SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES
AT THE BBC
3-CD & DVD SET
1ST JUNE 2009
So impressed were they by Siouxsie and the Banshees, that legend has it that John Peel and his producer John Walters attempted to get the BBC to sign the Banshees before the group signed to Polydor. Fitting then that this stunning 84-track, all digitally-remastered, 4-disc hardback book set comprises exclusive BBC sessions, live concert tracks and TV performances recorded by Siouxsie and the Banshees between 1977 and 2001. It comprises 3 audio discs plus a real gem in the form of a 29-track DVD of the band’s best TV performances. All of the featured tracks have been hand picked by the band and the package includes a fantastic 30-page booklet with extensive sleeve notes by journalist Paul Morley, interviews with all of the band members and a unique and insightful introduction written by Siouxsie.
The set features alternative versions of 18 classic hit singles including Hong Kong Garden, Playground Twist, Happy House, Cities In Dust, Christine, Wheels On Fire, Dear Prudence, Peek-a-Boo and Kiss Them For Me.
Discs 1 and 2
These feature key session tracks from 1977 to 1987 and a concert recording from the Apollo Theatre in Oxford in 1985. They include the complete John Peel sessions alongside sessions recorded for Kid Jensen, Richard Skinner and Janice Long.
Disc 3
This contains highlights from the band’s BBC concert recordings at the Apollo Theatre in Oxford and the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1988, where the band performed a storming set, three nights in a row to a sell-out crowd. Highlights include a breathtaking Last Beat Of My Heart, Christine and a rip-roaring, crowd-pleasing, end of show version of Hong Kong Garden.
Disc 4
This 29-track DVD of the band’s BBC TV performances features their complete Old Grey Whistle test broadcasts from 1978, 1982 and 1985, the Something Else performances from 1979 and 1980, the Rock Goes To College broadcast from 1981 and the band’s complete Top of the Pops performances, complete, in places, with cheesy intros! All in all it serves as a fantastic visual documentary of the band, beginning with the OGWT performances of tracks from their 1978 debut album; Metal Postcard and Jigsaw Feeling through the dark years of Juju, performed for the Rock Goes to College show and culminating with the beautifully pure pop bliss of Kiss Them For Me from Superstition.