Siouxsie and the Banshees - Join Hands

Digitally remastered reissue of this 1979 album by the Queen of Goth Rock and her busy little Banshees featuring two bonus tracks: 'Infantry' and 'Love In A Void' (Single Mix). 10 tracks total. Polydor. 2007. Album Description

Punk classic

This second album from the punk legends was not universally acclaimed when it appeared in 1979, as their debut was so devastating and unsettling. The introduction, Poppy Day (lyrics from a poem by John McCrae) sets the gothic tone for Join Hands, extending the boundaries of The Banshees' unique punk strain. The album does prove that slow, melodic songs can be equally effective in evoking a sense of menace and unease.

Playground Twist is classic early Siouxsie, but it gets even better on Mother/Oh Mein Papa, a successful experiment where the juxtaposed words of the lullaby medley create a sinister feel by the eerie buildup of the music. Other songs like Regal Zone and Placebo Effect are more reminiscent of the debut album, with blistering guitar and Siouxsie's piercing vocals. Icon and Premature Burial are quite dark and melancholy, probably serving as inspiration for later Goth bands like Bauhaus.

The original album ended in a cacophonic bang with The Lord's Prayer medley which includes phrases of O Claire de la Lune/Mon Ami Pierrot, the chilling Tomorrow Belongs To Me (from the movie Cabaret) and sundry other sources. This re-release includes two new tracks, of which the classic Love In A Void is by far the best. Join Hands is more varied than their debut album and a worthy follow-up, and definitely one of their more underrated works.

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April 26, 2007

The second album now enhanced

This 2nd album from the punk legends was not universally acclaimed when it appeared in 1979. The short intro Poppy Day (lyrics from a poem by John McCrae) sets the gothic tone for Join Hands, extending the boundaries of The Banshees' unique punk strain. Here they prove that slow, melodic songs can be equally effective in evoking a sense of menace.

Playground Twist is classic early Siouxsie, but it gets even better on Mother/Oh Mein Papa, a successful experiment where the juxtaposed words of the lullaby medley create a sinister feel by the eerie buildup of the music. Other songs like Regal Zone and Placebo Effect are more reminiscent of the debut album, with powerful guitar and Siouxsie's piercing vocals. Icon and Premature Burial are quite dark and gothic and probably served as inspiration for later Goth bans like Bauhaus.

The original album ended in a cacophonic bang with The Lord's Prayer medley which includes phrases of O Claire de la Lune/Mon Ami Pierrot, the chilling Tomorrow Belongs To Me (from the movie Cabaret) and sundry other sources. This re-release includes two new tracks, of which the classic Love In A Void is by far the best. Join Hands is more varied than their debut album The Scream, therefore a worthy follow-up, and perhaps one of their more underrated works. January 10, 2007

The sophmore slump. Even the Banshees had one

The follow up to The Banshees' debut album is a so-so affair. The band were low on material and being pressured for a new album. It didn't help that the band were divided into two camps by this point - Sioux and Severin on one side, John and Kenny on the other. The result is a very difficult album.

"Poppy Day" opens the album similar to "Pure" from `The Scream'. It's a short little intro song that is pleasantly unremarkable.
"Regal Zone" shows a few then-rare elements of catchy pop laced with the Punk/Goth mode of the album. It could have easily been a single, as it is one of the album highlights.
It's hard for me to hear this version of "Placebo Effect" without viewing it as a so-so demo to what would eventually appear in a much better version on `The Thorn' in 1984.
While "Icon" is a really good song, it could have been vastly improved with some more powerful drum work. The live version that appears on `The Seven Year Itch' album is amazing.
The only single released from `Join Hands' was the excellent "Playground Twist". A great driving song with lots of exciting drumming and some goofball sax bits.
The album begins its final descent from there with the seemingly pointless "Mother". Siouxsie's vocals are accompanied only by a music box that slows gradually throughout the song.
The grand finale of the album is the legendary Banshees early live favorite, "The Lord's Prayer". Among Banshees fans it is either loved or hated, mainly the latter. Though some, such as myself, find a certain novelty in Siouxsie's tirade of nonsense and insanity. Siouxsie jumps from various song verses and farmyard noises on a whim, lasting nearly 15 minutes. The music sounds equally improvised and just bashes around until the listener is on the verge of madness.

While doing promotion for the album, the band split abruptly, causing Sioux and Severin to recruit friends to help them finish their tour. Had the band ended with this album, it would have been a very cliché' death - to quit after a disappointing second album.

Other than the lack of material, `Join Hands' seems to falter at the production level. A few tweaks here and there could have made it a more exciting experience. As is it sounds not too far removed from a studio demo.

The bonus tracks on this release don't add much substance to the already lack of material. The highlight is the original single mix of "Love in a Void", which was originally part of a double A side with "Mittageisen. It's more punchy than the version on the `Once Upon a Time' collection.
"Infantry", on the other hand, is nothing other than a studio doodle of guitar and reverb, and completely forgettable.
The first track listing revealed for this reissue also included the long lost single mix of "Icon". Why it was ultimately scrapped is up to speculation. Severin has seemed keen on releasing most things in the archive, however Sioux has been much more strict, which resulted in several early Banshees tracks, "Bad Shape", "Scrapheap", etc.., left off `The Scream' deluxe edition.

This remastered edition is housed in a new digipack format with a foldout insert. Personally, I dislike digipacks because they have the tendency to scuff and wear. The multi-fold digipacks are more redeeming in visual quality, but these one-panel folds are cheap looking, not unlike a CD single. I'd have much preferred a standard jewel case with a clear tray and deluxe booklet, but that's just me.

This set of remasters has all been done by Gary Moore, who has done all of the Banshees remastering since the Best Of several years ago. While he did a fairly poor job on the "Downside Up" B sides collection, he did an amazing job on "The Scream" remaster. Similarly, "Join Hands" is a very satisfying remaster. The sound is loud and punchy, though not as dramatically improved as "The Scream". There are no anomalies from the source tape and everything sounds smooth throughout. Unfortunately, the quality remastering begins to slide on "Kaleidoscope", then dramatically on "JuJu". August 27, 2006

Not My Favorite...

Join Hands is my least favorite album by Siouxsie & The Banshees but with that aside, the remastering sounds amazing! Alas, the one unreleased track on here isn't that great but the original album sounds crisper than ever & worthy of listening to again. August 14, 2006

Classic punk album now enhanced

This 2nd album from the punk legends was not universally acclaimed when it appeared in 1979. The short intro Poppy Day (lyrics from a poem by John McCrae) sets the gothic tone for Join Hands, extending the boundaries of The Banshees' unique punk strain. Here they prove that slow, melodic songs can be equally effective in evoking a sense of menace.

Playground Twist is classic early Siouxsie, but it gets even better on Mother/Oh Mein Papa, a successful experiment where the juxtaposed words of the lullaby medley create a sinister feel by the eerie buildup of the music. Other songs like Regal Zone and Placebo Effect are more reminiscent of the debut album, with powerful guitar and Siouxsie's piercing vocals. Icon and Premature Burial are quite dark and gothic and probably served as inspiration for later Goth bans like Bauhaus.

The original album ended in a cacophonic bang with The Lord's Prayer medley which includes phrases of O Claire de la Lune/Mon Ami Pierrot, the chilling Tomorrow Belongs To Me (from the movie Cabaret) and sundry other sources. This re-release includes two new tracks, of which the classic Love In A Void is by far the best. Join Hands is more varied than their debut album The Scream, therefore a worthy follow-up, and perhaps one of their more underrated works.
June 10, 2006

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