Shortly after the release of their 1982, A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, Siouxsie and the Banshees would face a difficult task. Guitarist John McGeoch suffered a nervous breakdown from the stresses of touring and an increasing personal problem with alcohol. The end result was being fired from the band.
With no guitarist, the Banshees turned to Robert Smith of The Cure. Smith would not only fill in on tours, but ultimately join the band for their 1984 Hyæna. However, upon its release and tour, Smith would quit the band, citing it was too much stress to be a full time member in both groups.
Upon its release, critics praised the album, but in doing so honed in on Smith. The presence of his influence and fingerprints were considered very present. However, in doing so, did Robert Smith inadvertently assist in creating a Cure album with the Banshees? Well, only one way to find out.
After hearing the opening track, Dazzle, I have one question. Why weren't Siouxsie and the Banshees ever asked to do a title track to a James Bond movie? I mean, come on. All the elements are there.
With that said, overall, Hyæna didn't honestly have all that much to offer for me. I suppose there was a descent cover of The Beetles Dear Prudence. However, not being very familiar with that song, I couldn't tell you if it was better, worse, or even close enough to be worthy.
For me, coming off of 1982's A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, and then hearing that Robert Smith had joined on guitars, I was expecting this album to be the Banshees' opus. It's not. Far from it.
I can definitely hear the influences of Smith on it, and by that I mean drab, and melancholy. However, this isn't the sound that I equate to Siouxsie Sioux, and I don't necessarily need her to be the mouthpiece for The Cure.
That's not to say it was a total bust. I did, as I mentioned, or perhaps didn't elaborate enough to imply, that I did enjoy the opening track, Dazzle, Take Me Back, and Running Town. I also added Dear Prudence to my shuffle, if for no other reason than just because of what it was - A cover of The Beetles' song. Terrible reason, I know. I will probably endlessly skip it when it comes around.
Hyæna doesn't stand in a promising spotlight right now, but we'll see how it fares in comparison to The Cure's The Top when I fire that one up tomorrow. Who knows. It could end up being the best of the worse.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS July 21, 1984 |
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