The Cult Released Electric in April 1987

The Cult released the album Electric on April 6, 1987, after discarding a completed album and recording it from scratch with a new producer. The group decided those results were unsatisfactory. In 2013, a reissue titled Electric Peace was released, making all of the discarded original recordings available to listeners.

During the recording of Electric, Billy Duffy played a Gibson Les Paul guitar through a Marshall amplifier and was not permitted to use effect pedals other than a wah-wah. Engineer Tony Platt stated that Rick Rubin referenced instrument sounds from AC/DC and Led Zeppelin recordings during mixing. Additionally, engineer Andy Wallace stated that Rick Rubin increased the bass drum volume by five decibels after every completed mix.

Electric reached number 4 on the UK charts and remained on the chart for a total of 27 weeks, becoming the band's longest-charting album. The song Love Removal Machine was initially recorded during a radio session and was later rearranged for Peace and the final release. The main riff of Love Removal Machine was compared to Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones, and VH1 ranked the track as the 74th greatest hard rock song of all time.