''Cast of Thousands'' is the second and final studio album by the English band

the Adverts The Adverts were an English punk rock band formed in 1976 that existed until late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to achieve mainstream success in the UK; their 1977 Single (music), single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No. 18 on the ...

, released in 1979. It featured a noticeably different, more experimental sound than their debut effort, '' Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts''.

Background

The album was produced by Tom Newman (known for his work on

Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...

's ''

Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...

'').

Doctors of Madness Doctors of Madness were a British protopunk art rock band active as a recording and touring band from 1975 until late 1978. They found cult level acclaim and recognition in the 70s, but had little commercial success. Since then they have come ...

frontman

Richard Strange Richard "Kid" Strange (born in January 1951) is an English actor, writer, musician, and curator, who was the founder and front man of mid-1970s protopunk art rock band Doctors of Madness. Music 1975–1990s Richard Strange's first band Doct ...

guested on synthesizer on the title track.

Reception

Contemporary critics were generally dismissive of the album and the band's change of direction, but it has since been reevaluated. Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, critic Dave Thompson said, "A flagrant departure from even the most extreme expectations, ''Cast of Thousands'' not only cast the band adrift from the new wave mainstream, but it would also alienate all but the most adaptable of the band's following". A retrospective review in ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' noted that the album was still not "an easy listen", but praised the "wild, free and comparatively sophisticated" version of the band, and called the title track a "thrilling, rolling, tumbling, swirling mess of adventure and hope".

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...

is a fan of the band, and of this album in particular. “The record shows the band’s ability to mesh pop hooks and still hold an edge. Besides

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, none of their peers at the time had the chops or the guts to do such work. ''Cast of Thousands'' is a brave and cool album. "

Ian MacKaye Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore pu ...

and I found the Adverts' great "Safety in Numbers"/"We Who Wait" single in a record store many years ago and played it over and over, amazed at what a great band we had found. I still listen to the Adverts and follow TV Smith's ongoing musical journey with great interest and as long as he keeps showing up, so will I".

Track listing

All tracks composed by T. V. Smith # "Cast of Thousands" - 5:26 # "The Adverts" - 3:06 # "My Place" - 2:49 # "Male Assault" - 2:26 # "Television's Over" - 3:17 # "Fate of Criminals" - 3:09 # "Love Songs" - 2:27 # "I Surrender" - 3:02 # "I Looked at the Sun" - 4:15 # "I Will Walk You Home" - 4:04

Personnel

;The Adverts * T. V. Smith – vocals, guitar *

Gaye Advert Gaye Black (born 25 August 1956), known professionally as Gaye Advert, is an English punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, p ...

– bass *Howard Pickup – guitar, vocals *Rod Latter – drums *Tim Cross – piano, synthesizer with: *

– synthesizer on "Cast of Thousands" * Tom Newman – synthesizer on "I Will Walk You Home"

References

The Adverts albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Tom Newman (musician) RCA Records albums Fire Records (UK) albums {{punk-album-stub