Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions

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Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions
Siouxsie Voices on the Air.JPG
Live album by
Released23 October 2006
Recorded1977–1986
Genre Punk rock
Post-punk
Alternative rock
Label Universal
Producer Malcolm Brown (1-4), Tony Wilson (5-12), Dale Griffin (13-16), Mike Robinson (17-19)
Siouxsie and the Banshees
live albums chronology
Seven Year Itch
(2003)
Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions
(2006)
At The BBC
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Stylus A+ [2]

Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions is a compilation released in 2006 by English alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, it was issued only on CD. It is composed of recordings made on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. The first three sessions date from the Banshees Mk1, the 1977-1979 era of guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris. The fourth session was captured during guitarist John McGeoch-era in 1981. The last session was done in 1986, with guitarist John Valentine Carruthers.

Contents

The artwork representing white lines on a blue monochrome, was first used on the back sleeve of the 1978 "Hong Kong Garden" single; it had been created for the band's first ever b-side "Voices". [3]

The compilation received critical acclaim. In a review rated A, Stylus wrote: "what the Peel Sessions always seem to be about—highlighting the raw essence at the centre of any given song, harnessing it and bringing it out in ways that studio versions can’t quite manage". Reviewer Peter Parrish praised the last track of the 1981 session, saying: "Much like “Land’s End” from the concluding session, “Voodoo Dolly” provides an exceptional, smouldering broodfest, sustained over the five-minute mark and beyond." [2] There was also "a cameo appearance from a Creatures tune [ Siouxsie and Budgie's second group], the percussion-heavy “But Not Them”." [2] In a review rated 4 out of 5, AllMusic dubbed their first sessions, "a fiery statement of intent from what became one of the key bands of the next two decades". [1]

The two first sessions had been previously released on two separate EPs The Peel Sessions in 1987 and 1988.

Track listing

CD: Polydor / 984 2940 (UK)

  1. "Love in a Void" (2:39)
  2. "Mirage" (2:40)
  3. "Metal Postcard" (3:34)
  4. "Suburban Relapse" (3:05)
  5. "Hong Kong Garden" (2:41)
  6. "Overground" (3:10)
  7. "Carcass" (3:42)
  8. "Helter Skelter" (3:30)
  9. "Placebo Effect" (4:23)
  10. "Playground Twist" (3:05)
  11. "Regal Zone" (3:53)
  12. "Poppy Day" (2:04)
  13. "Halloween" (3:38)
  14. "Voodoo Dolly" (6:30)
  15. "But Not Them" (3:32)
  16. "Into the Light" (4:21)
  17. "Candyman" (3:46)
  18. "Cannons" (3:19)
  19. "Lands End" (6:18)

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References

  1. 1 2 Thompson, Dave. "Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions – Siouxsie and the Banshees review". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Parrish, Peter (3 November 2006). "Siouxsie & the Banshees / The House of Love – Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions) / The Complete John Peel Sessions – Review". Stylus . Archived from the original on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. Paul Morley in the liner notes of Voices on the Air, UMC 9842940, 2006