Top 100 Songs about cults/with cult connections

1. 1969 - Boards of Canada (references branch davidians)
2. In a Beautiful Place out in the Country - Boards of Canada (ditto)
3. Never Learn not to Love - The Beach Boys (written by Manson)

http://www.discogs.com/Vagina-Dentata-Organ-The-Last-Supper/release/452866

(probably doesn't really count)

4. Helter Skelter - Beatles (Manson was influenced by it)

(the topic is broad... like YoHaWa 13, People's Temple, and the Mansons all released albumz, and acts like Sun Ra's Arkestra could be considered a cult.)

weren't the Incredible String Band into Scientology later on?

The Causey Way to thread.

Machine Head - Davidian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vneFS48Z4Ws

steely dan "chain lightning"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbWYq_p8vgo

inhalants - charlie is an icon

so so many manson songs, he should prob be off limits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCwuC3roSGg

Didn't embed, Jimmy Jones by the Vapours

Guyana Punch by the Judy's

Husker Du-- Hare Krishna

Everything on http://www.discogs.com/artist/Father+Yod

Don't know if there's a single Church Universal and Triumphant featuring Elizabeth Clare Prophet track that's a standout. Maybe the whole of Sounds of the American Doomsday Cults Vol. 14 should stand for them.

The hot funk starts at 2:20 or so:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDBgbUmMt3o

the Mountain Goats - New Zion

neil young "revolution blues"

xps yes lots of manson songs

Famous Blue Raincoat

weren't the Incredible String Band into Scientology later on?

Indeed, so there are a lot of references in almost all of their albums from 1969/1970 onwards. "U" is particularly Scientology influenced, e.g., "Bridge Song" (cf. Scientology's 'The Bridge to Total Freedom'). The whole 'concept' of the album, of travelling from a past golden age through decline and depression to a new golden age (hence the U shape) is from Scientology. From 69/70 on, there's a hella lot of songs about past lives, for instance, or taking control of your present life. Couple of examples on later albums:

"Dear Old Battlefield" ("If not for the plan of the magic man/ Who finally helped me out of the wood") (LRH being the 'magic man' of course)

"Seagull" ("But still a questioning in the quiet of me /Why do I need a sign to show me it's alright?") (A song specifically about ISB being invited to Sea Org tho it sounds like Mike Heron was having a few doubts even then)

Robin Williamson's solo albums doggedly continue in a similar vein, Heron less so.

Still on Scientology, there's some Van Morrison stuff from the early 80s - not sure of the exact songs - that were influenced by it (seems he'd been hanging about with Robin Williamson)

ilx - sounds of sciento_Ogy

Come on guys, where's yr self-promotion?

Just finished reading Joe Boyd’s excellent ‘White Bicycles’ book and he goes into quite a lot of detail about ISB’s coversion to scientology. I got the impression Mike & Robin have pretty much dropped it now though

http://www.popsike.eu/pix/20041016/4044652446.jpg

Didn't some recent-ish band do a song about the MOVE bombing in Philly?

Brother Lou's Love Colony - The Moon

Pere Ubu, "Jehovah's Kingdom Comes!"

(tho maybe not a cult as such)

Camper Van Beethoven - Tania

(Symbionese Liberation Army)

Manowar - Guyana (Cult Of The Damned)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09DdYlEl1D4

Sabbath Assembly - Restored to One LP

Process Church hymns recorded in a '70s hard rock style by some gothy metal dudes

disappointingly, the Trees Community seems not to have been a cult.

Jim Kweskin and his jug band were tied up with their harmonica player Mel Lyman's cult/commune, but it doesn't show through in their music (although this is kinda creepy):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0KUouUKuX8

USA For Africa: We Are The World

It promotes the DANGEROUS CULT OF SECULAR LIBERAL HUMANISM! WE are not the world. The LORD is the world. Dangerous hippie liberal propaganda like this is the reason this country's going down the tubes. You know what USA For Africa really wants to do? Take our guns and freedom away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

USA!! Love it or leave it baby!!!!!!

just kidding

Man, your post reminds me of when I was trick or treating back in third grade and a guy told me he wouldn't put money in my UNICEF box "for political reasons".

21(?). Cult Hero - "I'm a Cult Hero"

Snakefinger's "Picnic in the Jungle" always evoked Jonestown for me, though the lyrics are abstract and make no direct reference to it.

Jim Jones' People's Temple Choir recorded an album recorded the gospel album "He's Able" in 1973. WFMU has it on mp3: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/02/he_was_able_mp3.html.

Jeremy Spencer of the original Fleetwood Mac quit the band to join The Children of God, a notorious 70s' cult that prostituted its female members. After a few name changes, the group still continues somewhat more respectably as The Family International. In 1973, Spencer released an album of "psychedelic Christian music" as Jeremy Spencer & The Children. He is still a member of the group and rarely records.

Isaac Hayes also was a Scientologist. But does that make him a cult member? Depends on how one defines "cult." I think of the major religions as cults, even though their bosses are generally no longer in the position to give orders.

Are small fundamentalist churches cults? Howard Werth appears to part of some such thing. In the 70s, he recorded terrific albums like Audience's "House on the Hill" and his solo "Six of One/A Half Dozen of the Other." Since then his only new material I know of has been the album "The Evolution Myth Explodes" from 2003. The title track is a rebuke of evolutionary theory, while other tracks suggest such religious themes as speaking in tongues.

every song about jesus

A sizable chunk of Tommy including, but not limited to, "Welcome" and "We're Not Gonna Take It."

I guess this is the best thread for this.

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/the-sound-of-doomsday-in-america-how-a-cult-leader-made-a-cherished-tape-freak-classic