Tinderbox

Siouxsie & The Banshees | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000000OPW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,419 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 digitally remastered and expanded digipak edition of this classic Banshees album from 1986 featuring four bonus tracks including the Extended Version of 'Cities In Dust' and three previously unreleased tracks: the Chris Kimsey version of 'Sweetest Chill' and the JVC versions of 'Starcrossed Lovers' and 'Song From The Edge of the World'. Siouxsie & The Banshees began life as a Punk outfit (with Sid Vicious on drums, no less!) before mutating into Post-Punkers on their way to becoming one of the most influential Goth Rock band on the scene. To this day, over 10 years after their disintegration, the band's fanatical fan base continues to grow. Universal. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goth or not, this is gold, September 17, 2003

By 

D. Wood "djwoodsky" (East Bay, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tinderbox (Audio CD)

Okay, I am not a vampire or any other permutation of g-g-goth. But I have always really respected Siouxsie since the early 80's (okay, I'm also pretty old), ever since I first picked up The Scream, which is another great album.

Tinderbox is a genre-bending piece of work, and like too many such works, will probably go unrecognized as such by... those who "recognize" this kind of thing. Sure, if you like spooky content, it's all there: death, deals with death, unconditional death, and worse-than-death represent in force. But what makes me check in with this disc again and again -- and it has been a regular, unpredictable guest in my playlist since 1986 -- is that thing about certain albums/discs/recordings that haunt, tease and compel you to keep listening, or to throw it on in the background during those anti-social times when you need something unique to keep you on your toes.

What I can say is that this album has, pound for pound, some of the best and most original guitar-playing on it that I have heard; that the disc is incredibly consistent and sustains a black, silky mood from beginning to end; and yet it is because of the blackness that it is, in the end, so compelling and fulfilling. How much more black could this be? None. None more black (-Nigel Tufnel).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tinderbox...all a flame, July 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tinderbox (Audio CD)

Siouxsie & The Banshees' most "listenably" album, TINDERBOX is filled with uncharacteristically melodic tunes. From "Candyman" to "Cities In Dust" the group seems to be at it's musical peak, creating a variety of beautiful melodies most impressively with "Cannons" and "Party's Fall." These tracks and the rest of the album has a sort of "larger than life" symphonic quality that had eluded them in the past.

Siouxsie Sioux's vocals are also at their all time best, and used to full effect. It's wonderful to actually hear her soft side and in certain moments on "Party's Fall" one can hear shades of a marvellously rich falsetto that she has never used so expertly.

The most inquisitive thing about this album is that although the melodies are light and often hummable, the thematic choices are very much dark and ominous. From the lava-burned victims of "Cities in Dust" to the terriyingly "hot" "92 Degrees"...the themes chosen by the band seem to disturb rather than uplift (but then again, this is a Gothic band, not The Go-Go's)and this contrast actually compliments, adding a depth to their work that was previously not there.

Most importantly, TINDERBOX has a clarity, precision and smoothness that had previously escaped the band and has ever since. A later album,SUPERSTITION had good moments, but was overall an uneven effort pushed ahead by a succesful single ("Kiss Them For Me"), and an earlier album, HYAENA suffered greatly from a sort of manic-depression, one moment they were burning a house down, the next they were swimming with horses.

TINDERBOX lies inbetween, and seems to reflect a stable, strong band that has a definite edge, but still knows how to create an entire album without floundering.

Overall their best work to date.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My First And Favorite Siouxsie Album, May 15, 2003

By 

"jcmcm6" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tinderbox (Audio CD)

I had only heard singles by Siouxsie when I bought this cd on a whim, and it's still hands-down one of my absolute favorite albums. It's consistent without becoming boring or repetitive, it really makes the album an experience as opposed to a collection of songs.

"Lands End" is a delicious tune, easy to just lay back and get lost in. "Umbrella" seethes and twitches in an understated way that makes it probably my favorite song on the cd. I have to say, though, I feel the album falters a bit during "Quarterdrawing" and "The Execution". They're certainly not out of place but I can't say I'd really miss them if they were gone.

That one gripe doesn't detract much at all from the overall presence of Tinderbox, so I have to give it a full 5 stars. This is prime Siouxsie material.