The Cult - 83rd Dream Live at The Lyceum

RandallFlagg

Looking back there are some songs and guitar tones that influenced me more than I realised at the time. One of them is the Cult's 83rd Dream live version recorded at The Lyceum in London. So much better than the studio album version. 

I remember hearing it for the first time round a mate's house, it was the first time I had heard The Cult from the free live album that came with The Cult's first album Dreamtime.I didn't see the VHS video until a while later. The live album Dreamtime: Live At The Lyceum was released on CD some years later and the sound is superb.

Nigel Preston's drumming is terrific and really compliments Jamie Stewart's Stingray bass-lines and Billy Duffy's lightly overdriven Gretsch While Falcon. I love the delay on the drums & vocals, really helps fill out the space in the song and lends to the atmosphere.

Billy Duffy is already honing his trademark Cult sound using the JC120 with chorus on mixed with the Marshall, Boss Super Overdrive and DM-2 Delay and I think maybe a BF-2 Flanger in places as well for the fast wobble effect. One my favourite guitarists.

The imagery in the lyrics resonated with me "four crows nailed to a wooden post bleed upon a barren field" "There are no bright skies where the eagle flies"

I went to see The Cult live twice, once at Norwich UEA on the Love tour in June 1985 and again on the Cult tour in December 1994

The video of 83rd Dream ripped from the VHS is showing its age, the 2nd link is from the CD audio and the sound is much better.

Great tune, one of my favourites.

viz

I LOVE that song and that performance of it. I saw the video when it came out and found it to be totally mesmerising. 

welshboyo

I played the Dreamtime Live album to death along the with studio album back in the day - and thanks for taking me back in time.

Sort of lost touch with The Cult after Sonic Temple, I think I need a revisit...trouble is Sonic temple will give me Black LPC gas again....

Redlester

BD is a very fine player. One of my favourites too. A very powerful guitarist. 

viz

Right lads and lass. Can someone convert my vhs of this amazing concert to dvd?

Kittyfrisk

viz said:

Right lads and lass. Can someone convert my vhs of this amazing concert to dvd?

@viz ; I can do it, in case you can't find anyone nearer to you... wherever that might be 
The overall quality will not improve though...sadly.

CE1

Still going strong and sounding great. I saw them on the last tour and they were as brilliant as ever. A much underrated band in my opinion.

EricTheWeary

CE1 said:

Still going strong and sounding great. I saw them on the last tour and they were as brilliant as ever. A much underrated band in my opinion.

…off to see them tomorrow night. First time since the 1980s! 

bobblehat

This is the first tour I've missed since 1985. Didn't fancy 2 hours of Alice Copper or the £75 ticket price 

robinbowes

I saw Southern Death Cult, back in the day. I followed Death Cult, & The Cult, but don't recall if I ever saw them live. I lost touch with them after Dreamtime, really. Pretty much an out-and-out rock band these days, aren't they?

EricTheWeary

bobblehat said:

This is the first tour I've missed since 1985. Didn't fancy 2 hours of Alice Copper or the £75 ticket price 

Half hour of Creeper, hour of The Cult, one and a quarter of Alice Cooper. £4 per ticket. Alice and his band were just phenomenal. Astbury was in pub singer mode for a while but seemed to find his voice part way through. Duffy's guitar sound was an indistinguishable wash of modulation and delay for a bit as well although that also resolved itself. Six Marshall cabs,looked like one had a mic. No sign of any amps. 

bobblehat

£4 per ticket?

EricTheWeary

bobblehat said:

£4 per ticket?

Sorry I was being pointlessly vague @bobblehat my son works for a chain of venues and gets unsold tickets sometimes for the cost of an admin fee. They had poor sales for Cooper and The Cult. Closed off about 20% of the seating and there were unsold seats in what remains, so maybe only 70% or less of possible tickets were sold. I think full price was £55. 

£13 for parking and £3.15 for a Diet Coke so it’s never a super cheap evening. But my son and his girlfriend go to all sorts of shows with poor ticket sales! Alice Cooper, Tool, Little Mix The Jonas Brothers, James Blunt and tomorrow night The Script. 

The Cooper set was maybe not very rock’n’roll - basically musical theatre with loud guitars. But for what it was extremely well done. 

FarleyUK

I was lucky enough to see them in Salt Lake City for my birthday last month - and it was the best I've seen them play. The mix was excellent, Billy Duffy's guitar sounded HUGE, and Ian's vocals were really clear and sounded fantastic.