Sonic Temple

Sonic Temple is the fourth studio album by The Cult, released in 1989.[1] Continuing in the hard rock direction introduced on their previous album, Sonic Temple features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman", "Sun King", "Edie (Ciao Baby)" and "Sweet Soul Sister". Sonic Temple was the last album recorded with longtime bassist Jamie Stewart, who left in 1990, and the first to feature former Hall & Oates and then-current Bryan Adams drummer, Mickey Curry.

Sonic Temple
Studio album by The Cult
Released	10 April 1989
Recorded	September - November 1988
Studio	Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genre	Hard rock heavy metal
Length	52:23
Label	Beggars Banquet, Sire
Producer	Bob Rock[1]
The Cult chronology
Electric (1987) Sonic Temple (1989) Ceremony (1991)
Singles from Sonic Temple
"Fire Woman" Released: 13 March 1989 "Edie (Ciao Baby)" Released: 26 June 1989 "Sun King" Released: 6 November 1989 "Sweet Soul Sister" Released: 26 February 1990

Album information

During 1988, The Cult recorded the first (14 track) demo version of this album with Eric Singer (of Kiss) on drums. Later on, they tracked a new demo version of the record (15 songs) with Chris Taylor (drummer for the Bob Rock band). Sonic Temple marked the first time the band worked with Bob Rock, who would later produce The Cult, Beyond Good and Evil, Choice of Weapon and Hidden City. The album reached the Cult's highest chart position in the US, peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200 charts, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1993.

In Argentina, the record was released as Templo Sonico with the titles translated into Spanish on the jacket sleeve and record labels. In Taiwan it was released with a pink cover; reportedly some of these were also found in mainland China.

The album cover features guitarist Billy Duffy with his Gibson Les Paul, partially obscuring a picture of vocalist Ian Astbury. The back cover features bassist Jamie Stewart, and an additional illustration on the insert, from left to right, features Astbury, Duffy, and Stewart.

On 4 October 2019, Sonic Temple was re-released as a 5 CD box set and as a 2 LP/1 cassette box set, with a different cover, the original album digitally remastered, numerous rarities, a live album recorded at London Wembley Arena and a comprehensive booklet featuring rare photos and background info on the album and the band. The LP/cassette edition has a limited release of 3500 copies worldwide.[2]

The album has also been re-released on vinyl as a 2 Disc remastered edition but featuring the original artwork and bonus tracks.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	B-[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote: "Sonic Temple is both [the band's] most conventional album and its most convincing. Using a few simple riffs and images, the Cult creates an entire environment, one more exciting and stimulating than our own. Bob Rock, the album's producer, washes blunt, powerful sound over the broadness of most of the band's strokes. Sonic Temple makes a virtue of its lack of subtlety."[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.

1. "Sun King" – 6:09
2. "Fire Woman" – 5:11
3. "American Horse" – 5:19
4. "Edie (Ciao Baby)" – 4:46
5. "Sweet Soul Sister" – 5:08
6. "Soul Asylum" – 7:26
7. "New York City" – 4:41
8. "Automatic Blues" – 3:51
9. "Soldier Blue" – 4:36
10. "Wake Up Time for Freedom" – 5:17

Bonus tracks

• "Medicine Train" – 4:42 (On CD and, in some countries, cassette release)
• "The River" (Only on Russian and Eastern European pressings)
• "Lay Down your Gun" (Version two) (Only on Russian and Eastern European pressings)

Saudi Arabian version

There was a Saudi Arabian version released, with the track listing expanded (although "Soul Asylum" had been removed) and slightly rearranged:

1. "Sun King"
2. "Fire Woman"
3. "American Horse"
4. "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
5. "Sweet Soul Sister"
6. "NYC"
7. "Automatic Blues"
8. "Soldier Blue"
9. "Wake Up Time for Freedom"
10. "Medicine Train"
11. "Electric Ocean"
12. "King Contrary Man"
13. "Born to Be Wild"
14. "Outlaw"

Personnel

• Ian Astbury – vocals, percussion
• Billy Duffy – guitar
• Jamie Stewart – bass guitar, keyboards
• Mickey Curry – drums

Additional personnel

• Eric Singer - drums during first demo version of Sonic temple 1988
• Chris Taylor - drums during second demo version of Sonic temple 1988
• Iggy Pop – backing vocals on "New York City"
• John Webster – keyboards
• Bob Buckley – string arrangement on "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
• Engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser

Charts

Album - BPI UK Album Chart (UK) Billboard (United States)

Year	Chart	Position
1989	BPI UK Album Chart	3
	The Billboard 200	10[9]

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	"Fire Woman"	BPI UK Top 40	15
		Billboard Hot 100	46
		Modern Rock Tracks	2
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	4
	"Sun King"	BPI UK Top 40	39
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	18
		Modern Rock Tracks	21
	"Edie (Ciao Baby)"	BPI UK Top 40	32
		Billboard Hot 100	93
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	17
1990	"Sweet Soul Sister"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	14

References

1. "Cult".
2. Group, Beggars. "The Arkive".
3. https://www.allmusic.com/album/sonic-temple-mw0000653082
4. "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 1861". www.robertchristgau.com.
5. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
6. "THE CULT "Sonic Temple." Sire **: Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic)". Los Angeles Times. 21 May 1989.
7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (22 June 2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". Simon and Schuster – via Google Books.
8. Leland, John (2 July 1989). "REOCRDINGS; The Cult Dons the Armor of Heavy Metal" – via NYTimes.com.
9. "The Cult's 'Sonic Temple' at 30: Revisiting The Watershed Album". Billboard. 10 April 2019.