Punk & New Wave 1978: The Scream - Siouxsie and The Banshees (November 1978)

This is a revision of a piece I did last year as some of the links on it were dead. Some new links and information have been added and I thought it would be good to revive it a little for your listening pleasure. 

There's lots of links below, so click on them to enjoy the music.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
 The Scream - Siouxsie and The Banshees
Polydor
Produced by Steve Lilywhite
Released 13th November 1978
UK Chart #12

Siouxsie and The Banshees
    Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
    Steven Severin – bass guitar
    John McKay – guitars, saxophone
    Kenny Morris – drums, percussion 

2005 Remastered Deluxe Edition

 Bonus Disc
     Rarities, Sessions & Singles
    Riverside Session
2-1 Make Up To Break Up 4:34
Features Peter Fenton on Guitar
    John Peel Session 1
2-2 Love In A Void 2:40
2-3 Mirage 2:41
2-4 Metal Postcard 3:35
2-5 Suburban Relapse 3:07
    John Peel Session 2
2-6 Hong Kong Garden 2:42
2-7 Overground 3:14
2-8 Carcass 3:44
2-9 Helter Skelter 3:35
    Pathway Demos
2-10 Metal Postcard 4:05
2-11 Suburban Relapse 3:55
2-12 The Staircase (Mystery) 3:08
2-13 Mirage 2:55
2-14 Nicotine Stain 3:13
    Single A-Sides
2-15 Hong Kong Garden 2:55
2-16 The Staircase (Mystery) 3:14

Singles on The Scream?

One of the things that's actually quite striking about The Scream is the absence of the Debut Single, Hong Kong Garden. The other thing that is very clear from the album is that there isn't actually even a future single on it! Well, that's sort of not so true because Metal Postcard was released as a single in West Germany in June 1979 with a German vocal and entitled Mittageisen and released in the UK at the end of September with the flip side Love In A Void (it would reach #47 in the charts in the UK). In France and the UK it was released as a Double A-Side.

Love In A Void appeared on The Once Upon A Time/ The Singles album (1981) and also on the 2006 Deluxe Editon of Join Hands, whilst Mittageisen wouldn't turn up on an album until the Downside Up Boxset of 2004.

Many of us would have bought the single on Import as Polydor did not release it for another couple of months after the initial release in West Germany.

A-Side: Mittageisen

A-Side: Love In A Void

The A-Sides of the first two Siouxsie and The Banshees singles were added to the 1989 CD Reissue of The Scream. They were both also included on the bonus disc of the 2005 The Scream Remastered Deluxe Edition. The B-sides did not appear on an album until Downside Up Boxset in 2004.

Hong Kong Garden / Voices

Polydor

Released 18th August 1978

UK Chart #7

The Staircase (Mystery) / 20th Century Boy

Polydor

Released 23rd March 1979

UK Chart #24

***************************

 Voices On The Air: The John Peel Sessions - Siouxsie and The Banshees

Released 23rd October 2006

Six of the songs that form The Scream, the Debut Album from Siouxsie and The Banshees, had previously been heard on two sessions for John Peel on BBC Radio One prior to the band signing to any record label (29/11/77: Mirage, Metal Postcard, Suburban Relapse, 6/2/78: Overground, Carcass and Helter Skelter). 

The getting signed part was important especially as the band wanted creative control and Polydor Records gave them just that. The decision to not include the debut single or the follow-up was an interesting one and also to not necessarily have a possible "future single" included must have caused Polydor some anxiety.

The Scream is a fantastic Debut from the band and it immediately showed that they were more than prepared to move beyond the confines of "Punk" as it had been defined by the music press and the media. Along with the likes of Joy Divison and Magazine, Siouxsie and The Banshees were clearly blazing a trail for a new and vital Post-Punk sound.

There was a lot of expectation about the album prior to release and it didn't disappoint, though I have to say that I do favour more the Peel Session versions of some of the songs! The reviews were pretty good with Sounds saying it was The Debut Album of the Year and their writer Peter Silverton  gave it five out five stars in his review. Record Mirror also gave it five stars with Chris Westwood saying: The Scream "points to the future, real music for the new age... It is vital, it's moving. It's a ... landmark." Ian Birch of Melody Maker was also postive whilst noting that the album's texture was not unlike that of Wire or Pere Ubu. 

Kris Needs of ZigZag said, "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 Diamond Dogs (Bowie), 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". 

