SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - THE RAPTURE

Oddly enough, Siouxsie & The Banshees was the name of a group I used to write on my book binders in junior high and high school before I even heard the band.  I thought the band name was interesting and the friends I had who knew the group told me how difficult it was to find their music.  I guess on some level, that discouraged me from looking for it.

I started buying their music during the early 90's in Vegas when I found a cheap used CD store.  Although "The Rapture" wasn't the first disc I purchased from this band, it's easily my favorite.

The first track, 'O Baby' features a scattered drum track over some ethereal guitar work.  Siouxsie's voice is framed quite nicely by the musical arrangement and she sparkles like glittering gems with her subtle vibrato.  'Tearing Apart' is the second track and much like the first track, it maintains the light hearted pace of the disc.  It's another outstanding track.

'Stargazer' bursts forth and moves the album out of the adult contemporary pop market and delivers something verging on epic.  It's driving pace and depth make it seem grandiose large. It's followed by 'Fall From Grace'.  This song is interesting because it demonstrates a phenomenon unique to this band's sound.  Even a song that is somewhat mediocre seems special when they perform it.  Maybe it's the timbre of Souixsie's voice or the vocal arrangements.  It certainly slows the pace and spirals you down into the next number, 'Not Forgotten'.  This song sounds like the spooky backdrop for a bloody western film.

And speaking of spooky, 'Sick Child' is truly haunting.  It's reminiscent of something The The would've done around the time they recorded "Soul Mining".  It's disturbing like a Grimm fairy tale and powerful.  Amazing!  Thus far, the album has followed a direction and the progression between songs has had a natural feel.  But suddenly, you're hit with 'The Lonely One'.  With it's slightly upbeat music and strange  melancholic lyrics, this number feels completely out of place.  'Falling Down' is a much better number to follow, 'Sick Child'.  It has more aggression and force.  It kinda hits you like a 1, 2 jab.  It also has elements of early punk and 80's alternative rock.

'Forever' waltz's in like a 50's prom theme.  You picture poodle skirts, gloves and wrist corsages.  I also imagine an under the sea motif in a school gymnasium.  It politely sets the stage for 'The Rapture'.  A suite like number with three distinct progressions.  It begins with light synth lines playing over a soft bass line and slight guitar work.  Siouxsie eventually comes in and sings ever so slightly over the top of the music.  There's an orchestra build into what I can only describe as a highland romp.  The tempo increases, the volume spikes and intensity spikes up as well...  And then, as suddenly as the build begins, the bottom drops out and we're back to strum pace with guitars featuring and the drum track changing the direction one again.

'The Double Life' is a spoken number that acts as a nice segue to the final number, 'Love Out Me'.  The final number is a strong and powerful number to end the disc on.  It's forceful, aggressive and slightly scary.  Siouxsie comes across as a woman you don't wanna mess with.

So overall, this is a cohesive piece of music with one exception.  And I enjoy all the songs enough to listen to the disc all the way through each time.  It's almost as if fate destined me to discover and listen to this remarkable artist.  My final words:  A BAND THAT LIVED UP TO EXPECTATION!

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - THE RAPTURE

01. O Baby

02. Tearing Apart

03. Stargazer

04. Fall From Grace

05. Not Forgotten

06. Sick Child

07. The Lonely One

08. Falling Down

09. Forever

10. The Rapture

11. The Double Life

12. Love Out Me

THE THE - MIND BOMB

The first album by The The I ever owned was "Soul Mining" and it was incredible. On the strength the that recording alone, I purchased so much subsequent material from Matt Johnson anticipating the repeat of that record. But he never captured that moment again for me. Instead, he moved in a different direction entirely. One I wasn't always sure I liked. In fact, "Mind Bomb" was the record that ended my obsession with this band. "Soul Mining" would be a one off amazing record and nothing good would ever come from The The again.

Of course, years later, my appreciation for Matt's work has changed greatly.

Back then I was more into electronic sounds and New Wave whereas today I'm more versatile in my tastes. His movement towards conventional instruments on "Infected" and "Mind Bomb" were viewed (on my part) as a sell out. However, today I see it as an expanding pallet. The necessity of "Soul Mining" is understandable when you consider what he had to work with and his lack of association with other musicians. These other albums show Johnson reaching out and becoming a more well rounded musician as well as incorporating musical ideas from the people he would work with.

Now... Specifically... About "Mind Bomb"... The title implies a mind-blowing musical experience. And when you lump in the subject matter, it's a far reaching political and social commentary that could almost double as a college course. The songs tackle everything from social apathy ('The Beat(en) Generation'), to religious intolerance ('Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)', 'Good Morning Beautiful'). Injustice ('The Violence Of Truth'), to sexual salvation ('Beyond Love').

