The Scream is the debut studio album by British alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Recorded in one week and mixed in three during August 1978, it was released on 13 November 1978 by record label Polydor. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.
The Scream | |||
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Studio album by | |||
Released | 13 November 1978 | ||
Recorded | 1978 | ||
Studio | RAK Studios, London, England | ||
Genre | Post-punk | ||
Length | 39:04 | ||
Label | Polydor | ||
Producer |
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Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology | |||
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![Siouxsie and the banshees full album the screaming Siouxsie and the banshees full album the screaming](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/460/MI0001460706.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
The Scream is the debut studio album by British alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Recorded in one week and mixed in three during August 1978, it was released on 13 November 1978 by record label Polydor. Before the album's release, the band had developed a strong reputation as a live act, and had achieved a Top 10 UK single with 'Hong Kong Garden' (which did not appear on the original album).
Upon release, The Scream was widely acclaimed by critics. It was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart. The album is regarded as a landmark of post-punk.[1]
Background[edit]
In late 1977 and early 1978, Siouxsie and the Banshees received major press coverage but failed to secure a recording deal. A fan undertook a graffiti campaign in London, spraying the walls of the major record companies with the words 'Sign the Banshees: do it now'.[2]Polydor finally signed them in June.[3]
John McKay had become the band's guitarist in July 1977; music historian Clinton Heylin argued that the recruitment of McKay along with the formation of Magazine and PiL between August 1977 and May 1978 marked the 'true starting-point for English post-punk'.[4] Several songs from The Scream had already been recorded on BBC Radio 1 for two John Peel sessions: 'Mirage', 'Metal Postcard' and 'Suburban Relapse' premiered in November 1977, and 'Overground' and 'Carcass' were aired three months later in February 1978.
Recording and music[edit]
The Scream was recorded in one week during August 1978, and mixed in three weeks.[5] The band was in the studio while their debut single 'Hong Kong Garden' was released; it reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart.[6][7]
J. G. Ballard and William Burroughs provided the reference points for the lyrics of The Scream.[8] In a track such as 'Suburban Relapse', the band wrote about suburbia, where they were born and raised. Steven Severin emphasized: 'That's why J.G. Ballard resonated so much with us, because all his near-future tales were set in this bizarre suburban wasteland. Suburbia is a place where you can imagine any kind of possibility, because there's space, not urban clutter'.[9]
Simon Goddard described the music on The Scream as a 'claustrophobic abyss of angst and angularity'.[1] The opening cut, 'Pure', had a spacious, atmospheric sound. Journalist Miranda Sawyer noted that Siouxsie's 'vocals came from a distance', that 'there was a lot of space' and that 'the sound was big and slow'.[8]Kris Needs remarked that at the end, it seeps out into 'Jigsaw Feeling', a 'song of disorientation and bewilderment' with a 'huge, sometimes awe-inspiring' sound'.[5] The last song, 'Switch', was arranged in three different sections, 'for the different people who swap jobs with terrible results - scientists, general practitioner and vicar'.[5]
McKay co-wrote most of the songs. Only 'Carcass' dated from the band's time with Peter Fenton, their guitarist from January to July 1977.[10] Siouxsie wanted the Banshees' music to be 'cinematic'; Bernard Herrmann's score to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho inspired the music of 'Suburban Relapse', where the guitars echo the knife-screeching violins of the famous shower scene.[11]
Title and sleeve[edit]
The title of the album was in part inspired by the film The Swimmer starring Burt Lancaster in which main character Neddy Merrill intended to swim home, using open air pools. Climbing over garden fence, from pool to pool, his journey put him into a state of mental and physical exhaustion, and in the end, Goddard said, 'all Neddy Merril could think to do was scream, [...] as a scream of exhausted jubilance after a troubled, arduous journey'.[12]
The idea for the cover was Siouxsie's. Photographer Paul Wakefield met with her and the band to discuss the project. Wakefield later said, 'The idea was to shoot disquieting and unnerving images underwater in a swimming pool – you can't scream underwater. I wanted to be able to completely control the lighting, and so an indoor pool was the only option. I scouted quite a few pools, but when I saw this pool in the YMCA in Central London, which was dark blue tiled with light blue lane stripes instead of the normal reverse colors, I knew it was the ideal location. I wanted to give it an eerie underwater night-time feel, and this setting was perfect. We used a number of 1000K and 2000K lights around the pool edge. I used school kids as models and they pretty well ran riot.'[13]
Release[edit]
The Scream was released on 13 November 1978. It was an almost instant commercial success, peaking at No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart.[14]
The Scream was reissued in the UK on 27 October 2005 (28 October in the U.S.) as part of Universal's Deluxe Edition series. The new edition featured a remastered version of the album on the first disc, while the second disc contained demo and live tracks together with the singles from that period. A single-disc edition of the reissue was released in 2007.
