Siouxsie Fans: Prepare To Be Dazzled!
Daniel Headrick | Tulsa, OK USA | 10/10/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"October 4th, 2005 marked the re-release of Siouxsie and the Banshees' release of their debut album, The Scream. Over the next year, their entire catalog will be re-released, each containing a second bonus CD with material that didn't make it onto the album, plus other delicious goodies. Don't look for accompanying b-sides, as "Downside Up" delivered every b-side they produced. The bonus material contained on the extra CD is as follows:
# Make Up To Break Up (Riverside Session)
# Love In A Void (Peel Session)
# Mirage (Peel Session)
# Metal Postcard (Peel Session)
# Suburban Relapse (Peel Session)
# Hong Kong Garden (Peel Session)
# Overground (Peel Session)
# Carcass (Peel Session)
# Helter Skelter (Peel Session)
# Metal Postcard (Pathway Session)
# Suburban Relapse' (Pathway Session)
# Staircase (Mystery) (Pathway Session)
# Mirage (Pathway Session)
# Nicotine Stain (Pathway Session)
# Hong Kong Garden (7" Single Version)
# Staircase (Mystery) (7" Single Version)
For those of you that are hardcore Siouxsie fans, you probably already own the Peel Sessions. The Pathway Sessions follow the same pattern as the Peel Sessions, but this doesn't mean they're not worth having.
A note on the packaging. "The Scream" comes in a double-gatefold format, inside a transparent/translucent slipcover. This may cause some wear and tear over time, so handle with care. The double-gatefold format presents additional artwork from the album, previously unseen, which is a dream for any Siouxsie fan. Liner notes are extensive, including several rare photos, and of course full lyrics (with the exception of "Helter Skelter", and still the last line from "Carcass" has been omitted, curiously). Upon first glance, the tracklisting on the back appears to be actually printed on the sleeve, but in reality it is simply printed on a loose sheet of onion-skin-like paper, which, unfortunately does not fit into the liner notes sleeve. My solution was to just place the tracklisting over the second disc and carefully close the package, letting the plastic slipcover hold everything in place."
If you know the music already, here's info about what's adde
John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 11/05/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Reviews of the import tend to dwell on the album proper and not the added disc. I had both the original and the (long out of print now) Peel sessions CDs for years, so I was hesitant to purchase this pricy double version. I finally did for the added demos and the single "Make Up to Break Up" about which I had heard so much since finding it mentioned in Jon Savage's excellent discography appended to his classic punk analysis, "England's Dreaming." The packaging is sumptuous, although the pics in the booklet are too small to make out easily--a failing common to the Downside Up odds-and-ends package also on import. Liner notes document well the history of the band and the recordings--it would've been intriguing if their original choice of producer, Marc Bolan, could have been at the helm of this ghost ship...
The original disc does not sound radically improved; I suppose this is testament to how well the production was prepared by 1978 standards. There is a bit more separation of detail behind the generally intense sound assault, of course, that digitized masters bring out, but I would not purchase this new version if you're satisfied with the Geffen 1992 CD 10-tracks.
It is amazing how much is packed into just under 40 minutes in terms of range, intelligence, and energy of four musicians bursting out of the London suburbs with what they could add to an already frantic, overhyped, and nearly legendary punk scene that they helped create but were relatively late to bring a full album to, far after most of their generally less talented peers.
The improvement the band made in a short period, honed by rehearsals and live shows, can be charted in the previously unreleased Pathway sessions. These feature a punkier, but sometimes more plodding group getting a feel for its material but not quite controlling its dynamic propulsion. The "Make Up" song sounds wobbly, and seems longer than its short running time. Siouxsie's voice shows its raw amateurism, and it's impressive how she learns, if you compare the Pathways with the Peels, to channel her intensity to direct the music forward. The range is still largely lacking that she attains by the early 80s, but you can hear the band improve its grating, drilling, pounding energy into tighter, more pummelling forms.
I admit, although this album and these songs have lived with me since 1978, that they do wear a bit as the near-hour of the second disc goes on. This disc, then, is for completists and those who, like myself, want to hear the songs being built and streamlined and deepened, but for more casual fans, the single disc should prove sufficient. It does leave me wondering what ever happened to McKay & Morris, but perhaps whatever salvaging is made on the impending reissue of "Join Hands" will reveal the answers. Previews, as in Staircase here, show the band starting to enter what was labelled, if not by SATB, a proto-gothic sound, but more metallic and harsh at this early stage.
"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