But does it achieve its goal of blowing your mind?

As a teenager, I'd say no. The material, although comprehensible, was completely beyond my ability to fully understand. I was forming my religious identity along with figuring out how the world actually worked. I think I bought into the whole propaganda that America was the country God founded on this earth and we were the chosen people living in freedom. It was impossible to see anyone else as anything other than evil. The message of this CD fell on deaf ears. It was complex enough that those who truly understood it were in the position of "preaching to the choir" and those who didn't just glazed over the meaning. That's the danger of reaching for such volatile subject matter in pop music. And make no mistake, despite his best efforts to the contrary, this album is pop.

Johnson does much better tackling esoteric issues rather than social. At least those concepts can be interpreted to fit someone's life. However on "Mind Bomb", there's no interpreting this stuff.

The first side of the cassette is the truly controversial side whereas the second side is filled with fluffy romance numbers and sappy ballads. To complete this one sided theme, he should've swapped 'Kingdom Of Rain' with 'The Beat(en) Generation' and it would be thematically perfect.

It sounds like I'm really ripping this album to sherds and I don't want to give that impression at all. There are some excellent numbers on this record that I've always liked. Since I've never been a big Sinead O'Connor fan, it will come as no surprise that I didn't want to like 'Kingdom Of Rain' where she sings a duet with Johnson. Even today I find the lyrics somewhat off-putting and yet I really enjoy the music on this track. I love 'Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)'. It's such a wonderful song and has the most amazing beat. It's almost a relentless march over the top of Johnson's vocals, but in a way, that's where the true excitement comes from. It's a driving beat and it carries you all the way through the song to a big build and crescendo. By far the most satisfying number on the record. And in my opinion, should've been the opening track. Other stand out numbers include 'Gravitate To Me' and 'The Beat(en) Generation'. 'Gravitate To Me' has that incredible line, "I am the lighthouse, I am the sea, I am the air that you breathe, gravitate to me". Very awesome! I like the fact 'The Beat(en) Generation' is based on a painting Johnson saw. To me that gives him the impression of someone who finds inspiration in unusual places. I like that he appreciates contemporary art as well.

So in the end, as a kid, this record couldn't hold my attention. As a adult, it has more meaning and I appreciate its attempts at complexity. No one will ever accuse Johnson of not being a strong lyricist. He's just too good. But it was never going to be a record you could spoon-feed to a mass market. I'm sure his label had a field day trying to market it. I think I'll give it a less than perfect mark on my list and say that it's more for die-hard fans than a casual listener. Unless you know The The and are into what Johnson is doing, this album will probably bore you. My final words: RECOMMENDED FOR FANS.

THE THE - MIND BOMB
01. Good Morning Beautiful
02. Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)
03. The Violence Of Truth
04. Kingdom Of Rain
05. The Beat(en) Generation
06. August & September
07. Gravitate To Me
08. Beyond Love

MIDNIGHT OIL - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

I discovered Midnight Oil through a kid at school. He was a couple years ahead of me and I was always looking for new music. I remember he loaned me a tape with this album on one side and The The's "Soul Mining" on the other. I sat upstairs at my parent's house with the old stereo mom used to have in a cabinet and I played this tape over and over again. I loved the music. I like The The more than Midnight Oil, but I couldn't get these songs out of my head. Right from the start, 'Outside World' strikes me as a song that would have felt right at home on The The's "Soul Mining". It's haunting and ethereal at the same time. It reminds strongly of the title track 'Soul Mining'. The second number, 'Only The Strong' is more typical Midnight Oil and sets up the rest of the album. Midnight Oil have a strong penetrating sound that's very aggressive. They're also extremely political lyrically. Even though it's a powerful combination, on later records they tended to move into the preachy category. But around this time, it was nothing but rage at injustice. The perfect accessory to rock and roll. 'Short Memory' points out the cycles of injustice that occur in the world and how we never really learn from our past mistakes. 'Read About It' could be taken two different ways. You either become indifferent to what's happening around you because it's not in your face or you take the time to study the world and see what's going on. You decide.

'Scream In Blue' is another track that compliments The The's "Soul Mining" and would be perfectly at home there. Midnight Oil seem to have an astonishing affect when they move into ballad territory. 'US Forces', 'Power And The Passion' are more rockin' numbers with another beautiful ballad in 'Maralinga'. The band continues the slow movement with 'Tin Legs And Tin Mines' to maintain a mood before ending the disc on an incredibly high note with 'Somebody's Trying To Tell Me Something'.

