Sonic Temple

When I saw the Sonic Temple 30 reissues/expanded editions coming out, I was absolutely hyped for them. I couldn't wait to see how nice they were. I've already reviewed the 5 disc set (which is excellent, by the way) but couldn't resist snapping this up when I saw it.As it stands, it's the price of a normal, brand new vinyl, but is worth so much more than that. Rejecting the 'new', blue and stairs cover of the other ST 30 releases, this resurrection of the album on vinyl stays true with the original, satured image of Astbury on stage, adorned with the iconic pose of Billy Diffy. It looks striking, it looks excellent. The back cover, too, also lets us know that this double LP gives us more than just the original album. It's laden with goodies, too.Due to this being a double LP, both records are housed in a luxurious gatefold sleeve which is really very nice, with credits on the right hand side and image of the band on the left.The records themselves have some really nice, simple, blue labels and come in sleek, black record sleeves. No record sheet or anything but I didn't really expect that, to be fair.The tracks themselves sound absolutely superb on the revitalised 180g thickness of the vinyl. Each side has four songs, meaning they can't sound compressed - they have space to sound brilliant sonically (which they should, given the title, eh?)However as we get onto the second LP, we start seeing some of the goodies from the other Sonic Temple 30 sets make their way onto this, to flesh out the package even more. 'Medicine Train', a track that seems to be on some CD releases of the album, is full and rich in how it sounds, with a western feel akin to another song from the original piece, 'American Horse'. 'The River' is the only bonus track (and track on the double LP in general) that's a bit disappointing for me, but I'm sure others may like it.The last side of the second record is nothing but extras, with the beautiful 'Bleeding Heart Graffiti', a long piece that shows the softer side of Astbury et. al. 'Messin' Up The Blues' is a playful outtake homage to the big blues singers at the time that meant a lot to the band, and it's nice to hear Astbury, Duffy and Stewart when they're not firing on all cylinders into the mic. The NYC Rock remix of 'Fire Woman' is legendary to hear, too, building and lasting a solid seven minutes as opposed to five. Some, however, may find it tedous - and there are perhaps better outtakes/mixes they could have put in its place. The real gem, however, comes in the last song, the long-forgotten acoustic version of 'Edie (Ciao Baby)' which, up till now, was only widely available on the 'Best of Rare Cult' CD. It's haunting, and possibly as good as the original.Overall, there are hours of material to go through here, and the whole piece looks and sounds awesome. I love this record more than words can say.

Amazing album on vinyl top 5 albums of all time start to finish - seen live 2019 awesome 👏

Great album

Great

This is the one! Cult meets Zeppelin meets the Doors. Massive! Immense! Riffs all over and depth

Great album, stunning remaster. Sounds like it has just been recorded. Superb and recommended.

It’s good... it’s that good !

Brilliant album