Hong Kong Garden – Siouxsie And The Banshees (1978)

Description

Additional information about this Siouxsie And The Banshees vinyl art.

Siouxsie And The Banshees – The Artist/s

Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band, formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. Initially associated with the punk scene, the band rapidly evolved to create “a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation”. Their debut album The Scream was released in 1978 to widespread critical acclaim. In 1980, they changed their musical direction and became “almost a different band” with Kaleidoscope, which peaked at number 5 in the UK Albums Chart. With Juju (1981) which also reached the top 10, they became an influence on the emerging gothic scene. During their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees released 11 studio albums and 30 singles. The band experienced several line-up changes, with Siouxsie and Severin being the only constant members. They disbanded in 1996, with Siouxsie and drummer Budgie continuing to record music as the Creatures, a second band they had formed in the early 1980s. In 2004, Siouxsie began a solo career.

Hong Kong Garden – The Song

‘Hong Kong Garden’  is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as the band’s debut single on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The Independent stated that the song was “arguably the most important of the early post-punk hits” and considered the track as one of the “10 best new wave singles” of 1978. The song was named after the Hong Kong Garden Chinese take-away in Chislehurst High Street. Siouxsie Sioux was quoted as explaining the lyrics with reference to the racist activities of skinheads visiting the take-away.

The Chinese Pagoda – The Shape

This record has been cut into the silhouette of a Chinese Pagoda. A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, and were often located in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa of ancient India. Chinese pagodas are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views they offer, and many famous poems in Chinese history attest to the joy of scaling pagodas. The oldest and tallest were built of wood, but most that survived were built of brick or stone. Some pagodas were solid, and had no interior at all. Others were hollow and held within themselves an altar, with the larger frequently containing a smaller pagoda.

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