Search - Siouxsie & Banshees :: Through the Looking Glass

Names of original bands

Maureen Kelly | The Great State of Texas | 04/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I did a little homework and found out who originally did what song on Through the Looking Glass (a truly astounding CD). Siouxsie didn't exactly choose from Top 40 selections, so a bit of sleuthing was in order.
1. Sparks
2. Kraftwerk
3. Jungle Book soundtrack
4. The Band (the original is unbearable, in my opinion)
5. Billie Holiday
6. Doors
7. Iggy Pop
8. John Cale
9. Roxy Music (when Brian Eno was still with them)
10. Television"

Surely one of the all-time best cover albums!

Rich Latta | Albuquerque, NM - Land of Entitlement | 05/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The song choices are really surprising for Siouxsie and the Banshees and they all turned out fantastic. What makes them so good, aside from the talented musicians involved, is the creative way these songs are reimagined. In my view, Siouxsie and the Banshees have never gotten the credit they deserved. Even though they were basically an alternative rock band, they made some of the best pop singles ever IMHO. Nearly every song on THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS has been trimmed and polished into a perfect pop gem.



My impressions:



"This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" (The Sparks) - a propulsive, runaway rollercoaster of a song augmented with fantastic orchestral accompaniment.



"Hall of Mirrors" (Kraftwerk) - bubbling, mechanical, yet infused with soul courtesy of Siouxsie. Great lyrics.



"Trust in Me" (Richard and Robert Sherman - from the JUNGLEBOOK movie) - one of the most sensuous, slow-burning recordings ever. Adorned with heavenly harps and a purring, sexy delivery from Siouxsie. Absolutely hypnotic.



"This Wheel's On Fire" (Bob Dylan) - shocking reinvention of the last track of Bob Dylan's BASEMENT TAPES album recorded with the Band. A much more upbeat version than the original featuring wild orchestral accompaniment. A complicated version, this must have been challenging to record, but it's positively dazzling.



"Strange Fruit" (Lewis Allen - sung by Billie Holliday) - you gotta admit, it took guts for Siouxsie to cover a song sung by one of the most acclaimed vocalists of all time. This is a hauntingly disturbing protest song against the lynching of blacks in the old South. Predictably, Siouxsie's voice doesn't compare to the lush, creepy delivery found on Lady Day's version but she holds her own with a valiant effort. The song is fleshed out with windy atmospherics and a melancholy violin.



"You're Lost Little Girl" (The Doors) - becomes almost a celebratory march in the hands of S&B augmented by orchestra and chiming bells.



"The Passenger" (Iggy Pop) - great rhythm, great horn section, great attitude from Siouxsie. In some more just alternate reality, this song is a huge hit.



"Gun" (John Cale) - a really fun song, the original is long and meandering with winding guitar passages. S&B generally tighten it up adding life and color. I've seen Siouxsie cover this with John Cale when he toured with the Creatures (Siouxsie and Budgie with a touring band) and you can find them doing a great version on Youtube. The song is a blast!



"Sea Breezes" (Roxy Music) - one of my absolute favorites from Siouxsie and co. despite being a cover. The original version is strange and experimental. S&B turn it into a dreamy, mysterious wonderland with an intense climax courtesy of some powerful drum rolling from Budgie.



"Little Johnny Jewel" (Television) - another favorite. The original is quirky and loaded with prickly guitars. By comparison, S&B turn it into a killer pop song that is totally infectious. I never heard the original until the MARQUEE MOON re-release which featured bonus tracks including this single, Television's first ever release. "Little Johnny Jewel" was originally a strange affair, stretched out over two sides of a single, heard in its entirety on the expanded album. MARQUE MOON is a classic record, very highly recommended."

" Trust in me..."

ignorance is bliss | Tempe, AZ United States | 08/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite Banshees album by far, I flipped it over and over on the turntable ( yes, I had the vinyl version! ). Not only are the covers stylisticly different, the sources are just as diverse. As other reviewers have noted here, some of the original versions are less than well known. I had to see the Jungle Book again and read an article on Billie Holliday's "Strange Fruit" to familiarize myself. Iggy and Roxy Music were less surprising, as Siouxsie and Steve Severin were digging these people in the early seventies. It's upbeat, it's melancholy, it's pure Banshees. Probably the most accessible Banshees album after "Rapture"."