Album Reviews

Album Review: Siouxsie And The Banshees – Extended Remasters – A Kiss In The Dreamhouse/Hyaena/Nocturne/Tinderbox (Universal/Polydor)

By | Published on Monday 6 April 2009

Siouxsie And The Banshees

In 2006, Siouxsie And The Banshees’ first four records, ‘The Scream’, ‘Join Hands’, ‘Kaleidoscope’ and ‘Juju’, were remastered and released with added bonus tracks and unheard before demos, and now, nearly three years later, ‘A Kiss In The Dreamhouse’, ‘Hyaena’, ‘Nocturne’ and ‘Tinderbox’ are getting the same special treatment. The 1982-1986 era – arguably showcasing some of the band’s finest and most theatrical moments – was when Siouxsie and co were at the height of their commercial success, garnering a top forty hit in ‘Cities In Dust’ and a top five in their cover of The Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’. Each extended album has been overseen by the Banshees’ bassist and founding member Steven Severin, and extensive sleeve notes have been provided by NME veteran, music journalist Paul Morley. ‘Baby Piano Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’, provided as bonus tracks on 1984’s ‘Hyaena’ (the release that also includes the addition of ‘Dear Prudence’), are eerie and dramatic appendages to an already deliciously peculiar and groundbreakingly experimental album; while the extended edition of the amazing ‘Cities In Dust’ adds to the four bonus tracks available on 1986’s release ‘Tinderbox’. If there was one thing that Siouxsie And The Banshees did with flair and fantastic exaggeration, it was drama – from the make-up, the hair and clothes, to the colourful album covers and of course to the music itself, with its infusion of echoey strings, erratic percussion and Siouxsie’s distinctive howl – everything was theatrical, and a great inspiration to the later sounds of the era. Crisp yet never really taking away the experimental, ethereal sound that the band were and are so famous for, these re-releases are solid and authentic, a welcome addition to the already critically acclaimed series. TW

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