A BESTIARY OF - PRESS | ||
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Vox 02/98 | ||
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Siouxsie and Budgie's side-project
Although the band had enjoyed some measure of cult success among 1977's teutonically obsessed, gothically inclined, minimalist punk rock elite, Siouxsie and the Banshees were pretty much a one-trick pony until the arrival of their long-standing virtuoso drummer Budgie -- who had previously stunned the entire punk cosmos with his inspired stickwork on the Slits' remarkable "Cut" debut -- offered unlimited potential for artistic expansion and experimentation. While recording the band's darker-than-thou fourth album, "Juju," a stripped-down, drum'n'voice version of the song "But Not Them" was recorded. Though deemed unsuitable for release under the Banshees' name, it was sufficient quality for Siouxsie and Budgie to persevere with the concept behind, which consequently became the blueprint for an enduring and fruitful side-project, The Creatures. "Bestiary" is a collection of work recorded between '81 and '83 and, despite the fact that the majority of The Creatures' canon was deemed overly pretentious and self-indulgent on its original release, it stands the test of time surprisingly well. The debut "Wild Things" EP is the most primitive material on offer; one man's spirited approximation of the then fashionable Burundi sound augmented by fog-horn Siouxsie's singularly macabre lyricism. The Band's first album, "Feast," is a far more exotic affair, spiced up with myriad musical and percussive influences from all corners of the globe, due in part, presumably, to the fact that it was recorded in the tropical heat of Hawaii. And "Bestiary" concludes with the band's spirited, chart-busting rendition of Mel Torme's "Right Now," complete with the strident brass sound which was, in 1989, to characterize their second album, "Boomerang." 3/4 Ian Fortnam |
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A BESTIARY OF - CREDITS | ||
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Mad Eyes Screamer Lyrics | ||
Platform ranting in
the trees Mad eyed screamer,
mad eyed screamer Could be a preacher,
could be a teacher Come and see the
corner speaker Mad eyed screamer on
your knees Mad eyed screamer,
mad eyed screamer |
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Mad Eyes Screamer Credits | ||
Sioux
- Lyrics Sioux - Voice Budgie - Drums, Percussion & Marimba |
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Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment | ||
Based on a local character found at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, London . "'Mad Eyed Screamer is about a guy who was at Speaker's Corner on Sundays when I used to go down there, one man in particular that I remember who was just crazed, obsessive and quite frightening." (Siouxsie) Source: Smash Hits 10/81. | ||
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So Unreal Lyrics | ||
What can I do, I know
they've gotten to you You're talking in a
balloon, in this tidy room What can I say, what
can I say You're so ideal,
you're never down at heel |
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So Unreal Credits | ||
Sioux
- Lyrics Sioux - Voice Budgie - Drums, Percussion & Marimba |
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Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment | ||
The novel The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. "It's about meeting someone again who you've known a few years ago, and they're totally conventional and all they care about is their washing machine." (Siouxsie) Source: Smash Hits 10/81. | ||
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Sky Train Lyrics | ||
Sky train rides again |
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Sky Train Credits | ||
Sioux
- Lyrics Sioux - Voice Budgie - All Instruments |
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Miss The Girl Lyrics | ||
Kiss
the girl Hand
around the steering wheel Don't
you miss the girl? Seduced
reflection in the chrome Kiss
the girl Your
loving strokes are fatal charms You
didn't miss the girl Kiss
the girl |
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Miss The Girl Credits | ||
Sioux
- Lyrics Sioux - Voice Budgie - All Instruments |
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Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment | ||
The book Crash, by J. G. Ballard in which the lead character gets sexual gratification from car crashes. | ||
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Hot Springs In The Snow | ||
Instrumental |
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Hot Springs In The Snow Credits | ||
Sioux - Voice Budgie - All Instruments |
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