Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees | |
---|---|
Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1979, left to right: Kenny Morris, Siouxsie Sioux, John McKay and Steven Severin | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Janet and the Icebergs |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 1976–96, 2002 |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Website |
siouxsieandthebanshees |
Past members |
Siouxsie Sioux Steven Severin Marco Pirroni Sid Vicious Kenny Morris Peter Fenton John McKay Budgie Robert Smith John McGeoch John Valentine Carruthers Martin McCarrick Jon Klein Knox Chandler |
Siouxsie and the Banshees were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Initially associated with the English punk rock scene, the band rapidly evolved to create "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation".[1] The Times cited Siouxsie and the Banshees as "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".[1]
With the release of Juju in 1981, the group also became an important influence on the emerging gothic rock scene.[2] They disbanded in 1996, with Siouxsie and drummer Budgie continuing to record music as the Creatures, a second band they had formed in the early 1980s. In 2004, Siouxsie began a solo career.
Siouxsie and the Banshees' work places highly in both musicians' polls and music papers' lists. In 2006, Mojo rated guitarist John McGeoch in their list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" for his work on "Spellbound".[3]
History
Formation (1976–77)
Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin met at a Roxy Music concert in September 1975, at a time when glam rock had faded and there was nothing new coming through with which they could identify.[4] From February 1976, Siouxsie, Severin and some friends began to follow an unsigned band, the Sex Pistols.[5] Journalist Caroline Coon dubbed them the "Bromley Contingent", as most of them came from the Bromley region of Kent, a label Severin came to despise. "There was no such thing, it was just a bunch of people drawn together by the way they felt and they looked".[5] They were all inspired by the Sex Pistols and their uncompromising attitude.[6] When they learned that one of the bands scheduled to play the 100 Club Punk Festival, organised by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, were pulling out from the bill at the last minute, Siouxsie suggested that she and Severin play, even though they had no band name or additional members.[7] Two days later, the pair appeared at the festival held in London on 20 September 1976. With two borrowed musicians at their side, Marco Pirroni on guitar and John Simon Ritchie (already commonly known as Sid Vicious) on drums, their set consisted of a 20-minute improvisation based on "The Lord's Prayer".[8]
While the band intended to split up after the gig, they were asked to play again. Two months later, Siouxsie and Severin recruited drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton.[9] After playing several gigs in early 1977, the band realised that Fenton did not fit in because he was "a real rock guitarist". John McKay finally took his place in July.[10]
The Scream and Join Hands (1978–79)
While the band sold out venues in London in early 1978,[11] they still had problems getting the right recording contract that could give them "complete artistic control".[12] Polydor finally offered this guarantee and signed them in June. Their first single, "Hong Kong Garden", featuring a xylophone motif, reached the top 10 in the UK shortly after. A NME review hailed it as "a bright, vivid narrative, something like snapshots from the window of a speeding Japanese train, power charged by the most original, intoxicating guitar playing I heard in a long, long time".[13]
The band released their debut album, The Scream, in November 1978. Nick Kent of NME said of the record: "The band sounds like some unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can, if any parallel can be drawn". At the end of the article, he added this remark: "Certainly, the traditional three-piece sound has never been used in a more unorthodox fashion with such stunning results".[14]
The Banshees' second album, Join Hands, was released in 1979. In Melody Maker, Jon Savage described "Poppy Day" as "a short, powerful evocation of the Great War graveyards",[15] and Record Mirror described the whole record as a dangerous work that "should be heard".[16] The Banshees embarked on a major tour to promote the album. A few dates into the tour in September, Morris and McKay left an in-store signing after an argument and quit the band.[17] In need of replacements to fulfill tour dates, the Banshees' manager called drummer Budgie, formerly with the Slits, and asked him to audition. Budgie was hired, but Siouxsie and Severin had no success auditioning guitarists.[18] Robert Smith of the Cure offered his services in case they could not find a guitarist (his group were already the support band on the tour), so the band held him to it after seeing too many "rock virtuosos".[19] The tour resumed in September and after the last concert, Smith returned to the Cure.[20]
Kaleidoscope, Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1980–82)
Drummer Budgie became a permanent member and the band entered the studios to record the single "Happy House" with guitarist John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine. Their third album, Kaleidoscope, released in 1980, saw the Banshees exploring new musical territories with the use of other instruments like synthesizers, sitars and drum machines. The group initially had a concept of making each song sound completely different, without regard to whether or not the material could be performed in concert.[21] Melody Maker described the result as "a kaleidoscope of sound and imagery, new forms, and content, flashing before our eyes".[22] Kaleidoscope was a commercial success, peaking at number 5 in the UK album chart. This lineup, featuring McGeoch on guitar, toured the United States for the first time in support of the album, playing their first shows in New York City in November 1980.[23]
For Juju (1981), the band took a different approach and practised the songs in concert first before recording them.[24] Juju, according to Severin, became an unintentional concept album that "drew on darker elements". Sounds hailed it as "intriguing, intense, brooding and powerfully atmospheric".[25] The album later peaked at number 7 in the UK album charts and became one of their biggest sellers.[26] McGeoch's guitar contributions on Juju would be later praised by Johnny Marr of the Smiths.[27][28]
During the 1981 accompanying tour, Siouxsie and Budgie secretly became a couple.[29] At the same time, they also began a drum-and-voice duo called the Creatures, releasing their first EP, Wild Things.