In November 2016, a vinyl picture disc edition was released, mastered from the original tapes by Kevin Metcalfe.[15] A 180g vinyl reissue of the original edition, mastered from the original ¼” tapes and cut half-speed at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell, was released in September 2018.[16] A blue vinyl edition, limited to 1,000 copies, was released in November 2018 for the 40th anniversary of the album, on indie only record stores' websites.[17]
Critical reception[edit]
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+[19] |
Mojo (2005 deluxe edition) | [20] |
Q (2005 deluxe edition) | [21] |
Record Mirror | [22] |
Sounds | [23] |
Uncut (2005 deluxe edition) | [24] |
Upon its release, The Scream received critical acclaim. Critics in the British and American press generally agreed that the album was a landmark of its time and that the band's willingness to experiment made it a challenging listen.
The Scream was hailed as 'the best debut album of the year' by Sounds.[25] Critic Peter Silverton gave the album 5 stars out of 5,[23] and the paper listed it at No. 2 in its end-of-year best album list.[26]Record Mirror also published a 5-star review, saying: The Scream 'points to the future, real music for the new age. [...] It is vital, it's moving. It's a ... landmark.' Chris Westwood praised the cohesion between the words and the music: 'The album's lyrical frame of mind is perfectly reflected in the work of [guitarist] McKay. [Bassist] Severin and [drummer] Morris; constantly shifting, restless, controlled agression, they are as essential as Siouxsie.'[22]Melody Maker described the sound as 'strong, abrasive, visceral and constantly inventive, with a thrust that makes the spaces equal partners to the notes', with the critic comparing the album's textures to that of Wire and Pere Ubu.[27]ZigZag qualified it as a 'magnificent record', with reviewer Kris Needs writing: 'I can't think of another group who could have made an LP so uncompromising, powerful and disturbing, yet so captivating and enjoyable [...] It is certainly a special classic to join milestones like [David Bowie's] Diamond Dogs, Roxy [Music]'s first and [Lou Reed's] Berlin. This is music of such strength and vision that you just can't not be moved by the time they swing into the final climactic passage of 'Switch', the closing track.' Needs qualified the sound as 'huge, sometimes awe-inspiring' and commented that drummer Morris created 'one of the best drum sounds I've ever heard – the deep echo and floor-shuddering mix accentuating his muted Glitter Band stomp'.[5] Critic Adam Sweeting began his review by saying, 'This is a chilling, intense masterpiece'. Sweeting then noted that the musicians 'have perfected a group sound which is powerful but streamlined', adding that 'the words and music combine to produce coolly dazzling images'.[28]
Several journalists from NME also praised the record. Nick Kent first stated that the band sounded 'like some unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can.' He then focused his attention on the opening track, saying: 'Pure' takes the sound to its ultimate juncture, leaving spaces that say as much as the notes being played. Certainly, the traditional three-piece sound has never been used in a more unorthodox fashion with such stunning results.'[29] In December 1978, another critic from NME, Paul Morley, described the music on The Scream as 'unlike anything in rock':
It is not, as some would say, chaotic – it is controlled. Each instrument operates within its own space, its own time, as if mocking the lines of other instruments. Known rock is inverted, leaving just traces of mimickry of rock's cliches – satire that often bursts with glorious justification into shaking celebration (as on 'Helter Skelter'). It is easy to gain attention by doing something which is crudely obviously out of the ordinary, but the Banshees have avoided such futile superficialities: it is innovation, not revolution, not a destruction but new building. It has grown out of rock – Velvets, Station to Station, Bolan. And Siouxsie's staggering voice is dropped, clipped, snapped prominently above this audacious musical drama, emphasizing the dark colours and empty, naked moods.[30]
However, in her review of the album, NME's Julie Burchill was unimpressed, stating that the Banshees sound was 'a self-important threshing machine thrashing all stringed instruments down onto the same low level alongside that draggy sub-voice as it attempts futile eagle and dove swoops around the mono-beat. Their sound is certainly different from the normal guitar-bass-drums-voice consequence. But it’s radically stodgy [...] loud, heavy and levelling, the sound of suet pudding'.[31]
