Today it’s 35 years since Siouxsie & The Banshees released their single Peek-a-Boo!
Today it’s exactly 35 years since Siouxsie & The Banshees released their single Peek-a-Boo. It was released on 18th July 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow. Peek-a-Boo was rated "Single of the Week" in both Sounds and NME.
The song's peculiar sound is due to its experimental recording which was based on a sample. The song was built on a loop in reverse of a brass part with drums which the group previously arranged a year before for a cover of John Cale's 'Gun'. The band selected different parts of that tape when played backwards, editing them and re-recording on top of it, adding a different melody plus accordion, a one-note bass and discordant guitar. Drummer Budgie also added another beat. Once the instrumental parts were finished, Siouxsie sang her lyrics over it. The lyric track was further manipulated by Siouxsie's use of a different microphone for each line of the song. It took the band a year to arrive at this result.
Peek-a-Boo was one of Siouxsie and the Banshees' most recognizable and popular singles; it was also the group's first to chart in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 53 in the week of 3rd December. The song was very popular on alternative rock radios and received heavy play on MTV. In September 1988, Billboard magazine premiered a new Modern Rock Tracks chart, which measured radio airplay on US modern rock stations; "Peek-a-Boo" was the chart's first No. 1 song. In the UK, "Peek-a-Boo" became their fifth Top 20 UK hit, peaking at number 16 in the Singles Chart.
The music video was chosen by The Chart Show to be their "Best Video of the Year" for 1988. On the Beavis & Butt-Head episode "Sperm Bank," Beavis noted while watching the video that "this is music for people who don't have any friends”.
Peek-a-Boo (CDS/7”)
a. Peek-a-Boo
b. False Face
Peek-a-Boo (CD Maxi-single)
1. Peek-A-Boo
2. Catwalk
3. Peek-A-Boo (Big Spender Mix)
4. False Face
5. Peek-A-Boo (Silver Dollar Mix)
Peek-a-Boo (Lyrics)
Creeping up the backstairs
Slinking into dark stalls
Shapeless and slumped in bath chairs
Furtive eyes peep out of holes
She has many guises
She'll do what you want her to
Playing dead and sweet submission
Cracks the whip deadpan on cue
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Reeking like a pigsty
Peeling back and gagging free
Flaccid ego in your hand
Chokes on dry tears, can you understand?
She's jeering at the shadows
Sneering behind a smile
Lunge and thrust to pout and pucker
Into the face of the beguiled
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Strobe lights pump and flicker
Dry lips crack out for more
"Come bite on this rag doll, baby!
That's right now hit the floor"
They're sneaking out the back door
She gets up from all fours
Rhinestone fools and silver dollars
Curdle into bitter tears
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Peek-a-boo (Golly jeepers)
Peek-a-boo (Where'd you get those peepers?)
Peek-a-boo (Peepshow, creepshow)
Peek-a-boo (Where did you get those eyes?)
Where did you get those eyes?
Where did you get those eyes?
(Songwriters: N Sioux / Steven Severin / Johnny Mercer / N Budgie / Harry Warren)
Glitchmode Recordings Unveils Derision Cult's 'Mercenary Notes Pt 1' Remix Onslaught
Industrial label, Glitchmode Recordings has unveiled Derision Cult's The Mercenary Mixes ; a sixteen-track remix onslaught series that follows the acclaimed & explosive Derision Cult EP, Mercenary Notes Pt 1.
The Mercenary Mixes was crafted by renowned sound wizards such as Assemblage 23, Moris Blak, Stoneburner, SpankTheNun and Stabbing Westward among others. This savage compilation promises to push boundaries and ignite the audiosphere.
The Mercenary Mixes will be available in its entirety on October 16th via Bandcamp while individual singles will be released in the coming weeks.
Secure your spot on this twisted joyride by pre-ordering The Mercenary Mixes on Bandcamp NOW.
The Bleak Assembly invites you into new dark spaces with Strangers Among Strangers, a compelling exploration of shadow and light. This highly-anticipated EP showcases the innovative and familiar sound that only The Bleak Assembly can deliver.
Featuring six meticulously-crafted tracks, Strangers Among Strangers pierces the darkness, exploring themes of revenge, nihilism, and vulnerable introspection. Each track stands as a testament to the EP's sonic range, incorporating driving beats, aching guitars, haunting synthesizers, and mesmerizing vocals that create a sonically complex sound.
With Strangers Among Strangers, The Bleak Assembly pushes the boundaries of darkwave and post-punk, fusing howling guitars, electronic textures, and provocative lyrics to deliver a sound that is as refreshing as it is relentless. Drawing inspiration from both legends and the obscure while adding their unique creative vision, The Bleak Assembly has crafted an EP that will leave listeners aching for more.
Strangers Among Strangers is available now and completes the work begun on We Become Strangers.
UK industrial band, Binary Order just unleashed their new EP; a release containing three remixes of previously released tracks and a reimagined, industrial cover of Papa Roach's song, "Thrown Away".
Says Binary Order's creator, Benjamin Blank, "The song’s subject matter is something that resonated sharply with me when I first heard it. It's about being an outcast and only knowing a life of being rejected. It has continued to resonate with me till this day."
The Thrown Away EP is available NOW on all digital platforms.
42 years ago, American new wave band The B52’s released their 12” Party Mix! (July 1981). Party Mix! is a remix album, that came out in between their second album Wild Planet (August 1980) and their Mesopotamia EP (October 1981). Since most of the band’s bouncy songs were already dance-ready to begin with, one can see these remixed tracks more as great alternative versions, rather than real ‘dance’ tracks.
The original 12” featured six songs taken from their first two albums, all remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. On the CD version however, all the songs feature their own track.
The B52's - Part Mix! (12" - 1981)
|
A side |
|
|
Party Out Of Bounds8 |
5:12 |
|
Private Idaho |
4:04 |
|
Give Me Back My Man |
7:02 |
|
B side |
|
|
Lava |
6:08 |
|
Dance This Mess Around |
2:59 |
|
52 Girls |
2:58 |














