On April 6, 1987, The Cult released their multi-million selling LP, Electric. That album, following hot on the heels of the band’s highly successful breakthrough album, Love (1985), would generate the high charting hit, “Love Removal Machine”. But there is an ENTIRE story behind the album that most people are unaware of.
When the band recorded their follow-up to Love, it was originally named Peace, in keeping with the flow of the predecessor. However, Peace seemed to have too polished a sound for the band’s liking. They contacted Rick Rubin to ask him to re-mix “Love Removal Machine” in order to give it a more raw sound. Instead, Rubin asked the band to re-record the song. Once completed, the band so liked the sound, they decided to scrap the Peace sessions, and re-record the entirety of the new album with Rubin at the helm.
After the Rubin sessions, the new album was renamed Electric, and some songs that were recorded for, and sequenced into Peace were scrapped in favor of newer recorded tracks. The Peace sessions were shelved.
To not completely ignore the Peace sessions material, the band released some of the tracks as B-sides for singles that issued from Electric. Further, The Cult released The Manor Sessions, a limited edition EP that included five tracks from the Peace sessions. In 2000, the limited run of the band’s Box set, Rare Cult, included the entire Peace sessions, correctly sequenced as it was intended to be released. Rare Cult ran through its press run, and was never reissued.
On July 16, Beggars Banquet plans to reissue Electric along with the original Peace sessions in a 2CD set, and a separately available 2LP set, both to be referred to as Electric Peace. Both discs will celebrate each sessions with their original sequencing, noted below:
Electric:
- Wild Flower
- Peace Dog
- Lil’ Devil
- Aphrodisiac Jacket
- Electric Ocean
- Bad Fun
- King Contrary Man
- Love Removal Machine
- Born To Be Wild
- Outlaw
- Memphis Hip Shake
Peace:
- Love Removal Machine
- Wild Flower
- Peace Dog
- Aphrodisiac Jacket
- Electric Ocean
- Bad Fun
- Conquistador
- Zap City
- Love Trooper
- Out;aw
- Groove Co.
There is no word on whether the sets have been remastered or not, or if a celebratory booklet will be created with new content to mark the event of the reissue.