Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions

Last updated

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 previously been 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)

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">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".

<i>Garlands</i> (album) 1982 album by the Cocteau Twins

Garlands is the debut studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released on 10 July 1982 through the record label 4AD. It peaked in the Top 5 of the UK Independent Albums Chart and received support from BBC Radio 1 radio host John Peel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McGeoch</span> British musician

John Alexander McGeoch was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Magazine (1977–1980) and Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980–1982).

Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.

<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. 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>Join Hands</i> 1979 studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<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>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.

<i>The Seven Year Itch</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 2003 live album by Siouxsie and the Banshees

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.

<i>Downside Up</i> 2004 box set by Siouxsie and the Banshees

Downside Up is a four-disc box set collecting B-sides and bonus material from the catalogue of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also included is The Thorn EP, originally released in 1984. Most of these songs were classics of the band's live repertoire like "Pulled to Bits", "Eve White/Eve Black", "Red Over White", "I Promise", "Something Blue", "El Día de los Muertos" and "B Side Ourselves". The box set was also released on iTunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altered Images</span> Scottish new wave/post-punk band

Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1983. Their hits include "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Garden (song)</span> 1978 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Hong Kong Garden" is the debut single of English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mittageisen</span> 1979 single by Siouxsie and the Banshees

"Mittageisen" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It originally appeared on the band's 1978 debut album The Scream as "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)"; the track was re-recorded in 1979, this time with the lyrics sung in German, and released as a single in West Germany with "Love in a Void" on the b-side. That September the song was given a UK release by record label Polydor as a double A-side single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McKay (musician)</span> Musical artist

John McKay is an English songwriter and guitarist. He was the first studio guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees. He was a member of the group from July 1977 until September 1979. He played a "jagged unorthodox chording", and created a "metal-shard roar" with his guitar. Q magazine included McKay's work on "Hong Kong Garden" in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever". He recorded two studio albums with the band, their debut album The Scream in 1978 and Join Hands in 1979.

<i>At the BBC</i> (Siouxsie and the Banshees album) 2009 box set by Siouxsie and the Banshees

At the BBC is a live box set containing three CDs and a DVD by alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in June 2009 by record label Universal International.

<i>The BBC Recordings</i> (The Sound album) 2004 live album by The Sound

The BBC Recordings is a live album by English post-punk band the Sound, consisting of two sessions and two live recordings from 1980 to 1985 done for BBC radio. It was released in 2004 by Renascent.

The Siouxsie and the Banshees Peel sessions are the first two sessions recorded by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees for John Peel's radio show on BBC Radio 1 in November 1977 and February 1978. First released in 1987 and 1988, both sessions were remastered to be included on the Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions CD compilation.

<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. 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