Kaleidoscope

Had this on cassette back when and just bought a cd to get reacquainted. Even better than I recall! Truly an innovative and unique band with one of the most distinctive front persons ever.

This has been one of my favorite albums period, and if I had to pick one favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees album, this one just barely wins out over "The Scream" and "Juju", although both of those are excellent, and "Kiss in the Dreamhouse" deserves honorable mention. If you know Siouxsie and the Banshees at all, then I'm sure you know the two singles "Happy House" and "Christine", and they are reason enough to buy it. Really the whole album is very strong, with the exception of "Clockface", which is filler but inoffensive and short. "Christine" is driven by a great bass line and acoustic guitar, with icy vocals from Siouxsie, dealing with a Sybil-like split personality. This album represents a huge leap musically from the artsy punk of the first two albums. There is much wider variety of sonic textures, rhythms, and instrumentation. Drum machines and synth bass are prominent in the bleak "Lunar Camel" and "Red Light", the latter also using a camera shutter sound for rhythm. "Hybrid" and "Paradise Place" have a psychedelic feel to them. "Tenant" is another sparse, bleak. experimental track that is very effective. "Desert Kisses" has a more lush sound with a great vocal by Siouxsie. Only the last track, "Skin" is reminiscent of the sound from the first album, `The Scream", with a more manic feel to it.Siouxsie and the Banshees often get pigeon-holed into the "Goth" stereotype. Certainly none of these songs fall in the "cheery" or "chipper" category, but, as this album demonstrates, these guys were far more varied and gifted than any of numerous Goth posers that followed them.

Shortly before the recording of "Kaleidescope," the original drummer and guitarist quit the band, leaving vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steve Severin to hunker down and soldier on, preparing demos of new material (some of which are included here as bonus tracks). Remarkably (but not surprisingly), the two managed to expand on all that the band had yet accomplished.Powered by two strong singles ("Happy House" and "Christine"), the band displays stronger musicianship (new drummer Budgie and guitarist John McGeoch both proved more than up to the challenge) and a willingness to continue exploring new territory. Acoustic guitars abound here, yet Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) plays a very loud guitar on three songs.An interesting as these demos are, I would have preferred some live material from this tour instead. The inclusion of the 7" version of "Isreal" is a nice touch, though.

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all the songs are fantastic.

This is an absolute must have for the following types of fans: punks, goths, new wavers, and of course, fans of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Get this, you know you want to!"Kaleidoscope" is the perfect Siouxsie album to start with if you are just getting into them. It shows the haunting sounds that make them great, but is very rock and roll, not too synthe. That is why it is so punk and you will see what I mean on the alternate mixes. Raw and simple, but skillfully done.This album shows tremendous range, some songs rock like "Christine." Other songs are meloncholly like "Lunar Camel." Siouxsie is an amazing songwriter with a biting wit, demonstrated in "Red Light."Go ahead and get this legend of an album.

Siouxsie & the Banshees have never received the recognition they deserved, listening to this again after many years, you realize how many artists were influenced by the band. Alanis, Lily, Liz Phair,,, I realize some of those may be a stretch, but the fun and anger in the music.

This album is so mesmerizing to me. The music alone is so unique, not like anything you've ever heard or will hear. It was different without trying to be different. Tenant is so beautiful, Siouxsie's voice is so sexy and scary at the same time!Hybrid...AWESOME!!! The album is a must have for any SATB fan, or for anyone who can appreciate great sounds!