The Banshees followed in 1982 with A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. The record, featuring strings on several numbers, was an intentional contrast to their previous work, with Severin later describing it as a "sexy album".[30] The British press greeted it enthusiastically.[31][32] Richard Cook finished his NME review with this sentence: "I promise...this music will take your breath away".[33] At that time, McGeoch was struggling with alcohol problems, and was hospitalised on his return to a promotional trip from Madrid. The band fired him shortly thereafter.[34] Severin asked Robert Smith to take over guitarist duties again; Smith accepted and rejoined the group in November 1982.[35]
Hyæna, Tinderbox and Through the Looking Glass (1983–87)
During 1983, the band members worked on several side projects; Siouxsie and Budgie composed the first Creatures album, Feast, while Severin and Smith recorded as the Glove. Smith then insisted on documenting his time with the Banshees, so the group released a cover version of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" in September 1983. It became their biggest hit, reaching number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[36] They also released a live album, Nocturne, and completed their sixth studio album, Hyæna.[37] Shortly before its release in May 1984, Smith left the group, citing health issues due to an overloaded schedule, being in two bands at once.[38]
Ex-Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers replaced him. The Banshees then reworked four numbers from their repertoire, augmented by a string section, for their The Thorn EP. NME praised the project at its release: "The power of a classical orchestra is the perfect foil for the band's grindingly insistent sounds".[39] The new Banshees lineup spent much of 1985 working on a new record, Tinderbox. The group finished the song "Cities in Dust" before the album, so they rushed its release as a single prior to their longest tour of the UK.[40] Tinderbox was finally released in April 1986. Sounds magazine noted: "Tinderbox is a refreshing slant on the Banshees' disturbing perspective and restores their vivid shades to pop's pale palette".[41] Due to the length of time spent working on Tinderbox, the group desired spontaneity and decided to record an album of cover songs, Through the Looking Glass, in 1987.[42] Mojo magazine later praised their version of "Strange Fruit".[43][44] After the album's release, the band realised Carruthers was no longer fitting in and decided to work on new material as a trio.[45]
Peepshow (1988–90)
Following a lengthy break, the band recruited keyboard player Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein. The quintet recorded Peepshow in 1988, with non-traditional rock instrumentation including cello and accordion. Q magazine praised the album in its 5-star review: "Peepshow takes place in some distorted fairground of the mind where weird and wonderful shapes loom".[46] The first single, "Peek-a-Boo", was seen by critics as a "brave move" with horns and dance elements.[47] Sounds wrote: "The snare gets slapped, Siouxsie's voice meanders all around your head and it all comes magically together".[47] "Peek-a-Boo" was their first real breakthrough in the United States.[48] After the tour, the band decided to take a break, with Siouxsie and Budgie recording as the Creatures and releasing their most critically acclaimed album to date,[49] Boomerang, and Severin and McCarrick working on material together.[50]
Superstition, The Rapture and break-up (1991–1999)
In 1991, Siouxsie and the Banshees returned with the single "Kiss Them for Me", mixing strings over a dance rhythm laced with exotica. The group collaborated with a yet-unknown Asian Tabla player Talvin Singh, who also sang during the bridge. The single received glowing reviews[51] and later peaked in the Billboard Hot 100 at number 23, allowing them to reach a new audience.[48] The album Superstition followed shortly afterwards and the group toured the US as second headliners of the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. The following year, the Banshees were asked to compose "Face to Face" as a single for the film Batman Returns.[52]
