Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and
most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course
of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive
art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that notched 18 Top 40 hits in
the U.K. as well as a left-field Top 40 hit in the U.S.
Throughout its numerous lineup changes and textural shifts,
the group remained under the leadership of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan
Janet Ballion on May 27, 1957. She and the Banshees' initial lineup emerged
from the Bromley Contingent, a notorious group of rabid Sex Pistols fans;
inspired by the growing punk movement, Dallion adopted the name Siouxsie and
formed the Banshees in September 1976. In addition to bassist Steven Severin
and guitarist Marco Pirroni, the band included drummer John Simon Ritchie, who
assumed the name Sid Vicious; they debuted later that year at the legendary
Punk Festival held at London's 100 Club, where their entire set consisted of a
savage, 20-minute rendition of "The Lord's Prayer."
Soon after, Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, while Pirroni
went on to join Adam and the Ants. The core duo of Sioux and Severin, along
with new guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, reached the U.K. Top
Ten with their 1978 debut single, "Hong Kong Garden"; their grim,
dissonant first LP, The Scream, followed later in the year. Two days into a
tour for their 1979 follow-up, Join Hands, both McKay and Morris abruptly
departed, and guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure (the tour's opening act) and
ex-Slits and Big in Japan drummer Budgie were enlisted to fill the void;
although Smith returned to the Cure soon after, Budgie became a permanent
member of the group, and remained with the Banshees throughout the duration of
their career.
With ex-Magazine guitarist John McGeoch on board, the band
returned to the studio for 1980's Kaleidoscope, a subtler and more melodic
effort than their prior records; on the strength of the U.K. Top 20 smash
"Happy House," the album reached the Top Five. A year later, the
Banshees released the psychedelic Juju, along with Once Upon a Time, a
collection of singles; at the same time, Sioux and Budgie formed the Creatures,
an ongoing side project. Following 1982's experimental A Kiss in the Dreamhouse,
McGeoch fell ill, and Smith temporarily rejoined for the group's planned tour;
a pair of 1983 performances at London's Royal Albert Hall were recorded and
later issued as Nocturne. Also in 1983, Severin and Smith teamed as the one-off
project the Glove for the LP Blue Sunshine.
After his recovery, McGeoch opted not to return, so the
Banshees recruited former Clock DVA guitarist John Carruthers after Smith
exited following the sessions for 1984's dark, atmospheric Hyaena. With 1986's
Tinderbox, Siouxsie and the Banshees finally reached the U.S. Top 100 album
charts, largely on the strength of the excellent single "Cities in
Dust." After 1987's all-covers collection Through the Looking Glass,
Carruthers took his leave and was replaced by ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein
and keyboardist Martin McCarrick for 1988's Peepshow, a techno-inspired outing
that gave the group its first U.S. chart single with "Peek-a-Boo."
In 1991 -- the year in which Sioux and Budgie married -- the Banshees performed on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour; their concurrent LP, Superstition, was their most commercially successful, spawning their lone U.S. Top 40 hit, "Kiss Them for Me." Another singles collection, Twice Upon a Time, followed in 1992 before the group returned after a long absence with 1995's stylish The Rapture, produced in part by John Cale. A year later, the nostalgia surrounding the reunion of their former heroes the Sex Pistols prompted Siouxsie and the Banshees to finally call it quits; Siouxsie and Budgie turned to the Creatures as their primary project, while Severin composed the score for the controversial film Visions of Ecstasy.
The condition of this item is VG+/VG+. Please take time
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GRADING SYSTEM
Mint (M) The
record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration
in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as
the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records marked
as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
Near Mint (NM) The
record has been played no more than a few times and look like new with no
visible marks or deterioration. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric
sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.
Excellent (EX) The
record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little
lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear
and/or creasing.
Very Good + (VG+)
The record has obviously been regularly played, but displays no major
deterioration in sound quality, despite possible noticeable surface marks and
the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items,
without any major defects is acceptable
Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many
times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite some noticeable
surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra
items, without any major defects is acceptable
Good (G) or Good
+ (G+) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably
deteriorated, perhaps with some background noise and mild scratches. The cover
and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits,
discolouration, etc…
The sleeve is
graded first so an item that is EX/NM is a vinyl record in near mint condition
with a sleeve/cover that is in excellent condition.