Kurt Loder gave a very favourable review in Rolling Stone, remarking that The Scream was a 'striking debut album'; and that its 'sound, stark though fully realized (thanks partly to a most simpatico co-producer, Steve Lillywhite), is lent added intellectual dimension by a series of disturbingly ambiguous lyrical images'.[32]
One year later, critic Ronnie Gurr wrote about the album: 'The Scream, a masterpiece that, for six months, I failed to recognise as such, was a harrowing listening experience.'[33] Writer Don Watson of NME later described the album's music as 'something that whipped the past into a great whirlpool of noise, pulling the future down'.[34]
During a BBC radio show, David Bowie mentioned a concert of the group given after their release of their first album: 'I saw you Siouxsie and you were really excellent [...] I was clutching my copy of The Scream'.[35]
Legacy[edit]
Since its release, The Scream has received a number of accolades from the music press. NME rated it at No. 57 in their 'Writers All Time 100 Albums' list in 1985.[36]Uncut magazine placed it at No. 43 in their list of the 100 greatest debut albums.[37] It was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[38]
The Scream placed the group among the pioneers of post-punk, as peer Robert Smith of the Cure contended:
'When The Scream came out, I remember it was much slower than everybody thought. It was like the forerunner of the Joy Division sound. It was just big-sounding.'[39]
Joy Division's Peter Hook, who saw the group in concert in Manchester in 1977,[40] said about The Scream: 'Siouxsie And The Banshees were one of our big influences [...] The Banshees first LP was one of my favourite ever records, the way the guitarist and the drummer played was a really unusual way of playing.'[41]The Scream had a strong impact on other musicians. Massive Attack covered and sampled 'Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)' on their song 'Superpredators (Metal Postcard)' in 1997 for the soundtrack to the movie The Jackal.[42]Faith No More covered 'Switch' in concert[43] and cited this first Siouxsie and the Banshees' album as one of their influences.[44]Steve Albini praised guitarist John McKay for the noise created : 'The Scream is notable for a few things: only now people are trying to copy it, and even now nobody understands how that guitar player (you know, the one who's been replaced by everyone in England) got all that pointless noise to stick together as songs'. and further added: 'good noise guitar is like an orgasm.'[45] While playing his favourite records on BBC Radio 6 in 2012, Jim Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain commented: 'Jigsaw Feeling' from The Scream album [...] it was brilliant, amazing. That's a reason why I made music'.[46]Morrissey had 'Mirage' played during intermission before all concerts of his 1991's Kill Uncle tour.[47] Morrissey's main composer, Boz Boorer, also rated The Scream highly, ranking it second in his 'Top Five Desert Island Album Selection'.[48] Boorer stated: 'Another big influence on my playing is John McKay [...]. That first Siouxsie record was quite incredible sounding, and it started me in thinking that music didn’t have to be any certain way—that there could be many different influences in music and it didn’t have to be a single, strict avenue. That first Banshees album has a lot of jarring guitar that rubs against what you’d think was going to or maybe should happen over a part, and that changed my thinking quite a bit'.[49]Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson cited it as one of her all-time favourite records.[50]The Scream was also hailed by the singer of Suede, Brett Anderson.[51]Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran said: 'The Scream [...] is a brilliant record – so enigmatic and different'.[52]Tracey Thorn of Everything but the Girl remembered 1978 as an important music year. 'Back then when I only had five or six records I'd listen to each of them over and over, knowing every beat, every word, every scratch. Elvis Costello's My Aim is True, The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Jam's In the City, Moving Targets by Penetration, and Another Music in a Different Kitchen by Buzzcocks.[53]
Track listing[edit]
Side A | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
1. | 'Pure' | Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, John McKay, Kenny Morris | 1:50 | |
2. | 'Jigsaw Feeling' | Severin | Severin, McKay | 4:39 |
3. | 'Overground' | Severin | McKay | 3:50 |
4. | 'Carcass' | Siouxsie, Severin | Siouxsie, Peter Fenton | 3:49 |
5. | 'Helter Skelter' | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Lennon, McCartney | 3:46 |
Side B | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
