A Kiss in the Dreamhouse | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 5 November 1982 | |||
Recorded | June–August, 1982 | |||
Studio | Playground, Camden Town and Abbey Road, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:45 | |||
Label | Polydor Geffen (US rerelease) | |||
Producer | Siouxsie and the Banshees | |||
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology | ||||
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Siouxsie Sioux chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Kiss in the Dreamhouse | ||||
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is the fifth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees,released on 5 November 1982 by Polydor Records. The record marked a change of musical direction,as the group used strings for the first time and experimented in the studio. Guitarist John McGeoch played more instruments,including recorder and piano. For Julian Marszalek of The Quietus ,the release proved the Banshees to be "one of the great British psychedelic bands." [1]
Both a critical and commercial success,A Kiss in the Dreamhouse peaked at No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. [2] A 180g vinyl LP reissue of the album,remastered from the original ¼″tapes and cut half-speed at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell,was released in September 2018.
The band held back from writing after the success of 1981's Juju . During the spring of 1982,they went on tour in Scandinavia with three tracks completed:"Cascade","Painted Bird" and "Green Fingers". When they returned to the studio in July,the group embarked on a week of improvisation sparked off by a tape-looped section of the orchestral version of "Fireworks",a non-album single they had released in May. Other numbers followed easily. [3] Siouxsie didn't want to use synthesizers for the arrangements:
"Fireworks" indicated the direction we wanted for the album. We wanted strings ... John [McGeoch] wanted a machine but Steven [Severin] and I said it had to be real strings. They give a real,earthy,rich sound. You could hear the strings spitting and breathing and wheezing. Me and Steve have always wanted our music to be performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. We've always thought our songs would suit orchestration. Real strings have a very physical sound". [4]
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse was the first album on which the Banshees really exploited the possibilities of the studio. [4] They allowed themselves to be inspired by sounds. [4] Engineer Mike Hedges,who was interested in vocals,put different effects on Siouxsie's voice and multi-layered it. [5] Hedges also encouraged them to fiddle with effects;if the band came up with something off-the-wall,he'd want to top it. [6]
According to the band,A Kiss in the Dreamhouse was probably their most experimental work. [6] The album contains recorders,chimes,tubular bells,loops and many vocal overdubs. Consequence of Sound described the album as the band's "own form of neo-psychedelic rock." [7]
The personal dynamics associated with the period in which A Kiss in the Dreamhouse was recorded were often less than healthy. The band's recently fired manager and Siouxsie's former partner,Nils Stevenson,had become obsessive in response to her developing relationship with Budgie. The band spent long hours in the studio,fuelled by drink and drugs. According to Uncut writer Garry Mulholland,the "stunningly beautiful music" of Dreamhouse was "a product of addiction,stress,old,sick love and new,dangerous love,money woes and a darkness that would eventually claim three lives". [8]
The title of the album came to Severin after watching a programme about Hollywood prostitutes in the 1940s who had cosmetic surgery to look like stars,so they could get more clients. [6] The "Dreamhouse" was a brothel in Los Angeles that actually existed where people could meet perfect replicas of the stars of the time,women like Mae West. [4]
The quote in the inner sleeve,"Nellie the Elephant packed his trunk and said goodbye to the circus",referred to longtime former manager Stevenson (nicknamed "Nellie"),who was fired before the recording of the album. [6]
The album's artwork was inspired by the paintings of Gustav Klimt. As the Banshees achieved the richness they desired,they wanted "a really colourful sleeve with lots of gold and deep colours because we felt the music was very rich". [4]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The UK music press was unanimous in its praise for the album on its release. [11] NME's Richard Cook considered it innovative:"A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is a feat of imagination scarcely ever recorded. It's breathtaking. Somehow,a bold assurance of intention has met with a hunger for experimenting with sound to expand an already formidable group of songs into pure,open-minded ambiguity. The flesh of the song will balloon out or contort into unimaginable patterns;indecipherable echoes volley between the walls of the recording;glassy,splintered tones pierce the luxuriant sheen of the mix. Repeated listens trick the sense of balance;tremendous risks are taken." [12] Cook finished his review by saying,"I promise. This music will take your breath away." [12] Another journalist of the NME Paul Du Noyer wrote that A Kiss in the Dreamhouse was "a real departure from rock tradition" and "maybe even their best [album]". [13]