Overall, I look at this disc and really like what I hear. I embraced the tape as an entire concept therefore I don't really have the ability to break it down into individual components. When I listen to it, I listen to it as a whole and I enjoy it from start to finish. This record had a major effect on me when I was in high school. It was crucial to shaping much of my ability to view the world critically.

So when you come right down to it, I recommend this disc. More than some of the later albums. It's an interesting piece of work from a band who set out to change the world with their words and music. I think they succeeded in ways they don't even understand. My final words: CRUCIAL SHAPING OF THE MIND THROUGH MUSIC.

MIDNIGHT OIL - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
01. Outside World
02. Only The Strong
03. Short Memory
04. Read About It
05. Scream In Blue
06. US Forces
07. Power And The Passion
08. Maralinga
09. Tin Legs And Tin Mines
10. Somebody's Trying To Tell Me Something

THE THE - 45 RPM THE SINGLES OF THE THE

The The is an 80's band built around Matt Johnson. My first exposure to this group was the album 'Soul Mining'. I thought it was seriously one of the greatest pieces of music I'd ever heard. It's on my list of CDs I can't live without. It's that darn good. The sheer poetry of the lyrics makes the disc worth owning.

On the strength of that disc, I became a devoted The The follower. I purchased subsequent CDs despite my lessening appreciation for the material Johnson was doing. And eventually, I lost interest altogether. Many years later I developed a renewed appreciation for some of the later albums as my music tastes had matured. This collection was interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the different versions of various 'Soul Mining' tracks. It seems these versions are the original recordings. 'Uncertain Smile', 'Perfect' and 'This Is The Day' are very different from their album counterparts. There's different vocal arrangements and the instrumentation is different in some places. It's interesting to hear these alternate versions. They give you an idea how the music evolved over time.

There are some subtle differences between the original tracks from 'Infected' and 'Mind Bomb'. The differences are fairly small and hardly noticeable unless you're a die-hard fan. The remainder of the tracks are from albums I haven't heard yet. There are some truly classic numbers though. Like 'Armageddon Days (Are Here Again)'. I love this tune. It talks about how corrupt modern day religion is and how it's the instigator of violence rather than the healing hand of truth. I've always admired Johnson's ability to point out truths most people try desperately to overlook.

The rest of the tracks emerge as stuff I've come to identify as typical The The material. There's a folkish rock quality to the sound. It's not quite alternative, but more a fusion of folk with soulful rock n' roll. Although they can be interesting lyrically, more often than not, they take on an almost blurred sound to me. I don't hear a lot that encourages me to really invest in listening. However, there are some songs that really stand out. 'Love Is Stronger Than Death' being one of them. 'Pillar Box Red' is also interesting for its offbeat instrumentation and bizarre lyrics. It's almost like a drag anthem.

The second disc focuses mainly on music from 'Soul Mining', 'Infected' and 'Mind Bomb'. Of the two discs, it has the greatest value. The 12" versions of these singles are all interesting and refreshing to hear. It's like having your old vinyl singles collection transferred to cd. The 12" version of 'Infected' is much more appealing than the original. I quite love it. The 12" version of 'Armageddon Days' is also extremely exciting. It has a sinister undertone that enhances the confrontational nature of the lyrics. 'Gravitate To Me' is also one of The The's finer moments and it's interesting hearing this extended version of the tune.

Overall, I like the album for the refreshing takes of some classic material. But it doesn't offer much in value beyond that. Unless you're a dedicated fan or someone who really likes the songs the way I do, this collection isn't for you. Although you could consider it a greatest hits record, singles collection is a more appropriate title. I suggest discovering the albums before you get into something like this. My final words: REFRESHING BUT NO VALUE.

THE THE - 45 RPM THE SINGLES OF THE THE
CD1
01. Uncertain Smile
02. Perfect
03. Sweet Bird Of Truth
04. Infected
05. Heartland
06. Armageddon Days (Are Here Again)
07. The Beat(en) Generation
08. Dogs Of Lust
09. Slow Emotion Replay
10. Love Is Stronger Than Death
11. This Is The Day
12. I Saw The Light
13. DecemberSunlight
14. Pillar Box Red
15. Deep Down Truth
CD2 - The 12" Mixes
01. Uncertain Smile
02. Perfect
03. Sweet Bird Of Truth
04. Infected
05. Armageddon Days
06. Violence Of Truth
07. Gravitate To Me
08. Dogs Of Lust