Sold Date: July 5, 2024
Start Date: February 16, 2024
Final Price: £39.99 (GBP)
Seller Feedback: 9381
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Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that notched 18 Top 40 hits in the U.K. as well as a left-field Top 40 hit in the U.S.

Throughout its numerous lineup changes and textural shifts, the group remained under the leadership of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan Janet Ballion on May 27, 1957. She and the Banshees' initial lineup emerged from the Bromley Contingent, a notorious group of rabid Sex Pistols fans; inspired by the growing punk movement, Dallion adopted the name Siouxsie and formed the Banshees in September 1976. In addition to bassist Steven Severin and guitarist Marco Pirroni, the band included drummer John Simon Ritchie, who assumed the name Sid Vicious; they debuted later that year at the legendary Punk Festival held at London's 100 Club, where their entire set consisted of a savage, 20-minute rendition of "The Lord's Prayer."

Soon after, Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, while Pirroni went on to join Adam and the Ants. The core duo of Sioux and Severin, along with new guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, reached the U.K. Top Ten with their 1978 debut single, "Hong Kong Garden"; their grim, dissonant first LP, The Scream, followed later in the year. Two days into a tour for their 1979 follow-up, Join Hands, both McKay and Morris abruptly departed, and guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure (the tour's opening act) and ex-Slits and Big in Japan drummer Budgie were enlisted to fill the void; although Smith returned to the Cure soon after, Budgie became a permanent member of the group, and remained with the Banshees throughout the duration of their career.

With ex-Magazine guitarist John McGeoch on board, the band returned to the studio for 1980's Kaleidoscope, a subtler and more melodic effort than their prior records; on the strength of the U.K. Top 20 smash "Happy House," the album reached the Top Five. A year later, the Banshees released the psychedelic Juju, along with Once Upon a Time, a collection of singles; at the same time, Sioux and Budgie formed the Creatures, an ongoing side project. Following 1982's experimental A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, McGeoch fell ill, and Smith temporarily rejoined for the group's planned tour; a pair of 1983 performances at London's Royal Albert Hall were recorded and later issued as Nocturne. Also in 1983, Severin and Smith teamed as the one-off project the Glove for the LP Blue Sunshine.

After his recovery, McGeoch opted not to return, so the Banshees recruited former Clock DVA guitarist John Carruthers after Smith exited following the sessions for 1984's dark, atmospheric Hyaena. With 1986's Tinderbox, Siouxsie and the Banshees finally reached the U.S. Top 100 album charts, largely on the strength of the excellent single "Cities in Dust." After 1987's all-covers collection Through the Looking Glass, Carruthers took his leave and was replaced by ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein and keyboardist Martin McCarrick for 1988's Peepshow, a techno-inspired outing that gave the group its first U.S. chart single with "Peek-a-Boo."

In 1991 -- the year in which Sioux and Budgie married -- the Banshees performed on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour; their concurrent LP, Superstition, was their most commercially successful, spawning their lone U.S. Top 40 hit, "Kiss Them for Me." Another singles collection, Twice Upon a Time, followed in 1992 before the group returned after a long absence with 1995's stylish The Rapture, produced in part by John Cale. A year later, the nostalgia surrounding the reunion of their former heroes the Sex Pistols prompted Siouxsie and the Banshees to finally call it quits; Siouxsie and Budgie turned to the Creatures as their primary project, while Severin composed the score for the controversial film Visions of Ecstasy.

The condition of this item is VG+/VG+. Please take time to check the pictures of the item so that you can clearly see what you are buying. I don’t use stock pictures so what you see is what you will receive.

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SHIPPING CHARGES

I'll happily combine UK postage. You can either request a total at checkout, or if you pay the full amount, I'll refund the difference. If you are unsure, please contact me and I'll help sort it for you.
7” Records – up to 3 ships for £3. £5 maximum postage regardless of amount.
12” Records (LPs etc) ship for £5 regardless of amount.

Maximum shipping charge for the UK, excluding large joblots listed as such, is £5. This can be for any number of items. Shipping includes strong industry approved record mailers.

I am always happy to sell overseas, however you need to be able to read all the written English descriptions and agree and understand what you are buying. Overseas postage is through the Global Shipping Program. eBay defines the prices and doesn't allow for combined purchases. If you wish for combined overseas postage, please contact me first and I will endeavour to offer the cheapest tracked postage available.

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GRADING SYSTEM

Mint (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records marked as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Near Mint (NM) The record has been played no more than a few times and look like new with no visible marks or deterioration. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.

Excellent (EX) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good + (VG+) The record has obviously been regularly played, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite possible noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects is acceptable

Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite some noticeable surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects is acceptable

Good (G) or Good + (G+) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some background noise and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc…

The sleeve is graded first so an item that is EX/NM is a vinyl record in near mint condition with a sleeve/cover that is in excellent condition.