The Cult Sonic Temple 30 Numbered Limited Edition 3LP & 1 Cassette Box Set (Vinyl)

Originally released in 1989, Sonic Temple proved to be a pivotal moment for both band and the wider rock scene. Produced by the legendary Bob Rock, Sonic Temple had four chart-topping singles: "Fire Woman", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", "Sun King" and "Sweet Soul Sister".

In a recent interview about the album, Ian Astbury explained how the band brought together hard rock and indie rock to create the unique, game-changing sounds on Sonic Temple. "We wanted to retain our core DNA as we went deeper into psych and hard rock influences. It was a complete immersion for me into art, film, music, poetry and literature, weaving those influences into what was to become Sonic Temple. The band was becoming more popular. We were in uncharted waters. Most of the bands we had come up with had split up or fallen off. We were accelerating. There was no real time to breathe. We were forming new allegiances and breaking the glass ceiling of 'the indie outsider.'"

The album catapulted The Cult into superstar status and remains their most commercially successful release. It has sold over 1.5 million copies in the US alone, and was declared platinum in 1990. It made it to #10 on the Billboard charts, and the aforementioned songs all remain rock-radio staples to this day.

The Deluxe Box Set contains 3LPs and a cassette plus tour memorabilia and ephemera (replica of original laminate, backstage pass, original press releases, label copy and more). It's numbered and limited to 3500 pieces worldwide and contains 40 tracks, four of which are previously unreleased. LPs 1+2 contain the album as originally released. LP3 contains Live At Wembley recorded by the BBC, and the included cassette contains limited-release demos. Four of the live tracks are previously unreleased.

By this point in the career of The Cult, the British-bred group had finally sloughed off all vestiges of their post-punk past and were settling into a comfortably successful run as a straight-up heavy rock group. And who are we to judge them for it? They had one of the great belters of the last millennium in Ian Astbury and the versatile guitar work of Billy Duffy. Why not get into the studio with Bob Rock and pound out a throbbing glam metal record? As lunkheaded as some of these tunes are, they sound appropriately filthy on this new vinyl pressing. Rock's often brutish production works for these tunes, emphasizing the thud of the drums and Duffy's psych-blues antics. The Cult found themselves on this album and never looked back.