Tinderbox (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)

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Tinderbox
File:Siouxsie & the Banshees-Tinderbox.jpg
Studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Released 21 April 1986
Recorded 1985
Genre Alternative rock
Length 38:21
Label
Producer Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees chronology
Hyæna
(1984)Hyæna1984		 Tinderbox
(1986)		 Through the Looking Glass
(1987)
Singles from Tinderbox
  1. "Cities in Dust"
    Released: 18 October 1985
  2. "Candyman"
    Released: 28 February 1986

Through the Looking Glass1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
The Quietus very favourable[2]
Spin very favourable[3]

Tinderbox is the seventh studio album by the English alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1986. It was the first full-length effort recorded with new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers; Carruthers had previously only added a few parts on 1984's The Thorn EP. The first recording sessions for this album took place at Hansa Tonstudio by the Berlin Wall in May 1985.

Tinderbox peaked at No. 13 in the UK Albums Chart,[4] and at No. 88 on the US Billboard 200 chart in the week of 5 July.[5] The album was reissued in a remastered and expanded edition in 2009, with bonus tracks including an unreleased version of 1987's "Song from the Edge of the World" non-album single, and an unreleased song with lyrics by Steven Severin called "Starcrossed", recorded in May 1985. The B-sides of "Cities in Dust" and "Candyman", initially included as bonus tracks on the 1986 CD, were then included in the Downside Up B-sides box set.

Critical reception

Sounds praised the album on its release. Kevin Murphy wrote, "Tinderbox romps and swoons with all the majesty of Dreamhouse", and added, "it's a refreshing slant on the Banshees' disturbing perspective and restores their vivid shades to pop's pale palette."[6]

Jon Savage also hailed the record in Spin magazine:

"its scope, ease, and assurance make it a good collection for the Banshees to relaunch themselves into the international market this spring. Carruthers fits in to the point that you wouldn't know there was a change, and Budgie's drumming is superb. Apart from the singles "Cities in Dust" and "Candyman" (which perpetuates the Banshees' sinister view of childhood), the sparks fly on the crystal clear "Cannons" and the unsettling "Parties Fall".[3]

AllMusic reviewer David Cleary retrospectively rated the record 4.5 out of 5 stars, applauding the band for

"rocking drumming, drivingly aggressive yet fully textured guitar playing, and masterful, gutsy singing. The songs here are intense and unfold slowly, some starting off less vigorously but becoming hard rockers further along. There is of course a fine line between consistency and lack of contrast, but this album stays firmly on the side of the former; in fact, there's a certain satisfying feel to the musically uniform wall of sound here. The arrangements are less complex than in immediately preceding albums, but there are still plenty of subtle, effective production touches to be found throughout."[1]

The Quietus also praised the reissue of the album and said:

"By removing the focus from the guitar, Siouxsie & The Banshees forged a sound that was totally their own. Rhythmic and percussive, the rock idiom of old was eschewed in favour of a sound that was wholly their own. "Cities In Dust", the first taster from Tinderbox, found the band moving into more electronic climes as Severin's recently purchased DX-7 synth discovered new territories to explore."[2]

PopMatters listed it among their "12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980", saying it was a " bold and enchanting album".[7]

Legacy

Tinderbox would be later hailed by the singer of Suede, Brett Anderson.[8] Jenny Lee Lindberg of Warpaint cited among her influences, the band and the song "Umbrella", initially included in the tracklisting of the 1986 cd version.[9]

Track listing

All tracks by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Savage, Jon. Spin (magazine). June 1986. Page 81
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Billboard 200 - week 5 July 1986. Billboard. Retrieved 15-8-2015
  6. ↑ Murphy, Kevin. "Pop's Royal Couple?". Sounds. 10 May 1986.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Culture. Brettanderson.co.uk. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  9. ↑ Kerr, David. "Under the Influence: Warpaint's Jenny Lee Lindberg". Theskinny.co.uk. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ "Tinderbox - New zealand charts". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 15 february 2015.
  12. ↑ "Tinderbox swedish charts". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 15 february 2015.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ "Tinderbox Dutch charts". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 15 february 2015.
  15. ↑ Tornado Historical Photos and Information
  16. ↑ Lane, F.W. The Elements Rage. David and Charles. 1966. plate 11: "The classic photograph of a tornado".
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