IAN ASTBURY
''SPIRIT\LIGHT\SPEED''
SEPTEMBER 21 1999
52:11
1/Back on Earth
Ian Astbury/5:00
2/High Time Amplifier
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/4:20
3/Devil's Mouth
Ian Astbury/5:51
4/Tonight (Illuminated)
Ian Astbury/5:47
5/Metaphysical Pisto
Ian Astbury/4:56
6/The Witch (SLT Return)
Ian Astbury/4:58
7/It's Over
Ian Astbury/5:23
8/El Ché/Wild Like a Horse
Ian Astbury/4:59
9/Tyger
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/5:01
10/Shambala (R.F.L.)
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/5:56
Ian Astbury/Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Vocals
Scott Garrett/Drums
Chris Goss/Arranger, Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
Novi Novog /Strings
REVIEW
by John Bush
Ian Astbury's long-delayed solo debut shifts the focus from metal to the kind of ragged industrial trip-hop heard on the Cult's 1992 single "The Witch" (a new version of which is also included here). Spirit/Light/Speed is probably indistinguishable from what a Cult album would've sounded like circa 2000: rough and earthy, full of the mystic lyrics and extroverted performances that Astbury's been doing since early in the Cult's career. Chris Goss is an able stand-in for the Cult's Billy Duffy on the production and guitar-playing side, though it's clear that Duffy's distinctive songwriting skills could've come in handy. Though this is a solo album only a fan could really love, Astbury's transcendent voice -- one of the best of any British band during the '80s -- makes highlights out of a few songs here, including the ballad "Tonight (Illuminated)."
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Best known as the longtime frontman for the Cult, singer Ian Astbury was born on May 14, 1962 in Merseyside, England. The son of a career merchant naval officer, he led a peripatetic childhood, finally settling in the Yorkshire area in 1981; there Astbury formed the goth-rock outfit the Southern Death Cult, which following a series of roster shifts and name truncations emerged as simply the Cult in 1984. Also featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, the band's darkly-psychedlic hard rock approach found favor both at home and abroad thanks to their fine sophomore effort Love; 1987's Electric featured an even harder-edged sound, and on the strength of the hit "Love Removal Machine" cracked the U.S. Top 40. 1989's Sonic Temple was the Cult's commercial peak, generating the smash "Fire Woman, " but subsequent efforts like 1991's Ceremony failed to recreate earlier successes, and the group disbanded in 1995; Astbury soon resurfaced in the Holy Barbarians, issuing Cream in 1996. The Holy Barbarians proved short-lived, however, and in 1999 Astbury reunited with Duffy to tour under the Cult banner; that same year, he issued his solo debut Natural Born Guerilla.
''SPIRIT\LIGHT\SPEED''
SEPTEMBER 21 1999
52:11
1/Back on Earth
Ian Astbury/5:00
2/High Time Amplifier
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/4:20
3/Devil's Mouth
Ian Astbury/5:51
4/Tonight (Illuminated)
Ian Astbury/5:47
5/Metaphysical Pisto
Ian Astbury/4:56
6/The Witch (SLT Return)
Ian Astbury/4:58
7/It's Over
Ian Astbury/5:23
8/El Ché/Wild Like a Horse
Ian Astbury/4:59
9/Tyger
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/5:01
10/Shambala (R.F.L.)
Ian Astbury / Chris Goss/5:56
Ian Astbury/Guitar (Electric), Percussion, Vocals
Scott Garrett/Drums
Chris Goss/Arranger, Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
Novi Novog /Strings
REVIEW
by John Bush
Ian Astbury's long-delayed solo debut shifts the focus from metal to the kind of ragged industrial trip-hop heard on the Cult's 1992 single "The Witch" (a new version of which is also included here). Spirit/Light/Speed is probably indistinguishable from what a Cult album would've sounded like circa 2000: rough and earthy, full of the mystic lyrics and extroverted performances that Astbury's been doing since early in the Cult's career. Chris Goss is an able stand-in for the Cult's Billy Duffy on the production and guitar-playing side, though it's clear that Duffy's distinctive songwriting skills could've come in handy. Though this is a solo album only a fan could really love, Astbury's transcendent voice -- one of the best of any British band during the '80s -- makes highlights out of a few songs here, including the ballad "Tonight (Illuminated)."
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Best known as the longtime frontman for the Cult, singer Ian Astbury was born on May 14, 1962 in Merseyside, England. The son of a career merchant naval officer, he led a peripatetic childhood, finally settling in the Yorkshire area in 1981; there Astbury formed the goth-rock outfit the Southern Death Cult, which following a series of roster shifts and name truncations emerged as simply the Cult in 1984. Also featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, the band's darkly-psychedlic hard rock approach found favor both at home and abroad thanks to their fine sophomore effort Love; 1987's Electric featured an even harder-edged sound, and on the strength of the hit "Love Removal Machine" cracked the U.S. Top 40. 1989's Sonic Temple was the Cult's commercial peak, generating the smash "Fire Woman, " but subsequent efforts like 1991's Ceremony failed to recreate earlier successes, and the group disbanded in 1995; Astbury soon resurfaced in the Holy Barbarians, issuing Cream in 1996. The Holy Barbarians proved short-lived, however, and in 1999 Astbury reunited with Duffy to tour under the Cult banner; that same year, he issued his solo debut Natural Born Guerilla.
