siouxsie and the banshees: classic or dud? search and destroy

Search: "Peekaboo" Destroy: "Kiss Them For Me"

Search: Urg, that's hard. I'll go with my personal underrated fave, "Cannons".
Destroy: "Dear Prudence". In a second. I mean, it's just a horrid song. Nothing they could have done would have saved it.

Destroy : the swastika

As far as goth goes, not horrible. There's something very unpleasant about her voice, though, that I can't quite put my finger on, something beyond the iciness that comes with the territory.

Classic if only for Peepshow. That's one damn fine record.

Search: "Fireworks" Destroy: "Hong Kong Garden", at least the lyrics thereof. "Slanted eyes greet a new sunrise / A race of bodies small in size / Chicken chow mein and chop suey / Hong Kong Garden takeaway". I mean really.

Search -- _Nocturne_, hands down. One of my favorite live albums *and* favorite albums. Just a great performance from everyone involved.

Destroy -- well, Tom had a rather good point. ;-)

Destroy : Voodoo Dolly from JuJu

Oh it's a 'C or D' as well is it? Oh Classic for sure. Actually I must confess that I haven't listened to S+B in 5 years, and I only have the early stuff. Must have a listen to some over the weekend.

The likes of Alien Sex Fiend, Sisters, and a host of bands either in the "Batcave" scene or featured in "new" Zigzag claimed to be "goth" but it was all a bit silly really. Probably mostly ended up getting jobs as bank clerks. Go check out Mick Mercer's "Gothic Rock" book for a full rundown of that hilarious era.

Siouxsie & The Banshees, goth ?!? Frankly, that's insulting !

They probably pre-date goth, but boy oh boy do they fit in. Also, I don't see any contradiction between being a goth and becoming a bank clerk. What are "true" goths suppose to make of themselves when they grow up, anyway ?

I thought everyone knew that.

an how could anyone not like kiss them for me? that's like the best song ever, though the hindu-deity appropriation in the video was a bit tired even for 1991

Just picked up the two-discer BEST OF SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES. Despite already being utterly needless in the wake of both the singles collectoins, ONCE UPON A TIME and TWICE UPON A TIME, this "limited edition" package includes a bonus disc of "rare Remixes"....just to rope in suckers like myself. Herein my beef: Being that the perfectly sublime "Song from the Edge of the World" does *NOT* exist anywhere on compact disc, why then tease fans by including the cringe-worthy "Columbus Mix" of said song instead of the definite article?

Problem numbah two: why no inclusion of earlier gems like "Metal Postcard"? You'd never know the band ever had a harder, punkier edge if this was the only document of theirs available (and isn't that what BEST OF's are supposed to do? Provide a the widest array of a band's canon?)

Personally speaking, I would've also included their live cover of "Helter Skelter."

All the other albums really need to be sieved to varying degrees but fortunately their best tracks were generally the singles

I agree with Sundar about those early demos - when are they going to get an official release? It would be great to have Make Up To Break Up and Captain Scarlet legitimately available

Turns out according to the bio "Hong Kong Garden"'s lyrics were, says La Sioux, "mentally dedicated to my local Chinese takeaway in Chislehurst High Street, which opened when I was 12 or so and at a time when there were loads of skinheads around. I was so sorry for the racist abuse that the people who worked there used to get. I always wished I was Emma Peel and that I could beat the shit out of the skinheads." Well then.

Search: Urg, that's hard. I'll go with my personal underrated fave, "Cannons"

They actually talk about that a bit in the book, so you're not alone there. Weird thing is that even though I've heard that album any number of times I can't recall for the life of me how it goes!

I was a huge, huge fan in the 80s, saw them live several times (they were shit hot) once with Robert Smith on guitar which must be like a goth's wet dream or something. But for some reason I went right off them very quickly and don't listen to them at all now (well, apart from the nostalgic tug of "Hong Kong Garden" and "Jigsaw Feeling"). Maybe it was me, maybe it was "Dear Prudence"

I too read Paytress' book (whilst on jury duty) and enjoyed it so much that I was genuinely sad when it was over.

Has anyone heard the new Creatures record? It's been getting glowing reviews.

Am I the only one who genuinely appreciates "Kiss Them for Me"?

*Thinks it's alright* - sign me up.

chapterhouse/siouxsie sample

They didn't include anything from the "Downside Up" box when they did the reissues, only some demos and the occasional 12" mix - those are strewn about various releases as well.

This performance still sends shivers down my spine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1ny-YPV4U

Happy belated 60th birthday Siouxsie. Your albums mean more to me the older I get. I hope you perform once again.

I will happily echo that.

Siouxsie, Love and Rockets, Iggy Pop, Echo & The Bunnymen, Adam Ant, Billy Idol playing Cruel World 2023. Details: https://t.co/IjadKbfmUP pic.twitter.com/53xUZO8FoJ

— Slicing Up Eyeballs (@slicingeyeballs) January 23, 2023

'[Siouxsie's] father was a bacteriologist who milked venom from snakes' is a joyous wikipedia fact.

While we're on this tangent, Siouxsie was included last week in a quiz round I compiled on famous Belgians (she qualifies via her father).

Cruel World is only a 20 minute drive (w/o traffic) from my house. Legit excited at dad goth lineup.

Xp hah, never knew. Saw her in Brussels on her solo tour but that was quite a detached performance

Bob Geldof too, sort of.