In 1993, the Banshees recorded new songs based on string arrangements, but quickly stopped the sessions to play festivals abroad. On their return home, they hired former Velvet Underground member John Cale to produce the rest of the record.[53] At its release, 1995's The Rapture was described by Melody Maker as "a fascinating, transcontinental journey through danger and exotica".[54] A few weeks after its release, Polydor dropped the band from its roster[55] and Klein was replaced on the band's last tour in 1995 by ex-Psychedelic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler. In April 1996, the band finally called it a day after 20 years of working together.[56] Siouxsie and Budgie announced that they would carry on recording as the Creatures. In 1999, they released the album Anima Animus to critical acclaim.[57]
2000s–present
In 2002, Universal Music kicked off the band's remastered back catalogue by releasing The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees. In April, Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie and Chandler reunited briefly for the Seven Year Itch tour, which spawned the Seven Year Itch live album and DVD in 2003.
In 2004, Downside Up, a box set that collected all of the band's B-sides and The Thorn EP, was released. The Times wrote in its review: "for here is a group that never filled B-sides with inferior, throwaway tracks. Rather they saw them as an outlet for some of their most radical and challenging work".[58]
In 2006, the band's first four records were remastered and compiled with previously unreleased bonus tracks. Several recordings made for the John Peel radio show from 1978 to 1986 were also compiled on Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions. AllMusic described the first session as "a fiery statement of intent" and qualified the other performances as "excellent".[59] The second batch of remasters, concerning the 1982–1986 era, was issued in April 2009. It included four other reissues (including their highly regarded A Kiss in the Dreamhouse from 1982).[31][33] The At the BBC box set, containing a DVD with all of the band's UK live television performances and three CDs with in-concert recordings, was also released in June of the same year.
In April 2014, their debut single "Hong Kong Garden" was reissued on double 7" vinyl. It was announced that this would be part of a three-year plan with Universal.[60] In late October, their last four studio albums (1987's Through the Looking Glass, 1988's Peepshow, 1991's Superstition and 1995's The Rapture) were reissued in remastered versions with bonus tracks.[61] Siouxsie and Severin curated a compilation CD called It's a Wonderfull Life for the monthly magazine Mojo, issued on 30 September with Siouxsie on the front cover.[62] On this CD, the pair honoured several composers of film music and classical music that had inspired them.[63]
In 2015, after releasing another compilation called Spellbound: The Collection, which included singles, album tracks and B-sides, the band reissued 1979's Join Hands on vinyl for Record Store Day, with different cover artwork.[64] A CD box set titled Classic Album Selection, Vol. 1 was released in January 2016, containing their first six albums newly remastered by Kevin Metcalfe. Classic Album Selection, Vol. 2, including the other last six albums, followed in April. In November, a vinyl picture disc edition of The Scream was released.[65]
Musical style
Siouxsie and the Banshees have been described as developing "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation".[1] The Times wrote that "The Banshees stand proudly [... as] one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".[1] With some of their darkest material, the band also helped spawn the gothic rock scene.[2]
Legacy and influence
Siouxsie and the Banshees have inspired many musicians of different genres.
