The Cult - Love Removal Machine - Guitar Lesson

Electric

1987 4:19

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About Love Removal Machine

Few riffs from 1987 announce themselves quite as bluntly as the one that opens "Love Removal Machine." Billy Duffy's guitar work here is all about attitude over complexity: a raw, driving E minor riff that sits right in the pocket at 120 BPM, demanding tight pick attack and a confident, slightly aggressive tone rather than any elaborate technique. Playing in E Standard keeps everything open and resonant, so let the low E string ring where the riff calls for it. The groove is deceptively simple to learn in outline but surprisingly easy to rush, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until your pick hand is completely locked in. The Cult were leaning hard into Hard Rock on the "Electric" album, and that shift shows in the stripped-back, almost punk directness of this track. Focus on keeping the rhythm absolutely steady and your dynamics controlled.

• The main riff is built around open E minor and sits in E Standard tuning, making it very accessible for players who want a rewarding rock workout.
• At 120 BPM the groove feels mid-paced but demands precise, consistent pick attack to lock the riff in without letting it drag or rush.
• The signature part is more about tone and rhythm control than technical difficulty, so practise with a clean signal first to expose any timing weaknesses.