JOIN HANDS - TRIVIA
 
 
  Musicians:

Join Hands:

  • The original cover was to incorporate a picture of two children getting married, this was abandoned when it proved too difficult to trace the copyright owner. Plans were quickly changed to have a plain sleeve with four soldiers embossed on it, but in the rush to get the album released in time for the tour the soldiers were printed and not embossed as planned.
  • Inspiration/Influence for sleeve: The four soldiers are from a photograph of Guards Memorial, Horse Guards Parade, London., taken by Adrian Boot 23/11/78.
  • It has been suggested that it's common knowledge that Bolan was approached as producer for the Banshees' Join Hands album... sorry to disillusion you... but Join Hands wasn't recorded and released until 1979... two years after his death.  (Billy 'Chainsaw')  Source:  The File, Phase Four, Issues One & Two.

Poppy Day:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    SEVERIN: "Last November 11 I was watching the TV when they had the two minutes silence in memory of the war dead and I thought wouldn’t it be nice if there were music for it." A leaping notion that, silence set to music. Source:  Sounds 29/09/79.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded for a BBC Session 09/04/79 at Maida Vale 6, aired 16/04/79.
  • The words to the song 'Poppy Day' are actually from a poem called In Flanders Fields written by Canadian soldier Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during the First World War.

Regal Zone:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    SEVERIN: "It is absurd to say that your emotions when watching say a TV news item in Iran (the starting point of ‘Regal Zone’) are unreal just because you aren’t out on the streets of Teheran yourself". Source:  Sounds  29/09/79.
    SIOUXSIE: " 'Regal Zone' is personally political for me." Source:  Sounds  05/04/80.
    SIOUXSIE: "There was conflict in Iran and bombings in London and it all seemed to fit. It wasn't any pro-militarymessage; we just wanted to capture the spirit of what things were like at the time. Severin had written 'Regal Zone; which summed all that up." Source:  The Authorised Biography 2002.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded for a BBC Session 09/04/79 at Maida Vale 6, aired 16/04/79.

Placebo Effect:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    "Placebo Effect" came from hearing a programme on Capitol Radio, when one of the station's resident Kildares was discussing the kind and colour of medicaments that different nations most favour. Apparently the UK goes for pills while the French like suppositories and the Italians injections.  Source:  Melody Maker 17/02/79.
  • Demo recorded at Camden Town Demo Studio 03/03/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded for a BBC Session 09/04/79 at Maida Vale 6, aired 16/04/79.
  • Live debut 09/12/78, Tiffany's Club, Purley.  Source: The File, Phase One.

Icon:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment: 
    SEVERIN: "There’s a song we have called ‘Icon’ that was inspired by Dervishes getting themselves into such a state that they could put needles through their heads. Our interest in that state is a theme that runs through our work." Source:  Sounds 07/03/81. 
    SIOUXSIE: "There’s amazing religions in the East where they go into states of, umm…. Dervishes and they put skewers through their skin, I don’t know what that’s called, they go into mad dervishes, chanting and mantras and that. I’m just fascinated in the power of the mind over the body I suppose, and what’s outside, not just the mind, what other elements are involved in it, you can endure an incredible amount of pain without faltering, again, when the adrenalin and drive is pushed." Source:  Rox Box Interview 10/05/86.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Remixed and edited for release as a single, but not used.  Source:  The File, Phase One.
  • Live debut 07/04/79, Rainbow Theatre, London.  Source: The File, Phase One.

Premature Burial:

Playground Twist:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    Talks about adults who act like children and children who think they're adults. It might be interpreted as a swipe against the music press. As the title suggests, there's a kind of nursery-rhyme section. Source:  Melody Maker 17/02/79.
    SIOUXSIE: "It's about the cruelty of children and that whole aspect of being thrown out into the playground in the winter in howling gales and left to fend for your-selves. It's not the sort of thing you're supposed to write pop songs about." Source:  The Authorised Biography 2002.
    SIOUXSIE: "I suppose ‘Playground Twist', is quite happy at the end, because the baddies are swinging in the gallows." Source:  Sounds 20/06/81.
  • Demo recorded at Camden Town Demo Studio 03/03/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded for a BBC Session 09/04/79 at Maida Vale 6, aired 16/04/79.
  • Filmed promo video at the ICA 07/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Performed on Top Of The Pops (debut performance) 12/07/79.
  • The record sleeve cover art was painted by a disabled child in Kuwait.  Source:  Smash Hits 12/07/79.

Mother:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    SIOUXSIE: "It’s very close to home. It’s personal but I’m not hung up about it. I’ve deeply loved my mother. I’ve gone out and got pissed with her. Called her by her first name. But at times she’s been this disapproving figure and I’ve hated her I think. Source:  Sounds 29/09/79.
    SIOUXSIE: "It’s not just me though. I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t got a confused relationship with their mother. What role they’re supposed to play, whether they should guide you without commanding you or.. it’s such a dilemma. Also a mother is the thing I’m most confused about becoming." Source:  Sounds  29/09/79.
  • Demo recorded at Camden Town Demo Studio 03/03/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Live debut 10/04/85 St James Church, London.  Source: The File, Phase Four, Issue One and Two.

