Tinderbox

Siouxsie & The Banshees

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000000OPW
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,654 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 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)

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).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic entry in the Banshee discography, April 28, 2002

By	Matthew (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews

Like many, my favourite release from the Banshees is probably "Juju." But "Tinderbox" is my runner-up. With some of the most catchy yet unquestionably dark material the band has ever released, I never grow tired of listening to this album.

"Candyman" kicks things off, very fast and peppy. A lot of my friends sort of dismiss this one, and it is admittedly 'sickly sweet' to an extent, but I always loved the instrumental breakdown toward the middle of the song. "The Sweetest Chill" is one of the most beautiful and melodic songs the Banshees have ever done. It has a very melancholic, yet uplifting vibe to it. It is here that you will really begin to take note of the richly expressive guitar work on the album, as well as Siouxsie Sioux's heartfelt and powerful voice. "This Unrest" is a manic, Gothic masterpiece - a slinky, dark rhythm gives the song an added sense of the exotic and then climaxes to a chaotic, frantic chorus. This album probably illustrates some of Budgee's most fantastic drumming with the Banshees, and it is heard on this track, the claustrophobia of "92 Degrees" and the foreboding, epic "Land's End" that appears later in the disc.

Of course, the overplayed and overrated college radio hit "Cities In Dust" appears on this release. As a Gothic DJ, I am just worn out on this song. In some ways I suppose I take it for granted that so many people like it. So its presence on this disc is surely noteworthy. I just always skip over it for the more progressive and atmospheric numbers.

Overall, I recommend this disc wholeheartedly. Initially, pick up the two singles collections to see if the Banshees are for you. If you like what you hear, then start buying the rest of the albums and seek this one out right away. Some of the Banshees greatest songs are non-single tracks and at least 4 of them are on this release.