  Four albums from Siouxsie and the Banshees have just been re-issued - "Through the looking glass", "Peepshow" and "The Rapture", along with "Through the looking glass". These were the last four albums from the band - "Peepshow" was originally released in 1988, "Superstition" in 1991, and "The rapture" in 1995. The albums have all been remastered, and they follow the previous releases of the band's earlier albums in remastered form.
Along with the original albums, each comes with some bonus tracks. In the case of "Superstition", one of the bonus tracks is the single "Face to face", a song that was released on the "Batman returns" soundtrack album. All the albums come with extensive sleeve notes and lyrics.
These albums are from a time when Siouxsie and the Banshees were starting to get success in the US - "Peepshow" for instance spawned two singles ("Peek-a-boo" and "The killing jar") which had limited success in the UK, reaching numbers 16 and 41 in the charts respectively, but reached numbers 1 and 2 in the US charts. Similarly "Superstition" contained the US Number 1 single "Kiss them for me". The albums themselves fared better in the UK with two of them reaching the top 30 and "The rapture" peaking at number 33, while in the US they only reached numbers 68, 65 and 127 - still a very good level of success though for an alternative rock band, and this was at a time when record sales were at a high so those chart positions translate to much better sales than much higher placed albums in todays charts.
"Peepshow" was the band's ninth album and was released in 1988. It was the first album from the band since the arrival of Martin McCarrick changed them from a 4 piece to a 5 piece band. It's one of the most musically complex albums from the band. The opening track, and single "Peek-a-boo" gives a great snapshot of the complexity. There's a brass part that is looped and played backwards to give an odd effect, there are drums, guitars, accordion and more and then the vocals on top of that. Even the vocals aren't simple with different effects being used. The album is very diverse too with tracks such as "The killing jar" being far more guitar oriented, and tracks such as "Burn-up" using other instruments such as a cello.
The band's tenth album, "Superstition" was released in 1991, and as always the band were trying new things. On this album, Talvin Singh played the Tabla on two of the songs - "Kiss them for me" and "Silver waterfalls" adding a new and interesting sound into the mix. One of the bonus tracks on this release, "Face to face" brought the band to the ears of a massive new audience when the song was featured in the Batman returns movie.
The band's eleventh and final album, "The rapture" was released at the beginning of 1995, just over a year before the band split. It's a great album and what better way to end a career than with an album that's this good. Title track "The rapture" is an 11 minute epic that was originally intended to be 18 minutes and to fill side 2 of the LP. As with all their albums there is a noticeable change from the album that came before. In this case there is less reliance on a computer to provide the sound and there's more of a guitar driven live sound to it.
These are all very strong albums and if you're a fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees then they are a valuable addition to your CD collection. If you haven't listened to Siouxsie and the Banshees much then these are still well worth a listen. There's so much diversity that it's hard to pick one as better than the others, but if I were to pick just one it would be "Superstition" simply for the inclusion of "Face to face", but really I'd recommend getting them all.
"Peepshow" track listing:
1. Peek-a-boo
2. The killing jar
3. Scarecrow
4. Carousel
5. Burn-up
6. Ornaments of gold
7. Turn to stone
8. Rawhead and bloodybones
9. The last beat of my heart
10. Rhapsody
Bonus tracks
11. El dia de los muertos (Espiritu mix)
12. The killing jar (Lepidopteristic mix)
13. The last beat of my heart (Live)
"Superstition" track listing:
1. Kiss them for me
2. Fear (of the unknown)
3. Cry
4. Drifter
5. Little sister
6. Shadowtime
7. Silly things
8. Got to get up
9. Silver waterfalls
10. Softly
11. The ghost in you
Bonus tracks
12. Face to face (7" version)
13. Kiss them for me (Snapper mix)
14. Kiss them for me (Kathak mix #1)
"The rapture" track listing:
1. O baby
2. Tearing apart
3. Stargazer
4. Fall from grace
5. Not forgotten
6. Sick child
7. THe lonely one
8. Falling down
9. Forever
10. The rapture
11. The double life
12. Love out me
Bonus tracks
13. O baby (Manhattan mix)
14. FGM (Unreleased demo)
15. New skin (Unreleased "showgirls" version)
‘THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS’, ‘PEEPSHOW’, ‘SUPERSTITION’ AND ‘THE RAPTURE’
Expanded with Bonus and Unreleased Tracks
Remastered from the Original Multi-Track Tapes
Extensive New Sleevenotes
13.10.2014
Siouxsie & The Banshees reissue their last 4 studio albums, all as remastered packages with bonus tracks. ‘Through The Looking Glass’, ‘Peepshow’, ‘Superstition’ and ‘The Rapture’ will be released on October 13th on Polydor / Universal Music Catalogue. These releases cover a period which saw a period of bold experimentation and musical exploration coinciding with the Banshees getting the notice they truly deserved in the USA, whilst retaining the feverish devotion of their fans at home.
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