The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

Nee Lewman said:
Yeah, Baroque Pop seems right. Very nice Sixties pop music. Sounds like something that could have been in To Sir, With Love.
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He’s like the UK version or Lou Reed or Lee Hazelwood. Very influential and not really appreciated in his time. 00s Pitchfork had a HUGE boner for his work. I have given it a go a few times due to how highly regarded he was amongst artists that I really enjoyed but it’s never done much for me as of yet. It seems like something I should like and while I don’t hate it, I have yet to see the albums charm.
 
It’s possible that my expectations were too high. Lots of the effusive praise had me expecting something awe inspiring. This was the same time I was discovering Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground so maybe that had something to do with it.
 
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TenderLovingKiller® said:
He’s like the UK version or Lou Reed or Lee Hazelwood. Very influential and not really appreciated in his time. 00s Pitchfork had a HUGE boner for his work. I have given it a go a few times due to how highly regarded he was amongst artists that I really enjoyed but it’s never done much for me as of yet. It seems like something I should like and while I don’t hate it, I have yet to see the albums charm.
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Back in the 90s with the whole baroque pop revival, everybody was citing him as a big influence.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
No more meaning High Llamas, Eric Matthews, Richard Davies, Divine Comedy and you can even lump in early Mercury Rev in there. Plus anyone who covered a Jimmy Webb or Van Dyke Parks song. Also referred to Chamber Pop
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Ah most of those I associate more with The Beach Boys (which would obviously make sense) from a baroque pop standpoint. I guess I was thinking more about the crooner aspect.
 
Nee Lewman said:
This is the sole entry in the book. lol.

Hey @Yer Ol' Uncle D when you saw GNR open for them was it in support of this or Love?
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I saw The Cult touring on the Love record in '86 but when I saw GnR as the opener it was the Electric tour in '87.

So...I went back and found my recording of that show. I also dug up my writeup I posted the first time I shared it via BitTorrent. My thoughts I wrote then are basically the same thoughts now so here's that copy...

The Cult
State Theatre, Detroit, MI USA
August 21, 1987

This show was the centerpiece of a music filled trip to see a college friend of mine in the Motor City. I had turned him on to The Cult in '85 and he had the chance to catch them in the Michigan area in '86. At the time they weren't really gigging near me so when this show was announced he rang me up. He didn't have to try very hard to get me on a plane. For the wrong reasons, it was one of my most memorable flights. I flew into Detroit 3 days after NWA Flight 255 had crashed just after takeoff killing 156 people. The only survivor was a 4 year old girl. Made our final approach right over the burned out overpass the plane had crashed into on I-94. Looking at that will tend to put things in perspective.

The State Theatre is nestled in downtown Detroit in a not so upper crust neck of the woods. It's a nondescript brick office building on the outside and a classically designed, ornate theatre with beautiful architecture on the inside. The only external hint it was a theatre was the marquee. It's still there today but now called The Fillmore Detroit. The lobby had been turned into a big bar area. We spent some time here on and off during the opening set by G 'N R fueling up for The Cult. The Gunners didn't get the warmest of welcomes. When Ian thanks them you hear a few boos. He goes on to say, "You'll dig 'em, you'll dig 'em." If Ian would've known they'd become the biggest band on earth and steal his drummer a few short years later, he may not have been quite so cordial.

On to the main event. The Cult had the classic stage setup seen in the "Love Removal Machine" video at this show. They came out to the "Flight Of The Valkyries" portion of "Apocalypse Now" - an imposing piece that was pretty fitting for what was coming. The lineup was a little different. Les Warner was still beating the kit but Jamie Stewart had moved to rhythm guitar and Haggis was added on bass for the tour. I think this change was crucial to the sound and really unleashed Mr. Duffy. Billy's playing had an attitude and ferocity that came from not having to hold down the rhythm duties - for the most part he worried about fills and leads and let it all hang out. I'll stick my neck out there and say this is some of the best playing you'll hear from Billy. And Ian - well, rare form is all I can say. He was animated, he was loose, he was funny, he was combative, he baited and taunted the crowd all night, even when everyone was going nuts. There are quite a few classic Astbury lines in this recording. A few favorites - "Stick this in your fuckin' colostomy bag Adolph"....."If you ever join a rock band do not wear leather. It's too fuckin' hot man...but it looks good"....."This fucker said in the newspaper this is not a blues song, but it IS a blues song...it's got plenty of balls"....."Who do you think I am up here, fuckin' Billy Graham".....well, you get the idea. I'm truly convinced Ian has a Billy Graham fetish as he mentions him at this show, and I saw him introduce "Full Tilt" as a Billy Graham song five years later. Not sure what's up with that relationship. A cool thing about this show is Ian showed a real reverence to Detroit and its contribution to rock music. He mentions James Osterberg (Iggy Pop) a few times and introduces a song with some MC5 lyrics. He renamed a song for the evening and gave us the "Detroit Hip Shake". They do a cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" that Ian introduces as something they'll do one time and one time only. Not sure if that was true but I haven't seen it on any other shows I've run across. It seemed Ian was really in tune with the rock history of the city and felt he had some dues to pay in performance. He delivered.

Almost all of the show was comprised of tracks from "Electric" and "Love". Some highlights in no particular order -
- Ian missing the first line to "Detroit Hip Shake" because he was spitting and improvising perfectly.
- Learning "Big Neon Glitter" is one of Iggy's favorite songs.
- Dual guitar attack on "Love".
- Billy ending the show by soloing for two minutes after he had physically left the stage.
- As Ian introduced, a "one time and one time only" performance of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" in honor of Iggy and his hometown.
- A ten-minute version of "Bone Bag" with great blues guitar work by Billy and a tirade against "the man" by Ian.

My final burning memory of the show - Ian decides to trash the drum kit a bit at the end of "Born To Be Wild". Apparently during the punch-up with a cymbal, he cut either his lip or his chin. I'll always remember him standing on the edge of the stage, arms outstretched crucifixion style, with a big grin on his face and blood running down his chin and neck. Now that's an exit.

I remember this show like it was yesterday, and it's been 38 years. Music is the best. Conversely, I'm practically dust.

Here's my recording of Bone Bag from that show. Taped on the down-low with pretty basic stuff but rather listenable...




As far as the book goes, I'd rather see Love there. It's my favorite Cult record and was one of those epiphany albums for me. I appreciate Electric but am also partial to the original version of that record. It was pretty much in the can and recorded in more of a Love style but got scrapped. I heard a few of these versions live as the band was road testing them in 1986. Enter Rick Rubin.

If you like Electric, like Love and have never heard the original versions from the former, they're worth your time.

Here's the OG Love Removal Machine...

 
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I don't hate it. It is very different from Zen Arcade which is very different from Land Speed Record, I've not done a deep dive listen on them yet so I don't know if it completely makes sense given the three albums before it. It kind of sounds like jangly late eighties indie rock and then it sounds like Sugar - so it is definitely a bridge to Sugar for me. I feel like I would like it a lot more if I were better acclimated to their discography. I'm reading @jamieanderson1968 's bat shit crazy essay now.
 
What is up with the anemic production though?

Every once in a while, you read an Erlewine review and wonder if he was high when he wrote it.
 
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