Feb 08, 2019 Having fun with vague attempts at miming on the Generation 80 TV show in Belgium, 28/9/1982.
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Nocturne is a live double album and video by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 25 November 1983 by Polydor Records in the UK, and by Geffen Records in the United States. Co-produced by Mike Hedges, Nocturne featured performances recorded at two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 30 September and 1 October 1983, featuring Robert Smith (of the Cure) on guitar.
Most of the material came from 1981's Juju and 1982's A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. It also contained a couple of B-sides ('Pulled to Bits' and 'Eve White/Eve Black') as well as a live version of the Beatles' 'Dear Prudence', a song the Banshees had recorded in the studio earlier that year in Stockholm and issued as a single in September.
The music heard at the introduction of 'Israel' is an excerpt from The Rite of Spring, composed in 1913 by Igor Stravinsky.[1]
Background[edit]
The Banshees had already performed live with Smith on guitar in September and October 1979, when he and his band the Cure served as tour support for the Banshees. A friendship had started at the time between the members of the Cure and the Banshees. In late 1982, when guitarist John McGeoch left the band prior to the A Kiss in the Dreamhouse tour, Steven Severin asked Smith to join the band for the British and European tour. In 1983, the band toured in Japan for the second time in less than a year and also visited Australia and New Zealand. With the September 1983 release of the 'Dear Prudence' single, Smith became an official member of the Banshees; a few weeks later, they recorded Nocturne in London.[1]
Release[edit]
Live performances of 'Head Cut' and 'Running Town' from the 1 October show were not included on the release of Nocturne, but in December 1983, a double A-side 7' vinyl single featuring both tracks was given away as a Christmas gift to members of the band's fan club, The File.[2] To date, these Nocturne performances of 'Head Cut' and 'Running Town' have not been released in any other format.
A video version of Nocturne was released on DVD in 2006. Bonus features included the Play at Home TV special from 1983, the 'Dear Prudence' music video and performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test.
The album was remastered for a cd reissue in 2009.[3]
Reception[edit]
The album was retrospectively hailed by critics. David Cleary of AllMusic said that Nocturne 'serves as an excellent, no-nonsense introduction to the band's music for neophytes, while fans of the group will appreciate the tight, gutsy, stripped-down performances', also describing it as 'top-notch'.[4] In 2013, the album was included in The Quietus' list of its writers' 40 favourite live albums.[5] Julian Marszalek wrote: 'Nocturne stands as both a representation of where they were at that point in their career and their status as an incredible live band. Be it Budgie's precise and muscular rhythms, Steven Severin's flanged bass, Siouxsie's commanding presence or Robert Smith's interpretation of other guitarists' material, the performance is magnificent and convincing throughout. By cherry picking their finest material, Nocturne was â and still is â a kind of alternate Greatest Hits that acts as a gateway to their kaleidoscopic world'.[5]
Track listing[edit]
All songs by Siouxsie and the Banshees except * by Sioux & Severin and ** by LennonâMcCartney.
DVD[edit]
DVD Bonus[edit]
Personnel[edit]
References[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nocturne_(Siouxsie_and_the_Banshees_album)&oldid=931336634'
'Cities in Dust' is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees from their seventh studio album, Tinderbox (1986). It was released on 18 October 1985 as the album's lead single. The 'Cities in Dust' 12-inch vinyl was the first Banshees' single release in the United States, on Geffen Records.
Background and composition[edit]
'Cities in Dust' is a dance-rock and dance-pop song.[1][2] The song describes the city of Pompeii, destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD. Imagery describing the volcano and its magma chamber, the condition of the victims of the eruption, and the subsequent discovery and excavation of the city comprises the bulk of the lyrics. The lyrics mention a shrine to Lares Familiares.
Reception[edit]
'Cities in Dust' peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] Although not Siouxsie and the Banshees' first song to enter the US Hot Dance/Disco chart, it was their first significant success, climbing to No. 17.
Spin hailed the group for creating 'this intoxicating wonderful commercial dance record without losing their edge'. Reviewer John Leland said, 'In a month of good dance rock records, this is the best', and noted that it was 'full bodied, dense, with layers of chugging funk guitars, toy piano, and various electronic things'. He concluded with praise for Siouxsie's performance: 'It's rare these days to find a full production job that draws its identity from the voice'.[2]
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In 2011, singer Brett Anderson of Suede cited 'Cities in Dust' as one of his favourite songs.[4]
In popular culture[edit]
Siouxsie and the Banshees are seen performing the song in the 1986 movie Out of Bounds, and the song appears on the soundtrack album.The music video for Cities in the Dust, was played at the start of the 1986 MTV Elvira's Halloween Special. The song was featured in the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank,[5] the 2017 spy film Atomic Blonde and its soundtrack,[6] and the 2018 second season of the Netflix teen drama series 13 Reasons Why and its soundtrack.[7] The song featured in the final credits of episode 9 of the second season of the sitcom The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. It also appears at the beginning of the eighth episode of the third season of GLOW. Scenes from the promo video are seen in Brazilian film Califórnia, written and directed by Marina Person, released in December 2015. The plot takes place in 1985.
Cover versions[edit]
Pato Fu recorded a version on their album Daqui Pro Futuro (2007). 'Cities in Dust' was covered live by theStart during numerous concerts in 2007 and 2008.[8]Anna Nalick also performed it live.[9] A cover by electronic artist Junkie XL was released as a single in 2008, and included on the Booming Back at You album; the soundtrack for the racing video game Burnout Paradise and the compilation album OMFGG â Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1.A cover version by the Everlove was used in the trailers for the 2012 video game Transformers: Fall of Cybertron; that cover was also featured in a 2014 trailer for the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones.[10]
Charts[edit]
References[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cities_in_Dust&oldid=931223584'
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