Taking Sides: Linkin Park vs. The Cult

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`Cos Kenny demanded it here...Linkin Park: Defend them. I dare you. the battle of deeming who are the real creampuffs begin.

In the British corner....I give ye, THE CULT!
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200_web/drp100/p118/p11800dkk7d.jpg
Storied, hoary, hirsute rock veterans with seven studio albums, countless e.p's and at least four genres spliced into their arsenal. Centered around the manful guitar heroics of beefy Billy Duffy and the soaring pipes and endearlingly silly histrionics of Ian Astbury, the Cult have -- at the very least -- blessed the world with one absolutely flawless song, that being "She Sells Sanctuary." Lyrical subject matter has touched on matters of faith (or lack thereof), mythology, narcotics, mysticism, the unconscious dreamstate, prostitution, love and the machine-assisted removal thereof, the devil, weather systems, Warhol model Edie Sedgwick, ther perils of crime in late 80's New York City, the occult and many other diverse topics. They've toured with everyone from the Dream Academy through Metallica and band alumni have played with everyone from Zodiac Mindwarp through Johnny Marr. The Cult were quite big at one point, but are now largely relegated to reunion tour circuit.

In the Yank corner....I present you with....Linkin Park
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200_web/drp200/p235/p2357312u80.jpg
Personality-free rap-rock ensemble and overnight sensations largely thanks to a kid-friendly, cuss-free dilution of hackneyed ideas already beaten to death (albeit with more style) by superior bands. Dropped their original, more imaginative name, Hybrid Theory, in favour of purposely mispelled new moniker designed to evoke drab American everytown. Lyrical topicality limited almost exclusively to how bad life sucks and adolescent isolation. Lead singer's name is Chester. The band plays an anaemic hybrid of rap and rock that manages to shame both genres simultaneously. Only two proper albums out, not wildly different from each other. Impossibly popular.

have at it.....

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I knew either A to the L-E-X or Miccio started this thread

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked The Cult alot at the time (I loved The Doors and loved Zeppelin at the time)(now I just love Zeppelin) sooooo them I guess, somehow 'lead singer's name is chester' actually makes me like linkin park more.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm recalling a Matt Sorum drum solo that remains maybe the worst thing I've ever heard so one great song could put Linkin Park over the top, assuming they ever release one, assuming I hear it

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I hope nobody from Linkin Park tours with Ray Manzarek and calls it the Doors.

― hstencil, Friday, 22 August 2003 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

aren't they officially "The Doors of the 21st Century" now thanx to the lawsuit?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, the Cult has a song on the Grand Theft Auto Vice City soundtrack, and Linkin Park has a bunch of 12 year old girls wearing their L.P. hooded sweatshirts and standng in my way at the mall when I'm trying to get a SuperPretzel, so I like the Cult better.

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, the Cult has a song on the Grand Theft Auto Vice City soundtrack

Really? Which song?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

music nerds in preferring video games to girls (regardless of age) shocker.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I think "She Sells Sanctuary" is on there. I might just be drunk, and having a VH1 Classic flashback, but I'm pretty sure that I'm on the money here. But I'm drunk.

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:20 (twenty-two years ago)

music nerds calling other music nerds music nerds shocker.

― hstencil, Friday, 22 August 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

stence this is like when that girl used to follow me around when i was 8 and tell me star wars was dumb but would cry when i actually went inside to get away from her, isn't it?

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, first off, Strongbad Hulkamania, girls are not of concern to me anymore, (married for 3 years), and what else are you gonna do when the wife is asleep and the Warren Zevon CD is scratched beyond recognition and you just drank that mixed 12 of Flying Dog ales? I think GTA:VC is a decent choice. Also, I think Linkin Park sucks.

By the way (this is one of those assumptions based on email addys), you read that Lee Perry biography (Funny People Man, or something like that)? I got it at the publishing warehouse discount store near me for like $7 (list $35) and it's pretty good. Informative and mainly unbiased.

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

as if you could ever make me cry, jess.

― hstencil, Friday, 22 August 2003 03:28 (twenty-two years ago)

you'll never break his heart of stone

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't have that much love to give.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:38 (twenty-two years ago)

But what about the Scratch bio?

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Friday, 22 August 2003 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

How many times do you have to tell a guy he talks about everything but the quality of the music before he stops mentioning the band's longevity, credibility, authenticity, clothes, blah blah. The descriptions reaffirm that it's probably a good thing that Linkin Park don't pretend they have a clue about anything beyond their own frustrations.

Linkin Park at their best takes what's great about Depeche Mode, Alice Cooper and Vanilla Ice (everybody knows the lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby," don't lie) and puts them together. The Cult at their best takes what's good about AC/DC and what's hilarious and embarassing about the Doors and puts it together. I'm more impressed by the former.

That said Linkin Park would be improved by a few Billy Duffy riffs and if Chester started wearing a coonskin hat.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 22 August 2003 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

How many times do you have to tell a guy he talks about everything but the quality of the music before he stops mentioning the band's longevity, credibility, authenticity, clothes, blah blah.

The Cult's longevity is a testament to the staying power of their music -- let's see if Linkin Park are still around in 2020. The Cult have credibility because they've earned it, something Linkin Park are still in the process of doing. In a way, the comparison is completely skewed because one the one hand, you have a band that's been around for two decades with a much larger catalog of music, whereas they're pitted against comparitive upstarts with only two records (I'm not counting Linkin Park's ridiculously presumptious Reanimation disc).

For you to mention Alice Cooper in the same sentence as Linkin Park is an unforgivable slight against Alice Cooper, and you should truly feel ashamed. Secondly, if the only reference points you hear in regards to the Cult are AC/DC and the Doors, you clearly haven't been listening to very much of their work.

The bottom line, though, is -- as you correctly abeit condescendingly pointed out -- the music, and The Cult's music remains a thousand times more accomplished, diverse and listenable than Linkin Park's samey, whinging drivel.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 August 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

dude, anybody who's watched VH1 Classic should realize that EVERY band has longevity now. I mean, REO Speedwagon is still around, for chrissakes. MOUNTAIN is. I can't imagine why Linkin Park, a bunch of guys with no drug problems, no interband beefs and the best selling album of 2001 will not be able to play in twenty years the same damn clubs the Cult is playing today.

The chorus of "In The End" is soooo Alice Cooper, and it only takes ears (hell, a SINGLE ear) to hear that. I'm definitely not saying they're better than Cooper, but the comparison is valid.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 22 August 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll be surprised if Linkin Park are still together in twenty years. If so, here's hoping they'll have expanded their style a bit, though my hopes aren't really that high for them in either capacity.

And on behalf of Vince Furnier, Anthony, up yours!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 August 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

The Cult have credibility? I like 'em, much more than I could ever like Linkin Park, but part of what's endearing about them is that they have no credibility whatsoever! Also, way to mention them opening for Metallica in '89. A friend of mine who saw the show at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky says the Cult got roundly booed and had to dodge dozens of chairs and other objects being thrown at them. The Metallica crowd didn't take to them at all.

― hstencil, Friday, 22 August 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

And there's precedent in ILX that if a band opening for Metallica is booed, they must suck.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 22 August 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw them on that tour (at the Nassau Colliseum), and they went over fine, though back in that era, Metallica crowds had precious little time for any band who weren't Metallica.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 August 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

everybody knows the lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby"

I beg to differ.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 22 August 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

dude! next you'll be saying you didn't pledge!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 August 2003 22:39 (twenty-two years ago)

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