Customer Reviews
MASTERPIECE - By: Mr. D. mcgrath, 05 Dec 2007 
All bands/soloists make at LEAST one masterpiece album & this has to be Siouxsie & The Banshees'crowning moment.
BRILLIANT from start to finish - my ultimate fave track has to be Scarecrow.
Beautiful melodic melancholy - By: T. Rivers, 29 Sep 2007 This has to be my favourite Siouxsie & the banshees album. I can listen to this endlessly, & only a few other albumsin my collection can claim such an accolade.
From the opening Peek a Boo to the breathe stealing Rhapsody this is for my money a perfect album.
My favourite stand-out tracks are; Ornaments Of Gold along with Scarecrow, but all the songs here are magnificent & as I have already stated infinitely re-listenable. Along with Ju Ju these are albums to play to the grave.
The most atmospheric album I've yet heard - By: Matthew Tilley, 06 May 2004 This is my favourite of Siouxsie's releases that I have collected thus far. In comparison to other albums, this work continues the more melodic, less-punky style of the bands later albums (Tinderbox, for example), as opposed to the harsher, simpler (yet still brilliant) earlier releases.
The atmosphere that pervades this album is truly captivating. It conjures imagery of old country folklore & halloween, with its array of instruments from violins to accordions & harmonicas, & lyrics about scarecrows & carousels. Another reviewer called it a 'journey into fairyland', & I think that is a good summary of its magical style.
Standout tracks are 'Peek-a-boo', which might be too poppy for some, but has a really funky rythm, & an accordion tune to die for. The next two tracks 'Killing jar' & 'Scarecrow' enhance the old Victorian-esque feel & really get the album going. Another standout track is 'Burn-up' which builds up continously throughout until the end sees a breathtaking crescendo of harmonica & woodwind instruments. Finally, my favourite track would be 'Rhapsody', which begins on a dark rumbling note & builds up into one of the most driving, dramatic & passionate songs I have ever heard, with a full ensemble of instruments & Sioxsie's soaring, commanding voice as enchanting as ever.
This is an incredible album owing to its unique dreamland atmosphere & brilliant integration of a whole range of instruments. Therefore, fans of the earlier punk style might not like it (admittedly, I was shocked when I first played it - but pleasantly) owing to the sheer musical grandeur, but I feel that unless one is a total early-Siouxsie diehard, her cooing lyrics & that quintessential Banshee style should win you over. Pricless.
Never Never Land - By: , 11 Jul 2003 "If there is such a place as Never Never Land, Siouxsie & the Banshees can take you there". And they will "definitely" whisk you away with this one. A "masterpiece" from start to finish, "Peek-A-Boo" showcases with a powerful slink that regurgitates itself with a phenomenal sharp diversity of sound looped back, forth & again with a wild screeching flute, jolting horns & "amazing" accordion riff that's sly, debonair & "emanates" 1920's burlesque with a powerful modern twist that smirks & connives., Sioux's voice is thrown at you from all directionsin defferent "frequencies" sharp & crisp, low & amplified, & shouted out via "ringmaster"! "The Killing Jar" starts the "journey" into "fairyland" with it's rampant skipping & jumping through a forest night over babbling brooks & glowing fireflies with violins & "frog croaking"! The eerie "Scarecrow" with it's glittering frost & childhood secrets provokes the imagination! The climaxing locomotion of "Burn Up" & the shear, elegant beauty of "Ornaments Of Gold" display fascinating drumwork as does "Turn To Stone" with it's spiraling sensuality, flamenco guitar riffs & congas. Sioux's voice peeks "angelically"in "The Last Beat Of My Heart" with a soaring majesty & "operatic"in "Rhapsody". If you want to loose yourselfin "pure enchantment", buy this album. "It's an atmospheric treat that dares you to imagine".
A Slick, smooth and melodious album. - By: , 17 Jan 2002 
This is the album that converted me to S&TB many years ago. I loved the sinister thread running through the tracks, particularly "Carousel" & "Rhapsody". If you are already a fan of Siouxsie, this album may be a little too commercial for your tastes. Then again, it shows a smooth move towards the slinkier side of their music. Personally, I love it & find it very atmospheric - & it was good enough to make me go & buy their previous albums too!