The Smiths' Morrissey said that "Siouxsie and the Banshees were excellent", and that "they were one of the great groups of the late 70s, early 80s".[66] He also said in 1994, "If you study modern groups, those who gain press coverage and chart action, none of them are as good as Siouxsie and the Banshees at full pelt. That's not dusty nostalgia, that's fact".[67] Another ex-member of the Smiths, Johnny Marr, mentioned his liking for Banshees guitarist John McGeoch and his composition on "Spellbound". Marr qualified it as "clever" with a "really good picky thing going on which is very un-rock'n'roll."[68] Joy Division producer Martin Hannett saw a difference between the Banshees' first main lineup and the other bands of 1977: "Any harmonies you got were stark, to say the least, except for the odd exception, like Siouxsie. They were interesting".[69] U2 cited Siouxsie and the Banshees as a major influence[70] and selected "Christine" for a Mojo compilation.[71] The Edge was the presenter of an award given to Siouxsie at the Mojo ceremony in 2005.[72][73] The Cure's leader, Robert Smith, declared in 2003: "Siouxsie and the Banshees and Wire were the two bands I really admired. They meant something."[74] He also pinpointed what the 1979 Join Hands tour brought him musically. "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with the Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like the Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing".[75] Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode hailed the single "Candyman" at its release: "This is a great Banshees record[...], I like their sound".[76] Jim Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain selected "Jigsaw Feeling" from The Scream as being among his favourite songs.[77] Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth cited "Hong Kong Garden" in his top 25 all-time favourite songs,[78] and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine also mentioned them as being among his early influences.[79] Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction once made a parallel between his band and the Banshees: "There are so many similar threads: melody, use of sound, attitude, sex-appeal. I always saw Jane's Addiction as the masculine Siouxsie and the Banshees".[80] Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie liked the group's ability to produce pop songs while transmitting something subversive. He said, "They were outsiders bringing outsider subjects to the mainstream. We’re not trying to rip off the Banshees, but that's kind of where we’re coming from".[81]
The Banshees have been hailed by other acts. Radiohead cited McGeoch-era Siouxsie records when mentioning the recording of the song "There There".[82][83] Jeff Buckley, who took inspiration from several female vocalists, covered "Killing Time" (from the Boomerang album) on various occasions.[84][85] Buckley also owned all the Banshees' albums in his record collection.[86] Suede singer Brett Anderson named Juju as one of his favourite records in 2011,[87] and also cited three other albums by the band on his website: The Scream, Kaleidoscope and Tinderbox.[88] Red Hot Chili Peppers performed "Christine" in concert,[89] and their guitarist John Frusciante cited the Banshees in interviews.[90] Garbage singer Shirley Manson stated, "I learned how to sing listening to The Scream and Kaleidoscope. Today, I can see and hear the Banshees' influence all over the place".[91][92] Siouxsie has also been praised by other female singers including PJ Harvey[93] Courtney Love[94] and Ana Matronic of Scissor Sisters.[95] Harvey has stated, "It's hard to beat Siouxsie Sioux, in terms of live performance. She is so exciting to watch, so full of energy and human raw quality",[96] and selected Siouxsie's album Anima Animus in her top 10 albums of 1999.[93] The band had a strong effect on two important trip hop acts.[97][98] Tricky covered "Tattoo" to open his second album, Nearly God;[99] the original 1983 proto-trip-hop version of that song aided Tricky in the creation of his style.[97] Massive Attack, sampled "Metal Postcard" on the song "Superpredators", recorded prior to their Mezzanine album.[100]
The Banshees continue to influence younger musicians. Singer James Murphy was marked by certain Banshees albums during his childhood.[101] His band LCD Soundsystem covered "Slowdive" as a B-side to the single "Disco Infiltrator". The Beta Band sampled "Painted Bird" on their track "Liquid Bird" from the Heroes to Zeros album.[102] TV on the Radio said that they have always tried to make a song that begins like "Kiss Them for Me" where all of a sudden, there's an "element of surprise" with "a giant drum coming in".[103] Electronica singer Santigold based one of her songs around the music of "Red Light". "'My Superman' is an interpolation of 'Red Light'", she explained.[104] Indie folk group DeVotchKa covered the ballad "The Last Beat of My Heart" at the suggestion of Arcade Fire singer Win Butler; it was released on the Curse Your Little Heart EP.[105] Gossip named the Banshees as one of their major influences during the promotion of their single "Heavy Cross".[106] British indie band Bloc Party took inspiration from "Peek-a-Boo" and their singer Kele Okereke stated about that Banshees' single: "it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard".[107] The Weeknd sampled different parts of "Happy House" for his song "House of Balloons", and also used the chorus of the initial version.[108]
Personnel
Discography
- Studio albums
- The Scream (1978)
- Join Hands (1979)
- Kaleidoscope (1980)
- Juju (1981)
- A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
- Hyæna (1984)
- Tinderbox (1986)
- Through the Looking Glass (1987)
- Peepshow (1988)
- Superstition (1991)
- The Rapture (1995)
References
- 1 2 3 4 Nigel Williamson (27 November 2004). "Siouxsie & the Banshees (subscription required)". The Times. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
...with the Banshees she helped to invent a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation... The Banshees stand proudly alongside PIL, Gang of Four and the Fall as the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era.
