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Rating: Many ignore that the term "gothic" was used for the first time by someone who had very little to do with gothic music, namely Ian Astbury.
His adolescence was marked by the fascination and admiration he felt towards the Native Americans, whose history and culture he passionately studied (after all, the first name of the band, "Southern Death Cult", referred precisely to the name of a Native American tribe that lived during the 14th century, Native Americans whom Ian rightly described as the true Americans), and by the shamanic figure of Jim Morrison, whose poses, truth be told, he tried to mimic until the dream became reality, that is when he was offered the opportunity to take Jim's place in the Doors for a while, with results, however, not exceptional.
Besides the Doors, Ian's background was heavily influenced by 70s hard rock and, particularly, by Led Zeppelin. The turning point for the intrepid American singer was meeting the guitarist of the English dark-punk formation Theatre of Hate, Billy Duffy. These were the years of the darkwave movement's greatest success, and the two tried to ride its wave with the birth of the aforementioned "Southern Death Cult", whose self-titled album, however, met with little success.
Freed from the strictly gothic chains of their beginnings, "Dreamtime", the debut album of the formation under the new name "The Cult", encapsulates all the musical and non-musical influences of the duo previously mentioned. The Cult's first work, in fact, overflows with references in the lyrics and image to the traditions of the Native Americans. The Cult, in fact, presented themselves on stage with a very particular scenic look, in a sort of gothic glam cowboys truly original. Also musically, in some episodes, particularly in the ballad "Bad Medicine Waltz" and in "Sea and Sky", sounds are heard that bring to mind desert places swept away by sandy wind, where one imagines witnessing a tribal ritual in front of the sacred fire. As for the rest, "Dreamtime", is an excellent compendium of gothic and post-punk sounds, with a marked Led Zeppelin-like hard-rock influence.
Songs like the opener "Horse Nation", and its always driving guitar lines, almost death rock, that stand out over the tribal percussion, "Spirit Walker" and "83rd Dream", excellent dark-rock episodes, almost like Sisters of Mercy, but much less sepulchral, "Go West", the most Zeppelin-like track on the album, the hard rock-tinged title track, immediately strike for their pleasantness and ease of assimilation. Particular attention is due to Astbury's voice, always warm and filled with passion. The peaks of "Dreamtime", perhaps, are to be found in the darkest piece of the work, namely "A Flower in the Desert", very engaging with its typically eighties bass lines and melodic guitar arpeggios, and especially in the impelling danceable gothic of "Resurrection Joe".
After this album, the Cult recorded "Love", which brought them commercial success. Subsequently, Astbury and Duffy's dark vein ran out in favor of that hard rock heavily influenced by AC/DC and the much referenced Led Zeppelin, which kept them constantly on the crest of the wave until "Ceremony", but also brought them heavy criticism.
In any case, the importance of this debut work by the Cult in the development of what dark rock later represented cannot be overlooked (in this sense, for example, the Mission owe a lot to Astbury and Duffy), as well as the enormous influence the band exerted on the birth of the American street rock at the end of the 80s (Guns, Skid Row, and many others).
