The Seven Year Itch (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)

Last updated

The Seven Year Itch
Siouxsie & the Banshees-Seven Year Itch.jpg
Live album by
Released19 May 2003
Recorded9–10 July 2002
Venue Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Genre Post-punk
Label Sanctuary
Producer Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology
The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees
(2002)
The Seven Year Itch
(2003)
Downside Up
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

The Seven Year Itch is a live album by Siouxsie and the Banshees, composed of performances recorded at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on 9 and 10 July 2002 and released by Sanctuary Records in 2003 (on CD, double-LP vinyl, VHS and DVD formats).

Contents

Background, content and release

Years after the breakup of the Banshees, the three core members (Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin and Budgie) plus final Banshees guitarist Knox Chandler reunited for an abbreviated tour of the US and UK in 2002. The title referred to the fact that Siouxsie and the Banshees had not played together in seven years before embarking on this final tour of their career. It was also a nod to Billy Wilder's film The Seven Year Itch .

Seven Year Itch was the band's second live album, the first being 1983's Nocturne . For the performances, Siouxsie and the Banshees concentrated not on radio hits, but on both popular and obscure B-sides and album tracks, many pulled from their early albums. The album also featured a one-off rendition of the Beatles' "Blue Jay Way", played in memory of George Harrison, who died in November 2001.

The CD and double-LP vinyl mainly featured live versions recorded on the first night on 9 July 2002, while the DVD only captured the second night on 10 July.

Track listing

  1. "Pure"
  2. "Jigsaw Feeling"
  3. "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)"
  4. "Red Light"
  5. "Lullaby"
  6. "Lands End"
  7. "I Could Be Again"
  8. "Icon"
  9. "Night Shift"
  10. "Voodoo Dolly"
  11. "Trust in Me"
  12. "Blue Jay Way"
  13. "Monitor"
  14. "Peek-a-Boo"

DVD

  1. "Pure"
  2. "Jigsaw Feeling"
  3. "Metal Postcard"
  4. "Red Light"
  5. "Happy House"
  6. "Christine"
  7. "Lullaby"
  8. "Lands End"
  9. "Cities in Dust"
  10. "I Could Be Again"
  11. "Icon"
  12. "Night Shift"
  13. "Voodoo Dolly"
  14. "Spellbound"
  15. "Blue Jay Way"
  16. "Monitor"
  17. "Peek-a-Boo"

DVD Bonus

  1. Backstage Budgie
  2. Getting Ready to Scratch (soundchecks and more)

Personnel

Siouxsie and the Banshees

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 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".

<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">The Creatures</span> English band

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.

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

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".

<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 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 a member of the short-lived band the Glove. 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">Budgie (musician)</span> English drummer

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.

<i>Once Upon a Time/The Singles</i> 1981 greatest hits album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<i>The Scream</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<i>Kaleidoscope</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 1980 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<i>Juju</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 1981 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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".

<i>A Kiss in the Dreamhouse</i> 1982 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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."

<i>Hyæna</i> 1984 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<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 was preceded by the single "This Wheel's on Fire". 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. It included the singles "Peek-a-Boo", "The Killing Jar" and "The Last Beat of My Heart". The record was a commercial success, peaking at No. 20 in the UK, and No. 68 on the US Billboard 200 chart in the week of 3 December 1988. It spent a total of 20 weeks on that chart. "Peek-a-Boo" reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and "the Killing Jar" got the number two spot.

<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.

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.

<i>Dreamshow</i> 2005 video by Siouxsie

Dreamshow is a live DVD by Siouxsie, released in 2005. It was filmed at the Royal Festival Hall in London in October 2004. The songs are performed on stage with the Millennia Ensemble orchestra. The setlist incorporates music from her bands Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Creatures.

<i>All Souls</i> (album) 2022 compilation album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

All Souls is a compilation album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on vinyl on 21 October 2022. It is a collection of singles, album tracks, and B-sides. It was conceived by Siouxsie Sioux as a seasonal compilation "to celebrate the autumn equinox and its festivities".

References

  1. True, Chris. "The Seven Year Itch – Siouxsie and the Banshees review". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. Griffiths, James (10 October 2003). "Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Seven Year Itch Live". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  3. Coleman, Mark; Randall, Mac (2004). "Siouxsie and the Banshees". In Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 740–41. ISBN   978-0-7432-0169-8.
  4. "Siouxsie and the Banshees – The Seven Year Itch Live – Review". Uncut . Archived from the original on 27 April 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2015.