Continuing the saga of all the 12″ Singles I picked up at the big Metalocalypse sell at Noble Records, we are now on a 4 week run of singles from The Cult. First up was from the band’s 1985 album ‘Love’ with “She Sells Sanctuary” and then we took a look at the lead track and third single form the band’s 1987 album ‘Electric’ with the song “Wild Flower” and from that same album we did the song “Love Removal Machine”. And finally we are on “Fire Woman” written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy off their 1989 classic ‘Sonic Temple’. Like “Love Removal Machine”, this copy was still sealed, but since it wasn’t expensive and music should be listened to, it is no longer sealed and it sounds fantastic now that it finally gets to breathe and be heard. I could feel it sigh with relief when I broke the seal. I swear I heard it say softly…”thank you”.
This 12″ was a “Specially Priced Maxi-Single, whatever that means. The song “Fire Woman” was produced by Bob Rock and is the first song I think I really heard by them that made me take notice because when I did, I was hooked. The song is about a femme fatale who is fiery and hotter than hell. She might be a dancer the way the moves around like a flame or she is really wild and sexy…probably all of the above.
Continuing the saga of all the 12″ Singles I picked up at the big Metalocalypse sell at Noble Records, we are now on a 4 week run of singles from The Cult. First up was from the band’s 1985 album ‘Love’ with “She Sells Sanctuary” and then we took a look at the lead track and third single form the band’s 1987 album ‘Electric’ with the song “Wild Flower”. The 12″ this time around is also off ‘Electric’ and was the first single off the album. The song was “Love Removal Machine” written by both Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. My copy was still sealed, but since it wasn’t expensive and music should be listened to, it is no longer sealed and it sounds fantastic now that it finally gets to breathe and be heard. I could feel it sigh with relief when I broke the seal. I swear I heard it say softly…”finally”.
The 12″ comes with three tracks. The LP Version of the song as well as an extended version. The third track is “Wolf Child’s Blues” which was not on the album so that is the gem piece for this 12″ Maxi Single. All songs were produced by Rick Rubin and “Wolf Child’s Blues” was actually recorded live in the studio on New Years Eve 1986.
Continuing the saga of all the 12″ Singles I picked up at the big Metalocalypse sell at Noble Records, we are now on a 4 week run of singles from The Cult. First up was from the band’s 1985 album ‘Love’ with “She Sells Sanctuary”. This time we are going to look at the lead track and third single form the band’s 1987 album ‘Electric’ with the song “Wild Flower”. The 12″ this time around doesn’t have any other tracks other than “Wild Flower”, but you do get three versions. You get the the Remix version, the Dub version and the original LP Version.
My copy is mint and still in the plastic which is why the picture is a little hard to read. The vinyl was clean and who knows when it last saw a needle…maybe never. That has since changed.
The song was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy. “Wild Flower” is basically Ian’s alter ego Wolfchild who has a lust for the liquor, drugs and those fine women. The Wolfchild came out when Ian decided to crossover to the wild side.
SIDE 1:
The remix was done by Andy Wallace and the album and the album was produced by Rick Rubin. The Remix version of the song is actually 2 minutes longer than the original which in part comes from the extended opening which is heavy on the drums and not as much as a crushing opener as the original. Throughout, you get extended parts with repetitive musical breaks, more drum parts and bass added to give it a more dance feel I guess. You still get that killer Duffy solo as the song would be lost without it.
SIDE 2:
First up on this side is the dub mix which was also done by Andy Wallace. This time they open with the guitar and then give that echo layered heavy drum beat that extends out numerous times before the song kicks in to familiar territory. No real lyrics here only Ian thrown in the with lines from the chorus and occasional “Wild Flower” thrown in. It is a lot of drums and guitars which isn’t always a bad thing.
The second track on here is the LP Version and man what a beast of a track. Those rip roaring riffs by Duffy are soul crushing. Ian’s vocals are stellar as his inner beast shines and he tears through the lyrics. As an opening track on the album it is impactful and mind blowing. What a killer way to start off the album. Here it is the last to remind you that even though there are dance mixes, this song is a total rocker and way better than any mix.
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the look at this little gem…well, a gem to me. I actually enjoy all versions on this one, but the original LP version is still the killer track here. I am glad I have all the mixes since they didn’t go too crazy with them. I actually like the dub version as it is more guitar driven and the extended version still makes for a joyful ride even with all the extended parts probably because the musicianship on the song is stellar so now matter how you slice it up, it still sounds great.
Continuing the saga of all the 12″ Singles I picked up at the big Metalocalypse sell at Noble Records, we are now on a 4 week run of singles from The Cult. First up is from the band’s album ‘Love’ from 1985. The song is “She Sells Sanctuary” and this is the 12″ Remix release. The original version of the song is not on here, nope. Instead you get two extended mixes of the song and one unreleased track.
All of these were only available on one of their 12″ Single releases which they had a couple. That was until 2009 when the band released a deluxe edition of the album which included all the mixes and unreleased tracks.
The original song did really well and stayed on the Dance Club Chart for about 6 weeks reaching #36 back in 1986. I never thought of The Cult as a dance band, but whatever floats your boat. My only complaint with this 12″ is the back cover. I’m old and my eyes aren’t that great anymore, but the font with songs is really light and very heard to read. I snapped a closer up shot so I can read it and you too…
Let’s get to the music…
Side 1:
As you can see, the sole song on side one is “She Sells Sanctuary (Howling Mix)” which is over 8 minutes long. The howling mix does just that. It has a howling dog at the beginning and several other times in the mix. There isn’t much in the way of vocals as it is mostly music done in more of a dance fashion than anything else. It was remixed by Steve Brown. The song is good if you like that sort of thing, but I’ll stick with Side 2 as that is where the greatness is for this disc.
Side 2:
Side 2 kicks off with the 12″ Mix of of “She Sells Sanctuary” and this one more closely resembles the original song. It has the vocals from Ian Astbury who sings with such confidence and a sound that is unique to him. He is easily recognizable. But it is that guitar work from Billy Duffy that shines on this song. Accompanied by that driving beat from Nigel Preston, which this was his last recording before he was fired, Billy’s gritty metallic guitar sound delivers a killer riff and some cool fills This is the version I’m more familiar with and the extended version just adds to its greatness.
The real gem at the time of this release is the final track which was the unreleased song called “Little Faces”. Ian’s vocals are so melodic and powerful, it has a smoothness to it that lifts the song to another level. Billy’s guitar work is sensational as usual and he lays down a nice solo. I found the song to be worthy of the album and no reason it needed to be left off as it is as good as anything else they have done. I love it when a B-Side track shines and this does brightly.
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the look at this little gem…well, a gem to me. Side Two is the winner of the best side as the extended long version of “She Sells Sanctuary” is just as good as the album version. But the real joy is the song “Long Faces” as that is worth price for just this song. My copy is practically mint and I don’t think was played much…that has since changed. We will be back next week with the next The Cult 12″ that we picked up. Thanks for stopping by.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 