6. | 'Mirage' | Severin | McKay | 2:50 |
7. | 'Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)' | Siouxsie | McKay | 4:14 |
8. | 'Nicotine Stain' | Siouxsie | Severin | 2:58 |
9. | 'Suburban Relapse' | Siouxsie | McKay | 4:12 |
10. | 'Switch' | Siouxsie | McKay | 6:49 |
CD reissue bonus tracks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
11. | 'Hong Kong Garden' (7' A-side) | Siouxsie | Siouxsie, Severin, McKay, Morris | 2:55 |
12. | 'The Staircase (Mystery)' (7' A-side) | Siouxsie | Siouxsie, Severin, McKay, Morris | 3:15 |
2005 Deluxe Edition bonus disc | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
1. | 'Make Up to Break Up' (Riverside session) | Siouxsie, Severin, Fenton | ||
2. | 'Love in a Void' (Peel Session 1) | Severin | Siouxsie, Severin, Fenton | |
3. | 'Mirage' (Peel Session 1) | |||
4. | 'Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)' (Peel Session 1) | |||
5. | 'Suburban Relapse' (Peel Session 1) | |||
6. | 'Hong Kong Garden' (Peel Session 2) | |||
7. | 'Overground' (Peel Session 2) | |||
8. | 'Carcass' (Peel Session 2) | |||
9. | 'Helter Skelter' (Peel Session 2) | |||
10. | 'Metal Postcard' (Pathway session) | |||
11. | 'Suburban Relapse' (Pathway session) | |||
12. | 'The Staircase (Mystery)' (Pathway session) | |||
13. | 'Mirage' (Pathway session) | |||
14. | 'Nicotine Stain' (Pathway session) | |||
15. | 'Hong Kong Garden' (7' Single Version) | |||
16. | 'The Staircase (Mystery)' (7' Single Version) |
Personnel[edit]
- Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Siouxsie Sioux – vocals, production
- Steven Severin – bass guitar, production
- John McKay – guitars, saxophone, production
- Kenny Morris – drums, percussion, production
- Technical
- Steve Lillywhite – production
References[edit]
- ^ abGoddard, Simon. Mozipedia: The Encyclopaedia of Morrissey and the Smiths [Sioux, Siouxsie entry]. Ebury Press. p. 393.
Produced by Steve Lillywhite, it arrived between Magazine's Real Life and Public Image Ltd's Public Image as the second in that year's triptych of albums layering the foundations of post-punk.
- ^Mark Paytress (2003). Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN1860743757.
- ^Heylin 2006, p. 461.
- ^Heylin 2006, p. 460.
- ^ abcdNeeds, Kris (November 1978). 'Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Scream'. ZigZag. Rock's Backpages (subscription required). Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^Clinton Heylin (2006). Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge. Penguin Books. p. 440. ISBN0-14-102431-3.
- ^'1978 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 16th September 1978'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ abSawyer, Miranda (16 October 2012), Spellbound: Siouxsie and the Banshees, BBC Radio 4, retrieved 2 January 2016
- ^Paytress, Mark (November 2014), Her Dark Materials (252), Mojo, p. 79
- ^Heylin 2006, p. 132.
- ^'Episode 3'. The Movie That Changed My Life. Episode 3. 31 July 2009. BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^Goddard, Simon (2005), The Scream [liner notes deluxe edition], Universal Music
- ^Featured Album Cover Artist Portfolio – Paul Wakefield, albumcoverhalloffame, 12 December 2014, retrieved 15 January 2016
- ^'Siouxsie & the Banshees [uk charts]'. officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ^'Siouxsie and the Banshees The Scream Picture Disc 2016'. Thesoundofvinyl.com. Retrieved 4 July 2016
- ^Helfet, Gabriela (4 September 2018). '10 Siouxsie & The Banshees albums to be reissued on vinyl'. thesoundofvinyl. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^'The Scream Blue Vinyl'. Thevinyl. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
'The Scream Blue Vinyl'. Juno.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
'The Scream Blue Vinyl'. Banquetrecords. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
'The Scream Blue Vinyl'. Piccadillyrecords. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
'The Scream Blue Vinyl indie'. Normanrecords. Retrieved 15 December 2018. - ^Raggett, Ned. 'The Scream – Siouxsie and the Banshees'. AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^Christgau, Robert (1981). 'Consumer Guide '70s: S'. Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN089919026X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^Cameron, Keith (November 2005). 'Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Scream'. Mojo (144): 122.
- ^Segal, Victoria (November 2005). 'Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Scream'. Q (232).
- ^ abWestwood, Chris (14 October 1978). 'Siouxsie's Stampede [The Scream – review]'. Record Mirror: 16.
- ^ abSilverton, Pete (14 October 1978). 'If Screams could kill [The Scream – review]'. Sounds: 33.
