Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lost Legacy, 10 Dec 2002
If Janet Susan Dallion had, in 1976, chosen to call herself Suzie Putrid, Awful Anita, Tina Terrible or any other media-friendly punk alias things may have been very different. Saturday night TV would be full of I Love Tina Terrible premature nostalgia shows featuring Z list celebs talking about when they first saw her (and inevitably ending every sentence with "what was *that* all about?"), women's magazines would contain imaginatively titled articles like Tina's Not So Terrible Any More, and Ms Dallion would find herself alongside Mr Lydon on the Greatest Britons list. As it is, the relatively unsensational Siouxsie and the Banshees are low on the fame scale despite being the most successful British punk band ever.In their amazing 18 year lifespan the band released twelve albums and over thirty singles. This collection does not do justice to that legacy. For a start, the album is bookended by cover versions. Admittedly, one of them is the band's brilliant take on Dear Prudence - actually an improvement on The Beatles' original - but the very fact that the opening track is a cover shows a disregard by the compilers for the band's song writing talent. Classic tracks like the early belter Playground Twist and the dramatic orchestral masterpiece Overground are absent whilst the abysmal This Wheel's On Fire (the other cover) is included. My only explanation is that the compilers, having witnessed the success of the recent 'Number 1' compilations from The Beatles and Elvis, based their selections purely on chart positions culled from their Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, thereby dismissing plenty of great early singles and album tracks. And it's not as if they were short of space either, as the album only runs for just 57 minutes. These days we expect our greatest hits collections to take up the full CD so why not fill the remaining 17 minutes with four or five of the missing tracks? That said, the album is still high quality. Aside from 'This Wheel...' and the token new track Dizzy, which is pleasantly laid-back but unmemorable, there are no dull moments. From the carefully-crafted punk (if that's not an oxymoron) of Hong Kong Garden and Israel through to sweet melodies of later tracks like Kiss Them For Me, we are shown just what a great band is capable of producing. However, put simply, this fails to fulfil the definition 'Best Of'. The previous greatest hits collections, Once Upon a Time and Twice Upon a Time, are far more respectful of the band's work. The remix album, which is coupled with the limited edition version, is not as interesting as it could be either. Most tracks are from the days when the term remix just meant a longer version of a song and the tracks that do offer more in the way of experimentation are nothing special.
If you have never heard Siouxsie and The Banshees before I insist that you buy one of their albums. Just don't make it this one.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
IT'S SINGALONGASIOUXSIE TIME, 21 Oct 2002
Although ANY Banshees/Siouxsie release is always a welcome proposition, this new compilation has to be a bit of a disappointment to fans who've been following the Banshees since the heady days of 1977. Of course, nearly all the songs here are of an exceptional standard and they sound great re-mastered, but the selection of tracks does leave a bit to be desired. MELT! and SLOWDIVE have always been amongst my least favourite Banshees singles, but it's a surprise not to find classics like FIREWORKS and DAZZLE. Most annoying for me, however, is the exclusion of brilliant early 45s such as THE STAIRCASE (MYSTERY) and PLAYGROUND TWIST. Their chilling, heavy metal version of METAL POSTCARD (sung in German and not available in any form) would have been preferable to the irritatingly shrill PEEK A BOO - surely one of their most overrated offerings - and the pedestrian cover of WHEEL'S ON FIRE. Still, I'm sure record company pressure played a small part in the compilation of the CD and my gripes aside, most of what's included here is streets ahead of the mass-produced sludge that passes for pop music these days: CHRISTINE, ISRAEL, SPELLBOUND, CITIES IN DUST, KISS THEM FOR ME and STARGAZER for example, are all truly magical, high-definition songs that deserve a special place in the pop music canon. The one previously unreleased track, DIZZY, on the other hand, sounds muffled and indistinct. The bonus disc is also a bit of a let down: who cares about dreary, extended re-mixes? It would have been more fun to compile some of the incredible b-sides that provided an often striking contrast to what was on the a. 4 stars for the quality of the music, less for the actual selection of tracks. I fully understand why the CD concentrates on the lighter, more accessible side of the Banshees rich catalogue, but maybe my sense of nostalgia still won't let me forget the thrill of those years...
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good collection for Banshees fans, 3 Oct 2002
This is a good compilation - most Siouxsie fans will probably have most of the tracks on the main disc - the only new piece is Dizzy. It's a fair representation of their work and would make a good introduction to somebody who hasn't yet appreciated the diversity and talent of Siouxsie and the Banshees.The second disc is more interesting with some good remixes of different Banshees tracks - if you are a real fan it's probably worth buying for this alone. I think the main disc will spend a lot of time in my car's autochanger - it's a good way of getting a range of Banshees material on tap. The second disc is more for listening to when you've got plenty of time - perhaps an airline flight or train journey. I've listened to it a few times and keep appreciating new facets to the different remixes. In summary I'd say most Banshees fans will appreciate this collection as long as they get the 2 disc version. The 1 disc version is probably better aimed at people who haven't got much (or any) previous Banshees albums.
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