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Death Cult
EP by The Cult
Released	1983 1996 (as "Ghost Dance")
Genre	Post-punk Gothic rock
Length	23:21
Label	Situation Two (SIT 23T)
Producer	Jeremy Green
The Cult chronology
The Southern Death Cult (1983, as Southern Death Cult) Death Cult (1983) Dreamtime (1984, as The Cult)
Alternative cover

Death Cult is the debut four-track eponymous EP by the post punk/gothic rock band Death Cult (who later shortened their name to The Cult) and was released in July of 1983. The EP reached Number 2 on the UK Independent Chart. The EP is often erroneously referred to as Brothers Grimm (after the song title of the first track on the A-Side of the record).

In 1988, the EP was released on compact disc coupled with the contents of the group's only other official release, "Gods Zoo". The compact disc release retained the same eponymous title and the material was alleged to have been remastered.

In 1996, the contents of the 1988 compact disc release were remastered and reissued with an additional four tracks from a BBC Radio 1 session. This release was entitled Ghost Dance.

Development

Death Cult formed in April 1983 when Ian Astbury (formerly of The Southern Death Cult) and Billy Duffy (formerly of Theatre Of Hate) joined together after meeting each other when The Southern Death Cult supported Theatre Of Hate on a number of dates during Theatre Of Hate's tour. By June 1983 the group had written ten songs, four of which would be recorded for their debut EP.

The four tracks that make up the EP are as follows:

• "Brothers Grimm" - the track was originally written by Duffy and UK Decay guitarist Steve "Abbo" Abbot after the formers departure from Theatre Of Hate and the laters departure from UK Decay (thus prior to Duffy joining Astbury to form Death Cult).
• "Ghost Dance" - the track appears to be inspired by the writings and teachings of Wovoka, whose name is mentioned in the lyrics (“Wovoka had a vision…”) and the Ghost Dance religious movement.
• "Horse Nation" - the track takes its lyrics nearly verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
• "Christians" - the track makes direct references to the Vietnam War where, in the lyrics, the Chiêu Hồi program ("...we trusted those open arms...") and United States infantrymen ("...jungle children..." and "...tiger striped hearts..." - a direct reference to the tiger stripe camouflage pattern worn during the Vietnam War) are mentioned.

The songs, obviously, delve into Astbury's respect and fascination with the Native American cultures previously explored during his tenure with his first group, The Southern Death Cult. Further, as evidenced by the photograph that appears on the picture sleeve as well as the lyrical content of the track "Christians", both Astbury and Duffy's interest in the American war in Southeast Asia is also utilized. At the time certain groups within the British post punk subculture developed a "trendy" fascination with the Vietnam War that spilled over into dress and music. According to Astbury:

"My interest in Viet Nam started when I saw 'Apocalypse Now'. What they were doing was the closest to some uplifting experience that you can get."

During Death Cult’s 1983 tour, Duffy was often seen wearing a green beret with a Vietnam War-era 5th Special Forces Group beret flash along with tiger stripe fatigues. Duffy recently referred to at as his “Apocalypse Now chic.”

Original 1983 EP

The original EP was released only in the twelve-inch format and only in the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. The photograph that appears on the front of the picture sleeve was taken by renowned Vietnam War photographer Tim Page.

The initial United Kingdom twelve-inch release included a folded A4 insert written by Tom Vague which included information on the group through a series of short interviews.

United Kingdom 12": Situation Two SIT 23T

1. "Brothers Grimm"
2. "Ghost Dance"
3. "Horse Nation"
4. "Christians"

French 12": Situation Two SIT 23T (distributed by New Rose Records)

1. "Brothers Grimm"
2. "Ghost Dance"
3. "Horse Nation"
4. "Christians"

Japanese 12": Nexus International K15P 517

1. "Brothers Grimm"
2. "Ghost Dance"
3. "Horse Nation"
4. "Christians"

1988 Compact Disc

In 1988, the group's label, Beggars Banquet, issued a "SPECIAL LOW PRICE CD FEATURING THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS" (under their subsidiary record label Situation Two, that Death Cult was originally signed to) in the United Kingdom only. The compact disc collects the original EP along with the single "Gods Zoo". The material is allegedly remastered, but no evidence exists to support this claim. This compact disc release retains the eponymous title of the original EP.

United Kingdom CD: Situation Two SIT2329CD

1. "Gods Zoo" – 3:25
2. "Brothers Grimm" – 3:31
3. "Ghost Dance" – 3:58
4. "Horse Nation" – 3:24
5. "Christians" – 3:48
6. "Gods Zoo (These Times)" – 5:09

Ghost Dance

In 1996, Beggars Banquet remastered and re-issued the 1988 eponymous Death Cult compact disc. This new collection is released in the United Kingdom and the United States simultaneously (marking the first time Death Cult material is released in the United States). The compact disc collection featured new artwork and is given the title Ghost Dance.

In addition to the material from the 1988 compact disc, a four-track David Jensen BBC Radio 1 session is included. The session was broadcast on 27 October 1983 and engineered by Dale Griffin.

UK/US CD: Beggars Banquet BBL 2008 CD

1. "Gods Zoo" – 3:25
2. "Brothers Grimm" – 3:31
3. "Ghost Dance" – 3:58
4. "Horse Nation" – 3:24
5. "Christians" – 3:48
6. "A Flower In The Desert" - 3:14
7. "Too Young" - 2:56
8. "Butterflies" - 2:47
9. "With Love" - 3:25
10. "Gods Zoo (These Times)" – 5:09

• "A Flower In The Desert" is a re-written version of "Flowers In The Forest" originally recorded by Astbury's earlier group The Southern Death Cult. Thus the song is credited as Astbury/Jepson/Burroughs/Qureshi (the members of The Southern Death Cult). This track had previously been released as the B-Side to the Spiritwalker single released after the group changed its name to The Cult.
• "Too Young" was later re-written as "Rider In The Snow" and appears as such on the group's debut album Dreamtime.
• "With Love" was originally entitled "The Waste Of Love" and only changed to "With Love" when it was recorded during this radio session. The song was later re-written and recorded (as The Cult) during the "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)" recording sessions (on 22 June 1984) under the working title of "Ship Of Fools". The track was re-titled "Sea And Sky" and released as the B-Side of the "Go West (Crazy Spinning Cirlces)" single.

Personnel

• Ian Astbury – vocals
• Billy Duffy – guitar
• Jamie Stewart – bass guitar
• Raymond "the Reverend" Taylor-Smith - drums (on the original four-track EP).
• Nigel Preston – drums (on "Gods Zoo" single and BBC sessions)

References

• Frame, Pete (1998). More Rock Family Trees. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-6879-9.
• Monroe, C.A. (1992). The Cult Collectors Guide. Wounded Knee Publishing.

External links

• Death Cult at Death Rock
• Death Cult at Discogs

Category:The Cult albums Category:1983 EPs Category:1996 compilation albums