Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Scream (1978)
In the summer of 1978 I worked, first as a pot washer, then as a barman in Butlins in Filey, North Yorkshire. One midweek night, when the bar was a little quieter than usual, and I was feeling poorly, I knocked off a bit early, and went back to the 'chalet' (falling down shared room), took to my bed and put the radio on for company - just as John Peel kicked off his show with Hong Kong Garden, the Banshees' soon to be released debut single. My first exposure to Siouxsie.
The debut album followed and it was a cracker. From the haunting opening piece, Pure, which warns of the discord to come, we tumble straight into the first proper song Jigsaw Feeling, Steve Severin's thudding bass, followed in by John McKay's single note guitar, before Siouxsie herself lets rip on what might be my favourite Banshees' track. Overground is more metronomic and measured, Carcass seems to embody the band's punk ethos, while the first half ends with the obligatory debut album Beatles' cover, a frantic version of Helter Skelter.
Mirage is a solid rocker to kick off the second half, followed by the mechanical Metal Postcard, instruments coming in in turn, playing a repeating theme while Siouxsie shares her views on metallurgy. Nicotine Stain, a song on the dangers of smoking, kids, follows before the discordant Suburban Relapse, a fantastic noise, slow and brooding, which to my mind would have been a far better closing track than Switch, still a decent song, but sounding a little anti-climactic after the previous.
This 2006 CD reissue also comes with the band's first two singles, the aforementioned Hong Kong Garden, and The Staircase, both sounding great.
It's a fine debut, showing Siouxsie to be much more than a face on the Londn punk scene, having assembled a band of genuine writing and playing talent around her.
4* - a fantastic debut marking the first steps of a post punk legend
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