Siouxsie bassist Severin preps reissues

TORONTO (Billboard) - More than a decade since Siouxsie and the Banshees' last studio album, the group's back catalog is being refurbished.

On June 1, Universal U.K. will release expanded editions of the Banshees' 1978 debut, "The Scream," 1979's "Join Hands," 1980's "Kaleidoscope" and 1981's "Juju." No North American release date has yet been announced.

"Finding the material wasn't a problem -- remembering what to look for was," original bassist

The new editions are bolstered with various demos and unreleased tracks, with "Kaleidoscope" containing 10 additional songs. But Severin said the vaults aren't quite empty, citing "The Scream" as an example. "The notorious 'Track Sessions' were vetoed, which I thought was a shame considering people will still buy them on bootleg," he said. "I felt that we could have loosened the quality-control noose just a touch to enable fans to hear these unreleased, early songs at a reasonable price."

Also about to appear from the Siouxsie archive is a DVD of the 1983 home video "Nocturne," featuring a concert taped in London the previous year plus the TV special "Play at Home." In addition, "Juju" will receive a double-disc "deluxe edition" treatment that Severin said should be finished by year's end.

Severin also has been shepherding a reissue of 1983's "Blue Sunshine," his lone album with the Cure's Robert Smith as the Glove. The set is tentatively due in July to coincide with a new round of Cure reissues. The album's bonus material will comprise "rough mixes" of songs with Smith singing "all the guide vocals," according to Severin.

"(Fiction label head) Chris Parry strictly forbade Robert from singing on the final album, but we managed to sneak him onto two tracks under the proviso that neither was to be released as singles," Severin said.

Severin also said Smith was quite eager to work on the reissue. "In fact, in many ways he's driven it!" he added. "I think it's been a bit of a mission on his part. He desperately wanted to sing on the album at the time, so getting the chance to release this 'alternative version' has become his personal quest, I think."

And while Severin nixed any thoughts of a one-off concert to celebrate "Blue Sunshine," both he and Smith are in preliminary discussions about recording a new album together. "I'm thinking more prequel than sequel," Severin said. "You know, what led to the Glove being so disturbed."

Reuters/Billboard

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