Come to think of it, 'milked venom from snakes' sounds like a line from the Banshees' early 80s heyday

Cruel World is only a 20 minute drive (w/o traffic) from my house. Legit excited at dad goth lineup.

― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, January 24, 2023 2:18 AM

I'm in the OC so it's a bit further for me but would love to go to this. Not sure tho as I think my festival days are behind me.

Wow, Billy Love and Echo AND Idol Rockets?

poor Gang of Four, they don't deserve the 5th line

It's a great eye chart for a punk rock ophthalmologist's office

Looks like I'm going, I have been convinced.

I heard horror stories about the heat last year so as tempting as this is, going to pass and pray she does a bay area stop (love and rockets too; I imagine they might, does david J still live here or did he move to LA?)

AFAIK, David J has been in LA for awhile now.

Drugs -

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

I love this one

Somehow always puts me in the mind of The Aloof - Abuse

I think it's how the dutdutdut is often matched by a slowly descending double. E rush kosmische or something.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-05-22/cruel-world-siouxsie-iggy-pop-festival

I forget which thread the cruel world fest was discussed on, but here’s Simon Reynolds review

It occurred to me that Twice Upon A Time is one of my favourite singles comps ever, but I’ve never listened to a Siouxsie album proper. Where’s good to start? (I am lukewarm on the earlier stuff.)

A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is the one I revisit most. Or Peepshow if that’s too early.

Start with the albums that have your favorite Twice songs on them

Peepshow became a fave when I read the 33 1/3 book on it. Recently been listening to Tinderbox since hearing “Land’s End” live

Also, Downside Up is the best b-side 4xCD box. I’ll fight with it in the reissue goth war

Tinderbox was my first and all these years later has settled into my fave (Scream a close second)

DJP otm

Of their many strangenesses, they're a perfect singles band with very cohesive albums. The ...Upon at Time comps are intense, joyful, and unaccountably earwormy. The albums are intense, oppressive and the singles melt perfectly into the moodiness, the joy reconfigured.

I might be the only fan of gloss to have disliked "Face to Face" since 1992. Stephen Hague + the Banshees didn't pair well.

It’s great at the goth club. And the b-sides were pretty fun too

I came around on tunafish sandwiches and still love listening to The Lords Prayer …

I bought Hyæna and Tinderbox around the time of release, saw the Through the Looking Glass tour and opening for David Bowie at Angel Stadium Glass Spider. But none of that comes close to Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju poll

Been a SATB fan since I first saw the video for "The Passenger" on 120 Minutes in the 80s (didn't even know that it was an Iggy cover yet), but somehow I'd just never gotten around to listening to 'The Rapture' until I heard "Stargazer" on a "vintage alternative"-type radio show. Now I've heard it and think it's great! I guess that was a quality effort to sign off with, and I might think it's even a click or two better than 'Superstition.'

Definitely. Rapture was good but their time had passed. Superstition is the only low point in their discography

Also, Downside Up is the best b-side 4xCD box. I’ll fight with it in the reissue goth war

If I could second this.

Definitely. Rapture was good but their time had passed. Superstition is the only low point in their discography

Of the two times I saw them, Lolla 91 was good but yeah I remember thinking that beyond a couple of killer singles that was an uneven effort to be touring for, putting it mildly. But I did see The Rapture tour stop at the Wiltern and that was really lovely -- the songs from that album killed live, the overall setlist and crowd vibes were great. It kinda put a pin in everything just so, so I never bothered with the reunion. (Did see the Creatures with John Cale a few years later and that was a fine addendum, though I do regret not seeing the Boomerang tour in 1990.)

Downside Up is fantastic - I listen to CD1 of that more than most actual Banshees albums though the other discs are almost as great.

The Rapture is a top five Banshees CD imo

Feels like Superstition was their (weak) attempt to break the American mainstream, while Rapture was them saying fuck it (would also reflected in the set lists of both tours).

I love Shadowtime. Also love love love the b-sides Staring Back and Return. Great memories of Dear Prudence on the first Lollapalooza tour at sunset.

Thanks for recommendations! Still exploring but I…

- forgot how truly amazing “dazzle” is
- should probably add making the connection to this and “happy house” to the “things I was really old before” thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgRq-MXBkTM

Happy birthday, Severin!

this thread prompted me to dig out Once Upon A Time, except my copy is on tape so i had to recreate it from the lps a track at a time. didn't have the single version of Israel but did have the 12" version. and i had to stop after Candyman because i have nothing newer. but nice to be reminded.

yes, Dazzle is good, but the extended version sounds a lot like a cd skipping. was probably ground-breaking at the time.

(also included Metal Postcard because it was a single but curiously missed from Once...)

Budgie memoir announced. Unfortunately no way I can find yet to preorder on paper in US.

And on top of that!

https://thejohnmckay.bandcamp.com/album/sixes-and-sevens

McKay's burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris - at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin - fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group's second album, Join Hands. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie's vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, "Drop Dead / Celebration". Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley's In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again.

So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John's wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom are now sadly deceased.



WHAT

argh not released until May 6th

oooh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhPUScImUU4

There are some quotes from Steve Severin in the Lollapalooza oral history book that are so gratuitously dickish I'm genuinely unsure whether they're meant to be sarcastic or not.

incredible, thank you xp

totally new to me