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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive Banshees album, for better or worse. A- album, C- remastering, 24 Jun 2006
For many fans of Siouxsie and the Banshees, 'JuJu' is their favorite album. It seems to embody the spirit of the dark, gothic style the band is best known for. Many of the songs are timeless classics, though one particular fan favorite takes the Goth intentions a bit over the top.
I first purchased the original UK CD back in 1989. It was one of my first CD's, and definitely my first import CD. I was very satisfied with the sound quality on that CD, but was fine with purchasing what was supposed to be a new and improved version, primarily for the bonus material and enhanced packaging. Unfortunately, this new remaster is a big disappointment. The person who is in charge of remastering the Banshees catalog is Gary Moore, who has been doing the Banshees releases since the 2002 Best of CD. While the Best Of CD had good sound, the volumes from track to track were very inconsistent, i.e. "Killing Jar" was rather low while "Israel" was blasting. Then came the long awaited 'Downside Up' B sides collection, which had a fair amount of flaws and limitations, (see my 'Downside Up' review for full details). When the deluxe edition of 'The Scream' was released in late 2005, I was pleased to hear the remastering was excellent. Too bad it wouldn't last.
Now we have the remastering of the next 3 albums from the Banshees catalog, and there are some problems. 'JuJu' suffers from the most. First off, the sound does not appear to be any dramatic improvement, and in fact sounds a little thuddy and dull on select tracks. The big problem for me was there are several areas in which the right channel suffers from audio drop outs.
Into the light- 4:09-4:11
Halloween- 2:22-2:25
Nightshift- 0:12-0:15 (More of a fluctuation than actual drop out)
Sin in my heart- 3:13-3:15
There is no excuse for this. My philosophy - if anything about a 17 year old CD sounds better than a brand new remaster, something is wrong.
"Spellbound" was the first song I heard from the Banshees. Though the memory of the song stayed with me for years, I didn't start purchasing their albums until 1987. I don't know why it took that long because this is a great song. The combination of witchcraft lyrics layered over a driving beat and acoustic guitar is a real success story. It remains one of their signature songs, and deservedly so.
"Into the light" consists of an excellent, non-standard beat with amazing drumming and a guitar that sounds like it's crying. No, really! It's my favorite song on the album.
The only song I don't care for, yet so many fans hold it in the highest regard, is "Nightshift". To me the lyrics and music are SOOOO Goth that is comes off as a parody. I find it long, tedious and dull.
"Sin in my heart" is another classic Banshees mix of chaos and excellence, and another of my top choices.
You can't help but wonder what the band were taking when they wrote "Head cut". The lyrics are a real disturbing nightmare image, though presented in such and upbeat and zany fashion that it's a fun bit of insanity.
The bonus material is the highlight of this release. Not only do we get the original 12" versions of "Spellbound" and "Arabian Knights", but we get the unreleased first attempt at their classic single "Fireworks". I cannot describe how good this version is! Siouxsie's voice sounds amazing, giving it a very different feel to the recording that was released as a single in 1982, which is still stunning.
'JuJu' is occasionally thought to have been the first Gothic album, though I do have to point out that Toyah's classic album 'The Blue Meaning' was released the previous year, and is very much a Gothic album.
'JuJu' is said to be coming out as a 2 CD deluxe edition early next year. Hopefully, this will be a brand new remaster... again.
In this day and age of the reissue/remaster, some artists are being treated very well. All of the first batches of The Cure and Depeche Mode remasters have been excellent and very well done. Horrifyingly, Gary Moore was credited for doing the latest batch of Cure remasters, covering their 84-87 output. Though the majority of it sounds pretty good, there are a few problems, though very minor in comparison to his Banshees blunders. The Banshees seem to be getting the budget remaster treatment, and it's very unfair. As far as I'm concerned, Siouxsie and the Banshees are the greatest thing to happen to music. They have such a vast and diverse catalog, though with an identity all their own. They deserve to be treated like gold, and could really benefit by having a more experienced and considerate sound engineer handling the remastering.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Melodical Graveyard Masterpiece, 22 Sep 2007
Robert Smith eat you're heart out! With this album, good old Siouxsie created an unforgettable goth masterpiece, perfectly melding Poppy acsending chords with dark psychadelia, the godmother of goth showed she had more than enough dark juju inside of her!
