THE BEST OF - ADVERTS/REVIEWS | ||
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Unknown source 2002 | ||
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Siouxsie and the
Banshees probably possess the most neglected back catalogue of any major
band of the last 25 years. These days, their classic albums such
as Kaleidoscope and Juju languish on mid-price release (if
you can find them), sorely in need of remastering and repackaging.
To add insult to injury, around 50 or so Banshees tracks have never been
made available on CD. One can only wonder how this situation was
allowed to develop...
In 1995, after a tempestuous 17-year relationship, the Banshees and their label, Polydor, separated in acrimonious circumstances. The following year, the band announced that they were calling it a day. Siouxsie and Budgie went off to form Sioux Records and reactivated their extra-curricular outfit, the Creatures. Steven Severin founded his RE: label. Meanwhile, Polydor did nothing, leaving the Banshees' catalogue to wither. Hopefully, the release of this magnificent, yet flawed, compilation will be the first step in restoring the back catalogue to its full glory. okay, let's deal with one cliché about Siouxsie and the Banshees. They were never a goth band. Period. This release confirms them as being one of British rock's premier singles bands, purveyors of quirky, perverse pop songs such as 'Happy House', 'Arabian Knights' and 'Peek A Boo', all three of which are among the gems included here. Sadly, this perversity seemed to work against them as far as the mass market was concerned. Between 1978 and 1995, the Banshees surprisingly only scored two Top 10 hits: 1978's debut two-chord classic, 'Hong Kong Garden' and, five years later, a cover of the Beatles' 'Dear Prudence'. A handful more punctured the Top 20, but the majority of their releases lodged somewhere between No. 20 and 40 on the charts. Numerous Banshees derivatives seemed far easier for most people to assimilate and fared better chartwise. Such is the curse of true pioneers. The Best Of Siouxsie And The Banshees is something of a misnomer. Such a release would have to include prime album tracks such as 'Jigsaw Feeling', 'Night Shift' and 'Cascade', among others. What the album can claim to be, however, is a superior compilation of 14 of the group's singles, plus 'Dizzy', a previously-unissued track from 1995, presumably included as bait for die-hard fans. They shouldn't need it, as the exquisite remastering job is reason enough alone to buy the album. And it's actually the inclusion of 'Dizzy' which reveals the album's flaw. The track is the intriguing kind of material which, in all likelihood, would probably have appeared on the flipside of a single. But it's been included here at the expense of stronger songs such as 'Fireworks', 'Dazzle' and 'Swimming Horses', all of which are conspicuous by their absence. the ungenerous playing time also makes the failure of these songs to make the final tracklisting all the more inexplicable. The album could have been even stronger than it already is. However, the inclusion of some of the less commercially successful singles, 'Israel' (betcha didn't realise it never made the Top 40), 'The Killing Jar' and a previously unreleased mix of 'Stargazer', is more than welcome, and serves as a reminder that while those around them chased the latest trends in pursuit of the easy option, the Banshees never compromised their original principles. They steadfastly refused to join in with the music business' idiotic games. In the end this refusal probably cost them wider success. A further enticement to collectors is provided by a limited-run bonus disc featuring a selection of the group's 12" remixes. To be honest, the remix game rarely sat comfortably with the Banshee's carefully constructed, almost classical, song structures. Most of them appeared to be little more than an aside to the main body of work, sometimes retaining very little of the group's original input viz 'Stargazer Mambo Sun Remix'. When the remixes did succeed, the 'Peek A Boo Silver Dollar Mix', for example, it's because they remain close to the Banshees' original vision. Best of all is the extended version of 'Spellbound', which is as exhilarating a piece of music as you're ever likely to hear. |
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