Dreamtime
by The Cult

Dreamtime by The Cult
Year: 1984
Overall rank: 10,107th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 67 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1984 (152nd)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (1,426th)
Award Best albums of all time (10,107th)

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Product Details
Availability

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The Cult Dreamtime CD The Bands First Release
Condition: Like New


eBay
eBay
THE CULT - DREAMTIME - CD, 1986 UK IMPORT BEGGARS BANQUET RECORDS BBL57 CD
Condition: Very Good


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The Cult Dreamtime Rock Album CD Reissue 1996 Beggars Banquet Jewel Case
Condition: Like New


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The Cult bestography

Dreamtime is ranked 4th best out of 18 albums by The Cult on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Cult is Love which is ranked number 1339 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,284.

The Cult album bestography « Higher ranked (3,304th)
Sonic Temple
This album (10,107th)
Dreamtime
Lower ranked (10,325th) »
Ceremony

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Dreamtime rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 10,107th | 1980s rank: 1,426th | 1984 rank: 152nd

Dreamtime collection

Dreamtime ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 67 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 67 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
04/19/2026 08:44 acoustic-horn  Ratings distribution  24076/100
 
70/100
 
02/19/2026 10:27 Leonard  Ratings distribution  6,57170/100
 
80/100
 
01/10/2026 15:06 cicadelic  Ratings distribution  12,84473/100
 
80/100
 
12/20/2025 14:29 VeVt  Ratings distribution  10764/100
 
60/100
 
09/05/2025 21:11 Olli  Ratings distribution  7,26262/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 8% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.2/100, a mean average of 73.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.7.

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Dreamtime favourites

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Dreamtime comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 04/02/2018 18:38 | #212180
Criminally underrated. To me their best, in a tough competition (Love and Sonic Temple). Their most atmospheric, moody goth record. Apart from the apparent standouts in Horse Nation and Spiritwalker (some of The Cult's strongest and strangest singles), there is a ton of fantastic songs throughout the record. But my favourite Cult song would have to be Bad Medicine Waltz, such an extraordinary piece, both catchy and very dark and somewhat experimental.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 12/03/2015 04:33 | #153837
This album has all the raw passion and intensity of previous Astbury vehicles ([Southern] Death Cult) but with a marked shift toward the classic rock stylings that would characterize the second wave of gothic rock. It's more or less the missing link between positive punk tribalism and the dark rock the Sisters' would pioneer a year later with First and Last and Always. There's a few radio-friendly tunes here like "Spiritwalker" and "Dreamtime", but the highlights for me are the moodier offerings, such as "83rd Dream", "Gimmick", and "Bad Medicine Waltz." This may not be the most polished Cult album, but it's my personal favourite. Fans of gothic rock will not be disappointed.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/30/2011 12:56 | #17942
OK. This may not be considered by many to be the Cult's best offering. That distinction invariably goes to Electric. But, with revamped Death Cult & Southern Death Cult songs the debut record from the Cult including the Live at the Lyceum disc is essential listening. Death Cult songs Brothers Grimm, Christians, Ghost Dance and Horse Nation still sound fresh and dynamic. Southern Death Cult's Flower in the Desert might be my favorite Cult song. Moya on the live disc blows me away every time. And yes, "the kids of the coca-cola nation are too doped up to realize that time is running out". These songs are part of my youth and this album will stay with me forever. The double LP is 9.5 out of 10.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1984
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2. Ride The Lightning by Metallica
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