MY HIT LIST: SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES-THE JOHN PEEL SESSIONS



Siouxsie And The Banshees The John Peel Sessions

29/11/77

Love In A Void

Mirage

Metal Postcard

Suburban Relapse

 06/02/78

Hong Kong Garden

Overground

Carcass

Helter Skelter

 

http://www.last.fm/music/Siouxsie+and+the+Banshees/The+Peel+Sessions

 

In 1977 Siouxsie and the Banshees were causing a stir on the live circuit: thrown together at the 100 Club Punk Festival the previous year the band had transcended that blunt mission statement and had grown a fierce following based on powerful live performances and a unique bleakness and attitude. A charismatic lead singer certainly helped to define them as not just another three minute wonder punk clone.

John Peel, champion of several interesting and unique bands did his bit in getting the band signed to Polydor as they were firmly in the category of ‘what do we do with them?’ for many in the industry.

The John Peel sessions at the end of 1977 and the beginning of 1978 were great examples of catching lightning in a bottle and their sparse raw power perfectly captured the reason why they had gained such a loyal following.

Most of the eight tracks make up the lion’s share of their excellent debut album The Scream and it is an interesting contrast to listen to the two versions back to back. Hong Kong Garden is also featured which was their suprisingly poppie debut Single.

John Peel helped many a band and in this case he helped everyone to access a remarkable and influential band.





FORCE OF GRAVITY

Some times a movie get’s hyped to the extent that suspicion can creep in. Gravity has been almost universally proclaimed as the film of the year: many a trusted reviewer has championed the movie and been rhapsodic about its place in cinematic history.

So it was with a degree of trepidation that I took myself along to the cinema ticket in hand.

Gravity could have been like a Kubrick movie: technical prowess with cold detachment, or a Spielberg movie: full of awe and emotional manipulation, or indeed like a Michael Bay production: all bombast no heart. In fact Gravity has more in common with Gone With The Wind or Casablanca. It’s pure cinema with spectacle, jeopardy, philosophical leanings but also a real beating heart. It is an extraordinary movie and one that, given the reflective qualities of time passing, will be viewed as classic cinema.
The two leads are both excellent: Clooney plays the veteran Astronaut perfectly but it is Sandra Bullock who is the surprise. Often associated with light and airy roles Bullock is a revelation and must be an Oscar shoe-in. Of course the technical qualities of the movie have garnered praise and rightly so but it is not just technique it is how the effects are integral and interwoven into the story.
Gravity is the sort of movie that reenergises the viewer and the sort of movie that comes along once in a while that makes you feel that "I was there" feeling: it's that good.

SPACE IS THE PLACE

Space: The final frontier, and with the UK release of Gravity today let's take a look at the wide world of

lesser known Astronauts in Space movies



 

Moon Zero Two

Event Horizon

Doppelganger/Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun

Outland

Silent Running

Robinson Crusoe On Mars

Dark Star

Saturn Three

Android

Starcrash

SCARY MOVIES: 10

10 of my favourite Scary Movies

Alien

Audition

Eraserhead

The Shinning

Rosemary's Baby

Dead Of Night

Suspiria

Les Diaboliques

Psycho

the Sentinel

FROM TV TIMES TO THE BIG SCREEN

Reg Varney

British TV light entertainers and situation comedy stars popped up in movies that were not just sitcom spinoffs, and sometime in the most unexpected of places . I always found it quite jarring to see these small screen regulars up there on the screen at the local ABC. These movies are, by and large, interesting time capsules of Britain in a bygone age. Their quality is variable the directors great, workmanlike and all points in between.

Ronnie Barker-Robin And Marrion

Ronnie Corbett

 

 Leonard Rossiter-2001: A Space Odyssey
 

Dick Emery

 

Bruce Forsyth-Can Heronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe And Find True Happiness?

 

Michael Crawford-Condorman

 

Richard O'Sullivan-Dick Turpin

 

 

Harry H Corbett as Joey Boy Thompson

Stanley Baxter as Benny 'The Kid' Lindowski

Bill Fraser as Sergeant Major Dobbs

Percy Herbert as Mad George Long

Lance Percival as Clarence Doubleday

Reg Varney as Rabbit Malone

Moira Lister as Lady Thameridge

Derek Nimmo as Lieutenant Hope

 

...and this movie was made before the principal cast found Television fame, I remember seeing it as a child many years after it was made and being discombobulated by seeing those TV regulars out of context.



Recommended sites:

http://www.thebestlittlefilmhouse.com

http://beldar.blogs.com

http://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk

http://uk.movieposter.com

 

ICONS TOGETHER

Monroe & Taylor

Brando & Dean

Keaton & Chaplin

Presley & Sinatra

Lennon & Jagger

Ali & Pele



BERT STERN CAPTURING ICONS

Bert Stern captured some of the most iconic actresses in his modernist and clean style. Here are just a few



 

all images  copyright: Bert Stern