Released 21 April 1986 Artist Siouxsie and the Banshees Label Geffen Records | Length 38:21 Release date 21 April 1986 Recorded 1985 | |
 | ||
Producer Siouxsie and the Banshees Tinderbox
(1986) Through the Looking Glass
(1987) Genres Post-punk, Gothic rock, New wave, Alternative rock Similar Hyæna, Peepshow, Juju, Through the Looki, Superstition | ||
Tinderbox is the seventh studio album by 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.
Contents
Two songs were released as singles between late 1985 and early 1986, "Cities in Dust" and "Candyman". Tinderbox peaked at No. 13 in the UK Albums Chart, and at No. 88 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in the week of 5 July. Tinderbox is retrospectively considered as a classic by both critics and musicians.
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 added as bonus tracks on the 1986 CD, were then included in the Downside Up B-sides box set.
Siouxsie the banshees tinderbox 1986
Cover art
On 8 July 1927, a tornado near the town of Jasper, Minnesota, was photographed by Lucille Handberg. Her photograph has become a classic image, and was used on the album's cover. The same photograph was edited and used for Deep Purple's 1974 album Stormbringer.
Critical reception
The album was well received by critics. 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." 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".
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 [...] in fact, there's a certain satisfying feel to the musically uniform wall of sound here. [...] there are [...] plenty of subtle, effective production touches to be found throughout." The Quietus also praised 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." PopMatters listed it among their "12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s", saying it was a "bold and enchanting album".
Tinderbox would be later hailed by Jean-Benoît Dunckel of Air. He selected Tinderbox for his "5 albums forever" list, saying, "They played so well together; I saw them in concert and I never forgot that moment". In 2011, Brett Anderson, the lead singer of Suede, included Tinderbox on a list of albums that he called "current fascinations". Jenny Lee Lindberg of Warpaint cited the band among her influences, as well as the song "Umbrella", initially included in the track listing of the 1986 CD version. She said: "This is a song that my husband and I bonded over – we’d definitely heard it individually before, but one day we were just playing the album and that song stopped us in our tracks… played it on repeat for the whole night. I understand why some people can hear a little Siouxsie in what we do."
Track listing
All tracks by Siouxsie and the Banshees. All lyrics written by Siouxsie Sioux, except where noted.
Songs
1Candyman3:44
2The Sweetest Chill4:07
3This Unrest6:21