Death Cult (EP)

Death Cult
Original 12" EP
EP by The Cult
Released	1983 1996 (as Ghost Dance)
Genre	Gothic rock, post-punk
Length	23:21
Label	Situation Two
Producer	Jeremy Green
The Cult chronology
The Southern Death Cult (1983, as Southern Death Cult) Death Cult (1983) Dreamtime (1984, as The Cult)
1996 cover
1996 re-release

The Death Cult EP, issued in 1983, is the only EP released by Death Cult, the post-punk band that later became The Cult. "Ghost Dance" was inspired by the writings and teachings of Wovoka, and the lyrics to "Horse Nation" are taken almost verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Track listing

Death Cult EP (1983)

The original four-song eponymous EP was released in July 1983 in the United Kingdom, where it reached No. 2 on the UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts. It was also released in France, and in early 1985 in Japan:

1. A1 "Brothers Grimm"
2. A2 "Ghost Dance"
3. B1 "Horse Nation"
4. B2 "Christians"

"Gods Zoo" (1983)

The eponymous EP was followed by a subsequent single, "Gods Zoo", released in the United Kingdom (No. 4 on the independent charts), Australia and New Zealand in October 1983:

1. "Gods Zoo"
2. "Gods Zoo (These Times)"

Reissued Death Cult EP (1988)

The EP was reissued in the UK as a six-song CD in 1988, with the track listing rearranged:

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. "Gods Zoo (These Times)" – 5:09

Ghost Dance album (1996)

The EP was remastered and reissued again at full-album length in 1996, with the addition of four songs from a live BBC radio broadcast. This 10-song compilation CD was titled Ghost Dance, with the following 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

"With Love" also known as "Ship of Fools", was later rewritten as "Sea and Sky" and released as one of the B-sides of "Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)". "Too Young" was rewritten for the Dreamtime album and retitled "Rider in the Snow". "Horse Nation" was also rerecorded for Dreamtime, with a more rock-oriented arrangement.

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.