Cult Heroes

The dictionary definition of cult invariably refers to religion, worship, idolising; though deification of any of these artists is something of an exaggeration, they all certainly inspire devotion in their fans that at times is beyond the purely rational. The attention to detail in Ace CDs encourages this and as what was known as the “oldies” business has matured, a whole new generation of people have been introduced to artists in such a way as to see (and hear) them in a different light. This is not about nostalgia, the fleeting pleasure of that old hit you danced to down the disco all those years ago. This is about (re)introducing great artists with something magic about them, changing the perspective to hear performances as new, as fresh as the moment they were first recorded. It is hard to define a cult artist. Often less than successful in their time but not necessarily dragged from the shadows of obscurity, they can even have had a spectacular career or two over the years involving chart records. But what defines the cult artist is inventiveness, intensity and an enduring quality that transcends the zeitgeist to be an influence on successive generations of musicians and a joy for successive generations of irrational fans.