Hyæna

Hyæna is the sixth studio album by Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1984. It was re-issued, remastered and expanded in 2009. In the United States, Hyæna was the first Banshees album to be released on a major on Geffen Records (now sister label to their then-UK label, Polydor).

Prior to the release of the album, "Dear Prudence" became the band's biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 3 in September of the previous year. The song was intended to be a stand-alone single in Europe and as it was not issued in North America, it later only appeared on the American version of Hyæna.

It is the only record guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure composed and recorded with the Banshees.

Reception
Melody Maker wrote:


 * "Parts of it are so wistfully carefree that it's impossible not to credit Robert Smith as the talisman - his irreverence seems to course through everything.


 * "Take Me Back" is the Banshees rollicking like some primitive jazz combo drunk on the Good Lord's wine. On "Belladonna", Smith's liquid guitar relaxes Sioux to the extent that she drops a few masks to reveal her vulnerability.  When the siren sings "daylight devours your unguarded hours", she's illuminating her own predicament so acutely it surely can't be coincidence.


 * "Dazzle", too, is naively daring: Siouxsie's voice, framed alone against the firmament of strings.  It could be Lloyd Webber's Cats or something by Vaughn Williams.  You can get impressed, wrapped up and lost in this.

1984 US version

 * 1) "Dazzle"
 * 2) "We Hunger"
 * 3) "Take Me Back"
 * 4) "Belladonna"
 * 5) "Swimming Horses"
 * 6) "Dear Prudence" (Lennon/McCartney)
 * 7) "Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man"
 * 8) "Running Town"
 * 9) "Pointing Bone"
 * 10) "Blow the House Down"

2009 remastered issue bonus tracks
The two 'Baby Piano' tracks are, respectively, a short piano demo of Dazzle and the string backing to the album version of the song.
 * 1) "Dear Prudence"
 * 2) "Dazzle" (Glamour Mix)
 * 3) "Baby Piano" (Part One - unreleased track)
 * 4) "Baby Piano" (Part Two - unreleased track)

Personnel

 * Siouxsie Sioux: vocals
 * Steven Severin: electric bass and keyboards
 * Budgie: drums, percussion, marimba
 * Robert Smith: guitars, keyboards
 * Robin Canter: woodwind
 * The Chandos Players: strings
 * Mike Hedges: producer, engineer. David Kemp: Assistant Engineer
 * Siouxsie & the Banshees: producers