Adam Sweeting began his review by saying, "This is a chilling, intense masterpiece", 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".

Paul Morley writing for the Christmas issue of the NME in December 1978 said, "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".

I loved that line by Morley "it is innovation not revoultion, not a destruction but new building". When you play this album and then listen to say, Give 'em Enough Rope by The Clash, which was released around the same time you can really see just how different the sound of "Punk" was in those days and exactly where it was going to go!

Julie Burchill of the NME 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" but then she seemed to be one of the only ones being negative about the album so I guess her opinion doesn't matter that much! 😀

Thirty Nine years on I still think the album sounds great and innovative and it clearly was a harbringer of what was to come with the whole Post-Punk scene.

It's influence was widespread impacting the likes of Robert Smith (The Cure), Peter Hook (Joy Division), Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) - he said regarding Jigsaw Feeling, "it was brilliant, amazing. That's a reason why I made music". Shirley Manson of Garbage cites it as one of her all-time favourite records. Even Faith No More state that this first album by Siouxsie and the Banshees was one of their influences!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 318 - Siouxsie and The Banshees (#3)

 The Scream - Siouxsie and The Banshees
Polydor
Produced by Steve Lilywhite
Released 13th November 1978
UK Chart #12

Siouxsie and The Banshees
    Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
    Steven Severin – bass guitar
    John McKay – guitars, saxophone
    Kenny Morris – drums, percussion 

Singles on The Scream

One of the things that's actually quite striking about The Scream is the absence of the Debut Single, Hong Kong Garden. The other thing that is very clear from the album is that there isn't actually even a future single on it! Well, that's sort of not so true because Metal Postcard was released as a single in West Germany in June 1979 with a German vocal and entitled Mittageisen and released in the UK at the end of September with the flip side Love In A Void (it would reach #47 in the charts in the UK). In France and the UK it was released as a Double A-Side.

Love In A Void appeared on The Once Upon A Time/ The Singles album (1981) and also on the 2006 Deluxe Editon of Join Hands, whilst Mittageisen wouldn't turn up on an album until the Downside Up Boxset of 2004.

Many of us would have bought the single on Import as Polydor did not release it for another couple of months after the initial release in West Germany.

A-Side: Mittageisen

A-Side: Love In A Void

The A-Sides of the first two Siouxsie and The Banshees singles were added to the 1989 CD Reissue. They were both also included on the bonus disc of the 2005 The Scream Remastered Deluxe Edition. The B-sides did not appear on an album until Downside Up Boxset in 2004.

Hong Kong Garden / Voices

Polydor

Released 18th August 1978

UK Chart #7

The Staircase (Mystery) / 20th Century Boy

Polydor

Released 23rd March 1979

UK Chart #24

***************************

 Voices On The Air: The John Peel Sessions - Siouxsie and The Banshees

Released 23rd October 2006

Six of the songs that form The Scream, the Debut Album from Siouxsie and The Banshees, had previously been heard on two sessions for John Peel on BBC Radio One prior to the band signing to any record label (29/11/77: Mirage, Metal Postcard, Suburban Relapse, 6/2/78: Overground, Carcass and Helter Skelter). 

The getting signed part was important especially as the band wanted creative control and Polydor Records gave them just that. The decision to not include the debut single or the follow-up was an interesting one and also to not necessarily have a possible "future single" included must have caused Polydor some anxiety.

The Scream is a fantastic Debut from the band and it immediately showed that they were more than prepared to move beyond the confines of "Punk" as it had been defined by the music press and the media. Along with the likes of Joy Divison and Magazine, Siouxsie and The Banshees were clearly blazing a trail for a new and vital Post-Punk sound.

There was a lot of expectation about the album prior to release and it didn't disappoint, though I have to say that I do favour more the Peel Session versions of some of the songs! The reviews were pretty good with Sounds saying it was The Debut Album of the Year and their writer Peter Silverton  gave it five out five stars in his review. Record Mirror also gave it five stars with Chris Westwood saying: The Scream "points to the future, real music for the new age... It is vital, it's moving. It's a ... landmark." Ian Birch of Melody Maker was also postive whilst noting that the album's texture was not unlike that of Wire or Pere Ubu. 

Kris Needs of ZigZag said, "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 Diamond Dogs (Bowie), 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". 

Adam Sweeting began his review by saying, "This is a chilling, intense masterpiece". 

Paul Morley writing for the Christmas issue of the NME in December 1978 said, "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".

