Siouxsie & The Banshees

Forming at the start of the Seventies’ punk revolution, Siouxsie & The Banshees lasted 11 studio albums and almost two decades – spanning the New Romantic age and post-punk new wave into Gothic pop. These reissues are from the band’s latter career – the final four studio albums – and spread over eight years.

Underrated at the time, the passing of years has not be the kindest to some of the music here – with the first two albums suffering from the era-defining production that affected much of the eighties. However time has been kinder in terms of critical acclaim. Although bands or singers influenced music-wise by Siouxsie Sioux might be hard to find – she was a strong female lead singer with a distinct image that led the way for many to follow.

Here – 1987’s Through The Looking Glass is perhaps the most intriguing – with ten cover versions from an interesting spread of artists. The songs were chosen because of the impact on Sioux and the fellow Banshees. There’s Roxy Music's Sea Breezes and Iggy Pop’s The Passenger, which was even praised by the man himself. The album also provided one of the band’s biggest hits in Bob Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire. But the standout is their extraordinary reworking of the classic Strange Fruit, with electronic strings adding a modern haunting feel.

Peepshow was released a year later – and was the band’s first album as a quintet, with the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick. It received a five-star rating from Q magazine at the time – featuring the quirky – Trevor Horn sounding – single Peek-A-Boo. The likes of Carousel and Ornaments of Gold are less quirky – but just as impressive on a record that would influence bands from Bloc Party to Arcade Fire.

Despite reaching these creative heights – the band lost the momentum - and their tenth album Superstition, didn't arrive until three years later. At the helm was a surprising choice in former OMD and Pet Shop Boys producer Stephen Hague. His love of using computers to produce the required sound was at odds with Sioux's more organic approach - and it's an album she doesn't not look back on with great fondness. However, Kiss Them For Me still sounds strong 23 years later.

The final album The Rapture in 1995 once again underlined the innovation that marked the career of Siouxsie & The Banshees. Half of the album was produced by Velvet Undergrounder and art rock pioneer John Cale, while the band took control of the rest. There are certainly splashes of the darker tones from earlier material, but also a poppy sound that lingers from their work four years before. You are reminded of Psychedellic Furs on Fall From Grace, while The Rapture's 11 minutes is perhaps a little too indulgent.

Each album comes with a series of bonus tracks - and are beautifully remastered. As ever with these re-releases, there is plenty of reward for the fans - but for the casual listener it is worth hearing a band that laid the path for the likes of the Cocteau Twins and even Florence & The Machine.