Most of the material is from 1981's Juju and 1982's A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. It also features a few B-sides ("Pulled to Bits" and "Eve White/Eve Black") as well as a live version of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence", a song the Banshees had recorded in the studio in Stockholm earlier that year and issued as a single in September.
In 2024, Nocturne, was remastered and cut at half speed at Abbey Road studios: it was reissued on double vinyl with new artwork plus a fold out poster for Record Store Day, via independent websites.[2]
Background and release
The Banshees had already performed live with Robert Smith on guitar in September and October 1979, when he and his band the Cure served as tour support for the Banshees. A friendship had started at the time between the members of the Cure and the Banshees. In late 1982, when guitarist John McGeoch left the Banshees prior to the A Kiss in the Dreamhouse tour, Steven Severin asked Smith to join them for the British and European tour. In 1983, the band toured in Japan for the second time in less than a year and also visited Australia and New Zealand. With the September 1983 release of the "Dear Prudence" single, Smith became an official member of the Banshees; a few weeks later, they recorded Nocturne in London.[1]
The album was released in late November 1983. A video version of Nocturne was released on VHS the same year and was remastered for a DVD reissue in 2006. DVD bonus features included the Play at Home TV special from 1983, the "Dear Prudence" music video and performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test. The album was remastered for a cd reissue in 2009.[3]
David Cleary of AllMusic said that Nocturne "serves as an excellent, no-nonsense introduction to the band's music for neophytes, while fans of the group will appreciate the tight, gutsy, stripped-down performances", also describing it as "top-notch".[4] In 2013, the album was included in The Quietus' list of its writers' 40 favourite live albums.[5] Julian Marszalek wrote: "Nocturne stands as both a representation of where they were at that point in their career and their status as an incredible live band. Be it Budgie's precise and muscular rhythms, Steven Severin's flanged bass, Siouxsie's commanding presence or Robert Smith's interpretation of other guitarists' material, the performance is magnificent and convincing throughout. By cherry picking their finest material, Nocturne was – and still is – a kind of alternate Greatest Hits that acts as a gateway to their kaleidoscopic world".[5]Total Guitar wrote that "Nocturne successfully reproduces the sound of the Banshees at their creative peak aided by then touring guitarist Robert Smith, who adds lysergic colour to the shimmering Melt! and a muscular rendition of Nighshift".[6]
Legacy
Steve Mason of the Beta Band listed Nocturne as one of his 14 favourite albums. He praised the guitars and the drums on the record: "Robert Smith's live playing on this is [...] superb. It's psychedelic [...], the sounds that he gets are unbelievable – I've never heard anyone get those sounds out of a guitar. [...] Budgie's drumming on this record is incredible. He's solid as a rock but really inventive and really tribal in places". Mason considered that "As a Banshees compilation album, it's a brilliant selection of what they've done". He explained he ended up sampling "a massive chunk" of Smith's guitar playing on "Painted Bird" for the Beta Band, and their song "Liquid Bird" – on their album Heroes to Zeros.[7]