I loved that line by Morley "it is innovation not revoultion, not a destruction but new building". When you play this album and then listen to say, Give 'em Enough Rope by The Clash, which was released around the same time you can really see just how different the sound of "Punk" was in those days and exactly where it was going to go!

 

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

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 249 - Siouxsie and The Banshees (2)

Peep Show - Siouxsie and The Banshees

Polydor

Produced by Siouxsie and The Banshees, Mike Hedges

Released 5th September 1988

UK Chart #20

US Chart #68

 Tracklist

 A1 Peek-A-Boo
A2 The Killing Jar
A3 Scarecrow   
A4 Carousel
A5 Burn Up
B1 Ornaments Of Gold
B2 Turn To Stone
B3 Rawhead And Bloodybones
B4 The Last Beat Of My Heart
B5 Rhapsody

Personnel
    Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
    Steven Severin – electric bass
    Budgie – drums, percussion and harmonica
    Martin McCarrick – cello, keyboards, accordion
    Jon Klein – guitar

Singles from Peepshow

    Peek-a-Boo / False Face
    Released: 18 July 1988

UK Chart #16

US Chart #53

    The Killing Jar / Something Wicked (This Way Comes)
    Released: 19 September 1988

UK Chart #31

    The Last Beat of My Heart / El Dia De Los Muertos
    Released: 21 November 1988

UK Chart #44

**************************

Peep Show was the ninth studio album from Siouxsie and The Banshees and the first recorded as a five piece. Martin McCarrick on Keyboards and other instruments added some surprising twists and turns to the sound and Jon Klein began a seven year term with the band on guitar (he had previously been with Gothic band Specimen).

Melody Maker had declared that the lead single for the album, Peek-a-Boo, was "quite the most astounding British record" of 1988, and "a brightly unexpected mixture of black steel and pop disturbance." 

Record Mirror reviewer Kevin Murphy concluded his review by saying: "Peepshow is the Banshees' finest hour." NME noted a change of approach in the musical direction: "Peepshow is the best Banshees record since A Kiss in the Dreamhouse because it's the Banshees deciding to be a pop band rather than a rock group"

Burn Up is probably my favourite track on the album. It's a rather strange, almost rockabilly flavoured tune with Cello (by McCarrick) and Harmonica (by Budgie, though live Siouxsie would play the harmonica).

Siouxsie and The Banshees were always one of those bands that gave you surprises with each new album. They were not followers of trends, rather they were the trendsetters and that dated right back to 1978 with their debut album The Scream.

Dedicated to my good friend

Vera Howard

Happy Birthday!

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

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Singles 1978-1995

There is such a diversity of sound within the 30 singles released by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Not only do you get a glimpse of their progress to never really be the same or even sound the same but you get a look at a band growing up and the their constant need to pretty much reinvent themselves with every new album.

The Playlist below includes all 30 of their singles. Some are promo videos, others are Live or TV performances.

Siouxsie and the Banshees 

The Singles 1978-1995

The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series: Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series today spotlights The Seven Year Itch concert by Siouxsie and the Banshees at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2002. It had been seven years since the Banshees had played together.

After their 1995 album The Rapture (their 11th Studio Album) Polydor Records sensationally dropped the band from the label. A tour followed which was to be the last (well at least for the time being). After 20 years Siouxsie and the Banshees were no more as they broke up in 1996. Siouxsie and Budgie had decided to continue work as The Creatures and would release a further two albums together.

Such a reunion you would have expected a setlist that featured all their chart hits from over the course of their successful career, think again though, because Siouxsie and the Banshees were going to to play the songs they wanted to play and not neccesarily what everyone wanted to hear. What you got was B-Sides and obscure album tracks and only a few A-Sides. There was no Hong Kong Garden, no Love In A Void, and no Dear Prudence. The only singles played were Happy House, Christine, Cities in Dust, Spellbound and Peek-a-Boo.  

Setlist

Pure
    Jigsaw Feeling
    Metal Postcard
    Red Light
    Happy House
    Christine
    Lullaby
    Lands End
    Cities in Dust
    I Could Be Again
    Icon
    Night Shift
    Voodoo Dolly
    Spellbound
    Blue Jay Way
    Monitor
    Peek-a-Boo

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!