In conclusion, even if the Cult didn't invent anything, but simply reinterpreted and elaborated in an original way already explored styles and genres, it is still essential to recognize their historical importance, often not duly appreciated.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Horse Nation (03:45)
And they come
And they come
See them prancing
They come neighing, they come
A horse nation
See them prancin', they neighing come
See them prancin'
They come neighing and they neighing come
The whole world is coming
From the four directions
Scream and shout
See them prancing
They come neighing and they come
A horse nation
See them prancing, they neighing came
See them prancing
Proudly they came
The whole world is coming
From the four directions
And I scream and shout
The whole world is coming
From the four directions
Scream and shout
02 Spiritwalker (03:38)
Let it be beautiful when I sing the last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Let the sun shine on me when I sing the last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Let all the children kiss the stars before they sing their last song
I will give you even my body
Spiritwalker
Spiritwalker
Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song
Let all the children kiss the sun before they sing their last song
I will have the whole world to make music with me
Spiritwalker
Dreamwalker
Starwalker
Sunwalker
Spiritwalker
Spiritwalker
Dreamwalker
Starwalker
Sunwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker
Windwalker
Spirit spirit spirit
03 83rd Dream (03:38)
Four crows nailed to a wooden post
Bleed upon a barren field
An old way that I don't understand
It kinda touched me for a day
Four crows nailed to a wooden post
Bleed upon a barren field
An old way that I don't understand
You know, it kinda touched me for a day
There are no bright skies
Where the eagle flies
Suddenly, inside me, inside me
I don't need
I am alive
I am alive
Hey, hey
So psychedelic, driving over the sun
Past the still sky trees and fields
To the place the great relics have kissed you know
It kinda touched me for a day
There are no bright skies
Where the eagle flies
Suddenly, inside me, inside me
I don't need
I am alive
I am alive
Hey, hey..
04 Butterflies (03:00)
The wild wide eye with her painted wing
She crushed the gray boy
Don't you know my selfishness was my suicide
Her painted wing became my suicide, suicide
The whole world did not start to cry
They just got inside me
And now they walk behind me
They walk behind me
They walk behind me
Oh lord
Like little dogs
Like stony dogs, you know
Stony dogs
Stony dogs
They walk behind me, oh lord
They walk
Behind me
Behind me, oh lord
05 Go West (03:59)
Go west young man
And break bread in the new lands
And my life is over
While your's just beginning
Go west young man
And break bread in the new lands
And my life is over
While your's just beginning
We can offer you everything...
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
Around and round
Around and round
Go west young man
Are your dreams in the new lands?
And my life is over
While your's just beginning
Say hey
Go west young man
Go west young man
And spread your wings in the new, new, new, new, new lands
And my life is over while your's just beginning
Say hey
We can offer you everything...
Go west young man
And break those heads in the new lands
And my life is over
While your's just beginning
Say hey
We can offer you everything...
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
The crazy spinning circle's going round and round
Around and round
Around and round
Crazy...
The world is crazy...
Around and round...
Crazy
06 Gimmick (03:33)
There's a whisper in the wires, no love
Of a black train-a-comin', no love
From the heart of the desert, no love
And the rhythms of my hometown
My eyes are open, no love
Watching for the train, no love, no love
Just a breath across the ocean
Feel no love
If it flies, it dies
Flags into a pocket, no love
We're standing on a platform
Feel no love
In everyone a hook line, no love, no love
Against me making time
Feel no love
Whisper in the wires, no love
Of a black train-a-comin', no love, no love
From the heart of the desert, no love
And the rhythms of my hometown
And the rhythms of my hometown
Feel no love
And the rhythms of my hometown
08 Dreamtime (02:47)
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Oh the dream, dreamtime
I will have my dreamtime
My dreamtime, my dreamtime
The only thing untouched that's mine
I will have my dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Oh the dream, dreamtime
I will wear my hair long
My hair long, my hair long
An extension of my heart
I will wear my hair long
Dream
Dream
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Oh the dream, dreamtime
I will have my dreamtime
My dreamtime, my dreamtime
The only thing untouched that's mine
I will have my dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Dreamtime, dreamtime
Oh the dream, dreamtime
Dream...
Dreamtime...
09 Rider in the Snow (03:11)
Reaching for a reason
A rider in the snow
Has not far to go
Has not far to go
Bomb unite the land
I call deep inside
Where no barriers hide
There's no mistake
The time of change
Blow my body, blow
The four winds in the snow...
Meanwhile back in town
Behind a paper frown
There's no mistake
The time of change
The stars sigh as they look down
His horse is broken now
On his knees
Gray hair tumbled down
His gray hair tumbled down
Blow my body, blow
The four winds in the snow...
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