Oh Mein Papa:

  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Original by Eddie Calvert - 20th Century Hits For A New Millennium.

The Lords Prayer:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    Parts of 'The Lord's Prayer' were inspired by     The Benefactor, a short horror story by Walter Winward.
    STEVE: "I still think it was really important for us to put ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ on there, because so many people were like pretending it didn’t exist, pretending we were this singles band, exclamation marks. There were all these other sides to us and I’m really glad it got on there." Source:  Zigzag 05/80.
    SIOUXSIE: " 'The Lord's Prayer' has never had lyrics or a tune to it. Live it's either been the best thing in the set or the worst: it either happened or it didn't." Source:  Sounds 05/04/80.
    SIOUXSIE: " 'The Lord's Prayer' was an aggressive thing about religion and tradition." Source:  Trax 17/02/81.
    SEVERIN: "It’s a noisy joke. We’re making this horrendous noise and Sioux’s singing ‘Clare De Lune’. I have to laugh." Source:  Sounds 29/09/79.
    SIOUXSIE: "That’s a gleeful mockery of religion or any other fanaticism - for the Beatles or whatever. We’re just spanners in the works of uniform progression." Source:  Sounds 29/09/79.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Central theme based on the hymn The Lords Prayer.

Pulled To Bits:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:  
    The acts of copy cat violence that followed the release and subsequent withdrawal of Stanley Kubricks A Clockwork Orange.
  • Recorded 03/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Mistakenly printed as 'Pull To Bits' on the sleeve and record.  Source:  Smash Hits 12/07/79.
  • Live debut 19/03/80, Osborne Club, Manchester.  Source: The File, Phase One.

Mittageisen:

  • Inspiration/Influence/Band Comment:
    Dedicated to the celebrated photomontage artist of the Twenties/Thirties, John Heartfield, the original title for this song was 'Letter To Heartfield'. The chorus is taken from one of Goerring's speeches during the Second World War.
    SIOUXSIE: "It's a warning song. The whole propaganda of the Nazis at that time was very dangerous and it could easily creep its way in without there being all the hysteria of killing the Jews. Their whole propaganda could easily fit in today." How does she see this Metal Metropolis? "Not being able to get away from the commands of the day, not being able to escape, the idea of having cameras in your room and having people watching you..." Source:  Melody Maker 21/10/78
    SIOUXSIE: "What lies around the swastika I hate, but I also don't identify with blind patriotism either. I couldn't write a song based around Heartfield if I had that attitude." Source:  Melody Maker 17/02/79
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded for a Capital One Nicky Horne session 02/79.
  • Covered by Ciril - Pink Cave 7" Single.
  • 'Mittageisen' translates as midday iron, but might be mistaken for the similar sounding 'Mittagessen' which means midday meal. 
  • The Record sleeve uses a collage called Hurrah! die Butter is alle by anti nazi artist John Heartfield.
  • The re-recorded German language version was sampled on the Massive Attack song 'Suerpredators (Metal Postcard)' - The Jackal soundtrack.
  • No video was filmed for the release 'Mittageisen'.
  • Live debut 13/04/78, Rafters Club, Manchester.  Source: The File, Phase One.

Love In A Void:

  • Demo recorded at Riverside Studios 12-14/06/77.  Source:  The File, Phase One.
  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Covered by Armitage Shanks - 25 Golden Showers.
  • Covered by Darkthrone - Too Old, Too Cold.
  • Sampled by Akala on the song 'Love In My Eyes' from the album 'Freedom Lasso'
  • Recorded for a BBC Session 29/11/77 at Maida Vale 4, aired 05/12/77..
  • The first song Siouxsie & The Banshees wrote together and was intended to be released as the first single, it eventually surfaced as a double A side with the UK release of 'Mittageisen'.

Infantry:

  • Recorded at Air Studios 04/79.  Source: The File, Phase One.
  • Unreleased track from the Join Hands session, now available on the remastered and expanded Join Hands album.

Split:

  • On September 17th 1979 the first Banshees split took place when John Mckay & Kenny Morris walked out of a record signing in Aberdeen.  
  • That night support band The Cure dedicated new song 'S' to Siouxsie.  Later in the evening the remaining two Banshees Siouxsie & Steven joined Robert Smith on stage for an unrehearsed version of 'The Lords Prayer'.  Source:  Sounds 15/09/79.

Siouxsie Sues:

  • Siouxsie & The Banshees tried to sue the people responsible for the bootleg Album Love In A Void  The main objection being that the bootleg contains an early recording of 'Love In A Void', which at the time still included the line "Too many Jews for my liking".

Radio Ban:

  • 04/05/79 Siouxsie was unofficially banned from BBC Radio broadcasts due to swearing on the live program Roundtable, it was nearly two years before she was invited back.  Source:  The File, Phase One.

Kenny Morris & John McKay:

  • It would be 8 years before Kenny Morris and John McKay returned to the music scene Morris with La Main Morte and McKay with Tightrope.