16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Even If You Already Have Every Siouxsie Album. . ., November 9, 2005
This review is from: Downside Up (Audio CD)
. . . you only have half of the story. The Banshees were nothing if not prolific, recording heaps of additional material along with each album. This collection shows that additional material to be on par with the albums themselves. Combined with beautiful packaging and in-depth liner notes, "Downside Up" is a highly recommended set for any fan of the original alterna-Goth music scene.
Just as their sound drastically evolved throughout the years, so do the tracks in the set. No one's ever going to confuse the material from the "Ju Ju" and "Superstition" eras, for example. While this makes the set difficult to listen to start-to-finish, it also provides an interesting timeline for the band's sound across the years. It's also a good way to compare all of the different guitarists who've been members of the Banshees, including Cure frontman Robert Smith, ex-Magazine member John McGeouch and John Valentine Carruthers of Clock DVA.
The material from the "Tinderbox" and "Peek-a-Boo" sessions is the real gem of the collection. Once only available on the import pressing, the "Tinderbox" b-sides have since been added as bonus tracks to that CD, so this box set unfortunately doesn't provide the value of true rarities in that case. However, the "Peek-a-Boo" material is still only available on import singles, including the extremely hard-to-find "El Dia de los Muertos", a devilish rhumba that evokes the whole Cirque du Soleil feel of those sessions. The rare "Thorn" EP is also included here in its entirety for the first time on CD (its majestic single "Overground" was included on a greatest hits collection).
The set comes with a beautiful book of liner notes which includes quotes from band members about each track. It reads like an episode of "Behind the Music", i.e. it's a very informative chat with the band. Ever wonder how a track as great as "Lullabye" was left off of "Tinderbox"? Severin couldn't finish the lyrics in time. Why the "Thorn" limited to just an EP? The principal band members wanted to see if Carruthers could cut it as the new guitarist. There are lots of interesting insights such as these throughout the book.
One disappointment is that not all of the content from the singles is included here - specifically, the remixes. So, true completists will still be scouring online auctions looking for every last non-album track.
But this drawback is minor compared to the very big upside of "Downside Up". It is a fantastic collection of material, both on the discs and in the accompanying book.
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32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AT LAST AT LAST, December 27, 2004
This review is from: Downside Up (Audio CD)
This is the box set we all started hearing about back in '96. It's finally out. YES it is the holy grail of siouxsie & the banshees...Yes disc 4 only has the thorn EP on it (i own the record, and these 19 minutes were only EVER available on record until now) IF you are a siouxsie fan and you have never heard the Thorn Ep this is worth the price alone. These "19.whatever" minutes are the turning point in the banshees career, from punk to what you want to call them now. Be warned you won't forget red over white. This collection earns its place next to the collections once & twice upon a time as the best siouxsie EVER. If you ever heard the name in passing, if you were ever even a casual fan you MUST hear this. It's the B-sides that really tell the story of a band that seems so forgotten, yet has influenced every band that has come out since. Finally one of the best bands ever will have its downside face the world up... Buy it now you need it. I can't say enough, this is the REAL siouxsie and the banshees unrestrained let loose on an unsuspecting world. We owe them everything.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the 20-year Wait, December 16, 2004
This review is from: Downside Up (Audio CD)
Since 1976, Siouxsie & The Banshees have provided a constant source of the most experimental post-punk pop on the market. The ephemeral singles from these albums - at least 2 per album with accompanying 12" versions - slipped through most fingers as quickly as they came. Along with the singles and 12" singles went the b-sides, uniquely devised non-album tracks which empowered Siouxsie and her band with full artistic control... all gone, some feared forever, until now! These 51 unique, experimental, poetic, mystical, mind bending, heart stopping b-sides are all reissued in this beautiful "Downside Up" package. Also included is a perfect little 76-page book of pictures, cover art, and LYRICS which we've all been making up along the way. The set is wrapped up with the ultra-rare 4-song "Thorn" EP - Siouxsie & The Banshees' heavenly re-worked versions of 4 favorites, accompanied by full orchestral score. It is hard to put into coherent words that which Siouxsie has infused into these songs vocally, lyrically, and supernaturally. This digital archive of 55 of the most original haunting songs of our generation is a slice of music history and a work of art you can own and experience in amazing remastered clarity. Sure to offer many years of listening pleasure to any fan of Siouxsie or any frustrated music lover in need of more than what's being offered by the industry today!
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