Melody Maker 's Steve Sutherland also welcomed the new musical direction:"The Banshees achieve an awesome,effective new pop without so much as a theory or qualm. Dreamhouse is an intoxicating achievement". [14] Critic David Cleary of AllMusic would later describe the single "Slowdive" as "a violin-colored dance beat number",with "a catchy melodic hook away from being the real thing",and positively assessed the album,saying,"This fine platter is well worth purchasing". [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide opined that the album "hurls the Banshees back into the simmering postpsychedelic pea soup,with only marginally captivating results". [10] In 2006,music historian Garry Mulholland included it in his book Fear of Music about the 261 greatest albums since 1976. [15]
In their 2009 review of the reissued album, The Quietus wrote:"The result was their most colourful and –ahem –kaleidoscopic collection yet". [1] Critic Julian Marszalek commented that the album's music is "fundamentally pop,yet unafraid to revel in a quirkiness born of altered states. A deliberate shift from the overt darkness of its predecessor, Juju ". [1] Marszalek qualified the work of guitarist McGeoch as "a seamless beauty",and wrote that "Siouxsie's voice achieves a sense of strength and maturity". [1] The journalist concluded the review by noting that "Siouxsie and the Banshees weren't afraid to stretch themselves. Here was a band that dared to challenge itself as much as their listeners". [1]
Several bands later covered and sampled songs from this album. LCD Soundsystem released a version of "Slowdive" as the B-side to their single "Disco Infiltrator";it was also included on their Introns compilation in 2006. The Beta Band sampled the live Nocturne version of "Painted Bird" on their track "Liquid Bird",issued on their 2003 album Heroes to Zeros . [16]
All lyrics are written by Siouxsie Sioux, except where noted; all music is composed by Siouxsie and the Banshees (Siouxsie, Steven Severin, John McGeoch, Budgie)
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
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1. | "Cascade" | Severin | 4:25 |
2. | "Green Fingers" | 3:33 | |
3. | "Obsession" | 3:51 | |
4. | "She's a Carnival" | Severin | 3:39 |
5. | "Circle" | 5:22 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
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6. | "Melt!" | Severin | 3:47 |
7. | "Painted Bird" | 4:15 | |
8. | "Cocoon" | 4:29 | |
9. | "Slowdive" | 4:24 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
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10. | "Fireworks" (12" version) | Severin | 4:32 |
11. | "Slowdive" (12" version) | 5:49 | |
12. | "Painted Bird" (Workhouse demo) | 3:49 | |
13. | "Cascade" (Workhouse demo) | Severin | 4:32 |
Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [17] | 19 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [18] | 47 |
UK Albums (OCC) [19] | 11 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
Nocturne is a live double album and video by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 25 November 1983 by Polydor Records. Co-produced by Mike Hedges, Nocturne features performances recorded at two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 30 September and 1 October 1983, featuring Robert Smith on guitar.
The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Creatures released their first EP Wild Things in 1981. They recorded four studio albums: Feast in 1983, Boomerang in 1989, Anima Animus in 1999 and Hái! in 2003.
Susan Janet Ballion, known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who were active from 1976 to 1996. They released 11 studio albums, and had several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden", "Happy House" and "Peek-a-Boo", plus a US Top 25 single in the Billboard Hot 100, with "Kiss Them for Me".
The Glove was a 1983 English musical collaboration and recording project by the Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Steven Severin. They released one studio album, Blue Sunshine, in 1983 as part of Severin's solo deal with Polydor. The latter came up with the band name, the album title and the blue/yellow sleeve concept, as Smith had to leave the project before completion due to prior commitments with the Cure.