- ^Reynolds, Simon (November 2005). 'Killer wail'. Uncut (102).
- ^Silverton, Pete (25 November 1978). 'The Most Elitist Band in the World'. Sounds.
- ^'End of Year list'. Sounds. 23 December 1978.
- ^Birch, Ian (21 October 1978). 'Scream and Scream Again'. Melody Maker.
- ^Adam Sweeting. 'The Scream - review'. 1979 - reproduced in Ray Stevenson's book: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Photo Book (1983). ISBN0711903018.
- ^Kent, Nick (26 August 1978). 'Bansheed! What's in an Image?'. NME.
- ^Morley, Paul (23 December 1978). 'Siouxsie and the Banshees'. NME.
- ^Burchill, Julie (18 November 1978). 'Album Review by Julie Burchill. Well, Whatever Would Edvard Munch Have Said? Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Scream (Polydor)'. NME.
- ^Kurt Loder (4 October 1979). 'The Scream – review'. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2013.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ^Gurr, Ronnie (1 September 1979). 'Join Hands – review'. Record Mirror.
- ^Watson, Don (22 February 1986). 'The Howling'. NME.
- ^'Jonathan Ross show on BBC Radio 2'. youtube. 2 August 2003. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^'Writers All Time 100 Albums'. NME. 30 November 1985.
- ^'100 Greatest Debut Albums'. Uncut. August 2006.
- ^Robert Dimery (2005). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Cassell Illustrated.
- ^Steve Sutherland (1 October 1983). 'Disturbing Old Ghosts'. Melody Maker: 37.
- ^Hook, Peter (2011). The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club. Simon & Schuster. ISBN978-1847391773.
I went to see Siouxsie and the Banshees at The Oaks, and I still have my ticket
- ^'Playlist – Peter Hook's 'Field recordings'. Q magazine. 23 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^'inflightdata.com – Massive Attack Discography – Tune Info + Lyrics – superpredators'. inflightdata.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^'Faith No More - Switch - Melbourne 2010'. youtube. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^Wiederhorn, Jon (4 November 2014). 'Interview: Faith No More Give Update from the Studio'. Revpmver. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^Steve Albini. (September - October 1984). 'Tired of Ugy Fat ?'. Matter [a Music Magazine] (10).
- ^'Jim Reid on BBC Radio 6 Music'. bbc.co.uk. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2015.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- ^'Morrissey Under the Influence'. passionsjustlikemine.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^'Q & A Pt 4'. bozboorer.com. 21 November 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^Von Bader, David (30 March 2017). 'Boz Boorer: Triple Agent'. premierguitar.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^Dave Simpson (28 March 1998). 'Rebellious Jukebox'. Melody Maker.
Kerr, Dave (29 June 2012). 'Under the Influence: Shirley Manson'. theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
Manson, Shirley (12 May 2018). 'Why I Love… The Scream – Siouxsie And The Banshees'. Longlivevinyl.net. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
Aubrey, Elizabeth (6 June 2018). 'Versions 13.0: Shirley Manson's Favourite Albums'. Thequietus.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018. - ^'Some Current Fascinations'. brettanderson.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2013.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ^John Freeman (15 April 2013). 'The Sounds Of Planet Earth: Nick Rhodes Of Duran Duran's Favourite Albums'. quietus.com. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^'Last Night a Record Changed my Life'. Mojo: 25. May 2018.
![Siouxsie And The Banshees Full Album The Scream Siouxsie And The Banshees Full Album The Scream](/uploads/1/2/5/7/125742904/445271533.jpg)
- Sources
- Heylin, Clinton (2006). Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge. Penguin Books. ISBN0-14-102431-3.
