Customer Reviews

Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions

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Just listen to Land's End, and you will hear what a remarkable band and recording came out of some of the Peel sessions. I am so thankful that this collection has come out, and in all of its remastered glory!

The world is definitely a less interesting place with the recent loss of John Peel. I own numerous "Peel Session" albums of various bands, and every single one of them either stands up evenly with it's artists' "official" recordings... or even surpasses them in quality. One thing they all seem to have in common is that the artists all seem to be enjoying themselves in the studio, and it shows on the recordings.

So here is the first Peel Session album I have purchased since the death of John Peel. It's another great testament to not only the exceptionally unique talents of the Banshees, but to the magic touch of Mr. Peel himself. These were taken from 4 different sessions that included 2 different band lineups between 1977 and 1981. The first two sessions are mostly material from the early singles and "The Scream", and come off as high-quality live versions of the songs.

The third session is from the "Join Hands" era of the Banshees... a very turbulent and troubled time for the band. These versions of the songs from that album, in my opinion, are superior to the original album. They retain their dark, abrasive mood, but with a much more passionate and optimistic energy driving them.

The fourth session is from the "Juju" era, often regarded as when the Banshees were at peak performance. Also included in these '81 sessions are a few songs that didn't make an appearance until 5 years later on "Tinderbox", and here they sound much more fresh and spontaneous. The version of "Land's End" here especially hits the right nerve and closes out this album perfectly.

I've never heard a Peel Session album I didn't like, and this one is even better than most of the others I've heard... not to mention it contains some rarities that any Banshees fan should be rabid to add to their collection. The superior versions of the "Join Hands" and "Tinderbox" songs alone are reason enough to buy this. Highly recommended.

This very welcome package brings together all the sessions the Banshees recorded for the John Peel show, two before they had even signed a record deal, and all between 1977 and 1986. It once again demonstrates the small miracles regularly performed by the producers and studio engineers in the small radio studios at Maida Vale. Each session, usually comprising about four tracks, was recorded in a single day, generally as live with no more than a few minor overdubs, and often captures a sense of performance missing from the officially released versions.

Voodoo Dolly particularly benefits from this treatment, and like the other three titles from this February 1981 session, was recorded the month before they went into the studios to record them for Juju, giving the listeners a chance to preview a work in progress. But For Them, a showcase for Siouxsie and Budgie, is especially interesting as it was dropped uncompleted from Juju and instead turned up later on the debut EP by the Creatures, the Siouxsie and Budgie splinter group whose genesis this track had inspired.

I'm not so sure the Peel sessions should be singled out for this special treatment, when the band recorded sessions in the same studios for other Radio One shows, such as the Evening Session, and later in Manchester for Mark Radcliffe. They also recorded sessions around the world for other radio stations, not to mention a Capital Radio session in 1978 (Mirage and Metal Postcard).

In 2009 this collection has been complemented by a CD/DVD box set, At The BBC. It is considerably more expensive than this single CD; bad news for those of us that have already bought this one, but it does include everything on this CD plus the other missing Radio One sessions in full, as well as some live recordings broadcast on radio or TV.

Voices On Air is a great and economical way to hear the Banshees at the beginning of their career, including the late 70s work with that strong, raw, yet naive sound. The Peel sessions really brought out their best.

Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions
If you're a fan of the Banshees early punk sound, and want to hear what is in many ways superior versions of their more aggresive early years-get it before it's no longer available for purchase.

I have to admit that I am biased - I have been a rabid Siouxsie fan for over 20 years. I finally picked up a copy of "Voices on the Air", and I can't believe I didn't lay hands on this earlier!

The different performances of the 19 songs on this disc offer another window into the Banshees' musical ferocity. Hearing a SATB mix that is produced and engineered by different individuals than those who worked on the studio albums reveal exactly how powerful the band was. The "Join Hands" era has never been one of my favorites, but listening to "Placebo Effect" on this disc reminds of how the underlying tensions in the band at this time spawned intense, riveting music.

A slightly different take on these songs allows one to hear another facet of the Banshees rich sound. The version of "Voodoo Dolly" on "Voices on the Air" is my favorite track on this disc. It's not hard to see why the Banshees are credited with the emergence of Goth after listening to this track. Sioux's vocals of full of suspense and danger, while Budgie, Steven, and McGeoch create an eerie sound scape that slithers around the siren's chanting. In my opinion, the production on "Juju" masked some of this effect.

This disc is getting a bit more difficult to find in the US, so if you ever had a hankering for anything Banshees, join hands to find yourself a copy of this now and revel in SATB's glory at the BBC.