Wild Things is the first release by British duo The Creatures

The Creatures

The Creatures were a musical act formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The Times described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".With the dissolution of...

 (singer Siouxsie and musician Budgie

Budgie (drummer)

-External links:*...

). It was presented as two 7" single records in a 'double-album' style card cover, and is sometimes referred to as an EP. It peaked in the UK singles charts at number 24 and the pair performed "Mad Eyed Screamer" on Top Of The Pops

Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

. The Ep was entirely remastered in 1997 and re-reissued as part of the A Bestiary Of compilation.

History

The initial idea for Wild Things, and indeed, The Creatures, came about during the recording sessions for the Siouxsie and the Banshees album "Juju." While bassist Steven Severin and guitarist John McGeoch took a break, Siouxsie and drummer Budgie created the song "But Not Them." Deciding it was complete as a drum and voice piece, they left it alone, and quickly recorded 4 more minimal drum and voice tracks to go along with it. The result was the Wild Things EP (so named by Severin who upon hearing it said it sounded like something the creatures in the book "Where the Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several times, including an animated short in 1973 , a 1980 opera, and, in 2009, a live-action feature film...

" would have danced to on their island. The Banshees incorporated the songs "But Not Them" and "Thumb" into their concerts for many years afterwards.

"So Unreal" drew inspiration from the novel The Stepford Wives

The Stepford Wives

The Stepford Wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by Ira Levin. The story concerns Joanna Eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic Connecticut neighborhood may be robots created by their husbands.Two films of...

by Ira Levin

Ira Levin

Ira Levin was an American author, dramatist and songwriter.-Professional life:Levin attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa...

 and "Mad Eyed Screamer" from local characters met in Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park, London

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...

.

The erotic sleeve art featuring Siouxsie and Budgie half naked under a shower were inspired by the pictures of Man Ray

Man Ray

Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...

: the art work caused some controversy. Another shoot, inspired by the John Millais

John Everett Millais

Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...

 painting Ophelia

Ophelia (painting)

Ophelia is a painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais, completed between 1851-52. Currently held in the Tate Britain in London, it depicts Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark....

, featured the singer naked under many flowers and shallow water.

Source

• The Creatures Biography Thecreatures.com. Biography written by drummer Budgie, April 2000.

Reference

• Paytress, Mark. Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary, 2003. ISBN 1-86074-375-7

Track listing

1. "Mad Eyed Screamer"
2. "So Unreal"
3. "But Not Them"
4. "Wild Thing"
5. "Thumb"