45RPM: #81 The Staircase (Mystery) - Siouxsie & the Banshees

I kinda like it that the first two singles from Siouxsie and the Banshees were not included on their debut album The Scream or the follow-up Join Hands. They were both stand out on their own way that maybe didn't particularly fit with the ethos of either album (both tracks were added as Bonus tracks when The Scream was reissued as a Deluxe Edition and both were also included on Once Upon A Time: The Singles).

Hong Kong Garden had been a massive hit for them reaching #7 in the charts in the UK. It already showed that they were moving away from the Punk sound and the debut album whilst containing many of the songs that had steered them through Punk also held out a view that their music was going to be much bigger than Punk could ever hope to be.

Melody Maker had declared that "The Staircase (Mystery) hasn't anywhere near the commercial potential or immediacy of Hong Kong Garden, but nevertheless it's a great song. A sinister almost mesmerising tune, dominated by Siouxsie's unorthodox vocals – it grows and matures with each play."

It's funny looking at the lyrics to this all these years on from when it first came out because I didn't really have a clue what she was singing about then and 37 years later I still don't...Maybe that's The Mystery!

I love the B-side of this as well. They had already shown a knack for picking great cover versions (their version of Helter Skelter I think is the best cover of it...move along Bono!) and this one from the songbook of Marc Bolan worked really well for them.

The Staircase (Mystery) / 20th Century Boy - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Polydor

Produced by Nils Stevenson

Released 23rd March 1979

UK Chart #24

 A-Side: The Staircase (Mystery)

B-Side: 20th Century Boy

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 62 - Through the Looking Glass

Cover versions had always been a staple of the life of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Right back at the start they had the Theme to Captain Scarlet, Marc Bolan's 20th Century Boy and The Beatles' Helter Skelter. There was also Supernatural Thing (1981) originally a hit for Ben E. King, The Beatles' Dear Prudence (1983) their biggest hit single that peaked at #3, She Cracked was formerly done by The Modern Lovers and was released by Siouxsie and The Banshees as a B-Side to This Wheel's on Fire. A live version of The Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties was featured on the B-Side to their 1994 Single O Baby.

And then there is the album of Cover Versions released in 1987 a little less than a year after their Tinderbox album. Through The Looking Glass is a rather interesting collection I think that draws from the well of a number of different musical generes. I can remember on release that I was quite dismissive of it but in the years since I've grown quite fond of it.

There's some interesting choices as well, ones that you wouldn't really expect like Hall of Mirrors (Kraftwerk), Trust In Me (from Jungle Book movie), You're Lost Little Girl (The Doors) and possibly even Little Johnny Jewel (Television). 

Probably the most genius like cover on the album though I think is Iggy Pop's The Passenger. It sounds so strange with a horn section on it, apparently Iggy absolutely loved it as well. The Llllloco-Motion Mix on the 12" is totally fabulous I think.

 Through the Looking Glass - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Polydor

Produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Mike Hedges

Released 2nd March 1987

UK Albums Chart #15

US Albums Chart #188

Personnel

Siouxsie and the Banshees
    Siouxsie Sioux - vocals
    Steven Severin - electric bass and keyboards
    Budgie - drums and percussion
    John Valentine Carruthers - guitars and keyboards

Additional personnel
    Martin McCarrick - cello, keyboards, string arrangements
    Jocelyn Pook - viola
    Gini Ball - violin
    Pete Thoms - trombone
    Luke Tunney - trumpet
    Martin Dobson - saxophone
    Julie Aliss - harp

Singles From Through The Looking Glass

This Wheel's On Fire / Shooting Sun / Sleepwalking (On the High Wire) / She Cracked

 Released 5th January 1987

UK Chart #14

The Passenger / She's Cuckoo / Something Blue

Released 16th March 1987

UK Chart #41

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

Rewind: 1978 The Scream - Siouxsie and The Banshees

The Scream is the Debut Album from Siouxsie and The Banshees. Released on this day in 1978 it is an album that is a regarded as a classic of it's time. With good reason as well as it set out the stall of Siouxsie and The Banshees that showed they were well and truly prepared to move beyound the confines of Punk as it was then understood. It is regarded as a landmark album in terms of Post-Punk (quite where they find all these terms and squeeze bands into the mold of that "genre" is beyond me). Personally I still regard it as a Punk album, though one that broke the mould created by the music press and Record Labels, and make no apologies for doing so.

One thing was totally clear with the Debut Album was that the band had made a lot of progress musically, this had come about through constant live performance and having the opportunity to record prior in a studio to getting a Record Deal with Polydor (they had already completed two sessions for John Peel - more of that later).

