|
|
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still magnificent, but an opportunity missed ?, 5 Oct 2005
Aah...this conjures up the great night when John Peel played "The Scream" in its entirely, and shocked those of us who had only just heard the "Hong Kong Garden" with a mighty "What was THAT !!!". However by the time virtually all of "The Scream" appeared in that year's Festive Fifty we had been bent forever to Siouxsie's iron will. This album was the first of many to teach me that sometimes you may not like or understand an album first time, but that sometimes it is you that must change. I bought the single disc version just there, not knowing about this 2-CD set was on the way. Does the "The Scream" still cut it ? Oh yes...surprisingly fresh and young-sounding and it can still roar. Not everything works, but its best things. "Jigsaw Feeling", "Mirage" and the Banshees take on "Helter Skelter" are still the dogs'. However, this "Deluxe" edition has missed the odd trick. It is great to have the Peel Sessions out there again, reminding us of when The Banshees were the most famous unsigned band in the UK way into 1978. But where is the German version of "Mittageisen", even fiercer than the English version, and "Voices", the flip of "Hong Kong Garden", fondly remembered by me for completely baffling my friends, let alone my parents, and much beloved of pub landlords who would keep it on their jukeboxes for years afterwards in order to drive out the punters at closing time. Though they made some great things in later years, especially the singles, they never matched the power of this. Will I be rushing to buy this set, despite this? Just try and stop me.. Hopefully the liner notes will tell us what became of John McKay and Kenny Morris, who walked out the band after a fight in Aberdeen, never to be seen again...
|