Customer Reviews

Downside Up

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

. . . 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.

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.

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!

It's fantastic to see that all the SATB obscurities are finally available in one collection - it is certainly worth picking up if your a Siouxsie fan but...beware! While most of the reviews here heap praise, I would like to stand back a bit....I remember when most of these singles and E.P's were released and very often thought that the B sides were session left-overs, experiments and 'throw aways'----some of the songs really have a "hmmmm....we need to record another tune for the b-side....let's put something together before supper time" kind of energy.....Aside from "The Thorn" E.P., if you were to listen to each song on this collection against the corresponding album, you would hear why many of these songs weren't included on the album themselves and ended up as b-sides (most evident are the songs recorded during the "Ju Ju" sessions). Overall it's an interesting listen but I'd recommend getting their proper albums first....

Like everybody else, I have been waiting years and years for this box set to finally come out. While I am ecstatic to finally have digitally remastered b-side songs from all of their older singles, I do feel this box set fell just a little short of what it could have been.

This box set is almost identical to the Joy Division: Heart and Soul box set. It has a tri-fold case, two of which hold 2 cd's respectively and the other is a slip case that holds the booklet.

The booklet itself is a stark and simple thing which includes a foreword (written by Siouxsie), a summarized historical slant, all the lyrics for the included songs and pictures of the singles and the band. My first complaint is here with the booklet. There is a lot of blank wasted space in it that could have been used far more efficiently with more pix of the band, individual members or larger singles covers. Which brings up my other issue, the singles pictures. They are very small thumbnail pictures, hardly worth looking at since most of them are only 1" by 1" in size. The sad thing is, on most of the pages that these are on, there is roughly a 4" by 4" blank spot on the same page or enough space on the following page to accommodate larger pictures.

The cd's themselves provide great sounding digital remasters of all the b-side songs from Hong Kong Garden: 1978 to Stargazer: 1995. That brings me up to the issue of the 12" and 7" remixes of the a-side songs. Where are they? I'm sure The Banshees will include them along with all of their digitally remastered back catalogue of albums that they promise to release in the future. But why should I have to repurchase albums I already have to get what should have been included here? Surely there is enough space because unfortunately, none of the discs come close to being full. Disc 1 falls far short at only 64.57, Disc 2 at 71.44, Disc 3 at 73.55 and here's the kicker, Disc 4 at a mere 19.42. Remember that cd's today can hold ~80 minutes of music. So if you count the differences, there's ~89 minutes of wasted space. Thats more than one cd of music missing! Surely you would be able to include some remixes or even a full live concert for all of that space. While I am sure they managed these discs the way they did for some type of continuity, I just feel a little cheated by the seclusion of the singles other counterparts, the a-side remixes.

With all of that said, it's still a must have item for the Banshee fan that has it all and craves for more. I do agree with the one reviewer that commented on only liking the older material on disc 1. I myself can do without disc 3 as I quit listening/purchasing any Banshees material after Tinderbox. But all in all, this is still a purchase I am content with.

This is a magnificent box set of B-Sides and rarities by Siouxsie And Various Banshees lineups. It also includes a great book where the three principal band members describe their thoughts for each song. Sioux's comments alone are a hoot!

But the music? Aaah, the music! Sioux herself states that often their best work was relegated to B-sides, and this proves it! It is very comprehensive. As a long time collector of Sioux Singles, I can't find any rarity I've ever heard of missing. They are all here!

There are so many wonderful & magical cuts in this box I don't know where to begin! So I'll just select three:

"Coal Mind" An intense thriller of a song (from the 'Juju' era) with great lyrics and a chuggin'-train Budgie drumbeat. It should have been an A-side!

"Let Go" A dreamy piano-based ballad from the Robert Smith era, it is one of their most beautiful and haunting songs (once again great, sea-evoking lyrics, too!) &

"Voices" Their first line-up produces a howling primal scream of a horror-punk song, complete with backwards echo and other strangeness. And it rocks.

And there's so much more! In a way, these are more consistent then their 'normal' CD's, which sometimes fall into over-artiness. And since none of their CD's contain 'Bonus' tracks, all these wonderful tracks can only be found here! There's even a few rare live numbers. And their wonderful covers of '20th Century Boy', and 'She's Cracked' (originally by T. Rex and Johnathan Richman, respectively). I could go on all day...but if you like Siouxs 'official' albums, you'll like this as much or even more...;oD

Well, I finally got this after hearing about it for months. A friend of mine visited London the week it was released and bought it for me as a b-day/x-mas gift. It is amazing. I am in love with the third and fourth discs. I also think the first disc is a wonderful companion to all the albums. It is easy to see why they left a mark in punk/goth/pop culture. I highly recommend this set. It is worth every penny! Thanks to Siouxsie and the gang for doing this for us die hard fans. XOXOXOXOXO!

Such a treat for long time fans (and new ones!), this collection is just full of gems. I could have bought this for "Shooting Sun" alone, which should have been a Banshee single. Brilliant also are "Eve-White Eve-Black", "Let Go" and the fantastic "B-Side Ourselves". The Banshees always pack a punch, but this box-set has a subtlety to it that often is overlooked. Dear Listener, the joy will be all yours to discover these songs anew!

Amazing. For any long-time fan of The Banshees it is a Bible; for others, a rare and unique addition to the collection. If you are a music lover with taste, you ought to own this, and revel in it. Siouxsie is the dark Madonna. Influential, controversial, fashionable, unpredictable, incomparable, and beautiful.
Downside Up is a brilliant sonic labyrinth that you shouldn't be scared to get lost in. These songs are a glowing reminder of what an enormously influential, albeit under-rated, band The Banshees have always been. This box-set continues to cement their much-deserved place in the history of alternative music.

Just a massive body of work. It literally seems to double their catalogue, in one fell swoop. From some of Punk's most lacerating slams, Disc 1 decapitates as it lunges fast and furious with each passing song. Elaborations start to grow around the songs like strange eco-systems as the group became tremendous artisans, culminating in brooding, sardonic, majesties like "Coal Mind", "Supernatural Thing", and "Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant". DU2 is the most bizarre and avant of the 3. Some best evers are here: "There's A Planet In My Kitchen" (easily their most deranged song), "I Promise" (breathtaking, shoulda been on Hyaena), and "Throw Them To The Lions". DU3 some of the greatest stuff from their end times. The jewel in the crown is of course, The Thorn. Have had the vinyl sealed in a firebox to burn to disc in case this wasn't released. These 4 songs show Sioux & Co. at the symphonic, bombastic best. The package is exquisite. Their obscurity in America is a permanent indictment of this country's tin-ear. Get this immediately.