- 1 2 Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin. p. 427. ISBN 0-14-303672-6.
- ↑ "John McGeogh – Spellbound – (Siouxsie & the Banshees, Juju) – 1981 – Yamaha". Mojo (89). June 1996. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 27.
- 1 2 Johns 1989, p. 13.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 48.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 49.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 53–54.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 54–55.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 57.
- ↑ Morley, Paul. "A World Domination By 1984 Special". NME (14 January 1978).
They hold the house record at the Vortex. They sold out The Nashville two nights running.
- ↑ "Complete Control : Siouxsie in Wonderland". NME (24 June 1978).
If it's our material, we want to have control over what is put out, how it is put out... the packaging and God knows what else.
- ↑ Rambali, Paul. ""Hong Kong Garden" review". NME (19 August 1978).
- ↑ Nick Kent. "Bansheed! What's in an Image?". NME (26 August 1978).
- ↑ Jon Savage. "A Scream in a Vacuum [Join Hands review]". Melody Maker (1 September 1979).
- ↑ Gurr, Ronnie. "Join Hands review". Record Mirror (1 September 1979).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 81–82.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 93–94.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 94–95.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 97–98.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 101.
- ↑ Paulo Hewitt. "Siouxsie's sketches". Melody Maker (26 July 1980).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 259.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 105.
- ↑ Betty Page. "Juju review". Sounds (27 June 1981).
- ↑ "Siouxsie & the Banshees - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ↑ "Johnny Marr Top Ten Guitarists". Uncut (November 2004).
- ↑ "Johnny Marr Top Ten Guitarists". Morrissey-solo.com. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 110–11.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 124.
- 1 2 Steve Sutherland. "Awakening Dreams [A Kiss in the Dreamhouse review]". Melody Maker (6 November 1982).
Dreamhouse is an intoxicating achievement
- ↑ Jim Reid. "A Kiss in the Dreamhouse review". Record Mirror (6 November 1982).
This is a very fine pop record.
- 1 2 Cook, Richard (6 November 1982). "A kiss in the Dreamhouse review". NME. Rock's Backpages (subscription required). Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 126–27.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 129.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 137, 143.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 134.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 142–43.
- ↑ Mark Jenkins. "The Thorn review". NME (25 October 1984).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 154.
- ↑ Kevin Murphy. "Pop's Royal Couple?". Sounds (5 May 1986).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 158.
- ↑ "Music Is Love! 15 Tracks That Changed The World". Mojo. 163 (June 2007).
- ↑ "Covers archive". Mojo. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 162–63.
- ↑ Mark Cooper. "Peepshow Siouxsie and the banshees [review]". Q (September 1988).
- 1 2 Kane, Peter (23 July 1988). single of the week (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Peek-a-Boo). Sounds.
- 1 2 "Siouxsie and the Banshees – awards [Billboard]". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ↑ Morton, Roger. "Peek-A-Boom [Boomerang review]". NME (11 November 1989).
A rich and unsettling landscape of exotica
- ↑ Paytress 2003, pp. 188–89.
- ↑ The Stud Brothers. "Single of the week (Kiss them for me by siouxsie and the Banshees)". Melody Maker (18 May 1991).
Sublime, [...] It doesn't just groove, [...] It floats almost imperceptibly to its ecstatic climax, each sweet verse and saccharin chorus a tantalising hint of what's to come.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 208.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 216.
- ↑ Cathi Unsworth. "Baby, Come back". Melody Maker (14 January 1995).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 224.
- ↑ "Split in the Dreamhouse". Melody Maker (13 April 1996).
- ↑ "Anima Animus review". The Times. 13 February 1999.
hypnotic and inventive
- ↑ Nigel Williamson (27 November 2004). "Siouxsie & the Banshees". The Times.
