Hyæna

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Hyæna
File:Siouxsie & the Banshees-Hyaena.jpg
Studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Released 8 June 1984
Recorded 1983-1984
Genre Post-punk, neo-psychedelia
Length 44:15
Language English
Label
Producer
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse
(1982)A Kiss in the Dreamhouse1982		 Hyæna
(1984)		 Tinderbox
(1986)Tinderbox1986
Singles from Hyæna
  1. "Swimming Horses"
    Released: 16 March 1984
  2. "Dazzle"
    Released: 25 May 1984

Hyæna is the sixth studio album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1984. It was reissued, remastered and expanded in 2009. In the United States, Hyæna was the first Banshees album to be released on a major label – Geffen Records (now sister label to their then-UK label, Polydor).

Prior to the release of the album, "Dear Prudence" became the band's biggest hit in the UK, reaching No. 3 in September of the previous year.[1] The song was intended to be a stand-alone single in Europe, and as it was not issued as a single in North America, it later was added to the American version of Hyæna.

Hyæna is the only studio album that guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure composed and recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[2]

The album received both positive reviews and mixed reviews upon release. Melody Maker wrote:

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Parts of it are so wistfully carefree that it's impossible not to credit Robert Smith as the talisman – his irreverence seems to course through everything. "Take Me Back" is the Banshees rollicking like some primitive jazz combo drunk on the Good Lord's wine. On "Belladonna", Smith's liquid guitar relaxes Sioux to the extent that she drops a few masks to reveal her vulnerability. When the siren sings "daylight devours your unguarded hours", she's illuminating her own predicament so acutely it surely can't be coincidence. "Dazzle", too, is naively daring: Siouxsie's voice, framed alone against the firmament of strings. It could be Lloyd Webber's Cats or something by Vaughn Williams. You can get impressed, wrapped up and lost in this.[3]

File:Siouxsie and the banshees with robert smith.jpg
Siouxsie and the Banshees with Robert Smith in 1983, left to right: Steven Severin, Budgie, Siouxsie Sioux and Robert Smith

Retrospectively, AllMusic reviewer Stephen Cook gave a 4.5 star rating to Hyæna and wrote: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

The emphasis here is on layered arrangements and pop tunes disguised as art-house production numbers ("Dazzle"); tasteful horn and keyboard parts expand the group's guitar-dominated sound and provide Siouxsie with an airy and dreamlike backdrop in which to fully display her considerable vocal talents.[2]

When the album was reissued, The Quietus wrote a positive review and said: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

[it was] their most experimental work, Smith's presence is keenly felt on the disciplined execution of the grandiose "Dazzle" or the starkly seductive "Swimming Horses". But the real treasures were buried deep within the album. The lysergic Spaghetti Western twang of "Bring Me The Head of the Preacher Man" is evocative in its execution while the densely epic "Blow The House Down" finds Smith indelibly stamping his mark on the track courtesy of some his finest guitar work.[4]

Track listing

1984 UK version

All music composed by Siouxsie and the Banshees. All lyrics written by Siouxsie Sioux, except where noted. 

Original version
No. Title Lyrics Length
1. "Dazzle"     5:30
2. "We Hunger"     3:31
3. "Take Me Back"     3:03
4. "Belladonna"   Severin 4:30
5. "Swimming Horses"     4:06
6. "Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man"   Severin 4:37
7. "Running Town"     4:04
8. "Pointing Bone"   Severin 3:49
9. "Blow the House Down"     6:59
1984 US version
No. Title Lyrics Length
1. "Dazzle"      
2. "We Hunger"      
3. "Take Me Back"      
4. "Belladonna"      
5. "Swimming Horses"      
6. "Dear Prudence"   Lennon–McCartney  
7. "Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man"      
8. "Running Town"      
9. "Pointing Bone"      
10. "Blow the House Down"      
2009 remastered issue bonus tracks
No. Title Length
10. "Dear Prudence"    
11. "Dazzle (12" Glamour Mix)"    
12. "Baby Piano (Part 1)"    
13. "Baby Piano (Part 2)"    

The two "Baby Piano" tracks are, respectively, a short piano demo of "Dazzle" and the string backing to the album version of the song.

Personnel

Additional personnel
  • Robin Canter – woodwind
  • The Chandos Players – strings
  • Mike Hedges – producer and engineer
  • David Kemp – assistant engineer
  • Siouxsie and the Banshees – producers

References

  1. ↑ Brian Johns (1989). Entranced: the Siouxsie and the Banshees story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1773-6.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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