Idle Cure
Long Beach, California7 reviews across 6 releases
Idle Cure was an arena-rock band from Long Beach, California, formed in the mid-1980s by musicians who had previously played in secular groups. The band's polished Christian rock combined guitar-driven riffs with keyboards, stacked harmonies and occasional saxophone, while its lyrics remained directly evangelistic. The 1986 debut Idle Cure moved between hard rock and radio ballads: "Breakaway" supplied a forceful opening, while "Silent Hope" immediately showed a softer side. Tough Love narrowed that range into a plush pop-rock sound with a pronounced 1980s sheen. By 2nd Avenue in 1990, the band had made its heaviest record, with Steve Shannon's gritty, high-register vocals set against arena-sized rhythms and prominent keys.
Chuck King departed after the first album and later played with Shout, while Clark Edmond handled drums from 1990 through 1993. Idle Cure then spent three years between Inside Out and Eclipse, which appeared on Salt Music in 1994 with Glenn Pearce joining Mark Ambrose and Pete Lomakin on guitars and backing vocals. The record brought back more of the roughness associated with the debut, though Nashville session players and Billy Smiley's production gave it a cleaner heartland-rock character. "Never Say Goodbye," written about Lomakin's father's death, supplied an unusually personal subject within the band's familiar religious themes. Idle Cure ended after Eclipse; KMG later reissued earlier albums in paired compilations.
6 releases reviewed
Idle Cure
Tough Love
2nd Avenue
Inside Out
Breakaways