When they formed in 1976 to play at the 100 Club Punk Festival on 20th September they had consisted of Siouxsie on vocals, Sevrin on bass, Sid Vicious on Drums (!) and Marco Pironi on guitar. They played one track only, which consisted of 'Deutschland Uber Alles', 'Knocking on Heaven's Door', 'Twist and Shout', and 'The Lords Prayer' all lumped together into a 20 minute improvised jam (Listen Here Part One and Part Two). It was pretty rough.

They had intended to break up after that one show but were asked again to play and within a couple of months they had added Kenny Morris on Drums and Peter Fenton on Guitar (but he was replaced because he was deemed a "a real rock guitarist" and by July 1977 John McKay held the position).

On 29th November 1977 the band entered the Maida Vale Studios to record their first session for John Peel. Tracks for teh session were: Love In A Void, Mirage, Metal and Suburban Relapse. In February 1978 they went back to Maida Vale to record their second session, tracks this time included: Hong Kong Garden (which six months later would actually be their Debut Single for Polydor but at this point they were still not signed), Overground, Carcass and a cover of The Beatles' Helter Skelter.

After finally finding a record label who would give them complete artistic control they signed to Polydor in June. As their Debut Single Hong Kong Garden was released on 18th August the band was in the studio taking a week to record the Debut Album and three weeks for Mixing. They obviously had a clear idea what the album would sound like as they had already recorded 6 of the tracks for John Peel and Demos had been made at Pathway as they laid down Metal Postcard, Suburban Relapse, The Staircase (Mystery), Mirage and Nicotine Stain (Not sure of the dates for these demos). All of these tracks  which was also included in the Deluxe Edition of The Scream that was reissued in 2005 and in 2007 released as Voices On The Air.

There's also an iffy sounding Bootleg called Before The Scream that includes live material and demos. Despite the poor sound quality it's an interesting account of the early days that includes Captain Scarlet Theme Tune, Psychic, Scrapheap, Bad Shape, 20th Century Boy, The Lord's Prayer, Make Up To Break Up, Love In A Void, Helter Skelter and Hong Kong Garden. I haven't listened to it all as of yet but it's interesting enough to include here for your listening pleasure.

One of the things that's actually quite striking about The Scream is the absence of the Debut Single. Obviously having Complete Artistic Control meant they could easily make the decision not to include it. The other thing that is very clear from the album is that there isn't actually even a future single on it! Well, that's sort of not so true because Metal was released as a single in Germany in June 1979 with a German vocal and entitled Mittageisen and released in the UK at the end of September backed by Love In A Void (it would reach #47 in the charts in the UK).

Their second single (which normally would have come from the album, but didn't) The Staircase (Mystery) / 20th Century Boy did not go as high as the Debut (that peaked at #7) but did give them their second Top 30 single peaking at #24.

Upon release it pretty much received good reviews from what I remember. Sounds even awarded it Debut Album of the Year.

For the 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.

There was a lot of great expectation about the album and it didn't disappoint.

The Scream - Siouxsie and The Banshees

Polydor

Produced by Steve Lilywhite

Released 13th November 1978
UK Chart #12

Siouxsie and The Banshees
    Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
    Steven Severin – bass guitar
    John McKay – guitars, saxophone
    Kenny Morris – drums, percussion

More Banshees

1977

Carcass (Live).

 Make Up To Break Up/Metal Postcard (Elizabethan Suite).

Love In A Void/The Lord's Prayer (The Vortex).

1978

Hong Kong Garden (Revolver).

Jigsaw Feeling (Old Grey Whistle Test).

Metal Postcard (Old Grey Whistle Test).

Love In A Void (Something Else).

Hong Kong Garden (Rockpop German TV).
Hong Kong Garden (Rockpalast).

Hong Kong Garden (Top of the Pops).

Here's a nice wee bonus. This is a show that I was at back when I was 14 years old. In October 1977 when they played at the Greyhound The Slits had supported them. For this show in February it was The Fall and that was first time apart from a film on TV of them singing Industrial Estate that I had laid eyes upon Mark E. Smith. 

It's bizzare all these years on listening to this. Brings back so many memories of the people I used to hang around with and that crazy last train ride home from East Croydon hoping that the Teddy Boy's wouldn't storm the train and beat you up!

Croydon Greyhound 12th February 1978 (Full Set).

