Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple | ||||
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Studio album by The Cult | ||||
Released | April 10, 1989 | |||
Recorded | September - November 1988 at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |||
Genre | Hard rock | |||
Length | 52:23 | |||
Label | Beggars Banquet, Sire | |||
Producer | Bob Rock | |||
The Cult chronology | ||||
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Sonic Temple is the fourth studio album by The Cult, released in 1989. 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.
Album information
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.
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Track listing
All tracks written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy.
- "Sun King" – 6:09
- "Fire Woman" – 5:11
- "American Horse" – 5:19
- "Edie (Ciao Baby)" – 4:46
- "Sweet Soul Sister" – 5:08
- "Soul Asylum" – 7:26
- "New York City" – 4:41
- "Automatic Blues" – 3:51
- "Soldier Blue" – 4:36
- "Wake Up Time for Freedom" – 5:17
Extra 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)
- There was a Saudi Arabian version released, with the track listing expanded and slightly rearranged:
- "Sun King"
- "Fire Woman"
- "American Horse"
- "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
- "Sweet Soul Sister"
- "NYC"
- "Automatic Blues"
- "Soldier Blue"
- "Wake up time for Freedom"
- "Medicine Train"
- "Electric Ocean"
- "King Contrary Man"
- "Born to be Wild"
- "Outlaw"
Personnel
Additional personnel
- Mickey Curry – drums
- 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 |
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1989 | BPI UK Album Chart | 3 |
The Billboard 200 | 10 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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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 |