Song from the Edge of the World

Last updated

"Song From the Edge of the World"
Siouxsie SFTEOTW.jpg
Single by Siouxsie and the Banshees
B-side
  • "The Whole Price of Blood"
  • "Mechanical Eyes"
Released13 July 1987
RecordedMay-June 1987
1983 and 1987 ("The Whole Price of Blood")
Genre Alternative rock
Label Polydor
Geffen (US)
Songwriter(s) Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin
Producer(s) Mike Thorne
Siouxsie and the Banshees singles chronology
"The Passenger"
(1987)
"Song From the Edge of the World"
(1987)
"Peek-a-Boo"
(1988)
Music video
"Song from the Edge of the World" on YouTube

"Song from the Edge of the World" is a song written and performed by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a stand-alone single in 1987. The song had been premiered live in the UK during an appearance at the WOMAD Festival in July 1986. [1] The song was recorded with new members Martin McCarrick on keyboards and Jon Klein on guitar.

Music and background

The track is an uptempo number with strong percussion performed by drummer Budgie. The song had already been demoed during the Tinderbox -era with guitarist John Valentine Carruthers but not released at the time. The single version was recorded in late May and early June 1987 with two new members, guitarist Jon Klein and keyboardist Martin McCarrick.

The single had not appeared on any album and was not included on any greatest hits collections until 2002's The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees , albeit only on the bonus disc of the limited edition of the album, and in its 12-inch "Columbus Mix" version. The original 7" version made its CD debut as a bonus track on the 2014 reissue of Through The Looking Glass .

Siouxsie Sioux later explained that she wasn't satisfied with the work of producer Mike Thorne during the recording sessions, which was one of the main reasons the band decided not to include this one-off single on their 1992 Twice Upon a Time - The Singles compilation. The early studio version performed with Carruthers was included on the remastered CD version of Tinderbox.

"Song from the Edge of the World" peaked at No. 59 in the UK Singles Chart. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siouxsie and the Banshees</span> British rock band

Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".

<i>Nocturne</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 1983 live album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siouxsie Sioux</span> English singer

Susan Janet Ballion, better known by her stage name 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Glove</span> Band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Severin</span> English musician

Steven John Bailey known professionally as Steven Severin, is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He was also the co-founder of the short-lived band the Glove in 1983. He took the name "Severin" from the Leopold von Sacher-Masoch character who is mentioned in the Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs". After the split of Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1996, Severin created his own label RE: and released several instrumental albums via his official website. In the late 2000s and the early 2010s, he regularly performed live in solo, playing music over footage of silent films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin McCarrick</span> English musician and composer

Martin McCarrick is an English cellist, keyboardist, guitarist and composer, best known for being a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees for seven years, from 1987 until 1995. Aside from being a live and recording artist, he is also a teacher and visiting lecturer in music.

<i>Tinderbox</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 1986 studio album by 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.

<i>Through the Looking Glass</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 1987 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Through the Looking Glass is the eighth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The album is a collection of cover versions. It was co-produced with Mike Hedges and released in March 1987 on Polydor. Through the Looking Glass included two singles; "This Wheel's on Fire" and "The Passenger". It was the second and final album recorded with guitarist John Valentine Carruthers. Some of their cover songs were praised by the original artists themselves.

<i>Peepshow</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Peepshow is the ninth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 1988 by Polydor Records and in the United States the following day by Geffen Records. It was their first record as a quintet. With the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein, the group recorded a multifaceted album with a variety of influences. Peepshow included the singles "Peek-a-Boo", "The Killing Jar" and "The Last Beat of My Heart".

<i>The Rapture</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<i>The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees</i> 2002 greatest hits album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Universal Music Group released The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees in 2002 as the first reissue of the Siouxsie and the Banshees remastered back-catalogue. The most successful singles of the band were presented in a non-chronological order.

The discography of Siouxsie and the Banshees, an English rock band, consists of eleven studio albums, three live albums, four compilation albums, one extended play (EP), and thirty singles. This list does not include material recorded by band members with the Creatures or the Glove, or solo work by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin. This page lists albums, singles, and compilations by the band Siouxsie and the Banshees, alongside their chart positions, release date, and sales achievements. In the UK, the band has eight BPI-certified Silver albums and two Gold albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)</span> 1980 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Israel" is a song by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1980 by Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dazzle (song)</span> 1984 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Dazzle" is a song by the English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released on 25 May 1984 by Polydor Records as the second single from their sixth studio album, Hyæna.

<i>The Thorn</i> (EP) 1984 EP by Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Thorn is an EP recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in late 1984 by Polydor and remastered in 2004 to be included on the Downside Up box set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cities in Dust</span> 1985 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Cities in Dust" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees from their album Tinderbox (1986). It was released on 18 October 1985 as the album's lead single.

<i>Blue Sunshine</i> (album) 1983 studio album by The Glove

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Valentine Carruthers</span> Musical artist

John Valentine Carruthers is an English musician, guitarist, and composer. He is mainly known for being a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees from mid-1984 until early 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love in a Void</span> 1979 song by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Love In a Void" is a song by the English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, written by singer Siouxsie Sioux, bassist Steven Severin, drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton. Originally included as the b-side to the 1979 single "Mittageisen" in West Germany, it was later released as a double A-side single in September of the same year. It was also included on the band's 1981 ten track UK Gold certified compilation album Once Upon a Time: The Singles, and on the CD reissue of the album Join Hands.

References

  1. Paytress, Mark. "The Banshee's story up". Record Collector. August 1988
  2. Johns, Brian. Entranced: the Siouxsie and the Banshees story. Omnibus Press, 1989. Page 94. ISBN   0-7119-1773-6