Death Cult - Ghost Dance

Death Cult formed in April 1983 when Ian Astbury (formerly of Southern Death Cult) and Billy Duffy (formerly of Theatre of Hate) joined forces after meeting each other when Southern Death Cult supported Theatre of Hate on a number of dates during the latter's tour. By June 1983, the group had written 10 songs, four of which would be recorded for their debut EP. The first track, "Brothers Grimm", was originally written by Duffy and UK Decay vocalist Steve "Abbo" Abbott after both musicians had left their respective bands (and prior to Duffy joining Astbury to form Death Cult). Two of the songs delved into Astbury's respect and fascination with the Native American cultures previously explored during his tenure with Southern Death Cult. "Ghost Dance" was inspired by the Ghost Dance religious movement as well as the writings and teachings of spiritual leader Wovoka, whose name is mentioned in the lyrics ("Wovoka had a vision"...), while the lyrics to "Horse Nation" were taken nearly verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Astbury and Duffy's interest in the Vietnam War was also in evidence, both in the photograph that appeared on the picture sleeve, as well as the lyrical content of the final track, "Christians", which directly referenced the war and featured lyrics referring to the Chiêu Hồi program and the tiger stripe camouflage pattern worn by United States infantrymen. 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. 

The original Death Cult EP was released only in 12" format, solely in the United Kingdom, France and Japan. The photograph that appeared on the front sleeve was taken by renowned Vietnam War photographer Tim Page. The group's logo and the lettering on the EP picture sleeve were done by bassist Jaime Stewart. In 1988, the group's label, Beggars Banquet (via its subsidiary label Situation Two), issued a compact disc edition, marked "SPECIAL LOW PRICE CD FEATURING THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS", in the UK only. This CD collected the original Death Cult EP along with the single "Gods Zoo". The material was allegedly remastered, but no evidence exists to support this.

In 1996, Beggars Banquet remastered and reissued the 1988 eponymous Death Cult CD. This new collection was released in the UK and US simultaneously (marking the first time Death Cult material was available in the US). The CD collection featured new artwork and was given the title Ghost Dance.

In addition to the material from the 1988 Death Cult CD, the 1996 release appended a four-track David Jensen BBC Radio 1 session engineered by Dale Griffin. One of these BBC session tracks, "A Flower in the Desert", was a rewritten version of "Flowers in the Forest", originally written and recorded by Astbury's earlier group Southern Death Cult. This track had previously been released as the B-side to the 1984 "Spiritwalker" single by The Cult. "Too Young" was later rewritten as "Rider in the Snow", appearing as such on The Cult debut album, Dreamtime. "With Love" was originally titled "The Waste of Love", and only changed to "With Love" when it was recorded during the BBC radio session. The song was later rewritten and recorded during the "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)" recording sessions on 22 June 1984, under the working title of "Ship of Fools". The track was then re-titled "Sea and Sky" and released as the B-side of The Cult single "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)".

A full length album of all the material recorded by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy prior to their success as simply The Cult; many of the songs later appeared in dramatically different versions on the group's debut album, Dreamtime.

Ripped from the 1996 CD release to MP3 @ 320kbps

Death Cult; Ghost Dance

1.      Gods Zoo

2.      Brothers Grimm

3.      Ghost Dance

4.      Horse Nation

5.      Christians

6.      A Flower In The Desert

7.      Too Young (Ride In The Snow)

8.      Butterflies

9.      With Love (Sea And Sky)

10.   Gods Zoo (These Times)

There is more from the Astbury/Duffy alliance here