The Cult-Dreamtime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckhY3xynhLc The Cult-Dreamtime (1984) Post punk well maybe…, but what followed was definitely not. The Cult were a band that had had three name changes in as many years. Formerly they were the Southern Death Cult, Then Death Cult and then the Cult. What got them notice was that there first concerts were recorded live for TV and also the pop show the Tube gave them exposure which the singer grabbed with both hands. At the time the tube appearances got people talking about them, maybe not since Peter Murphy was the front man to the fore. What also changed from the 1982 period to 1984 was that members came and went. But Billy Duffy joined from the Theatre of Hate, his guitar playing gave Astbury the songs greater textures. No more was this more evident with the ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ 1985 single. But going back to the 'Dreamtime’ album it is probably one of the best produced gothic albums, it does have a punk angle to it, compared to the rock(y) follow up of Love. It starts with 'Horse Nation’ which builds up the album, quite a good intro for the album. There were a number of singles that were lifted from the album 'Go West’, 'Ressurection Joe’ and 'Spiritwalker ’. I prefer the extended versions of these tracks, but the sign of a good album is the fact that the other tracks are not fillers. Now some of you will be saying 'The Cult are you sure?’ but in terms of post punk the album was of the time, at the time it stood head above the rest of the pack. The problem with the Cult was they were achieving numerous success on the US college circuit and as a result and due to Astburys influences being mainly American bands. The band went from being a UK band to a US in some ways, the 1987 album which name escapes me was a band that was mirroring bands like Zodiac Mindwarp – the difference was that they knew they were in on the joke. The Cult went from a band that created a scene, only to leave it behind when success called. The Album 'Dreamtime’ is the sound of a band finding its feet. But it is a album of rich guitar work and its a varied album, they would never hit these peaks again. (posted on post punk discussion group 20/5/14)