- ↑ "Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ↑ "Siouxsie and the Banshees to reissue 'Hong Kong Garden' on double 7-inch vinyl". Slicingupeyeballs.com. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ "Siouxsie and the Banshees relaunch archival campaign, new reissues due out in October". Consequenceofsound. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ "Siouxsie on the cover of Mojo November 2014". Greatmagazines. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ↑ "A journey into sound compiled for Mojo by Siouxsie and Steven Severin", Mojo, November 2014
- ↑ "Siouxsie and the Banshees to reissue 'Join Hands' on vinyl with original artwork, tracklist". Slicingupeyeballs.com. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ↑ "Siouxsie and the Banshees The Scream Picture Disc 2016". Thesoundofvinyl.com. Retrieved 4 July 2016
- ↑ Blade, Richard. "Morrissey – KROQ interview, 7-6-97 (pt. 4/4)". morrissey-solo.com. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Maconie, Stuart. "Hello Cruel World". Q (April 1994).
- ↑ Mitchell, Pete. "Spellbound : the story of John McGeoch" BBC2. February 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2010. About McGeoch's contribution of the single "Spellbound", Marr states: "It's so clever. He's got this really good picky thing going on which is very un-rock'n'roll and this actual tune he's playing is really quite mysterious." Radio 2's Pete Mitchell talks to Howard Devoto, Siouxsie Sioux and Johnny Marr among others, as he shines a light on the life of this unsung guitar hero.
- ↑ Savage, Jon. "Martin Hannett [Full transcript of interview with Martin Hannett]". JonSavage.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ↑ McCormick, Neil (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 56, 58 and 96.
- ↑ "U2 Jukebox". U2wanderer.org. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ↑ "Mojo Icon Award". siouxsie.trinitystreetdirect.com. 17 June 2005. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
Last night Siouxsie lifted the Icon Award and the Mojo Honours Awards. The award was given to her by U2's The Edge who cited Siouxsie as a big influence on Bono and U2 before handing over the Award
- ↑ "The MOJO Honours List 2005". Mojo. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
Icon Award: Siouxsie Sioux [presenter: The Edge]
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 95.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 96.
- ↑ Gahan, Dave (February 1986). Singles reviewed by Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. Smash Hits. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ↑ "Jim Reid Duration: 1 hour". BBC Radio 6. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain plays some of his favourite records, including tracks by Pink Floyd, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Monkees and Muddy Waters
- ↑ Kaye, Ben (17 January 2014). "Here are Thurston Moore's favorite songs of all time". ConsequenceofSound.com. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ↑ North, Aaron (19 January 2005). "Kevin Shields: The Buddyhead Interview". Buddyhead (Interview). New York City. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
Kevin: Well, we started playing with a bass player who was your typical early 80s, slightly funky... Gang Of Four type guy. So then we moved from being a typical punk band to being much more like Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 199.
- ↑ Seymour, Corey (24 March 2016). "Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie on His High-Profile Collaborations and Wearing Custom Givenchy". vogue.com. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ↑ "Radiohead Biography". capitolmusic.ca. Archived from the original on 29 June 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
Colin Greenwood remembers: "The first single we're releasing is actually the longest song on the record. ("There There"). It was all recorded live in Oxford. We all got excited at the end because Nigel was trying to get Jonny to play like John McGeoch in Siouxsie and the Banshees."
- ↑ Binelli, Mark (7 February 2008). "The Future According To Radiohead How they ditched the record business and still topped the charts". Rolling Stone (1045).
By the last weeks of December, the band was beginning to rehearse for its 2008 tour. The rehearsals included a number of covers: Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, "The Night" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
- ↑ Jeff Buckley "Killing Time" (Siouxsie – The Creatures cover). Untiedundone.com. Retrieved 21 April 2007. Buckley's version of "Killing Time" performed at the radio WFMU Studios, East Orange, New Jersey, 10 November 1992. "Killing Time" is a Creatures song from their Boomerang album. Buckley also performed it in January 1995 in London at the Astoria.
- ↑ "JeffBuckley-fr.net". Retrieved 1 November 2010. List of songs covered by Jeff Buckley, including "Killing Time" composed by Siouxsie for the Creatures.
- ↑ "Jeff Buckley The Records Collection". Jeffbuckleycollection.com. 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
[enter 'Siouxsie' in the research]
- ↑ "The Best Thing I've Heard – Brett Anderson Suede head". Mojo. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
I've been listening to lots of my old records, like... Siouxsie & The Banshees' Ju Ju
- ↑ "Culture (by Brett Anderson)". BrettAnderson.co.uk. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Setlists". saunalahti.fi. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ↑ Dalley, Helen. "John Frusciante". Total Guitar (August 2002).
