The second Siouxsie And The Banshees album Join Hands was released on September 7th, 1979, featuring the single “Playground Twist”. The album is also noteworthy for containing a studio recording of “The Lord’s Prayer”, the song that Banshees are famous for playing at their debut live performance during the 100 Club Punk Festival 3 years before in September 1976.
The band’s guitarist and drummer, John McKay, and Kenny Morris, both left The Banshees prior to the album’s debut and were replaced by Robert Smith of The Cure on guitar (temporarily, until Magazine’s John McGeoch was recruited for Kaleidoscope). Budgie from The Slits would also be the replacement on drums.
Here is live footage of the stand-alone single Love in a Void performed with Robert Smith in the band:
It is said that Joy Division’s song “Colony” off of their album Closer is said to be clearly inspired by track number 3 on Join Hands, “Placebo Effect”.
On April 18th, 2015, Join Hands was released as a special edition for Record Store Day that included the original artwork and tracklisting:
“Back in 1979, and with the album ready to roll in its John Maybury-designed sleeve, the band’s label Polydor suddenly got cold feet about the supposedly “religious nature” of the artwork and substituted it for the version we know today – now repressed onto remastered 180GM gatefold vinyl with the track ‘Infantry’ restored to its rightful place as the album closer.”
Siouxsie: “I’ve always loved the artwork John Maybury presented for Join Hands and it’s wonderful to see again after all this time… Along with the inclusion of ‘Infantry’, here it is finally to have and behold in all its full glory.”
Steven Severin: “Not only does the album now look how it was intended but now boasts the original track listing. I can’t really remember why ‘Infantry’ was left off originally. Maybe we felt we hadn’t the time to develop it a bit further, maybe because it wouldn’t have fitted into the live set. Either way, it’s here now for posterity.
Watch an animated background history of early Siouxsie and the Banshees below:
