Rapture [Import]

Siouxsie & The Banshees | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 23, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: MSI:UNIVERSAL/POLYGRAM
• ASIN: B000024FEB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,941 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. O Baby

2. Tearing Apart

3. Stargazer

4. Fall From Grace

5. Not Forgotten

6. Sick Child

7. The Lonely One

8. Falling Down

9. Forever

10. The Rapture

11. The Double Life

12. Love Out Me

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You have to respect Siouxsie Sioux's role as an influence-without her, there wouldn't be nearly as much black nail polish at Lollapalooza-but artistically, she's been treading water since the mid '80s. Siouxsie and the Banshees' The Rapture continues the singer's long, sad decline into shlocky, synthesized cabaret music. The only one of the 12 tunes that stands out is the strings-drenched, 11:32 title track, and that's only because it sends you running to hit fast forward. --Jim DeRogatis

Product Description

Out of print in the U.S.! Final album from Siouxsie and her Banshees, originally released in 1995. Roughly half the album was produced by former Velvet Underground man and solo star John Cale. 12 tracks including 'Stargazer', 'The Lonely One', 'Falling Down' and more. Polydor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bittersweet Swansong "Just one more tie then never . . ." ("The Rapture"), March 26, 2008

By 

Rich Latta (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rapture (Audio CD)

Siouxsie & the Banshees - The Rapture (1995)

[updated review]

It's too bad that there's probably a lot of people out there who tried to listen to this album but couldn't make it past the first 2 or 3 songs -many of these tracks are on par with just about anything from the S&B catalogue.
Sadly, Siouxsie and the Banshees compromised their original vision (and alienated their old Goth fanbase) with overt pop leanings toward the latter part of their career. Their apparent attempt to entice more radio airplay like they had with the sensuous "Kiss Them for Me," actually a great song, spawned dreadful consequences in other respects. However, most of THE RAPTURE is worthy Siouxsie, so its reception has been unfairly cold.

The breakdown:

"O Baby" - Overt, cloying pop. I usually skip this.

"Tearing Apart" - another pop song but it works well. I might listen to this depending on mood.

"Stargazer" - a single, definitely poppy. A good song, very upbeat, but I actually like the techno remixes better.

"Fall from Grace" - O.K. tune, but kinda drags and has the same pop sound as the previous songs.

"Not Forgotten" - here's where the album starts to get REALLY good. This song has tribal rhythms and an ominous tone. It's also a really creepy tale.

"Sick Child" - one of the best on the album, a song of twinkling wonderment, beautifully rendered.

"The Lonely One" is another great one, this time upbeat and relaxed with slide guitar and weird French vocal overdubs.

"Falling Down" - good song with steady tension.

"Forever" - this one is an absolute dream, like passing through time portals in slow motion.

"The Rapture" - a real departure from traditional song structure, this song experiments with rhythm created by musical instruments like the violin. Impressive is the way it evolves into several different stages. A real beauty.

"The Double Life" - has a great "Jeckle and Hyde" atmosphere going for it. Except for the chorus, Siouxsie speaks the lyrics. Less successful than other similarly themed Siouxsie songs, but a good attempt.

"Love Out Me" - a great song and pretty intense - they really get that Dervish frenzy swirling again on this one.

Siouxsie still has that power over me - like she's a witch. Sometimes I wonder . . .

UPDATE - I actually wrote this review several years ago. Today I can appreciate the first three "pop" songs more, especially "Oh Baby" which I now consider to be a pretty great song and worthy single. Wanting to be popular and well-liked (as well as making some money) isn't really such a bad thing. Too bad it didn't exactly happen for them (although they no doubt did quite well for themselves even if they never became the superstars they deserved to be). I leave my review as is because part of me still feels that way, but I'm no longer so judgemental when a band doesn't sound the way I think they should.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Melodic and Enchanting, December 2, 2002

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rapture (Audio CD)

The Velvet Underground legend John Cale produced five of these tracks while the band produced the rest on this 1995 album. We have Sioux as chanteuse so The Rapture isn't as firmly in the rock tradition as their earlier work. It's rather a progression from their 1991 album Superstition in its focus on creating moods and sonic textures. The opener O Baby is pure pop, a lilting, swaying track with a lovely tune, while Tearing Apart is rockier but in a dreamy sort of way.

With its killer hook, shimmering guitar work and appealing arrangement - especially the vocals - the melodic Stargazer is one of the highlights. I love the mid-tempo rocker Fall From Grace that sounds so distinctly Banshees yet somehow unique and innovative too. There are also the brooding slower numbers that impress, like Forever with its percussive texture and the tender Sick Child. The Lonely One is an atmospheric ballad with a lilting rhythm, appealing instrumentation & spooky whispered male backing vocals. Highly atmospheric too is Not Forgotten with its massed guitars.

Mournful and atmospheric, the title track is a searing lament. The tempo shifts halfway through, unleashing Sioux's voice to transform it into a rousing anthem before it slows down again. Fans of their earlier work may not appreciate Siouxsie as a singer (instead of a howler or screamer) but for me her career followed a logical progression from the harsh, uncompromising debut album through the varied & underappreciated Join Hands to an ultimate mastery of timeless, quality pop-rock in the 1990s. These melodies are particularly strong and the lyrics of high quality. The Rapture is a fine album of great musical depth.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Call me silly, August 10, 2004

By 

D. Brody "spydoor" (OHIO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rapture (Audio CD)

...but i love this cd! I'm probably one of the only SATB fans of long ago who love this cd...It's poppy and at times such a departure from SATB of the past (late 70's early 80's) but it works (for me) I think O Baby is great...as is the rest of the disk (the only song is skip is Fall from Grace....too annoying for me to listen to for some reason) It is a lot better than the overproduced schlock of Superstition and it stands on it's own..unlike any other in the SATB collection, which is why i enjoy it so much and continue to enjoy this 10 year old overlooked gem! I dont have a SATB favorite ...to me they are all great (minus superstition, although a few great tracks on there as well)...There is only one siouxsie and we are blessed to have her here as well as in the creatures!