The Southern Death Cult “The Southern Death Cult” 1983. Beggars Banquet. Today May 14th is Ian Astbury’s birthday (1962). Southern Death Cult disbanded and reformed prior to this album’s release (reforming first as Death Cult and then more famously as The Cult). The tracks are a compilation of a live performance on BBC Radio 1 and session recordings.

The Southern Death Cult, not surprisingly, has the same dark gothy flavor as The Cult would in subsequent years. They toured the UK during 1982, opening for Bauhaus and Theatre of Hate, promoting the only single they released, “Moya/Fatman,” (on a double A-side 7″ – the 12″ was a triple A-side of “Moya/Fatman/The Girl”) which hit #1 on the UK Indie Chart.

I picked up this UK issued LP sometime during late ‘86 or early ‘87, excited that I had found the precursor band to The Cult. I played it for some friends and one particularly dense girl said, after hearing “All Glory,” sneered that she didn’t care for all that flag-waving patriotic crap, obviously not comprehending what Astbury was singing (and perhaps that he was British):

my country it is of thee the glory game is here again
my country it is of thee the glory game is here again
the books and films show a different way
the books and films show it another way another way a different way
the books and films show a different way
the books and films show it another way the other way
but will world war three make history?
as the warmongers gather at the foot of the scrap crap heap
red light turns to green turns to green
they’ve got to cheat you to get
they’ve got to cheat you to get
they’ve got to cheat you to get
they’ve got to cheat you to get
they’ve got to cheat you to get
pick up your heads raise your heads
to raise to raise to raise