Death Cult - Ghost Dance (Remastered) (1996)
Cover pic.
"Ghost Dance" collects the EP of the same name by the Death Cult - the band that would eventually become the Cult, along with the follow-up single - "Gods Zoo", and four performances from a BBC radio show. Singer Ian Astbury, having grown disinterested in the music of the Southern Death Cult, formed the band with guitarist Billy Duffy (then part of a group called Theatre of Hate) and recruited guitarist-turned-bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Ray Mondo. It was this quartet that recorded the "Ghost Dance" EP, with Mondo being replaced by Nigel Preston for the rest of the material on here. What separates this band from Astbury's previous project is the presence of Billy Duffy - Astbury's presence and charisma is offset by an instrumentalist able to hold his own in the face of such a strong personality. In Southern Death Cult, the band felt lopsided, but here there's more balance, and while the name is different (the album is credited to Death Cult), make no mistake: this is the early Cult material.
The early EP is a superb progression over the previous material - while still seeped in the notions of gothic, Duffy's muscular presence lends the music to a more purposeful stance, and Astbury's confident swagger gave the band a great edge. An explosive "Horse Nation" is the highlight here, powerful and energetic and like the rest of the material, propelled by Mondo's tribal drumming patterns that were so prevelent in post-punk at the time. "Gods Zoo", however, shows a real improvement - aggressive, angular and explosive, it brims over from its straight rock beat and driving guitar lines.
The BBC sessions are a bit of a curiosity - remarkably Astbury sounds a bit like he's not quite as confident as he is on the studio material, although Southern Death Cult piece "A Flower in the Desert" gets an intriguing and powerful reading, with Duffy the sole accompaniment for Astbury (and on acoustic guitar).
The band would very shortly go on to higher heights on "Dreamtime" (after dropping the 'Death'), but this EP is well worth investigation. Recommended for fans of The Cult.
Track listing:
1. "Gods Zoo" – 3:25
2. "Brothers Grimm" – 3:31
3. "Ghost Dance" – 3:58
4. "Horse Nation" – 3:24 (not the version on Dreamtime)
5. "Christians" – 3:48
6. "A Flower In The Desert" (radio session)
7. "Too Young" (radio session)
8. "Butterflies" (radio session)
9. "With Love" (radio session)
10. "Gods Zoo" (These Times) – 5:09
Total Playtime: 23:21
Personnel:
Ian Astbury – vocals
Billy Duffy – Guitar
Jamie Stewart – Bass
Ray Mondo – drums on 2-5.
Nigel Preston – Drums on all songs except 2 - 5.
CD Release date: 06/08/1996
Label: Beggars Banquet
Format: Lossless FLAC
EAC/FLAC inc. CUE sheet, M3U & log
Size: 231MB
