SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Once Upon a Time "The Singles" 12" Vinyl LP Album

- From "Hong Kong Garden" to "Spellbound": A Journey Through the Singles

Album Front Cover Photo of SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Once Upon a Time The Singles Visit: https://vinyl-records.nl/

"Once Upon a Time: The Singles" is Siouxsie & The Banshees’ landmark 1981 compilation album, gathering the band’s most influential early singles, from their punk-era breakout "Hong Kong Garden" to the gothic perfection of "Spellbound" and "Arabian Knights." The album chronicles their evolution from raw energy to haunting sophistication — a sonic journey that shaped the future of post-punk and gothic rock.

Table of Contents

"Once Upon a Time: The Singles" Album Description:

Siouxsie and the Banshees were masters of the single. Their songs, often propelled by Siouxsie Sioux's hypnotic vocals and swirling, experimental arrangements, were miniature sonic dramas in their own right. In 1981, the band encapsulated this strength with "Once Upon a Time: The Singles," a compilation that brought together their most potent standalone releases.

While the album served a practical purpose – compiling non-album singles for broader accessibility – it's more than just a collection. "Once Upon a Time" captures the band's thrilling evolution during their formative years. Early hits like the jagged "Hong Kong Garden" and the hypnotic "The Staircase (Mystery)" showcase the Banshees' raw post-punk energy, while later singles like the icy "Spellbound" and the playfully macabre "Arabian Knights" reveal the band's growing sophistication and embrace of darker, more atmospheric textures.

Crucially, several of these tracks hadn't appeared on any of the Banshees' existing four studio albums. "Once Upon a Time," then, was both a convenient entry point for fans and a treasure trove of essential material that painted a fuller picture of the band's development.

The album's artwork adds another layer of appeal. The front, back, and inner sleeve feature dynamic collages of photos showcasing Siouxsie Sioux's ever-changing looks and the band's striking stage presence. This visual mosaic reinforces the compilation's role as a time capsule, preserving moments of the band's thrilling growth and creative risk-taking.

Siouxsie and the Banshees continued to release groundbreaking albums throughout the 1980s and beyond, but "Once Upon a Time: The Singles" remains a compelling snapshot of a band at their most daring and immediate. It celebrates the unique power of the single format and highlights the band's undeniable impact on the alternative music scene.

Production & Recording Information:

Music Genre:

British Post-Punk Rock, Gothic Rock

A fusion of sharp-edged post-punk rhythm and haunting gothic melodies, defined by Siouxsie & The Banshees’ innovative soundscapes that influenced countless alternative acts through the 1980s and beyond.

Producers:
  • Nils Stevenson – Executive Producer, Manager
    Nils Stevenson (1953–2002) was a key figure in the early punk and post-punk movement. As Siouxsie & The Banshees’ original manager and creative overseer, he guided the band’s early career through their transition from punk’s raw edge to refined gothic artistry. He also managed the Sex Pistols in their formative years.
  • Steve Lillywhite – Record Producer, Mixing
    Steve Lillywhite (born 1954) is a Grammy-winning British producer renowned for his crisp, powerful mixes. He worked with U2, The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, and Simple Minds. His early work with Siouxsie & The Banshees and other post-punk artists helped define the sonic identity of the late 1970s and 1980s British alternative scene.
Label & Catalognr:

Polydor – POLS-1056

Album Packaging:

This album includes the original custom inner sleeve featuring complete lyrics, credits, and monochrome band artwork, reflecting the stark visual style typical of the early 1980s gothic aesthetic.

Media Format:

33rpm 12" Vinyl Stereo Record
Total Album (Cover + Record) Weight: 230g

Year & Country:

1981 – Made in England

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • Siouxsie Sioux – Lead Vocals
    Siouxsie Sioux (born Susan Janet Ballion, 1957) is a pioneering British singer-songwriter and the commanding voice of the post-punk era. As the charismatic frontwoman of Siouxsie & The Banshees, she brought avant-garde flair and theatrical intensity to the genre, influencing artists from The Cure to PJ Harvey. Her later solo work and side project The Creatures further expanded her artistic legacy.
  • Steven Severin – Bass Guitar
    Steven Severin (born Steven John Bailey, 1955) co-founded Siouxsie & The Banshees and shaped their dark, melodic sound through inventive bass lines and songwriting. After the band’s dissolution, he continued as a composer for film and ambient projects, maintaining his reputation as one of post-punk’s most distinctive bassists.
  • John McKay – Guitar
    John McKay was an original member whose innovative, angular guitar style defined the early Banshees sound. His metallic, textured tone on albums like "The Scream" influenced generations of alternative guitarists, including Robert Smith and John McGeoch.
  • Kenny Morris – Drums
    Kenny Morris (born 1957) was the first permanent drummer of the band, known for his tribal, minimal drumming style that broke from rock convention. His rhythmic precision on early tracks such as “Hong Kong Garden” and “Playground Twist” became a cornerstone of the Banshees’ sound.
  • Budgie – Drums (later tracks)
    Budgie (born Peter Edward Clarke, 1957) joined the band after Morris’s departure and became a defining member. His dynamic percussion added depth and groove to the later Banshees material, while his collaboration with Siouxsie in The Creatures showcased his versatility. He is regarded as one of the most creative drummers of the post-punk and gothic rock era.

