''Cast of Thousands'' was

the Adverts The Adverts were an English punk band who formed in 1976 and broke up in late 1979. They were one of the first punk bands to enjoy chart success in the United Kingdom, UK; their 1977 single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" reached No. 18 in the UK Single ...

' second album, 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 Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

's ''

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

''), who played synthesizer on "I Will Walk You Home".

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 January 1951) is an English writer, actor, musician, and curator, who was the founder and front man of mid-1970s protopunk art rock band Doctors of Madness. Music Strange's first band was Doctors of Madness, formed ...

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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, 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 Quiet ...

'' 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, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...

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, 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 punk ...

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 Timothy "T. V." Smith (born 5 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter who was part of punk rock, punk band The Adverts in the late 1970s. Since then he has fronted other bands, as well as pursuing a solo career. Biography Smith and Gaye Ad ...

# "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 *

- vocals, guitar *

Gaye Advert Gaye Advert (born 25 August 1956), also Gaye Black, is an English punk rock musician, who played bass guitar in the band The Adverts in the late 1970s. She was one of the first female rock stars of the punk rock movement, whom ''The Virgin Encyc ...

- 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