45RPM: #2 - Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Released on this day in 1978 a truly classic single and the debut from Siouxsie and the Banshees. 

Formed in 1976 and two days later they made their live debut as part of the bill for the Punk Festival at 100 Club in London on the 20th September. Siouxsie and Severin were joined on stage by Marco Pironi on guitar and John Ritchie (aka Sid Vicious) on drums. They had intended to break up following the gig but were invited to play again so they sought to put together a proper band and after a few months touring the band was Siouxsie on vocals, Severin on bass, Kenny Morris on drums and John McKay on guitar.

The song was named after the Hong Kong Garden Chinese take-away in Chislehurst High Street. Siouxsie was quoted as explaining the lyrics with reference to the racist activities of skinheads visiting the take-away:

"I'll never forget, there was a Chinese restaurant in Chislehurst called the 'Hong Kong Garden'. Me and my friend were really upset that we used to go there and like, occasionally when the skinheads would turn up it would really turn really ugly. These gits would just go in en masse and just terrorise these Chinese people who were working there. We'd try and say 'Leave them alone', you know. It was a kind of tribute."

Siouxsie put all her anger and frustration into the words:

    "I remember wishing that I could be like Emma Peel from The Avengers and kick all the skinheads' heads in, because they used to mercilessly torment these people for being foreigners. It made me feel so helpless, hopeless and ill."

A-Side:

Hong Kong Garden 

B-Side:
 Voices (on the Air).

Polydor Records

Produced by Nils Stevenson and Steve Lilywhite

Released 18th August 1978

UK Chart #7

Six months prior to the debut release by Siouxsie and the Banshees, Hong Kong Garden was recorded for a John Peel Session. You can find it and more by clicking here! The first eight tracks on the album Voices On The Air: The John Peel Sessions were recorded in 1977 and 1978 before the band had even been signed (they eventually signed with Polydor in June 1978).

Happy Birthday Siouxsie Sioux

Born on this day in 1957

Live Shows

Click on the links to enjoy

Rockpalast (1981).

London (1983)

London (1985)

Reading Festival (1993)

Mexico (1995).

Happy Birthday Siouxsie

Happy Birthday Siouxsie, born on this day in 1957.

It's hard to imagine that back in 1976 Siouxsie and Steven Sevrin thought after appearing at The Punk Rock Festival at the 100 Club 0n 20th September that they would split up after one gig. That "gig" featured Marco Pirroni on guitar and Sid Vicious on drums and in essence was a 20 minute improvised version of 'The Lord's Prayer'  - Part One, Part Two*, (that would end up on their second album 'Join Hands').

(*The recording is pretty rough but it's amazing that such a thing is available at all!)

Being asked to play again though meant that they need to put together a proper band and so Kenny Morris on Drums and Peter Fenton on Guitar were the first real line up (Fenton was replaced by John McKay early 1977 because he was deemed a "real rock guitarist!").

As the band continued to grow and play live, often selling out venues, their stock with regard to a record deal was at an all time low. It seemed everyone was getting signed except them, and mysteriously 'Sign the Banshees' graffiti began appearing on walls outside Record Companies in London.

I saw them a few times prior to eventual signing to Polydor Records and they were really a force to be reckoned with. An ever expanding setlist with songs like 'Love in a Void', 'Make Up To Break Up/'Metal', 'Suburban Relapse', 'Carcass', 'Nicotine', 'Captain Scarlet', 'Mirage' and a fantastic cover of 'Helter Skelter' it was most puzzling why they did not have a deal. What we didn't know was they wanted "Creative Control" and finally Polydor Records gave in to them.

Hong Kong Garden / Voices (On The Air).

Of all the records most eagerly anticipated in 1978, surely the number one single was the debut from Siouxsie and the Banshees. I can remember bunking off school on the 18th August just to be at the Record Shop for opening time to get my hands on it. The single of course would sky rocket to #7 on the charts and be the launch of a very long a pretty successful career.

The song was not unknown to fans of the band as they had recorded it for their second John Peel Session (that also included 'Overground', 'Carcass' and 'Helter Skelter') back in February 1978. They did a great peel session in in September 1977 that included 'Love in a Void', 'Mirage', 'Metal Postcard' and 'Suburban Relapse'.

I was thinking of extending this a little but I don't have time today (maybe when I get some time I can do a more indepth look at the band and their music), so it's just a short reflection on a great band from way back when.

Happy Birthday again Siouxsie.