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. Hong Kong Garden (Sioux / Severin / McKay / Morris) Single
    Released as a debut single in 1978, "Hong Kong Garden" was the band’s breakthrough hit,introducing their sharp, exotic post-punk sound to a wider audience.
  2. Mirage (Sioux / Severin / McKay / Morris)
    A haunting and experimental early track, blending surreal lyrics with dissonant guitar textures. It is an album track from "The Scream" (1978) but was included on this singles compilation to fill the side.
  3. The Staircase (Mystery) (Sioux / Severin / McKay / Morris) Single
    Released as a standalone single on 23 March 1979, this song captures the band’s evolution towarda darker, more atmospheric soundscape.
  4. Playground Twist (Sioux / Severin / McKay / Morris) Single
    The sole single from 1979’s “Join Hands” album, known for its eerie, childlike lyrics andtense, spiraling rhythm patterns.
  5. Love in a Void (Sioux / Severin / **Fenton** / Morris)
    One of the earliest compositions by the band and a live favorite; the version used here features original guitarist Peter Fenton, and was later released as the B-side of “Mittageisen.”
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. Happy House (Sioux / Severin) Single
    Released in March 1980, “Happy House” marked a shift toward a more gothic pop sophisticationand became one of the band’s signature hits. It was the first single with new members Budgie and John McGeoch.
  2. Christine (Sioux / Severin) Single
    Another 1980 single, “Christine” reflects the band’s lyrical depth and emotional complexity,inspired by themes of identity and mental fragmentation (The Three Faces of Eve).
  3. Israel (Sioux / Severin / **McGeoch** / **Budgie**) Single
    A non-album single from November 1980 featuring lush production and haunting melodies,regarded as one of the band’s most atmospheric recordings.
  4. Spellbound (Sioux / Severin / **McGeoch** / **Budgie**) Single
    Released in May 1981, this track became one of their most enduring anthems,driven by Budgie’s energetic drumming and John McGeoch’s swirling guitar work.
  5. Arabian Knights (Sioux / Severin / **McGeoch** / **Budgie**) Single
    A July 1981 single from “Juju,” blending Middle Eastern-inspired melodies with gothic intensity —a hallmark of the Banshees’ mature sound.

Compilation Background:

"Once Upon a Time: The Singles" is a 1981 compilation album that gathers the essential early singles by Siouxsie & The Banshees, documenting their artistic rise from the punk explosion to the gothic grandeur that defined their later work. Each track represents a milestone in their creative evolution and showcases the band's tight interplay and Siouxsie Sioux’s commanding vocal style.

Album Front Cover Photo
Front cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees' album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. The collage-style artwork combines monochrome portraits of Siouxsie Sioux and band members with bright overlays of pink, yellow, blue, and red geometric shapes. The design reflects the post-punk aesthetic of the early 1980s, mixing energy, abstraction, and fragmented imagery with a punk-gothic attitude typical of the band's era.

The front cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees’ 1981 compilation album “Once Upon a Time: The Singles” bursts with kinetic collage energy. A dense patchwork of monochrome photographs—many of Siouxsie Sioux herself— is interlaced with rectangular splashes of neon color in pink, yellow, blue, and red. These vivid overlays slice through the grayscale imagery, creating a striking contrast that feels both chaotic and meticulously balanced.

Siouxsie’s heavily made-up eyes and sharp expression dominate the upper center, anchoring the visual narrative amid a sea of smaller portraits and live-action moments. Around her, candid band shots, moody close-ups, and live performance stills seem to flicker like fragmented memories of the band’s evolution from raw punk energy to sophisticated gothic allure.

The typography is minimal yet bold: the black-and-white band logo “Siouxsie and the Banshees” stands at the top, while the album title “Once Upon a Time / The Singles” anchors the bottom edge. Together, the sharp geometry, grainy photos, and pop-art colors embody the restless creativity and avant-garde visual identity that defined the post-punk movement of early-1980s Britain.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees' album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. The design features a grid of haunting black-and-white doll faces floating over a dark gray background, with each face cropped at different scales. The tracklist for Side One and Side Two is printed in bold white and red text in the center, with full songwriting and production credits below. The overall effect is eerie and avant-garde, perfectly capturing the band's gothic and experimental visual style.

The back cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees’ “Once Upon a Time: The Singles” radiates eerie intensity. A mosaic of disembodied doll faces—some cracked, others expressionless— floats in grayscale against a velvety black backdrop. Each face, cut and layered with varying opacity, evokes a sense of haunting surrealism, aligning with the band’s fascination for unsettling imagery.

Centered across the artwork, the tracklist appears in two symmetrical columns: Side One and Side Two. Song titles are printed in bold red and white type, giving stark visual contrast. Beneath each title lie the precise songwriting and production credits, including mentions of Nils Stevenson, Steve Lillywhite, and Nigel Gray. The dense typography is anchored toward the lower half, framed by minimal margins and dark tones.

