The Banshees at their creative best
Brewzerr | On the fault line, CA | 07/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"People often tend to overlook the fact that Siouxsie & The Banshees sprung from the first generation of English punk rock in 1976. This is easy to do when you listen to an album like Kiss in the Dreamhouse. This is a far cry from "Never Mind The Bollocks". The reason why the Banshees were able to experience the unique kind of success and longevity that they did was because they refused to paint themselves into the "punk corner".
OK, a quick history lesson: The Sex Pistols... crushed under the weight of their own myth after only one album. The Clash... succumbed to the exact rock and roll cliche they initially set out to destroy. The Damned... continued to evolve and experiment with new sounds, and as a result are still together today, recording new albums, albeit with numerous line-up changes and almost no commercial success. The Banshees followed a similar ethos as the Damned, though they actually did break through to the mainstream market... and here's the most amazing part of all... THEY DID IT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THEIR INTEGRITY. This puts them in a very unique standing in the world of rock and roll.
To me, "Dreamhouse" is the perfect example of the Banshees' modus operandi. This is easily their most daring and experimental album. Siouxsie has often been known for not wanting to discuss past glories in her interviews, instead opting to always look forward, and as a result most of the Banshees' output sounds very ahead of it's time. The 2 albums that preceded "Dreamhouse"... "Kaleidoscope" (1980) and "Juju" (1981), broke ground for a new scene that would later come to be known as "Goth", and the Banshees had the foresight to not get trapped by the limitations of their own creation by pushing things to the next level with this album.
"A Kiss In The Dreamhouse" remains to this day virtually uncategorizable. No other album by the Banshees or any other band for that matter sounds even remotely similar. It still sounds fresh and challenging, even in this jaded day and age of "been there, done that". It's not everyone's cup of tea though. Even some of the more die-hard Banshees fans have been known to snub this one. In my humble opinion this is where the Banshees hit their creative peak. They went wild in the studio, using a plethora of effects and unorthodox instruments. The creative energy spent making this album was exhausting enough to purge John McGeoch from the band, and the relatively mellow convention of the following album, 1984's "Hyaena", was almost a perfect backlash to the wild creativity expressed here.
Highly recommended.
"
Smiling and beguiling....a classic of 80's art pop.
David Goodwin | Madison, WI | 07/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm so happy this album finally got reissued. The Banshees never lost their edge, but Dreamhouse was the first album that introduced sexuality to their music that was only briefly suggested before, such as on Kaleidoscope. This is a gorgeously playful and darkly sexy record that shows the Banshees, previously called "humorless," having fun in the studio, exhibiting their new found strength as a group from endlessly touring their previous record Juju. It's ironic that their guitarist would be ousted right after it's release.
The recording itself has a very lush, open sound with plenty of reverb and atmospheric sounds added to the mix, such as bells and foot stomping, recorder and strings. I still consider "Slowdive" to be the sexiest song I've ever heard. Finally, we get the 12-inch mix of it! In my opinion, The Banshees would not exhibit such strength as a band again on record until 1988's sublime Peepshow."
Dreamhouse
Thomas M. Gardner | 12/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of all the Siouxsie albums that I own (all of them), I listen to this one most often. It is loaded with creatively poetic lyrics and has sounds that had never been heard on an album before or since. "Obsession" is an all-time favorite with a gothic church feel, "Cascade" evokes tremendous visual imagery and I think of it more than any other song, "Melt" is a beautiful ballad full of instrumentation, "Slowdive" has an eerie screeching beat that works, "Circle" is great if you have been on the Underground in London, and "Cocoon" is a jazzy tune that is reminiscent of small jazz clubs of the early 70's. The other tracks are solid al well. This is a "must have" for any music lover. Don't know Siouxsie? Get to know her and the band with this album and you will be a fan for life."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1