- ↑ Paytress 2003, p. 9.
- ↑ Dave Simpson. "Rebellious Jukebox". Melody Maker (28 March 1998).
Siouxsie embodied everything I wanted to be when I was a freaky adolescent. She was really articulate and string; there's so much power in songs like 'Jigsaw Feeling'.
- 1 2 "PJ selects her Top 10 Albums of 1999.". pjharvey.net. 7 January 2000. Archived from the original on 30 June 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ↑ Love, Courtney (2007). Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love. MacMillan. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-330-44546-7.
[List of her favourite records] Siouxsie and the Banshees Best-of
- ↑ "Ana Matronic". Metro. UK. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
My big inspiration as far as music was concerned has always been rather scary women: Annie Lennox, Siouxsie Sioux – The Banshees were probably my favourite band ever
- ↑ Appleford, Steve (October 29, 2000). "Checking In With . . . PJ Harvey In a New York State of Mind". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
Q: Was there any figure who connected with you when you were just a listener? A: It's hard to beat Siouxsie Sioux, in terms of live performance. She is so exciting to watch, so full of energy and human raw quality.
- 1 2 "Sommaire 412". rocknfolk.com. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ↑ "Tricky – Similar Artists, Influenced By, Followers". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ "cover me". moon-palace.de. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ↑ "massive attack discography – tune info + lyrics – superpredators". inflightdata.com. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ↑ Pulver, Sarah. "LCD Soundsystem". Thrasher Magazine (September 2005). Retrieved 8 July 2012.
My first album: I got some birthday money, went to the record store and bought Siouxsie and the Banshees' Join Hands, the Fall Grotesque, and the Birthday Party Nick the Stripper, all in one day. And all three of those records are three of my favorite things I've ever heard.
- ↑ Scott Lapatine. "Earlash interview". Earlash (April 2004). Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ↑ "Icon: Siouxsie". The Fader. 67 (The Icon Issue, April–May 2010): 71.
- ↑ "Icon: Siouxsie". Fader. 67 (The Icon Issue, April–May 2010): 73.
- ↑ Frenette, Brad (7 March 2011). "DeVotchKa finds joy in the sadness – interview". National Post. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
We were playing in Montreal, and Arcade Fire stopped by, back in the earlier days. We were doing this covers album and Win [Butler] recommended that we record The Last Beat of My Heart
- ↑ Larry Fitzmaurice (28 April 2009). "Q&A: Gossip". Spin.
What bands influenced the new album's sound? Everything from the Birthday Party to house music and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
- ↑ O'Kane, Josh (18 September 2008). "Talking Bloc during Harvest Jazz - Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke talks life, love, music and Ultimate Fighting". [Here] New Brunswick. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
With the new record, he said he was inspired by a song written years ago by Siouxsie and the Banshees called Peek-a-Boo. 'I heard it for the first time, and it sounded like nothing else on this planet. This is just a pop song that they put out in the middle of their career that nobody knows about, but to me it sounded like the most current but most futuristic bit of guitar-pop music I've heard. I thought, that'd be cool, to make music that people might not get at the time, but in ten years' time, people would revisit it."
- ↑ Neyland, Nick (28 March 2011). "The Weeknd's House of Balloons". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
So here on the title track from that mixtape, we get a more-than-generous portion of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single "Happy House." which is worked into a softly anthemic slow-burn number full of diva-ish vocals tied to a chilly beat. John McGeoch's riff remains untouched and runs throughout most of the track, giving it a filmy pop feel that periodically peaks with a generous swipe from the "Happy House" chorus
Sources
- Paytress, Mark (2003). Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary. ISBN 1-86074-375-7.
- Johns, Brian (1989). Entranced: the Siouxsie and the Banshees story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1773-6.
Further reading
- Heylin, Clinton (2006). Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-102431-3.
- Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-303672-6.
External links
- Official website
- Siouxsie's Sioux's official website
- The Banshees & Other Creatures – A comprehensive website with an array of information.
- Untiedundone – A site with several articles and interviews published about the band from 1977.