Siouxsie and the Banshees “The Scream” released 40 years ago today, November 13th, in 1978. The Scream was the Banshees debut album and its success, going to #12 in the UK, placed the band at the vanguard of the post-punk and goth genres. It influenced other dark post-punks like Joy Division and Jesus and Mary Chain but also sunnier new wave artists like Duran Duran. The single “Hong Kong Garden” had already been released before they recorded The Scream; it hit #7 on the UK singles chart and did not appear on the original pressing of the LP but is included on reissues, including this copy where it leads off Side 1. My favorite tracks are the sparse “Overground” (which the Banshees re-recorded in ‘84, releasing it as a single – it went to #47 in the UK – and included it on the EP The Thorn), the icy punked out “Carcass,” their tensely chaotic cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” the lush and danceable “Mirage” and the slow goth stomp of “Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)” which they also recorded in German and released as a single in West Germany; the English version of the single went to #47 in the UK in 1979.

Allmusic says about The Scream: “After building up an intense live reputation and a rabid fan base, Siouxsie and the Banshees almost had to debut with a stunner – which they did, “Hong Kong Garden” taking care of things on the singles front and The Scream on the full-length. Matched with a downright creepy cover and a fair enough early producing effort from Steve Lillywhite – well before he found gated drum sounds – it’s a fine balance of the early band’s talents. Siouxsie Sioux herself shows the distinct, commanding voice and lyrical meditations on fractured lives and situations that would win her well-deserved attention over the years. Compared to the unfocused general subject matter of most of the band’s peers, songs like “Jigsaw Feeling,” “Suburban Relapse,” and especially the barbed contempt of “Mirage” are perfect miniature portraits. John McKay’s metallic (but not metal) guitar parts, riffs that never quite resolve into conventional melodies, and the throbbing Steven Severin/Kenny Morris rhythm section distill the Velvet Underground’s early propulsion into a crisper punch with more than a hint of glam’s tribal rumble. The sheer variety on the album alone is impressive – “Overground” and its slow-rising build, carefully emphasizing space in between McKay’s notes as much as the notes themselves, the death-march Teutonic stomp of “Metal Postcard,” the sudden near-sunniness of the music (down to the handclaps!) toward the end of “Carcass.” The cover of “Helter Skelter” makes for an unexpected nod to the past – if it’s not as completely overdriven as the original, Siouxsie puts her own definite stamp on it and its sudden conclusion is a great moment of drama. It’s the concluding “Switch” that fully demonstrates just how solid the band was then, with McKay’s saxophone adding just enough of a droning wild card to the multi-part theatricality of the piece, Siouxsie in particularly fine voice on top of it all.”