Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 160 - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Hyæna - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Polydor

Produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Mike Hedges

Released 8th June 1984

UK Chart #15

US Chart #157

1984 US Edition

UK release did not include Dear Prudence

Singles From Hyæna

 Dear Prudence

23rd November 1983

UK Chart #3

Swimming Horses

16th March 1984

UK Chart #28

Dazzle

25th May 1984

UK Chart #33

Personnel
    Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
    Steven Severin – electric bass and keyboards
    Budgie – drums, percussion, and marimba
    Robert Smith – guitars and keyboards

Additional personnel
    Robin Canter – woodwind
    The Chandos Players – strings  

Hyæna is the sixth studio album from Siouxsie and the Banshees. It is the only studio album that Robert Smith of The Cure features on and he had left the band prior to its release citing health issues due to an overloaded schedule playing in the two bands (and also taking part in the side project The Glove with Steven Sevrin that released the album Blue Sunshine and a couple of singles in 1983).

Besides The Glove project mentioned above Siouxsie and Budgie had also been in a side project of their own in 1983 and had released the debut album Feast by The Creatures in May 1983. Then late 1983 it was back to Banshees business with the release of Nocturne a live double album recorded at The Royal Albert Hall in November. But before that in September there had been the release of Dear Prudence which turned out to be their biggest selling single and highest placed on the UK chart (peaking at #3!).

One of the things that always impressed me about Siouxsie and the Banshees is that even though they gained a foothold into the music business via the rise of Punk in 1976-77 by the time they came to finally release their debut single (Hong Kong Garden) and album (The Scream) they had already transcended the whole Punk scene. They were being called Post-Punk and then they were Goth...then Neo-Psychedelia...basically people were trying to find a pigeon hole for them to fit into and the truth of the matter is that they actually didn't fit anybody's concept and that can only be seen as a good thing.

Listening to Hyæna afresh for the first time in a number of years I'm immediately bowled over by how brilliant Dazzle is, I loved it as a single and now it sounds so majestic with that 27 piece orchestra backing it and the power of Budgie's drumming as well is totally standout.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!