Wild Things | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | 25 September 1981 | |||
Recorded | 25–27 May 1981 | |||
Studio | London | |||
Genre | Post-punk, exotica | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer | Mike Hedges The Creatures | |||
The Creatures chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Mad Eyed Screamer" on Dailymotion | ||||
Siouxsie chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Wild Things is the first release by British duo the Creatures (singer Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie). It was issued on 25 September 1981 by Polydor Records as two 7" single records in a "double-album" style card cover,and is usually referred to as an EP. It peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 24, [1] and the pair performed "Mad Eyed Screamer" on Top of the Pops . The EP was entirely remastered in 1997 and reissued as part of the A Bestiary Of CD compilation –which was also released on Spotify. [2]
The initial idea for Wild Things,and the Creatures,came about during the rehearsal sessions for the Siouxsie and the Banshees album Juju . While bassist Steven Severin and guitarist John McGeoch took a break,Siouxsie and drummer Budgie created the song "But Not Them". Deciding that it was complete as a drum-and-voice piece,they left it as it was,and recorded four more tracks to accompany it. The result was the Wild Things EP (so named by Severin,who upon hearing it,said it sounded like something the creatures in the book Where the Wild Things Are would have danced to on their island). The only cover version on the EP was the Troggs' "Wild Thing";Siouxsie added extra angry lyrics to the original;"Wild thing,I think I hate you/but I wanna know for sure/so come on,hit me hard/I hate you". [3] "So Unreal" drew inspiration from the novel The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin,and "Mad Eyed Screamer" from local characters met in Hyde Park,London. The duo incorporated the songs "But Not Them","So Unreal" and "Thumb" into Banshees concerts for many years afterwards.
The erotic sleeve art featuring Siouxsie and Budgie half-naked under a shower was inspired by the pictures of Man Ray;the artwork caused some controversy. Another shoot,inspired by the John Millais painting Ophelia ,featured the singer naked under many flowers and shallow water.
Upon the release reviewer of the British magazine Record Mirror left warm review on this EP. She called it "a surprise and a triumph." Among five of its songs she found unconvincing only cover version of the Troggs song "Wild Thing". As per her the rest of material was good:"Several Siouxsie voices over Budgie's quite magnificent drums and percussion make up the entire fabric of the thing,but it never sounds sparse." [4]
Singer Kate Jackson of the Long Blondes rated "So Unreal" as one of her favourite tracks,saying:"Siouxsie [has got] sharp lyrics and staccato vocals. Budgie is one of the most interesting drummers in the world. He uses drum sounds melodically as well as rhythmically which makes this drum/vocal duo work. You can hear their passion for each other in these recordings,they are so alive,despite being so minimal". [5]
David Cheal of the Financial Times wrote about the Creatures' rendition of "Wild Thing":"Perhaps the most striking of those 7,500-odd licensed recordings [of 'Wild Thing'] is [the Creatures version] on which Siouxsie's chilly multitracked vocals (at one point she chants,'Wild thing,I think I hate you') are accompanied only by Budgie's tribal-sounding drums. It's a version that taps into the earthy,elemental spirit of the song,channelling those few minutes back in 1964 when Chip Taylor lost himself in the darkness of a New York studio". [6]
In 2021,their rendition of "Wild Thing" was included in the end credits of the episode one "I Exist",in the Netflix series Brand New Cherry Flavor . [7]
All songs written and composed by Siouxsie and Budgie,except track 4 composed by Chip Taylor.
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".
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 both members of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. Their music, initially based on drums and voice, evolved over the years. The Creatures released their first EP Wild Things in 1981. On their debut album Feast (1983) including a UK top 25 single "Miss the Girl", the band embraced exotica while keeping percussion as the main instrument. On their second album Boomerang (1989) which was widely critically acclaimed, the duo married their music with blues and jazz; Uncut magazine would later rank Boomerang at number 184 in their list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of the 1980s". In the late 1990s, they developed a more urban sound on Anima Animus; The Times then described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion". For their last album Hái! (2003), they returned to their roots while turning to east, with an ode to Japanese minimalism. They disbanded in 2005.
Susan Janet Ballion, better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer and songwriter. 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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
"Wild Thing" is a song written by American songwriter Chip Taylor and popularized by the English rock band the Troggs. It was originally recorded and released by the American rock band the Wild Ones in 1965, but it did not chart. The Troggs' single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart in 1966. Their version of "Wild Thing" was ranked at number 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has also been performed by many other musicians.
"Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, Kaleidoscope. "Happy House" was the group's first record made with guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie.
"Fireworks" is a song by British post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1982 by record label Polydor in between the albums Juju (1981) and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982).
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.
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".
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.
Kenneth Ian Morris, known professionally as Kenny Morris, is an English drummer, songwriter and visual artist. He was the first studio drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees. He joined the band in January 1977; he had attended their first live appearance at the 100 Club a few months earlier and had been impressed by their performance. Morris's first studio recording with the group was in November 1977 when they recorded their first John Peel session for BBC radio. Music journalist Kris Needs said : "Like as a rhythm machine for feet and guts Kenny Morris' drumming is unorthodox, primitive and far removed from the clicking hi-hats of the fly-strength paradiddle merchants".
U.S. Retrace is a compilation album by British act the Creatures, consisting of Siouxsie Sioux and musician Budgie formerly of Siouxsie and the Banshees. It collected out-of-print material from several CD singles as well as the 1998 Eraser Cut EP. The title is an anagram of the group's name.
"Miss the Girl" is the debut single recorded by English band the Creatures. It was co-produced by Mike Hedges and was released as the lead single from the critically acclaimed Feast album. It was remastered in 1997 for A Bestiary Of. The song was allegedly inspired by the 1973 novel Crash, a story about car-crash fetishists by J. G. Ballard.