The Thorn (EP)

The purpose of the EP was three-fold: Siouxsie stated that she wanted to induct guitarist John Valentine Carruthers into the Banshees, to try out some string arrangements, and to simply re-record tracks that had evolved on tour.[1]

The Thorn features four of the band's tracks recorded with orchestral instrumentation: "Overground" originally appeared on the Banshees' debut album The Scream; "Placebo Effect" was a song from their second album Join Hands, while "Voices" and "Red Over White" were previously released as B-sides from the singles "Hong Kong Garden" and "Israel", respectively. The recording took place in Bavaria, in Germany.[1]

The Thorn was released on 19 October 1984 by record label Polydor. The songs from the EP were later included on the fourth disc of Downside Up, a collection of the band's B-sides.

• Siouxsie Sioux – vocals
• Steven Severin – bass
• Budgie – drums
• John Valentine Carruthers – guitar

Additional personnel

• The Chandos Players – orchestration
• Sam Artiss – conduction
• Gini Ball – strings on "Red Over White"
• Anne Stephenson – strings on "Red Over White"
• Martin McCarrick – string arrangements
• Bill McGee – string arrangements
• Gini Ball – string arrangements
• Anne Stephenson – string arrangements