After the classic 'Join Hands' Siouxsie and the Banshees lost their guitarist (John McKay) and drummer Kenny Morris) in the midst of a tour, no less. 'Kaleidoscope' demonstrated how well the band recovered with some strong, creative, and original sounds. In hindsight, it was the best thing that ever could have happened to Siouxsie and the Banshees.Two hit singles exemplified just how good this album is 'Christine' and 'Happy House'. The success of these singles paved the way for the adventures of the album to reach a wide audienceAs easy as it would have been for Siouxsie and Steve to round up some other musicians to churn out some more jagged punk, or even to call it quits, it is with Kaleidoscope that the Banshees emerged as a band capable of anything and as the name suggests, Kalediscope offers a wide variety of flavours with an ear for catchy melodies.Out the face of adversity the Banshees essentially and effectively started over, enabling a literal artistic makeover and after enlisting the services of former-Slits drummer Budgie and ex-Magazine guitar whiz John McGeogh, Siouxsie and the Banshees would emerge as one of the most potent and diverse bands of the 80s.They keep the heart of darkness that was at the core of The Scream, but swap the constant jittery guitar and fractured beat for something sleeker, stranger, more expansive and greater. If the first two albums were grainy black-and-white, Kaleidoscope is a big-screen epic in glorious technicolour with a swirling psychedelic underbelly.The ice maiden Sioux once brittle with razor like talons showcases a newfound confidence in her vocals, oohing her way eerily through the intro and outro before unabashedly whistling. This marks the arrival of Siouxsie as a truly captivating, powerful whirlwind of a singer; not just someone who can entertain, but rather an artist capable of completely commanding an audience with her presence.Kaleidoscope is a perfect proof that unique music never dates. Melodies full of air and distant echoes, enigmatically hypnotizing lyrics.

Well folks here we are again with a remastered version that seems to have some fans giving negative reviews. What I am still finding is that the remastered versions of their back catalogue provides excellent sound quality. To get back to the album, I have to admit it is one of my favourite releases from Siouxsie and the Banshees. Yes there are different band members and their style of music maybe different, but it shows a band looking at different ways of making music. To some people it may sound like the band have lost its way. This release has an electro pop sound. In the most part that is true. It could also be said that this is a more commercial release. Again that maybe true. Put all of this together and what do you get. From my perspective it opened up new avenues for the band to explore.

Kicking-off the third Siouxsie & The Banshees album with the upbeat "Happy House" doesn't really set the musical pattern for what is to come; for after the light, almost joyous (but darkly sarcastic) "Happy House" the original side one takes a sharp turn to the dark-side. But unlike the first two albums, this music is better crafted but very much darker and with the introduction of synthesisers and drum machines it's far more electro-experimental and minimalist than before, presumably born in part from a combination of experience and the enforced personnel changes faced following the infamous in-store falling-out that left vocalist and bass player on their own. Both sides follow the same format with the original side two starting with the second single, the lighter "Christine" (although in reality another darkly sarcastic view of mental health issues) before the remaining tracks head back into the metronomic electro-darkness.Although much hailed on its release, and achieving top 5 chart status in the UK, I can't hear the kaleidoscope of colours and textures for which the album was vaunted. Is that the poor remastering criticised by other reviewers; or is it just that from a distance of nearly forty years the excitement [was it really?] of early electro-pop has faded? Sorry but for me this is the sound of the end of the beginning, the beginning of the end and the best was yet to come as Budgie and John McGeoch exerted their influence and opened the metaphorical curtains to let the light in.[As for the bonus tracks, except for the inclusion of "Israel", the use of the word "bonus" is a misrepresentation, I'd advise stopping at the end of the original album.]

This is my fave Siouxsie ablum. I've owned it on ea few formats over the years. Vinyl, cassette, CD.Since I've been re-collecting my long sold vinyl collection, I've been on the look out for perfect copy of this. I've found a couple of decent copies, but one has a slightly shabby cover and both a bit of surface noise. (Probably years of max strength goth hairspray from previous owners ;) I'm not a purist and don't care if I own a first edition or anything, so for a few years now I've been patiently waiting for The Siouxsie albums to get a modern vinyl re-release. So pleased to finally have a perfect copy!

Dont be fooled into thinking this is a punk album. They gave up on that after Join Hands. What you have here is an excellent pop album with a bit of goth thrown in. Song writing and production are superb. Vocals brilliant. The whole package is a faultless example of edgy uncompromising razor sharp pop. A must have.