Spellbound: The Collection

Named after their definitive single, Spellbound: The Collection is a fine introduction into the goth-y, glammy, and sort of Tim Burton-esque world of Siouxsie & the Banshees, but it's missing some key moments. The band's non-album cover version of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" is the big, glaring omission, but get past that and inclusion of the title cut, "Cities in Dust," "Peek-A-Boo," and "Kiss Them for Me" checks off all the other necessary numbers. Early hit "Hong Kong Garden" now comes with an elegant string intro instead of the usual xylophone start, and all the early album cuts were remastered in 2014, with later recordings coming from the 2009 to 2013 remasters. Even if the 2002 release The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees comes with a better track list by a choice or two, newcomers looking for that remastered punch should still find Spellbound an excellent place to start. ~ David Jeffries