ballad Edie(Ciao Baby) as a single it was a great move on their part not to recycle the typical power ballad move that was dominating video waves at the tail end of the 80s!
Edie is a different kind of ballad that has Duffy doing some excellent pick work on his 6 string. Astbury delivers a stellar vocal, and the song even lifts off somewhat during the chorus. It’s a good track.
Now,
Medicine Train is easily in my Top 5 all-time Cult Classics! Tucked on the end of the Sonic Temple as a bonus track for the CD release Medicine Train is just plain stellar when Astbury lets out the ‘SHOTGUN‘ the song takes off with a real dependable driving Bassline courtesy of Jamie Stewart. The chorus is the money shot! Listen for yourself, folks!
Riding on a medicine train (train)
Never coming down again, no (train)
Riding on a medicine train (train)
I ain’t never, never coming down
Side Two opens with Bleeding Heart Graffiti is a great track that was left off the Sonic Temple album! Bleeding Heart takes you as a listener on a journey of sonic proportions! Surprising it was left off of the album which shows you how much material Billy and Ian had going into the recording of this album.
The last two tracks Love Removal Machine and Revolution are live recordings from the 1987 Electric Tour! L.R.M is an excellent ripping version you get all kinds of feedback from the guitars, and it’s just a smorgasbord of enormous fireball riffs courtesy of Duffy with Wolfchild destroying the front row with vocals!
Revolution keeps The Cult chugging along as well but man what a way to end this series of Killer EP’s! The Cult put together one little 5 song ass-kicker of an EP!
THE CULT = BRILLIANCE!
YES! Love The Cult and this era especially. They’re touring it again at the moment and I haven’t managed to get to any of the Sonic Temple shows this year. This is such an awesome tune. I have this EP too. I have a vast The Cult collection. My guitar teacher used to cal them The Guns N’ Roses it’s OK to like
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Yes, they are indeed a great band. Then and Now! A very consistent body of work which is very impressive!
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https://steveforthedeaf.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/edie-ciao-baby-the-cult/
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This looks great. I don’t have a lot of Cult stuff but I’m going to get the Sonic Temple set when it comes out for sure. Enjoy your break!
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Thanks Dude!
I’m with you on that as well. I’m getting Sonic Temple as well! It looks like a phenomenal set!
Live stuff/demo’s and all the trimmings!
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First…enjoy your time off.
Second…thanks for the shout-out, you are too kind
Third…what a freakin’ incredible E.P. I am adding that to my list to be on the lookout for. With all those great bonus tracks, that is just winner, winner, chicken dinner right there.
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No worries John! Your site is fantastic as there is always something to read every AM when I wake up!
You don’t disappoint man!
This Cult one is indeed brilliant! Brief and to the point!
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Nice EP series Deke – much like the EP format, you leave the listener/reader wanting more!
Enjoy the break!
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Thanks, Geoff for the kind words. Early August I’m working on doing 4 posts on solo albums done by a certain act that lots of people have an opinion on!
Look forward to your comments on it! Haha. How’s that for hype??!
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Flavor Flav advised us to not believe the hype – but I like the 4 posts hype in this case!
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I seen your wife’s post on Facebook
46 degrees ! Holy heck no wonder you packed in camping and headed for air conditioning!
Man!
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My goodness Deke, I’ve never appreciated returning to air conditioning more!
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Just think a few months ago I was telling you about the -46 windchill here. That’s a full 100-degree swing in temperature!
We are Northerners!
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We are indeed!
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I guess I better listen to some cult today or something might ….(fill in the blank)
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Ha! Well Played!
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I have a “Live” take coming up. deKE of Thunder Bay Arena Rock has to put in his 2 cents in on that one. It would just be wrong if he didn’t.
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U bet I will put my 2 Cents in
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Enjoy your break Deke. I was listening to The Cults debut album a few days ago for one of my 1984 series posts. It’s funny how people influenced by an era gravitate to similar bands, 30 plus years later.
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Yeah that would make a great University Course finding out peoples listening curves! What makes the mind tick or I guess in this case …ROCK!
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Hope you’re having an excellent vacation, Deke! The harp at the very beginning of Medicine Hat sounds kind of sounds like the start of INXS Suicidal Blonde. Why do bands leave some of their better tracks off of albums and hide them on EPs and whatnot? AC/DC’s Cyberspace is one of the better tracks they recorded during Stiff Upper Lip and it isn’t on the album! What’s up with that?
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Thanks, Kev.
These two weeks it’s a staycation at home which is totally A-OK for me!
I then go back to work for 9 days after the August Long Weekend than off after that til September 9th.
On September 2nd I’m flying to Vancouver to See Iron Maiden!
Going to try this again as you may recall last time I flew out there and Sabbath canceled!
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Right! That can’t happen twice, right???? I have so many hobbies I adore staycations. Getting caught up on all the stuff I want to do is a treat!
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Is that a nod to Edie Sedgwick?
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I don’t know Jeff. May have to do some research now that you brought it up!
I’m on it!
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The picture looks like her
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great call Jeff.
From Songfacts…
This is about Edie Sedgwick, a socialite who formed part of the artist Andy Warhol’s Factory scene in New York in the ’60s. Sedgwick featured in several Warhol films, including Poor Little Rich Girl and Beauty No. 2. Her final movie role was as Susan Superstar in Ciao! Manhattan, which was written and directed by John Palmer and David Weisman. This song takes the “Ciao Baby” part of its title from this film.
‘Sedgwick lived a troubled life that was plagued by mental health issues and drug addictions. In 1971, Sedgwick died of an overdose. She was 28 years old. The film, Factory Girl, starring Sienna Miller, is about Sedgwick.
The Cult’s front man, Ian Astubury, became interested in Sedgwick while the band were recording their Electric album in New York: “It was kinda like I was really interested in Warhol’s scene, The Velvet Underground [who Warhol managed between 1965-1967], and really interested in Edie Sedgwick and just was compelled to write something about it.” Guitarist, Billy Duffy added: “Just being in New York you can get wrapped up in it. It’s a very special place. That’s just basically what the songs about. It’s not really about her particularly, it’s her used as an example.”
Sedgwick was quite a muse: she had a brief affair with Bob Dylan and his song “Just Like A Woman” is reportedly about her.’
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Yup. I saw Factory Girl years ago (knew I had seen a biopic about her but couldn’t recall the name of the film). Worth watching. Did not present Warhol in a favorable light, imho. Could be your follow-up post, a review of “Factory Girl.” Rock on!
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Nice! I will look for it! Thanks, Fella!
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I got the whole set, all three singles plus the box, pin, and cards. On CD AND cassette!
Edie is a good single, I think the live stuff on here is fucking excellent. My favourite version of Revolution.
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Nice! I had the Firewoman EP as well. Messin Up The Blues is a great track. The Live stuff is killer. I wish they would put out a whole show from that 87 tour!
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Oh! Brilliant! I don’t know this EP at all. I have all the albums in one format or another, but none of the EPs. I’ll need to look out for this.
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Nice little ass cracker of an EP J!
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