Best of Rare Cult

Album Review

Best of Rare Cult, the companion piece to the Cult's expansive box set Rare Cult, features an interesting collection of rarities, unreleased material, B-sides, studio experiments, and just plain throwaways. If you're just an average fan or a curiosity seeker, the Best of Rare Cult single CD will do just fine. Featuring 15 cuts by, admittedly, one of England's best rock band's of the '80s and '90s, Best of Rare Cult gets underway with the original version of "Love Removal Machine." Yet more rarities permeate this release as "No. 13" (the B-side to "Sanctuary") and "Sea and Sky" (which dates all the way back to the band's Southern Death Cult days) are available for mass consumption here for the first time as well. Both are essential historical documents. 1984's "Go West" simply reaffirms this concept. "Join Hands" ends Best of Rare Cult on an anthemic note replete with na-naa-naa-naa choruses, thereby putting a lid on a hit and miss, yet fascinating collection of Cult oddities. In conclusion, it's interesting to note that through all their trials and tribulations, re-listening to these Cult tracks later, one can garner a finer appreciation for just how far this band has traveled over the years. The Cult have managed to transform themselves from innocent, cloak and dagger goth boys into a world-class, pants and flares, arena rock & roll band replete with drug and booze problems.