- Paytress, Mark (2003). Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN1860743757.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Scream_(album)&oldid=900555980'
If shock is an essential ingredient in the chemistry of Punk, then Siouxsie perfectly fits the bill. With her deliberately outlandish, and to some, frightening appearance Siouxsie and future Banshee bass player, Steven Severin were early Sex Pistol devotees, well before their heroes signed a record deal. Siouxsie and the Banshees would go on to become one of the most creative punk and post punk bands. In late September 1976 – at a two day Punk Festival at the 100 Club in London – Siouxsie and the Banshees had their improvisational debut. Soon after this inauspicious start they began playing around London; a ‘Sign The Banshees’ graffiti campaign took hold in early 1978 before Polydor did just that and the four piece recorded Hong Kong Garden, which made No.7 in August that year. Their album, The Scream, followed a few months later and made No.12 on the album charts. A string of charting singles followed but it wasn’t until 1983 that they again cracked the Top 10 with a cover of Dear Prudence, the Beatles song about Mia Farrow’s sister, written after their trip to Rishikesh to learn from the Maharishi. The follow-up album to The Scream was Join Hands, which made No.13 before 1980’s Kaleidoscope made No.5 and the following year Ju Ju got to No.7 before Once Upon A Time – The Singles spent six months on the chart in 1982, reflecting the band’s success as a producer of fine forty-fives. In 1988 Peek-A-Boo made the Billboard Top 100 and three years later Kiss Them For Me got to No.23. In Britain their single and album success was consistent through the middle of the 1990s. Their influence can be seen in Morrissey and The Smiths and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Robert Smith of The Curehas readily acknowledged that they were one of the bands he really looked up to.
Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that even notched a left-field Top 40 hit.
Throughout its numerous lineup changes and textural shifts, the group remained under the leadership of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan Dallion on May 27, 1958. She and the Banshees’ initial lineup emerged from the Bromley Contingent, a notorious group of rabid Sex Pistols fans; inspired by the growing punk movement, Dallion adopted the name Siouxsie and formed the Banshees in September 1976. In addition to bassist Steven Severin and guitarist Marco Perroni, the band included drummer John Simon Ritchie, who assumed the name Sid Vicious; they debuted later that year at the legendary Punk Festival held at London’s 100 Club, where their entire set consisted of a savage, 20-minute rendition of “The Lords Prayer.”
Soon after, Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, while Perroni went on to join Adam & the Ants. The core duo of Sioux and Severin, along with new guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, reached the U.K. Top Ten with their 1978 debut single, “Hong Kong Garden”; their grim, dissonant first LP, The Scream, followed later in the year. Two days into a tour for their 1979 follow-up, Join Hands, both McKay and Morris abruptly departed, and guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure (the tour’s opening act) and ex-Slits and Big in Japan drummer Budgie were enlisted to fill the void; although Smith returned to The Cure soon after, Budgie became a permanent member of the group, and remained with the Banshees throughout the duration of their career.
With ex-Magazine guitarist John McGeoch on board, the band returned to the studio for 1980’s Kaleidoscope, a subtler and more melodic effort than their prior records; on the strength of the U.K. Top 20 smash “Happy House,” the album reached the Top Five. A year later, the Banshees released the psychedelic Juju, along with Once Upon a Time, a collection of singles; at the same time, Sioux and Budgie formed the Creatures, an ongoing side project. Following 1982’s experimental A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, McGeoch fell ill, and Smith temporarily rejoined for the group’s planned tour; a pair of 1983 performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall were recorded and later issued as Nocturne. Also in 1983, Severin and Smith teamed as the one-off project the Glove for the LP Blue Sunshine.
After his recovery, McGeoch opted not to return, so the Banshees recruited former Clock DVA guitarist John Carruthers after Smith exited following the sessions for 1984’s dark, atmospheric Hyaena. With 1986’s Tinderbox, Siouxsie and the Banshees finally reached the U.S. Top 100 album charts, largely on the strength of the excellent single “Cities in Dust.” After 1987’s all-covers collection Through the Looking Glass, Carruthers took his leave and was replaced by ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein and keyboardist Martin McCarrick for 1988’s Peepshow, a techno-inspired outing that gave the group its first U.S. chart single with “Peek-a-Boo.”
In 1991 — the year in which Sioux and Budgie married — the Banshees performed on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour; their concurrent LP, Superstition was their most commercially successful, spawning their lone U.S. Top 40 hit, “Kiss Them for Me.” Another singles collection, Twice Upon a Time, followed in 1992 before the group returned after a long absence with 1995’s stylish The Rapture, produced in part by John Cale. A year later, the nostalgia surrounding the reunion of their former heroes the Sex Pistols prompted Siouxsie and the Banshees to finally call it quits; Siouxsie and Budgie turned to the Creatures as their primary project, while Severin composed the score for the controversial film Visions of Ecstasy. In 2002 Sioxsie, Severin, Budgie and Chandler reunited for the so-called Seven Year Itch tour, eventually leading to a live album, Seven Year Itch, and a DVD concert film in 2003. Universal Music began releasing the band’s albums remastered with bonus tracks in 2006. Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions, drawn from live recordings made for the John Peel radio show between 1978 and 1986, appeared that same year.