Nirvana
Lil' Devil
Spiritwalker
Horse Nation
Zap City
Brother Wolf, Sister Moon
Revolution
Love
Rain
The Phoenix
Wild Flower
She Sells Sanctuary
Full Tilt
(Amplification Breakdown)
Peace Dog
Love Removal Machine
Earth Mofo
Fire Woman

SPECIAL LIMITED RE-ISSUE - DOUBLE CD only £12.00 available through Alma Road Mail Order - click on MAIL ORDER on the link bar blow for ordering details.

 

On 27 November 1991, The Cult returned to their roots to play the legendary Marquee Club in London. Responding to the excitement of the occasion and in front of 700 lucky fans the band played a storming set of classic songs from across their whole career - from Dreamtime to Ceremony.

 

This double CD captures all the intimacy of the complete show with no edits and no overdubs - What you hear is what happened on the night, even down to the long equiptment failure!

 

Originally the first part of the show was included with initial copies of the No. 1 album, 'Pure Cult' but the second half was only available on UK mail order. So for those who missed it at the time - get it now while stocks last. (NB. the discs are NOT available separately)

- She Sells Sanctuary

- Fire Woman

- Lil' Devil

- Spiritwalker

- The Witch

- Revolution

- Love Removal Machine

- Rain
- In The Clouds
- Coming Down

- Edie (Ciao Baby)

- Heart of Soul

- Wild Flower
- Star

- Resurrection Joe

- Go West
- Sun King
- Wild Hearted Son

- Sweet Soul Sister

- Horse Nation

- Spiritwalker

- 83rd Dream

- Butterflies

- Go West

- Gimmick

- A Flower in the Desert

- Dreamtime

- Rider in the Snow

- Bad Medicine Waltz

 

Issued in autumn 1984, "Dreamtime" is closer to the Cult of "She Sells Sanctuary"; in fact, the band considered the singles from this album ("Spiritwalker", "Go West") important and enduring enough to be trotted out as crowd-pleasers until their demise twelve months ago. With tracks like the majestic Goth-rock of "Bad Medicine Waltz" showing that the Cult were pursuing a very idiosyncratic musical agenda, "Dreamtime" (with adapted - and superior - artwork) remains curiously playable and compelling. None of the Lyceum live material from the original free album is included, but rumour has it that the full concert may appear on remastered video next year.* Meanwhile we're left to pick over the bones of three early phases of the Cult that deserve Beggars' sumptuous reissue treatment (copious sleevenotes and rare photos in 16 page colour booklets, plus expert remastering!).

- Andy Davis - Record Collector

With the first single, 'Spiritwalker', lodged at the top of the indie charts, the band had set their sights on mainstream success. Yet there were still worries that, as Goth's first "supergroup", the weight of expectation on The Cult's shoulders might yet crush them. But determined not to tread water, the band became less guarded about their aspirations to play straight rock.

The reckless energy of the early live shows had been harnessed and the initial 30,000 copies of the record included an additional album recorded live at the Lyceum ballroom in London, The release gave them chart success and revealed a band with a musical depth and maturity quite refreshing for a bunch of 22 year olds. Dreamtime was a two fingered salute to anyone who ever doubted the potential of Astbury and Duffy's songwriting partnership.

'Dreamtime' was one of Beggars Banquet's earliest releases on compact disc and consequently suffered from a "thin" sound but has now been remastered for this re-issue, revitalising the depth and energy in the recording and restoring the album to the original vinyl ten track running order.

And at long last the CD has a decent front cover! The 16 page booklet also includes an illustrated, colour discography, and sleeve notes by Pat Gilbert of Record Collector.

- Nirvana

- The Big Neon Glitter

- Love

- Brother Wolf, Sister Moon

- Rain

- The Phoenix

- The Hollow Man

- Revolution

- She Sells Sanctuary

- Black Angel

- Wild Flower

- Peace Dog

- lil' Devil

- Aphrodisiac Jacket

- Electric Ocean

- Bad Fun

- King Contrary Man

- Love Removal Machine

- Born to Be Wild

- Outlaw

- Memphis Hipshake

- Sun King

- Fire Woman

- American Horse

- Edie (Ciao Baby)

