Monday, July 4, 2011


Siouxsie and The Banshees- Join Hands (1979) MP3 & FLAC -For Ol' Foggy-


"You swallow the trail but still arrive in your entrails."

Join Hands is often characterized as an early misfire for Siouxsie and The Banshees, a bleak, impenetrable album containing few if any of the charms found in the band's other albums of the time. When listening to this album, I can't help but wonder what its reputation would be if it had been recorded by another band, instead of being sandwiched in between groundbreaking works such as The Scream  and Kaliedoscope. Don't get me wrong, Join Hands offers few of the Punk theatrics of the former or the powerful vocal performances of the latter, but in their place, The Banshee's sophomore album captures the band (as it was then comprised) at their most unstructured, unpolished, and experimental. This was partly due to the success of The Scream, which prompted Polydor to pressure the band for a timely follow-up; however, The Banshees were already fraying at the edges and heading toward a state of emotional disarray, something that would eventually lead to their disintegration while on tour supporting Join Hands. Undeniably, the album bears the mark of its tumultuous origins, and because of this, it is often written off as an artistic "hiccup" before putting together the classic incarnation of The Banshees that included Budgie and John McGeoch, but such critics overlook the way Join Hands ties Siouxsie's early Punk-influenced sound to her later, more overtly Goth-oriented approach. Simply put, Join Hands may not be as consistent as its predecessor, but it takes bigger chances by pushing Siouxsie's unique take on Punk minimalism to a new level. For example, on "Placebo Effect," the band marries the dark, minor-key attack that characterized the debut album to a slower, more plodding rhythm, as Siouxsie, strangely buried in the mix, contributes one of her better vocals on the album. However, it is John McKay's ominous guitar-work that really brings the song together, thus providing a valuable reminder that this early incarnation of the band was something to behold. While Join Hands is successful in pushing the Punk aesthetic into areas even further afield than the debut, on songs such as "Icon," it also anticipates the more melodic and varied sonic approach Siouxsie would take on future albums after reforming the band. Where the album (and its reputation) falters a bit is the way it ends: the fourteen minute "The Lord's Prayer," which was an integral part of their live set at the time. While impressive in theory, the song just isn't sonically compelling enough to provide a proper finale to what is otherwise one of the more inventive albums in Siouxsie and The Banshees' discography.

Join Hands (2006 Remastered Edition)

Tracklist-
 1. Poppy Day  (2:02)
 2. Regal Zone  (3:47)
 3. Placebo Effect  (4:37)
 4. Icon  (5:26)
 5. Premature Burial  (5:58)
 6. Playground Twist  (2:59)
 7. Mother / Oh Mein Papa  (3:23)
 8. The Lord's Prayer  (14:14)
-Bonus Tracks-
 9. Love in a Void (7" Double-A Side)  (2:35)
10. Infantry  (3:16)



16 comments:

  1. Issi, I've got several more Siouxsie posts in the works, so stay tuned :)

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  2. Hi! Thank you for your share my dear friend. I wish you a happy and beautiful day. Stay for friendship and peace. Friendly greetings to you from....a human
    sorry i'm lost control
    =)
    you make my day

    ReplyDelete
  3. douxεε, you are very welcome! I'm glad it made your day :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey V, I read the allmusic review of this lp and it got a poor review, I d/led it anyway and I'm happy to say allmusic was dead wrong. I thought this lp was great, so thank you.

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  5. sradams777, yah, I've seen that review. While I agree it's not Siouxsie's best, it is still a necessary listen. It builds on the debut in some interesting ways. I tried to stress this in my review. Glad you liked the album :)

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  6. Ah, what a treat. Just back in town and guess what? No e-mails from my friends. Nada. At least somebody is thinking about me, eh? I haven't heard this one in a while. My vinyl resides in a storage unit. It does sound a little more jangly and disjointed than I remember. I'm reasonably sure that I was jangly and disjointed when I had this one on heavy rotation. It's still my favorite in the Siouxsie & The Banshees cannon. When it's strong it's really strong and when it's weak...well, it's really weak. There's some gems though. It's kinda like the first Christian Death album in that regard. Thanks for posting this. I do appreciate it. It was nice to get nostalgic for a time in my life that I shall never repeat. I've enjoyed seeing the Robyn Hitchcock as well. He's underrated.

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  7. Ol' Foggy, well, what can I say? I wanted to offer a token of appreciation upon your return. You've been truly missed around here. I totally agree that though not Siouxsie's most consistent album, it does contain some absolute gems. The allmusic review is completely dismissive and a total joke. BTW, I need some more of your requests to work on :)

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  8. I haven't read the allmusic review but I've heard other's say that it's pretty grating. I don't really understand bagging on people's creative efforts. If you don't like it then move on and find something you do like. There's plenty out there. As far as albums I'd like to see, The Creatures album Boomerang would be at the top of my list. I think that's the pinnacle of Siouxsie & Budgie's creative genius (steel drums!). I'd also like to see somebody say something nice about Bruce Licher/Savage Republic. Tragic Figures is, to me, a monumental album. And, Licher's labal, Independent Project Records, put out some amazing music. I'd love to hear what you have to say about Tragic Figures.

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  9. Ol' Foggy, I agree. If I think something sucks, then I won't bother writing about it. As you said, there's plenty of good stuff to write about/listen to out there. Actually, I have been planning on posting The Creatures at some point, but "Tragic Features" is something I'm unfamiliar with, so I'll have to seek it out first. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  10. This was my favourite album at the time - I'm 47. I remember it went straight to the soul. Thanks for the upload, I'm eager to listen to it again after so long.

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  11. Thanx for your good taste and hard work----Creature

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