Twice Upon A Time - Siouxsie & The Banshees > Reviews > Uncle Fester goes Tony Bennett

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Sensual, glorious splendour
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The first remarkable greatest hits album by Siouxsie And The Banshees covered their first formative years, from the glossy and unrepresentative pop of Hong Kong Garden through the Goth rock chill of the first few albums right up to the richer landscapes of the 'Ju Ju’ album, with the ‘Spellbound’, ‘Israel’ and ‘Arabian Knights’ epics.

For many that was the point at which the Banshees actually began to matter and this second collection of hits, imaginatively titled ‘Twice Upon A Time’, records their output over the decade from 1992.

By now, the Banshees had long ago left behind them all Nazi imagery and dalliance with the shock horror jackboot tactics of the mid 70’s and adopted far more stylish sounds and imagery. Let’s just spend a moment or two reprising that history to set the context for this sumptuous collection…

When Malcolm McLaren and the Sex Pistols first emerged on an astonished and outraged public in the mid 70’s, they attracted a fair few camp followers as well as denigrators … among them were the troupe who rapidly became known as the Bromley Contingent. Susan Dallion had rechristened herself Siouxsie Sioux and along with Steve Severin (then Steve Havoc of the two tone hair) ran with the gang, Sioux was amongst those who accompanied the Pistols on their infamous ‘wee swearie’ appearance on Bill Grundy’s Today programme.

The duo were quick to get into the punk ethic and soon formed a ‘band’ with Marco Pirroni (later guitarist with the Models and Adam And The Ants) and Sid Vicious on drums, with the high point of that early reincarnation being their deconstruction of 'The Lord's Prayer' at the 100 Club in London in 1976.

Pirroni and Vicious soon disappeared, as did guitarist P T Fenton, before the line up finally settled with drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay. They were infamous all over London but it was months before they made it to a record deal. There were scrawled pleas to 'Sign The Banshees' daubed on the doors of every record company in London on a single ominous night before Polydor Records took the risk and signed the deal.

The debut single 'Hong Kong Garden' was the start of the payback and when they then recorded the startling 'The Scream' album, Polydor's faith had been proved well founded. It was a harsh, metallic, shock of an urban nightmare with McKay's guitar and occasional sax leading the way in drawing the manic, oppressive and bleak pictures on the Banshees' eerie canvas. It was amazing stuff and a bona fide new wave classic.

There was a depressing period next with the shallow Goth by numbers of the second album, 'Join Hands' and the split which followed as McKay and Morris walked out in the middle of a promotional tour. The Cure's Robert Smith was a temporary replacement, while former Big In Japan drumming maestro Budgie who had given The Slits' scritch scratch reggae stumblings structure and grace was a more permanent addition. Indeed, the arrival of Budgie was the making of the band and his gloriously tuneful percussion helped their 'Kaleidoscope' album in 1980 give them a whole new perspective. Old Sex Pistols chum Steve Jones guested on guitar on that album, but it was the other guest, former Magazine man John McGeoch who rounded off the sound in a way which startled the Banshees following. That album was grounded in more of a synth laden and electronic approach but also yielded the splendidly rich pop of the 'Happy House' and 'Christine' singles - the Banshees had been reborn.

The sound was further developed on 1981's masterpiece, 'Ju Ju', which marked the end of the first phase of a remarkable band. From then on they were a more expansive, richer, almost psychedelic outfit, and one which defined a whole new niche for itself, far removed from its cold origins. The new approach also embraced the splintered off Creatures duo, with Siouxsie and Budgie now more than musically paired. They made some splendid drum based pop records, including the remarkable version of the old 'Right Now' standard and their own 'Mad Eyed Screamer'.

This is where 'Twice Upon A Time' comes in.

It is a marvellous distillation of late era Banshees, which includes the cover versions, Iggy Pop's epic 'The Passenger', the Dylan song made famous by Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger, 'This Wheel's On Fire', and a beautiful if mannered reading of the Beatles' 'Dear Prudence'. They were three excellent choices of material and the Banshees managed to make them splendidly their own, although it is the self penned material that is the more interesting stuff, masterpieces like the soaring, gleeful 'Fireworks', the army drums, orchestrations and Spanish gee-tar of the updated version of 'Overground', first featured in the first incarnation of the Banshees, and the claustrophobic and oppressive magic of 'Melt!'

You also get 'Slowdive', 'Swimming Horses', 'Dazzle', 'Cities In Dust', 'Candyman', 'Peek-A-Boo', 'The Killing Jar', 'The Last Beat Of My Heart', 'Kiss Them For Me', 'Shadowtime', 'Fear (Of The Unknown)' and 'Face To Face'. There's more than an hour here of Banshee classics and you'll never want to be anywhere else as you dip into the majesty. The words you need to remember here are panoramic, dense, rich, heady, writhing, sensual, jazzy, intoxicating and heady - the Banshees are like a glorious drug, addictive and dangerous, far too good to put down and far too poisonous to swallow in one, the pulsing, scattergun battery of the Budge's arsenal, the pulsing, absorbing, heartbeat of Severin's throbbing, deep seated bass dance, the Elizabethan glory of one of the most evocative guitarists of all time, McGeoch and finally, above it all, and yet roaming deep seatedly underneath the meshing separate parts, Sioux herself, all Rheinmaiden and French charmer, romantic and metallic, the blood in the Banshee veins - Peek a boo, won't you look at those eyes?

'Once Upon A Time' was wonderful, epic, gothic glory, but 'Twice Upon A Time' is something completely different, the sort of stuff that pop should aspire to, but normally runs a mile away from, a little intelligence, a little rhythmic sway and a sexy little swagger ... greatest hits albums are normally a celebration of the vacuous, the empty, the shallow ... this masterpiece knows no bounds, no beginning and no end, no top and no bottom - it just is .... PUREST INTOXICATION.