The Thorn is an EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 released by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1984, in between the albums Hyæna and Tinderbox

Tinderbox (Siouxsie album)

Tinderbox is the seventh studio album released by the English alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was the first effort recorded with new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers...

. The release contains four tracks recorded with orchestral instrumentation. "Overground" originally appeared on the Banshees' debut album The Scream

The Scream (album)

The Scream is the debut album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in November 1978 on Polydor Records. Even before this release, the band already had a strong reputation as a live act, as well as having a Top 10 UK single under their belt with "Hong Kong Garden"...

and "Placebo Effect" is a track on their second album Join Hands

Join Hands

Join Hands is the second studio album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released by Polydor Records in the UK in September 1979. The final track is a studio recording of "The Lord's Prayer", the song that they are famous for playing in their debut live performance at the...

. "Voices" and "Red Over White" were previously released as B-sides

B-Sides

B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...

 of "Hong Kong Garden" and "Israel", respectively.

The purpose of the EP was three-fold: Siouxsie stated that she wanted to induct John Valentine Carruthers

John Valentine Carruthers

John Valentine Carruthers is an English musician, guitarist and composer. He played with Clock DVA in the early 80's and then became the guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees in May 1984 ....

 into the Banshees, to try out some string arrangements, and to simply re-record tracks that had evolved on tour .

The songs from the EP are currently available on the fourth disc of Downside Up

Downside Up

Downside Up is a four-disc box set collecting B-sides and bonus material from the catalog of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also included is The Thorn , originally released in 1984....

, a collection of the band's B-sides.

Track listing

1. "Overground
   Overground (song)
   "Overground" is a song written and recorded by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was co-produced with Mike Hedges and included on The Thorn EP. The song originally appeared on the Banshees' debut album The Scream in 1978...
   
   "
2. "Voices (on the Air)"
3. "Placebo Effect"
4. "Red Over White"

EP Personnel

• Siouxsie Sioux
  Siouxsie Sioux
  Siouxsie 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
• Steven Severin
  Steven Severin
  Steven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
  
   - bass
• John Valentine Carruthers
  John Valentine Carruthers
  John Valentine Carruthers is an English musician, guitarist and composer. He played with Clock DVA in the early 80's and then became the guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees in May 1984 ....
  
   - guitar
• Budgie
  Budgie (drummer)
  -External links:*...
  
   - drums
• The Chandos Players - orchestral strings
• Conducted by Sam Artiss
• Strings on "Red Over White" -Ginny Ball & Anne Stephenson
• String arrangements by Martin McCarrick
  Martin McCarrick
  Martin McCarrick is an English cellist, keyboardist and guitarist.He is best known for his work Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1987 until 1995. He recorded with them three studio albums : Peepshow, Superstition and The Rapture...
  
  , Bill McGee
  Bill McGee
  William Henry "Fiddler Bill" McGee was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants. His key pitch was the sinker.-External links:...
  
  , Ginny Ball & Anne Stephenson