"Dreamtime" is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Cult, released on August 31, 1984, by Beggars Banquet Records. It peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified silver by the BPI for sales of 60,000 copies. The first single, "Spiritwalker," reached No. 1 on the UK Independent Singles Chart. The album has been reissued or bootlegged in roughly 30 countries worldwide.
The lyrics of "Horse Nation" are adapted almost verbatim from the non-fiction book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970). The song "Spiritwalker" references shamanism, while the title track "Dreamtime" draws from Aboriginal Australian mythology. "Butterflies" refers to the Hopi ceremonial butterfly dance, and "A Flower in the Desert" is a reworking of the Southern Death Cult's song "Flowers in the Forest."
The album's music is described as dramatic, moody, and darkly psychedelic, with a sound that includes "crystalline guitar not that far off from what U2 was going after." In 1985, Ian Astbury remarked that the Cult was "like Big Country and U2, only better."
Initially, the album was produced by Joe Julian, but after recording the drums, the band replaced him with John Brand, who ultimately produced the record. Guitarist Billy Duffy noted that the drum tracks used were those recorded by Julian, as drummer Nigel Preston had become unreliable.
