68. Twice Upon a Time
I started this on May 20th. That's how far I got. It's now May 27th. Time to quit slacking!
68. Twice Upon a Time: The Singles by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1992)
This was the second singles collection from the Banshees, and it includes every single from 1982 - 1992. From start to finish this is just an awesome collection, with one exception, which we'll get to later. It's all in chronological order, as collections like this should be, so it gives a really nice sense of how the band grew over a decade. "Fireworks" kicks things off with a bang, a very high energy song, very good. "Slowdive" is another pretty good tune. A little slower and less frantic than "Fireworks", but not much. Very similar feel, actually. "Melt!" is next, a very pretty very mellow song. Love it. Next is their cover of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence", and it is bad ass. I actually like this version more than the original, personally. Just a very good version. "Swimming Horses" is a really cool song, and not just because Robert Smith was in the band at the time. (This song, "Dear Prudence", and the next song were all from the album that Robert appeared on while The Cure were on hiatus.) Nifty tune. "Dazzle" was the song that made me like Siouxsie and the Banshees. I'd heard other stuff by them, and thought they were okay, but this is the song that made me a fan. Love it. "Overground" is a very cool atmospheric song. Dig it very much. "Cities In Dust" is one of the band's most known songs, and is a really good one. It has a nice mix of standard Siouxsie and the Banshees and pure pop, which gels better than it seems it would. "Candy Man" is a decent song, but kind of forgettable. Not bad by any means, just kind of gets lost in the shuffle. "This Wheel's On Fire" is kind of the same way. It's not quite as good as "Candy Man", but also not a bad song at all. again, just gets lost in the mix. "The Passenger" is next, another cover song, this time of the awesome Iggy Pop tune. This is another great cover, and to be quite honest, I didn't know until a few years after I got this CD that this was a cover song. Never really listened to Iggy Pop and the Stooges before. My bad. Killer song. Next up is the first song I ever heard by Siouxsie and the Banshees, at least, first one that I knew who I was listening to. "Peek-A-Boo" is just an infectiously catchy song, from the beat to the vocals to the music. Just an awesome song. "The Killing Jar" is probably the most surprisingly unappreciated Siouxsie song ever. Just a great great song. "The Last Beat Of My Heart" is next, in a live version recorded during the first Lollapalooza tour. The album version is way better, in my opinion, but the live version is still pretty kick ass. One of the most beautiful songs ever. "Kiss Them For Me" was the biggest U.S. hit for Siouxsie and the Banshees, and is still a killer song even now. "Shadowtime" is yet another one of those songs that I always forget about, then play several times in a row because I forgot how much I like it. Good stuff. "Fear (Of the Unknown)" is the only weak part of this album. The actual album version is really good, but this is some remixed dance club version that is just annoying. If they had put the regular version, it would have been much better. The final song is "Face To Face" from the Batman Returns soundtrack. It is just an unbelievably beautiful and sad and wonderful song, and still my favorite by them. Outstanding. Overall, this album rules, if you can deal with (or skip) the one truly bad song. But really, one bad song out of 18 is a pretty good ratio.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Overground"
4. "Fireworks"
3. "The Passenger"
2. "Dazzle"
1. "Face To Face"
67. Genesis by Genesis (1983)
This was the last Genesis album before they went strictly pop, containing just enough of their artsy prog rock roots to keep old fans happy, but more than enough pop whimsy to attract new fans. It was a bit too much for one nine track album to accomplish, yet it is still a really great album. It starts off with the crazy, eerie "Mama", which is seen by a lot of critics and fans as the third song in a trilogy, along with Phil Collins' two solo songs, "In the Air Tonight" and "I Don't Care Anymore". It's very similar both musically (very sparse, with heavy emphasis on the percussion for most of the song) and vocally, more chanted than sung. Good song. It's odd, though, to go from "Mama" into "That's All", because the change in mood is so stark. Yes, "That's All" is still angry lyrically, but the poppy circus like music just feels odd after "Mama". The next two songs, "Home By the Sea" and "Second Home By the Sea", are brilliant. They tell the story of someone who goes into a house (or buys it, or something) and encounters a ghost, only to become one himself, trapped in the residence for eternity. This is old school Peter Gabriel type Genesis, and it kicks ass. "Illegal Alien" is easily the worst song on this album. It isn't that bad in concept - the struggles of an illegal Latino immigrant trying to provide for his family and not get shipped out of the country. It's the way Collins sings it that makes it a bad song. He sounds like he's trying to do a bad Mexican accent, and it just comes off horribly. Bad Phil. Bad. "Taking It All Too Hard" is a really pretty break up song, like it very much. "Just a Job To Do" is the only song on this album that was not released as a single or b-side, and it was the only song from the album not played live during the tour for this album. Makes no sense on either count, because it's a really strong song, one of the best Genesis songs nobody has heard. "Silver Rainbow" is a really good song, I think, but it is always ripped by critics. I dig it. The final song is "It's Gonna Get Better", the only really hopeful song on this surprisingly dark album. It's a pretty song, and a good way to close the album out. Overall, I think this is one of the best Genesis albums around. It is fairly steady, and even with how dark the lyrics are it's really easy to listen to and get lost in. Highly recommended.
5 Best Songs:
5. "It's Gonna Get Better'
4. "Silver Rainbow"
3. "Just a Job To Do"
2. "Home By the Sea"
1. "Second Home By the Sea"
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