The album kicks off with the gothic call to arms "Spellbound" with drummer Budgies unstoppable, almost millitary liike drum beat coupled with Steve Severins equally powerful bass playing, this song hits you like a ton of bricks. Also its on this track that a new presence makes itself known. Critically acclaimed Guitarist John Mcgeoch. While he has played with some of the best new-wave-punk bands (Magazine, Public image, Visage) its here that his true virtuosity as a guitarist shines through. His inventive yet subtle use of effects, coupled with the sparse, rythmic arpeggios add a whole new level to Siouxsies group.
The following tracks arent to be sniffed at either. "Into the Night" is a tour de force of Goth meets Rasta, as the sparse almost dub drumming of budgie comes together with John's choppy guitar twangs. Track 3 "Arabian Knights" is one of the best songs in Siouxsies entire back catalogue, as the powerful verse swirls into a chorus filled with emotion and melody, and her voice is on top form. But again its John Mcgeoch's uncanny technique that shines through. The rest of the album is of course brilliant with layer after layer of percussion and drumming blasting through the speakers. "Trick or Treat" standing out as perhaps an almost comical interlude. But anyway this is my favourite Siouxise album and feature breathtaking musicianship from the band and some fantastic melodies.
Essential for any self-respecting goff out there, or those who arent musical morons...
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14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another excellent Banshees reissue, 11 May 2006
Siouxsie & her Banshees really don't seem to get their dues - amid all the post-punk retro-fervour (which I thoroughly approve of...)they seem a tad overlooked. Perhaps it's the goth-thang, this certainly could be argued to be the album which launched a thousand goths (then again, the same could be said of 'Heaven Up Here', 'Prayers on Fire', 'Heathen Earth','In the Flatfield', 'Unknown Pleasures' or 'Songs of Love and Hate'). To be fair, people say lots of nice things about 'The Scream', which is a fantastic record - as this reissue programme demonstrates, there are a lot of fine Banshees records. While 'Join Hands' was a bit patchy, the follow-up 'Kaleidoscope' (1980) showed Sioux/Severin find their way after half the band left, joined by Budgie (Big in Japan, The Slits) and then John McGeoch (Magazine, Visage). 'Ju Ju' found the band at their most gothic, though it's a voodoo-tinged 'Strange Fruit'-type gothic that paved the way for Lydia Lunch, Babes in Toyland and much else good and bad...
This was one of the best Banshees line-ups, previous songs like 'Christine', 'Happy House' & 'Israel' still rank amongst their finest work and the band opted to road-test the material that became 'Ju Ju', which helped deliver one of their key albums. It's the dark stuff then, continuing the feel of 'The Scream' and tracks like 'Premature Burial' - 'Night Shift' remained a live favourite and turned up on both 'Nocturne' and 'The Seven Year Itch' live albums (as did 'Voodoo Dolly'). The singles 'Arabian Knights' ("i heard a rumour...") and the anthemic 'Spellbound' are as great as the preceding trio of singles - shortly after the 'Once Upon a Time' compilation would be released. The lesser known material is great too - 'Into the Light' showcasing the experimental/eclectic sound that would be familiar to the following Banshees albums (& the Creatures recordings), 'Monitor' a huge beast of a song as darkly epic as prime Joy Division & the violent 'Sin In My Heart'...all sound great still (& the classic 'Fireworks' surfaces as a bonus track).
'Ju Ju' is an album that warrants rediscovery and remains one of the key Banshees albums alongside 'The Scream', 'Kaleidoscope', 'A Kiss in the Dreamhouse', 'Nocturne', 'Through the Looking Glass','Peep Show' & 'The Seven Year Itch.' Perhaps the joys of the other albums will become apparent as the reissue programme advances?
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