#36 The Cult, Sonic Temple vs. #93 Lenny Kravitz, Let Love Rule
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at records from The Cult and Lenny Kravitz
Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.
I’ve started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be some typos.
Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.
In case you missed this week’s earlier matches, check out:
Day 16: #41 Mekons, The Mekons Rock n’ Roll takes on #88 Slint’s Tweez
Day 17: #4 The Cure, Disintegration vs. #125 Cher’s Heart of Stone
Day 18: #61 The Blue Nile, Hats vs. #68 Soul II Soul, Club Classics Vol. 1
Day 19: #29 XTC, Oranges and Lemons vs. #100 Pizzicato Five, On Her Majesty’s Request
KA—
By 1989, The Cult was riding high. Their previous two outings (Love and Electric) had brought legions of fans into the fold. Who could blame them for peacocking a little bit? Sonic Temple is the manifestation of all of those elements. It’s the band at the loudest. The riffs their most muscular. Ian Astbury’s voice has two settings: kind of loud and “hell yeah.” Both are on display here. Most casual listeners will recognize the track “Fire Woman,” as it still receives fairly routine airplay on classic rock stations. “Sweet Soul Sister” does, too, albeit much less often.
Not everyone was on board; with Robert Christgau noting, “Having risen from cultdom as a joke, metal band, metal fans were too dumb to get, and they transmute into a dumb metal band. Dumb was the easy part. Ha ha.”
That’s it. That’s the entire review. Oof.
And, look, I get it. This isn’t for everyone. Sonic Temple is the record you heard coming from the garage of that guy down the block who was always working on his car. The record practically came with a fleece-lined Levi’s jacket. This is the stuff of V8s and backroads. It will not fare well in a Prius.
But if you’re in? This fills the bill. It’s a record that seethes and writhes. Billy Duffy’s riffs tower over you. Iggy Pop pops in for a cameo in “New York City.” It’s a rollicking good time. It’s not the cure for insomnia.
Sonic Temple is a pretty straightforward record. What you see is what you get. Simple. It’s a lot of things, but dumb isn’t one of them.
At the airport where I work, there is an ordinance stating that taxis cannot pick up passengers anywhere along the terminal roadway. Examining it from a strictly practical perspective, this makes sense. There’s literally only one roadway, and even for a mid-sized town with a 16-gate terminal, it can get sketchy. You’d be surprised how often people manage to come down it the wrong way. It is much better to have all of the cabs in one spot where you can pick and choose which company, etc.
All well and good…as long as you know the backstory…which I usually have to explain about 1-2x a month to someone wondering why no cabs will stop for them. I go out front to get some steps in and find myself explaining that, no, this isn’t a case of racism-institutional or otherwise–just a weird result of bad engineering and county ordinances.
And almost every time it happens, I get Kravitz’s “Mr. Cab Driver” stuck in my head. For better or worse, it’s got a stone-cold groove and is IMO the best track on the record. I’d love for it to be hopelessly out of date, but as we all know, it’s not. We’ve come a long way. We’ve got a ways to go.
At any rate, the track is an exception on an otherwise good but frankly sanitary record. There’s no arguing Kravitz’s talent as a musician, but with few exceptions, it feels like a pastiche of the back end of the Beatles’ catalog and maybe a dash of classic rock. Some of the tracks sound good and loud. That’s cool, but there aren’t really any boundaries broken or corners pushed up against.
Times may have changed, but even in ’89, this feels like a record a Gap manager would be safe playing in-store.
Let love rule? Sure. However, that has been done over and over. Where’s the edge? The closest we get is the F-bomb dropped on Mr. Cab driver, and even that isn’t half as angry as the people I sometimes run into at work.
Bottom Line: Both records are textbook cases of “what you see is what you get.” There’s no larger message or meaning here. Within that context, but are fine records that hold up well. Neither feels particularly groundbreaking, even when listening with the benefit of hindsight.
My vote: If you held both records out in front of me and said, “Pick one!” I’d go with Sonic Temple. Of the two, it’s the one I enjoyed playing 2x in a row. My bracket and vote will be going toward Messrs. Astbury and Duffy.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Check out the full bracket here.
Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
Kevin Sent 