Kaleidoscope (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)

Kaleidoscope
File:Siouxsie & the Banshees-Kaleidoscope.jpg
Studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Released	1 August 1980
Recorded	1980
Genre	Post-punk
Length	40:44
Label	Polydor
Producer	Nigel Gray Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology
Join Hands (1979)Join Hands1979 Kaleidoscope (1980) Juju (1981)Juju1981
Singles from Kaleidoscope
"Happy House" Released: 7 March 1980 "Christine" Released: 30 May 1980

Kaleidoscope is the third studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1980 by record label Polydor. With the arrival of two new musicians, Budgie on drums and John McGeoch on guitars, the band changed their musical direction and offered an album containing a wide variety of colors. "It was almost a different band", said Siouxsie.

The album was preceded by the hit singles "Happy House" and "Christine".

Background and music

Following the departure of two band members, the band regrouped and redirected their sound for their third record. Departing from their previous work, the Banshees incorporated synthesizers and drum machines for the first time. They particularly experimented in electronic music on a couple of tracks: the electro-dance minimalism of "Red Light" and the atmospheric, synth-based piece "Lunar Camel". The album also contained what could be described as a ballad, "Desert Kisses". Kaleidoscope marked the debut of guitarist John McGeoch and new drummer Budgie. Siouxsie saw it "like a new lease of life". The songs had been demoed at Warner Chappell studios with only a bass and a synthesizer played by Siouxsie and Steven Severin.

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Melody Maker	favourable

Kaleidoscope was released on 1 August 1980 by record label Polydor. The album peaked at No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart, the highest position the band has achieved to date.

The reception from critics was positive. Paulo Hewitt of Melody Maker's Paulo Hewitt praised the album, and qualified "Paradise Place" and "Skin" as "classic Banshee pieces. Hypnotic, relentless and incisive, both feature Steve Jones on guitar, revealing a hitherto unknown side of the (S)ex-Pistol". Their work on the singles "Happy House" and "Christine" was also hailed shortly after their release by peers The Jam; singer-songwriter Paul Weller said that both songs used "some unusual sounds", while drummer Rick Buckler qualified them as "innovative".

In his retrospective review, David Cleary of AllMusic described Kaleidoscope as a "strong record" with "extraordinarily imaginative production values, featuring intricate synthesizer-flecked arrangements; psychedelic touches in "Christine", spaceship synthesizer swoops in "Tenant" and rhythmic camera clicks in "Red Light" all enliven their respective songs".

Legacy

Kaleidoscope later had an impact on several critically acclaimed musicians. In a 1985 interview with Steve Sutherland, The Cure frontman Robert Smith cited the album when describing The Head on the Door: "It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colours."

In a February 2008 interview on BBC Radio 2, Johnny Marr from The Smiths discussed McGeoch's contribution on "Happy House":

What is it about "Happy House" from a guitar player point of view. For start, it's modern. It's not going in any of these creaky or rock'n'roll aspects to it and it still sounded like the Banshees, or even more so. That's when I really began to become a fan of John McGeoch. It was a extra bonus for me. They had got a great guitar player who had left another band and came in. Not surprisingly, that to me was a very good scenario. I've always liked that. It was like get John's best on the guitar.

Santigold claimed to take inspiration from the song "Red Light", explaining, "'My Superman' is an interpolation of a Siouxsie Sioux song, 'Red Light'. "I love her song and I love this song." Santigold also later sampled another song off Kaleidoscope, "Lunar Camel", on her Top Ranking remix album. Jeremy Jay covered the same song on his Airwalker EP.

Kaleidoscope was also praised by the singer of Suede, Brett Anderson. Erasure's Andy Bell said: "More commercial offering from Siouxsie was much more up my street - and consequently, as with all my favourite teen angst albums, I learnt all of the songs inside out and backwards."

Track listing

All lyrics written by Siouxsie Sioux, except "Red Light" and "Christine", by Steven Severin, all music composed by Sioux and Severin, except "Trophy", by Sioux, Severin and John McGeoch.

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Happy House"	3:52
2.	"Tenant"	3:41
3.	"Trophy"	3:19
4.	"Hybrid"	5:31
5.	"Clockface"	1:53
6.	"Lunar Camel"	3:02

Side B
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Christine"	2:59
8.	"Desert Kisses"	4:15
9.	"Red Light"	3:21
10.	"Paradise Place"	4:34
11.	"Skin"	3:49

2006 remastered reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Christine (Warner Chappell Demo Version, February 1980)"
13.	"Eve White/Eve Black (Warner Chappell Demo Version, February 1980)"
14.	"Arabia (Lunar Camel) (Warner Chappell Demo Version, February 1980)"
15.	"Sitting Room (Unreleased Track, Warner Chappell Demo, February 1980)"
16.	"Paradise Place (Polydor Demo Version, March 1980)"
17.	"Desert Kisses (Polydor Demo Version, March 1980)"
18.	"Hybrid (Polydor Demo Version, March 1980)"
19.	"Happy House (Polydor Demo Version, March 1980)"
20.	"Israel (7" A-Side)"

Personnel

Siouxsie and the Banshees

• Siouxsie Sioux – vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, finger cymbals, camera, melodica, production
• Steven Severin – bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals, piano, synthesizer, electric sitar, production
• Budgie – drums, harmonica, bass guitar, percussion, production
• John McGeoch – guitar, saxophone, Farfisa organ, sitar, string synth, production

Additional personnel

• Steve Jones – lead guitar on "Clockface", "Paradise Place" and "Skin"

Technical

• Nigel Gray – production