The Rapture | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 January 1995 14 February 1995 (US) [1] | |||
Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
Studio | Studio du Manoir (Léon, France) and Wessex (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:13 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology | ||||
| ||||
Siouxsie Sioux chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Rapture | ||||
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.
A double translucent turquoise vinyl of The Rapture was released in October 2023. [2]
After composing songs in Siouxsie and Budgie's house near Toulouse,France,in March and April 1993,the band went to Léon near Biarritz. They produced the first part of the album at Studio du Manoir in May. "The Double Life" was the last song that they recorded during that first session block. When Siouxsie heard the news that Mick Ronson had passed away,she asked Jon Klein to add a guitar solo on "The Double Life" at the last minute,in memory of Ronson,whereas the band usually didn't want solos.
At the beginning of 1994,they recorded the final songs in London,this time with producer and former Velvet Underground member John Cale,who had previously produced albums that the band liked such as Patti Smith's Horses and the first Modern Lovers album. Cale also mixed one track,"Fall from Grace",from the previous recording sessions.
In the UK,Polydor only released the album on both CD and cassette,whereas in the US,Geffen also released it on vinyl LP.
The album was remastered for CD in 2014 with three bonus tracks,including a previously unreleased song called "FGM",and "New Skin",a song recorded for the Showgirls soundtrack of the Paul Verhoeven film of the same name. [3] "New Skin" has a slightly different mix and is longer than on the original Showgirls album. From then and on all further reissues,"Stargazer" has a different mix:the Mark Saunders mix was included instead of the original mix initially made by the band.
A double vinyl reissue of the album,half-speed mastered from the original ¼”tapes by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios,was released in December 2018.
In October 2023,The Rapture was reissued on double translucent turquoise vinyl. [2]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Select | 4/5 [5] |
Vox | 7/10 [6] |
Melody Maker wrote:"The Rapture is a fascinating,transcontinental journey through danger and exotica". Describing the arrangements,they added,"it's a vivid cornucopia of lush instrumentation,mandolins vying with cellos and bells,sweeping strings describing starlit oceans and sirens calling from jagged rocks,and attics that hide secret worlds". [7] Steve Malins of Vox also liked the album. He said,"The title-track is a sublime melodrama recalling the experimentation of Peepshow and 1982's Kiss in the Dreamhouse ",before concluding with this sentence,"The Rapture represents an intelligent twist on familiar Banshees obsessions". [6] Liz Buckley of Sun Zoom Spark also praised it,writing,"How is a band that first formed almost two decades ago able to remain both vital and celebrated? Answer:Metamorphosis". Buckley also declared that "the album is able to excite the hairs on the back of your neck". [8] Select gave it a rating of four out of five,hailing the band as "purveyors of scary pop par excellence". Matt Hall noted the ability of the group for "trotting out jolly tunes about mental breakdown,love bordering on obsession and severely dislocated relationships." The reviewer characterised The Rapture as a "fine little Russian doll of a record",and said,"Under the keyboard lines,swelling strings and OTT percussion,at the centre of every song is a nugget of disquiet that keeps you listening again and again." [5] Writing in the 2004 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide ,Mark Coleman and Mac Randall described The Rapture as "a lackluster affair". [9] AllMusic retrospectively rated the album four out of five stars,saying:"The surprise is that it's a career highpoint" as "Siouxsie,Severin and Budgie rediscovered their chemistry". [4] Reviewer Alex Ogg noted that "Despite nods to the band's past in the savage "Not Forgotten," the real gems are the sunny-side-up "O,Baby" (when did Siouxsie ever sound so genuinely happy?) and an 11-minute title-track that is as dazzling as anything they have ever performed." Ogg concluded:it is "a classic case of leaving the scene on a high note". [4]
Andrew Weatherall included the track "The Double Life" in a two-hour mix he did and presented for BBC Radio 6 in April 2011. [10]
All tracks produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees except tracks 1-2 and 7-8-9 produced by John Cale. Track 4 produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees and mixed by John Cale.
All music composed by Siouxsie and the Banshees,except bonus tracks "FGM" by Siouxsie Sioux/Jon Klein and "New Skin" by Siouxsie.
All lyrics are written by Siouxsie, except where noted.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "O Baby" | 3:19 | |
2. | "Tearing Apart" | 3:21 | |
3. | "Stargazer" | 3:14 | |
4. | "Fall from Grace" | Severin | 3:43 |
5. | "Not Forgotten" | 4:44 | |
6. | "Sick Child" | Budgie | 4:49 |
7. | "The Lonely One" | 3:29 | |
8. | "Falling Down" | 2:53 | |
9. | "Forever" | 4:04 | |
10. | "The Rapture" | 11:30 | |
11. | "The Double Life" | Severin | 4:10 |
12. | "Love Out Me" | 4:43 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "O Baby" (Manhattan mix) | 3:27 |
14. | "FGM" (Unreleased demo) | 3:05 |
15. | "New Skin" (Unreleased Showgirls long version) | 8:06 |
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [11] | 66 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [12] | 44 |
UK Albums (OCC) [13] | 33 |
US Billboard 200 [14] | 127 |
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 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".
Superstition is the tenth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 10 June 1991 by Polydor Records. The lead single, "Kiss Them for Me", gave the band their first top 40 Billboard Hot 100 entry in the United States, peaking at No. 23, with the album peaking at No. 65 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band widened their musical influences with the arrival of musician Talvin Singh, who played tablas on the songs "Kiss Them for Me" and "Silver Waterfalls".
Peter Edward Clarke, known professionally as Budgie, is an English drummer best known for his work in Siouxsie and the Banshees. He is also the co-founder of the Creatures.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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".
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.
"Israel" is a song by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1980 by Polydor Records.
"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. The song was recorded with new members Martin McCarrick on keyboards and Jon Klein on guitar.
"O Baby" is a song written and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was produced by John Cale and released as the first single from the band's 11th studio album, The Rapture. Melody Maker wrote : "O Baby is the wonderful prelude to Rapture" and it is "deliciously pop".
"Stargazer" is a song written, produced, and performed by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as the second single from the band's 11th studio album, The Rapture. It was the band's last single released, due to their disbandment the following year.
Hái! is the fourth and final studio album released in 2003 by British duo the Creatures, composed of Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The album was recorded in two parts: the drums were recorded by Budgie and Kodo drummer Leonard Eto in Tokyo in August 2002 and the rest of the recording was done in Europe. During their stay in Japan, the band was inspired and "touched by the delicate snowfall imagery of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952), absorbing the vibrancy of Tokyo's Roppongi district, and spiritualised by the ancient Shinto shrines and tranquil shores of Lake Ashi."
Feast is the debut studio album by British duo the Creatures, composed of Siouxsie Sioux and musician Budgie, then-members of the band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It reached No. 17 in the UK Albums Chart and the single "Miss the Girl" peaked at No. 21. With their first album, the band embraced exotica, including "waves crashing on beaches", "found-sound effects from nature" and local Hawaiian chanters. Critic Ned Raggett described it as "a lush, tropical experience".
Mantaray is the debut solo album by English singer Siouxsie. It was released in September 2007 by W14 Music on Universal Records, four years after Hái! - the final album of her second band the Creatures. After her first solo tour in 2004, Siouxsie wanted to collaborate with other musicians. She met Steve Evans and Charlie Jones, both of them arranged the songs and produced the record. Upon release, Mantaray was well received by critics, with praise focused on Siouxsie's voice and the different compositional styles.