- Sweet Soul Sister

- Soul Asylum

- New York City

- Automatic Blues

- Solider Blue

- Wake Up Time For Freedom

- Medicine Train

- Ceremony

- Wild Hearted Son

- Earth Mofo

- White

- If

- Full Tilt

- Heart of Soul

- Bangkok Rain

- Indian

- Sweet Salvation

- Wonderland

- Gone

- Coming Down

- Real Grrrl

- Black Sun
- Naturally High

- Joy

- Star

- Sacred Life

- Be Free

- Universal You

- Emperor's New Horse

- Saints are Down

Video / CD Set

- 83rd Dream

- Gods Zoo

- Gimmick

- Bad Medicine Waltz

- A Flower In The Desert

- Go West

- Butterflies

- Dreamtime

- Christians

- Spiritwalker

- Horse Nation

- Bone Bag
- Ghost Dance
- Brothers Grimm
- Moya

THE CULT
- Gimmick
- Spiritwalker

DEATH CULT
- Gods Zoo
- Christians

SOUTHERN DEATH CULT
- Moya
- Fatman

- Fatman

- Moya

- The Girl

- All Glory

- Today

- False Faces

- Flowers In The Forest

- Patriot

- The Crypt

- Crow

- Faith

- Vivisection

- Apache

- Moya

- Fatman

 

Record Collector REVIEW -

And so it came to pass. Ian Astbury, high priest of cacophonous goth-punk, pledged an unholy alliance with a Mancunian Gretsch-basher called Billy Duffy and, hey presto, the world was gifted with the first credible blues rock band since the '60s.

The fact that the Cult was the culmination of two name-truncations hinted that it took a while for the group to find their true purpose and, in truth, the last of this opening tryptich of albums still sees Astbury and Duffy partially tethered to their early gothic interests. Yet despite a strong sense that these are essentially period pieces, it's still clear that they crystallise an exciting transition in the Cult's early development.

Of course, only Astbury remains a permenant fixture throughout all three albums, Duffy not appearing on the Gothic concourse until the Southern Death Cult were scuttled by their unhappy singer in April 1983. Certainly, Billy's masterful guitaring and ear for a simple hook are conspicuously absent from 'The Southern Death Cult', an official bootleg pieced together from the band's one-and-only 12" EP, radio sessions, live material and out-takes.

They quickly established themselves locally and were championed in the music press as the leaders of the next-big-thing, dubbed 'positive punk'. Media focussed on Ian's passion for Indian culture which extended to his costume, coiffure, lyrics and the group's name. Their London debut at Heaven (only their fifth gig overall), was played to a capacity audience and, despite big money offers, the band signed to Situation Two, an independent offshoot of Beggars Banquet. Their debut single, Fatman, topped the indie charts for weeks and the band toured the country, both as support to Bauhaus and headlining their own shows. However Ian realised the musical limitations of the group and wanted to pursue a harder rock so after a final gig in Manchester on 26 February 1983 he split the band, taking two thirds of the name with him...

The CD release has been compiled from existing session and live material, their sole 12" single and alternative recordings. Apart from the single, none of the tracks were originally intended for release so the compilation stands as an official bootleg, a working blueprint, a time capsule and a testament to the spirit of The Southern Death Cult and the roots of The Cult.

The artwork has been tidied up using the original elements and the album has been remastered to give the music more punch and bring it sonically in line with modern CD's.

GHOST DANCE

- Gods Zoo

- Brothers Grimm

- Ghost Dance

- Horse Nation

- Christians

- A Flower In the Desert

- Too Young

- Butterflies

- With Love

- Gods Zoo (these times)

 

Record Collector REVIEW -

Strangely, it was one of SDC's little known tracks, "Flowers in the Forest", which provided a bridge between the old and the new. The freshly formed Death Cult reworked the song as "A Flower in the Desert", which was added to a set of jangling Goth-pop tunes that mirrored the stylistic flux of the time. Faintly Duranie basslines vied with pounding drums, while a desire to play a straighter style of rock nudged the sound into a slightly awkward shape. Again, Death Cult didn't get as far as making an album, and "Ghost Dance" pulls together the draw-strings on their superb October 1983 Radio One session, plus the tracks from their critically acclaimed EP.

They recorded a 4 track debut single which went to the top of the indie charts but, as the first post-punk 'supergroup', the weight of expectation hung heavily on Death Cult's shoulders, so they chose to play their first gigs far away from the UK press, in Europe. Still finding their musical feet, while growing up in public, and after a low-key UK tour in September, the group changed drummer and recorded their second single, 'Gods Zoo'. This was the extent of their proper 'studio' recording, but the band also performed 4 tracks for a BBC radio session. Though all of these would be re-recorded during the sessions for Dreamtime, The Cult's debut album, these versions of the songs are radically different. 'A Flower In The Desert' is performed 'unplugged'; 'Too Young' and 'With Love' underwent lyrical and arrangement overhauls before they became respectively, 'Rider In The Snow' and 'Sea And Sky'.

On Friday the 13th January 1984 the band announced their final name change and became The Cult. The Death Cult recordings chart that musical genesis and this is the first time they have all been released on an album.

'Ghost Dance' is the full 10 tracks, re-mastered and sounding great, and brings this 'lost' phase into the album catalogue. The 16 page booklet includes an illustrated, colour discography / band photos / and extensive sleeve notes by Pat Gilbert of Record Collector detailing the band's history.