Description
LABEL: Beggars Banquet
VINYL RELEASE DATE: 02/23/2024
ALBUM RELEASE DATE: 1984
VARIANT: 40th Anniversary, Oxblood Red Vinyl LP
The origins of The Cult began a few years earlier with Southern Death Cult forming in 1981 and releasing their sole, self-titled album posthumously in 1983. That same year, Death Cult formed (and recently reunited), with Ian Astbury joining forces with Billy Duffy for a musical partnership that has endured for 40-plus years. Death Cult became The Cult in 1984.
Dreamtime was an epic start to The Cult’s long and amazing career. The album is often overlooked due to their future massive albums, but it has become legendary amongst fans, and marks the beginning of their definitive sound.
Goth and psychedelic leaning, Dreamtime was included by Kerrang in a list of essential goth albums you need to know, stating “The reborn band’s debut album sounds big, but in a different way to their latter output, while Ian Astbury’s fascination with the indigenous cultures of America and Australia was channeled into songs like Spiritwalker, Horse Nation and the driving title-track.”
Ian spent his early teenage years in Eastern Canada and was exposed to indigenous culture at this time, and soaked in all he could. The native influence is strong on this album. The lyrics on “Horse Nation” are inspired by “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” and many other songs on the album refer to indigenous culture.
The Cult has remained an important and enduring force in the rock music world. The band has released 11 full-lengths and has earned critical acclaim for its powerful live performances. The Cult continues to tour and record new music, and their influence on rock music shows no signs of diminishing.