The design captures the cold elegance of the early 1980s post-punk aesthetic: minimal, haunting, and deeply evocative. It balances order and unease—an artful mirror of the band’s sound, where melody and menace coexist in perfect dissonance.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
First side of the custom inner sleeve from Siouxsie & The Banshees' album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. The layout features a series of black-and-white cropped photographs of Siouxsie Sioux and band members arranged in a fragmented horizontal strip along the top of a nearly all-black background. The composition mixes portrait close-ups and shadowy silhouettes, evoking a stark post-punk mood consistent with the band's signature aesthetic.

The first side of the custom inner sleeve for Siouxsie & The Banshees’ “Once Upon a Time: The Singles” extends the album’s fragmented, avant-garde visual language. A wide horizontal collage of black-and-white photographs spans the upper edge of an otherwise black field, creating a striking contrast between negative space and visual density.

Each cropped image captures a moment of the band’s stark charisma — Siouxsie Sioux’s intense gaze, candid shots of band members mid-performance, and minimal silhouettes that fade into the dark void below. A geometric emblem resembling an abstracted star motif appears at the top right, adding a subtle layer of symbolism to the layout.

The minimalist lower section remains largely empty, aside from faint text at the bottom edge, heightening the visual focus on the upper collage. The design exudes restraint and tension — a visual echo of the band’s ability to merge elegance, darkness, and emotional abstraction.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Reverse side of the inner sleeve from Siouxsie & The Banshees' 1981 album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. The design features all printed lyrics for the ten songs, arranged in clean black type across a silver-grey background. Behind the text lies an abstract, ghostly white silhouette resembling Siouxsie Sioux in motion, blending typography and form in a moody, atmospheric layout that reflects the band's gothic post-punk visual identity.

The reverse side of the custom inner sleeve for “Once Upon a Time: The Singles” presents a meticulous arrangement of all ten song lyrics, printed in bold black text against a soft, metallic grey background. Each track title—from “Hong Kong Garden” to “Arabian Knights”—is clearly delineated, creating a structured yet visually dynamic reading experience.

Behind the lyrics, a large, ghostly abstract shape stretches diagonally across the surface, resembling an ethereal figure in motion. The blurred silhouette adds a sense of depth and haunting motion, perfectly aligning with Siouxsie & The Banshees’ darkly elegant aesthetic.

The interplay between crisp text and soft imagery produces a striking contrast— the lyrics appear to emerge from the mist, mirroring the band’s music: poetic, eerie, and emotionally charged. The minimalist composition balances lyrical intensity with visual restraint, making this sleeve not just a lyric sheet but an integral extension of the album’s atmosphere.

Close-up Photo of Record Label
Close-up of Side One record label from Siouxsie & The Banshees' 1981 compilation album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. The label features Polydor’s classic black-and-white design with the bold Polydor logo at the top, catalogue number POLS 1056-A, and track details for side one including Hong Kong Garden, Mirage, The Staircase (Mystery), Playground Twist, and Love in a Void. Copyright and publishing credits circle the outer rim of the label.

Close-up view of the Side One record label from Siouxsie & The Banshees’ “Once Upon a Time: The Singles” LP, released by Polydor in 1981. The design features the iconic Polydor logo printed in bold white type against a matte black background, giving it a timeless, professional appearance typical of the label’s early 1980s output.

The label lists catalogue number POLS 1056-A, country of manufacture (“Made in England”), and publishing credits for Pure Noise and Chappell. Track details for Side One include “Hong Kong Garden,” “Mirage,” “The Staircase (Mystery),” “Playground Twist,” and “Love in a Void.”

Around the outer rim, fine print outlines copyright information and reproduction restrictions. The combination of crisp typography, concentric layout, and subdued monochrome colors reflects both the precision and artistry of Polydor’s vinyl label design during this era.

Siouxsie & the Banshees: Pioneers of Post-Punk and Icons of Alternative Music

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Once Upon a Time The Singles album front cover vinyl record
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Once Upon a Time "The Singles"

A defining collection of post-punk’s most striking singles, “Once Upon a Time” maps Siouxsie & The Banshees’ transformation from raw energy to atmospheric mastery. Released in 1981, it’s both a retrospective and a revelation—ten tracks that distill the band’s singular mix of mystery, art, and defiance into one essential vinyl statement.

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Spellbound
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Spellbound album front cover vinyl record

"Spellbound" is the song recorded by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1981. The track was written by the Banshees and co-produced with Nigel Gray. It was the first single released from the Banshees' fourth album Juju.

Spellbound 7" Vinyl Single
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - This Wheel's on Fire
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - This Wheel's on Fire album front cover vinyl record

"This Wheel's on Fire" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko, and it was popularized by the British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band recorded a version of the song in 1988, which was included on their album "Peepshow".

This Wheel's on Fire 12" Maxi Single
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Through The Looking Glass
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - Through The Looking Glass album front cover vinyl record

Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1987 album, "Through the Looking Glass," is a testament to their musical versatility. Featuring cover versions of songs by various artists, the album reflects the band's creative prowess.

Through The Looking Glass 12" Vinyl LP