Once Upon a Time/The Singles is Siouxsie and the Banshees's 1981 compilation album featuring the band's UK single releases to date. The album featured several songs that had been released as singles yet had not appeared on any of the Banshees' four albums. Once Upon a Time/The Singles spent twenty six weeks in the UK albums chart. The sleeve was designed by Stylorouge.
The Scream is the debut studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 13 November 1978 by Polydor Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its innovative combination of angular and serrated guitar with a bass-led rhythm and machine-like drums played mostly on toms, made it a pioneering work of the post-punk genre.
Join Hands is the second studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 7 September 1979 by Polydor Records. Upon its release, it was praised by the British press, including Melody Maker, Sounds, NME and Record Mirror.
Kaleidoscope is the third studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 1 August 1980 by Polydor Records. With the departure of John McKay and Kenny Morris and their replacement by two new musicians, Budgie on drums and John McGeoch on guitars, the band changed their musical direction and offered an album containing a wide variety of colors. "It was almost a different band", said Siouxsie.
Juju is the fourth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was recorded at Surrey Sound studio with Nigel Gray as co-producer, and was released on 19 June 1981 by Polydor Records. Two singles were released from Juju: "Spellbound" and "Arabian Knights".
Hyæna is the sixth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 8 June 1984 by Polydor Records. The opening track, "Dazzle", featured strings played by musicians of the London Symphonic Orchestra (LSO), a 27-piece orchestra called the "Chandos Players"; it was scored from a tune that Siouxsie Sioux had composed on piano. Hyæna is the only studio album that guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure composed and recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Tinderbox is the seventh studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released on 21 April 1986 by Wonderland and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and by Geffen Records in the United States. It was the band's first full-length effort recorded with then-new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers; Carruthers had previously only added a few parts on the 1984 EP The Thorn. The first recording sessions for the album took place at Hansa by the Wall in Berlin in May 1985.
The Rapture is the eleventh and final studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in January 1995. The songs with cello arrangements, including the title track as well as "Fall from Grace" and "Not Forgotten", were produced by the band on their own in 1993. John Cale later produced the remaining songs in mid-1994.
"Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, Kaleidoscope. "Happy House" was the group's first record made with guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie.
"Israel" is a song by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1980 by Polydor Records.
"Fireworks" is a song by British post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1982 by record label Polydor in between the albums Juju (1981) and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982).
"Slowdive" is a song by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1982 by record label Polydor as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, A Kiss in the Dreamhouse.
Blue Sunshine is the only studio album by the British supergroup the Glove, released in 1983 by Wonderland Records/Polydor. This album mainly served as a diversion for Robert Smith and Steven Severin when both of them were under heavy stress in their respective bands the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Since Smith was prohibited from singing in another band by his record company, he and Severin recruited Zoo dancer Jeanette Landray to sing on the majority of the tracks; Smith contractually could only sing on two songs, "Mr. Alphabet Says" and "Perfect Murder". Other musicians involved in this project were drummer Andy Anderson, multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick, and string players Ginny Hewes and Anne Stephenson.
Wild Things is the first release by British duo the Creatures. It was issued on 25 September 1981 by Polydor Records as two 7" single records in a "double-album" style card cover, and is usually referred to as an EP. It peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 24, and the pair performed "Mad Eyed Screamer" on Top of the Pops. The EP was entirely remastered in 1997 and reissued as part of the A Bestiary Of CD compilation – which was also released on Spotify.
On November 7, 1982, six days before the Banshees set off on a UK tour with Robert Smith on guitar, A Kiss In The Dreamhouse was released to rapturous acclaim.
EL: On previous albums, you've used some left-field samples as a jumping off point to do something new and original. JM: Yeah, we've got Siouxsie and the Banshees on this record. It was Robin's idea.