Gods Zoo
| "Gods Zoo" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Death Cult | ||||
| B-side | "Gods Zoo (These Times)" | |||
| Released | 23 October 1983 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl single, 12" vinyl single | |||
| Genre | Post Punk Gothic Rock |
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| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | Situation Two (SIT 29) | |||
| Writer(s) | Death Cult | |||
| Producer(s) | Jeremy Green | |||
| Death Cult singles chronology | ||||
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"Gods Zoo" is a single by the English post punk/gothic rock band Death Cult (who later shortened their name to The Cult) and was released on 23 October 1983. The song is often, erroneously, spelled "God's Zoo" (with an apostrophe in the word "Gods", indicating possessive case).
Contents
Picture Sleeve
No credit is given to the design of the picture sleeve for the single. The front features the group's name centered between four stereoscopic printed television sets. Within each television is an image. Clockwise from top left the images are as follows: (1) the group's Mickey Mouse "skull" logo; (2) a nude female drawing (artist unknown, but the image is often credited to Astbury even though this has never been confirmed); (3) a portion of a Tim Page photograph of ARVN soldiers interrogating a Viet Cong suspect - it should be noted that the group's first release, the eponymous Death Cult EP, featured a Tim Page Vietnam photograph on its picture sleeve also (both Astbury and Duffy have expressed an interest in the history of the Vietnam War which was also apparently a trend in the United Kingdom at the time); (4) a portion of a photograph of Jimi Hendrix (one of the group's influences).
B-Side
The single is labeled A SIDE and AA SIDE (for the B-side). The B-side is an extended and remixed version of the title track entitled "Gods Zoo (These Times)".
Lost Single
"Gods Zoo" serves as a watershed point in the history of The Cult. The single was released while the group was still recording and performing as Death Cult (they would not change their name to The Cult until 13 January 1984) and was intended to be the lead single for Death Cult's first album (tentatively entitled A Flower In The Desert).[1] A joint 4AD and Beggars Banquet seven-inch promotional EP, entitled A Sampling Above The Rest (catalogue number VTO 1), features "Gods Zoo (These Times)" as a promotional track with the following description:
- "taken from the forthcoming Death Cult cassette and album"
A full-length Death Cult album never materialized. The group's developed material is eventually incorporated into what would become the Dreamtime album which was released nearly a year later and under the group's new name. Conspicuously missing from the finalized album is "Gods Zoo", which created a vortex around the release thus making it a stand-alone, or lost, single.
Chart Positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart | 4[2] |
Track listing
Release information pertains to the United Kingdom release only.
7": Situation Two SIT 29
- "Gods Zoo" – 3:26
- "Gods Zoo (These Times)" – 5:09
12": Situation Two SIT 29T
- "Gods Zoo" – 3:26
- "Gods Zoo (These Times)" – 5:09
Australian Release
"Gods Zoo", as a single, was released only in the United Kingdom and Australia. The Australian version was only issued in the seven-inch single format and was distributed by the Powderworks Records label (catalogue number POW 0179). It was released in 1983, but the specific day and month of the release is unknown. The track listing is the same as the United Kingdom seven-inch single.
Personnel
- Ian Astbury - vocals
- Billy Duffy - guitars
- Jamie Stewart - bass guitar
- Nigel Preston - drums
Also credited:
- Jeremy Green - producer and engineer
"Gods Zoo" marks the debut of Death Cult's new drummer, Nigel Preston. Preston replaced the group's previous drummer Ray Mondo just prior to entering the studio to record the single.[2] This also marks the beginning of The Cult's almost comedic spiral into a long line of Spinal Tap-ish drummer changes that spans nearly three decades.
Nigel Preston had previously worked with Billy Duffy in Theatre Of Hate. After his departure from Theatre Of Hate, Preston took up arms with Sex Gang Children in September 1982.[2] When Preston was recruited to join Death Cult, in September 1983, he essentially "swapped" with Ray Mondo.[2] Ray Mondo played his last gig with Death Cult on 19 September 1983 at the Brixton Ace in London, United Kingdom. Shortly afterwards he filled the vacant drummer's position with Sex Gang Children after departing Death Cult.[3]
Death Cult EP
The contents of the "Gods Zoo" single are collected, along with the contents of the earlier eponymous Death Cult EP, on a single compact disc in 1988 and simply titled Death Cult. The same material was remastered and reissued (along with some radio session material) in 1996 and given the title Ghost Dance.
A Historical Debt
In 1991, The Cult donated the track "Gods Zoo", royalty free, for the compilation album A Historical Debt released by Beechwood Music Limited. The album's liner notes explain the honourable intentions of the compilation (to help independent groups and labels caught in the wake of the Rough Trade Distribution collapse):
- "This album is unique. All tracks have been donated royalty free and money raised by this project will be used to pay back some of the huge historical debt still owed to independent labels and artists from the collapse of Rough Trade Distribution. In this current recession, therefore, 'A HISTORICAL DEBT' could prove the difference for many smaller labels between survival or collapse. Special thanks to the artists who have donated their songs, and to everyone involved in the album who have willingly offered their services either totally free or at cost."
Footnotes
References
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External links
- Death Cult at Death Rock
- Death Cult at Discogs
