Track Listing

1. Hong Kong Garden
2. Mirage
3. Staircase (Mystery)
4. Playground Twist
5. Love in a Void
6. Happy House
7. Christine
8. Israel
9. Spellbound
10. Arabian Knights

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92005 in Music
• Released on: 1992-08-25
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Import pressing of the new wave/punk icons' 1981 compilation. Out of print domestically!

Customer Reviews

Siouxsie&The Banshees-'Once Upon A Time:The Singles'(Geffen)
Essential for any and all Siouxsie&The Banshees fans.Sure,it's an early compilation,with material from 1978-81.Every one of the CD's ten cuts are a winner,like "The Staircase Mystery","Love In A Void",the insanely written "Happy House","Christine","Isreal","Spellbound"(one of my all time favorites)and "Arabian Knights".Top rate goth alternative.It's nearly impossible not to like at least a couple of these tunes.Sounds just SO good,that it almost hurts.Voodoo enthusiasts,fortune tellers and goth queens,rejoice!Highly recommended.

Sweet Sioux.
And the futile quest for my irretrievable youth marches on! Lately, I have been buying up some of the favorite music of my youth. Though I loved Siouxsie & The Banshees when they appeared on the scene, I actually never heard a big selection of their music. So, Siouxsie's "The Singles" seemed a good place to start. The thing which surprised me the most upon hearing these songs, most of which are around twenty years old, is how fresh and timeless they sound. Since I am not a "Siouxsie" expert, I cannot tell you the pros & cons of this collection, and what should or should not have been included. I can only say that I have had this c.d. a week now, and, I can't stop listening to it! Her ethereal sound is addictive. For me, there are very few bands who, along with having such a distinct sound, also make music which weaves such a spell. And also, for me, Siouxsie was as definitive a Punk sound as The Sex Pistols. I love all the songs on this collection. I was most familiar with "Christine" and "Spellbound". Upon hearing "Israel" for the first time, I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Also, I especially like "Arabian Nights", and "Hong Kong Garden." And, "Love In A Void" reeks of Punk, as much as any Ramones tune. Again, as I am not a Siouxsie expert, I can only say that I thoroughly enjoyed and continue to enjoy this collection. It is a good place to start, and only makes me want to hear more of the efforts of the lovely Miss Sioux and her wailing spirits.

A fine collection of early singles from an influential band
A (perhaps too) concise overview of the Banshees' first four years of recorded work, back when the band were helping shape what would become known as post-punk (and when they were still being taken seriously by critics)...

Some would argue (me, for one) that their creative high point would begin just after this period ended, but this is certainly their most influential music, and it's hard to argue with the song selection: "Hong Kong Garden" and "Love In a Void" are two of THE great UK pop-punk singles; "Happy House" and "Christine" are early new-wave classics, and "Spellbound" and "Israel" are seminal goth-rock touchtones...

Three of the ten songs here are unavailable on any SATB studio albums, making this collection essential for die-hards as well as first timers, though those looking for the band's best-known US alt-rock hits (Kiss Them For Me, Cities In Dust, Peek-a-Boo) would be better off with their second singles collection (Twice Upon a Time), but as an historical document of how the Banshees found their sound, you can't do better than this.