Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Mojo (2005 deluxe edition)
Q (2005 deluxe edition)
Record Mirror
Rolling Stone	very favourable
Sounds
Uncut (2005 deluxe edition)
ZigZag	very favourable

The Scream is the debut studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Recorded in one week and mixed in three during August 1978, it was released on 13 November 1978 by record label Polydor. Before the album's release, the band had developed a strong reputation as a live act, and had achieved a Top 10 UK single with "Hong Kong Garden" (which did not appear on the original album).

Upon release, The Scream was widely acclaimed by critics. It was also a commercial success, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart. The album is regarded as a landmark of post-punk.

In late 1977 and early 1978, Siouxsie and the Banshees received major press coverage but failed to secure a recording deal. A fan undertook a graffiti campaign in London, spraying the walls of the major record companies with the words "Sign the Banshees: do it now". Polydor finally signed them in June.

John McKay had become the band's guitarist in July 1977; music historian Clinton Heylin argued that the recruitment of McKay along with the formation of Magazine and PiL between August 1977 and May 1978 marked the "true starting-point for English post-punk". Several songs from The Scream had already been recorded on BBC Radio 1 for two John Peel sessions: "Metal Postcard", "Mirage" and "Nicotine Stain" premiered in November 1977, and "Overground" and "Carcass" three months later in February 1978.

The Scream was recorded in one week during August 1978, and mixed in three weeks. The band was in the studio while their debut single "Hong Kong Garden" was released, reaching No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart.

The reference points for the lyrics of The Scream were J. G. Ballard and William Burroughs. In a track such as "Suburban Relapse", the band wrote about suburbia, where they were born and raised. Steven Severin emphasized: "That's why J.G. Ballard resonated so much with us, because all his near-future tales were set in this bizarre suburban wasteland. Suburbia is a place where you can imagine any kind of possibility, because there's space, not urban clutter".

...
Wikipedia