The Cult | Dreamtime

On September 10th, 1984 The Cult released their debut album Dreamtime on Beggars Banquet.  The album’s single “Spiritwalker” went straight to #1 on the UK Indie charts.

Dreamtime was the first record from the band after shortening their name from “Death Cult”, which was, in turn, was a name that frontman Ian Astbury took from his previous band The Southern Death Cult, after recruiting guitarist Billy Duffy to join him with his new lineup.

The album’s title “Dreamtime” is inspired by the mythology of the Australian Aborigines, which ties into the other indigenous themes of Native American culture. Such examples are found in the lyrics to the song “Horse Nation”, which are taken almost verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and “Butterflies”, which refers to the Hopi ceremonial butterfly dance.

There is also the strong theme of shamanism throughout, like in the album’s first single “Spiritwalker”, which is a reworking of an early Southern Death Cult song now referred to as “The War Song” which was performed live only once during that incarnation of the band.

The second single from Dreamtime is “Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)”, which along with Spiritwalker, has no official music video, but does have a promotional appearance mimed for the German television program Musik Convoy.

Order Dreamtime through the Beggars Arkive here.