Preposterous as it might seem in retrospect, Siouxsie & The Banshees were the last of the UK's first generation punk bands to secure a record deal; the hippie-bloated record industry was, frankly, terrified of them. Their stark, minimalist collision of ice-pick guitar and pounding drums, allied to Siouxsie's macabre, murder-in-the-nursery lyrics and untameable demeanour of brooding impenetrable cool were regarded as nothing more than commercial poison. But when Polydor finally took the plunge in 1978 they were amply rewarded when the band's debut single "Hong Kong Garden" immediately gravitated to the UK top ten. More hits followed and Once Upon A Time is a captivating compilation of the very best of them. From the clanging majesty of "The Staircase (Mystery)", the towering menace of "Playground Twist" and the measured schizophrenics of "Christine" to the glorious sensuality of "Arabian Nights", the distilled exhilaration of Once Upon A Time remains utterly essential. --Ian Fortnam
