As you may have read in earlier posts on the blog, I’ve been methodically going through albums of the 80s that I haven’t listened to before. This has included many, MANY classics that I just overlooked due to sheet exposure (I’ve seen this listed so many times, there’s no way I need to listen) or ignorance; along with things I’ve dug up to find, including weirdo private press grooves, hailed LPs from “non-western” markets, or deeper discography dives that aren’t featured in as many decade-encapsulating retrospectives.

Siouxsie & the Banshees’ Peepshow was one of the very latter types of records I’ve been listening to for the first time. In fact, and very embarrassingly, I hadn’t listened to Siouxsie’s Juju before I started this project. For shame! But I enjoyed it so much that I started to pay attention to other releases of theirs. My first I bit into was Peepshow, Siouxsies’ 1988 album that embraced more art rock a la Kate Bush, while still showcasing her fierce songwriting and vocal chops.

I’ll keep it brief since we’re after the jump. I’ve listened to a lot of 80s albums over the last year. There have been some great ones, some good ones, and honestly, a fair amount of just nondescript “check-the-box” albums. I’d put Peepshow under “high-good” album. Probably not Top 100, but it surprised me with tons of flair, flash and excitement I didn’t expect for a later-career album. Its last few songs especially hit me. You know I’m a sucker for a good closer and “Rhapsody” is that in spades. It builds and builds and wildly concludes a solid, re-listenable record. I don’t want to paint a picture like this is some hidden gem; it clearly has its fans, but as someone who has been combing “best of” lists from publications, this is shockingly absent. #nodiscographyleftbehind.