Juju (Siouxsie & the Banshees album)
Encyclopedia
Juju is the fourth studio album
by Siouxsie and the Banshees and was released in June 1981 through Polydor Records
. After a slightly electronic bent made on a few tracks of their last album, the Banshees returned to a guitar-based sound for Juju, due to the now-official guitarist, John McGeoch
. The album also featured prominently, for the first time, the intricate percussion work of band member Budgie
. Juju was remastered as a single-disc digipack in May 2006.
placed Juju as "one of the most influential British albums of all time". In 2006, Mojo
honoured John McGeoch by rating him in their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time for his work on "Spellbound". In 2007, The Guardian
put Juju in its list of 1000 albums to hear before you die. Journalist Alexis Petridis wrote. "Perennial masters of brooding suspense, the Banshees honed their trademark aloof art-rock
to its hardest and darkest pitch on Juju. With their musical alchemy at its peak and Siouxsie at her most imperious, pop
marvels such as Spellbound and Arabian Knights
were poised, peerless exercises in magic realism that you could dance to."
selected the first single of Juju, "Spellbound" during an interview for the US Kroq radio in 1997 and said
The ex-leader of The Smiths
also later stated to GQ in 2005 that Juju is to him the second best Siouxsie and the Banshees album, while his previous guitarist Johnny Marr
said on the BBC radio 2 in February 2008 that he rated guitarist John McGeoch highly for his work on the first song of this album, "Spellbound". Marr qualified it as "clever" with "really good picky thing going on which is very un-rock'n'roll". In Uncut
, Marr also rated McGeoch at number ten in his all time favourite guitarists for Juju and Real Life by Magazine.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Siouxsie and the Banshees and was released in June 1981 through Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. After a slightly electronic bent made on a few tracks of their last album, the Banshees returned to a guitar-based sound for Juju, due to the now-official guitarist, John McGeoch
John McGeoch
John Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage and Public Image Ltd....
. The album also featured prominently, for the first time, the intricate percussion work of band member Budgie
Budgie (drummer)
-External links:*...
. Juju was remastered as a single-disc digipack in May 2006.
Reception
The album was hailed by both critics and musicians. In 1995, Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
placed Juju as "one of the most influential British albums of all time". In 2006, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
honoured John McGeoch by rating him in their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time for his work on "Spellbound". In 2007, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
put Juju in its list of 1000 albums to hear before you die. Journalist Alexis Petridis wrote. "Perennial masters of brooding suspense, the Banshees honed their trademark aloof art-rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
to its hardest and darkest pitch on Juju. With their musical alchemy at its peak and Siouxsie at her most imperious, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
marvels such as Spellbound and Arabian Knights
Arabian Knights (song)
"Arabian Knights" is a song recorded by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1981. The track was written by the Banshees and co-produced with Nigel Gray...
were poised, peerless exercises in magic realism that you could dance to."
Legacy
MorrisseyMorrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
selected the first single of Juju, "Spellbound" during an interview for the US Kroq radio in 1997 and said
The ex-leader of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
also later stated to GQ in 2005 that Juju is to him the second best Siouxsie and the Banshees album, while his previous guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
said on the BBC radio 2 in February 2008 that he rated guitarist John McGeoch highly for his work on the first song of this album, "Spellbound". Marr qualified it as "clever" with "really good picky thing going on which is very un-rock'n'roll". In Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
, Marr also rated McGeoch at number ten in his all time favourite guitarists for Juju and Real Life by Magazine.
Track listing
All tracks by Sioux, McGeoch, Severin, and Budgie.- "Spellbound" – 3:17
- "Into the Light" – 4:13
- "Arabian KnightsArabian Knights (song)"Arabian Knights" is a song recorded by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1981. The track was written by the Banshees and co-produced with Nigel Gray...
" – 3:07 - "Halloween" – 3:42
- "Monitor" – 5:35
- "Night Shift" – 6:06
- "Sin in My Heart" – 3:38
- "Head Cut" – 4:24
- "Voodoo Dolly" – 7:04
Personnel
- Siouxsie SiouxSiouxsie SiouxSiouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
: vocals; guitar on "Sin in My Heart" - Steven SeverinSteven SeverinSteven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
: bass guitar - BudgieBudgie (drummer)-External links:*...
: drums, percussion - John McGeochJohn McGeochJohn Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage and Public Image Ltd....
: guitar - Nigel GrayNigel GrayNigel Gray is a British record producer. His album credits include "Outlandos d'Amour" , "Reggatta de Blanc" and "Zenyatta Mondatta" for The Police; "Juju" and "Kaleidoscope" for Siouxsie & The Banshees, as well as five albums for Godley & Creme.-Surrey Sound Studio:In 1974 Gray converted a...
and Siouxsie and the Banshees: producer