diff --git a/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.cpp b/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.cpp
index 3aff089a54..71bd79257b 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@
 */
 
 #include "FadingBanner.h"
+#include "RageTextureManager.h"
+#include "BannerCache.h"
+#include "song.h"
+#include "RageLog.h"
+
+/* XXX: metric */
+static const float FadeTime = 0.25;
 
 FadingBanner::FadingBanner()
 {
@@ -26,9 +33,26 @@ void FadingBanner::SetCroppedSize( float fWidth, float fHeight )
 		m_Banner[i].SetCroppedSize( fWidth, fHeight );
 }
 
+#include "PrefsManager.h"
+#include "ThemeManager.h"
 void FadingBanner::Update( float fDeltaTime )
 {
 	ActorFrame::Update( fDeltaTime );
+
+	/* Don't fade to the full banner until we finish fading. */
+	float HighQualTime = FadeTime;
+
+	/* Hacky: also don't fade until the music wheel has a chance to settle down. */
+	HighQualTime = max( HighQualTime, 1.0f / PREFSMAN->m_iMusicWheelSwitchSpeed );
+	HighQualTime = max( HighQualTime, THEME->GetMetricF("MusicWheel","SwitchSeconds") );
+	
+	if( m_sPendingBanner == "" || m_PendingTimer.PeekDeltaTime() < HighQualTime )
+		return;
+
+	/* Load the high quality banner. */
+	CString banner = m_sPendingBanner;
+	BeforeChange();
+	m_Banner[GetBackIndex()].Load( banner );
 }
 
 void FadingBanner::DrawPrimitives()
@@ -53,14 +77,38 @@ void FadingBanner::BeforeChange()
 
 	m_Banner[m_iIndexFront].SetDiffuse( RageColor(1,1,1,1) );
 	m_Banner[m_iIndexFront].StopTweening();
-	m_Banner[m_iIndexFront].BeginTweening( 0.25f );		// fade out
+	m_Banner[m_iIndexFront].BeginTweening( FadeTime );		// fade out
 	m_Banner[m_iIndexFront].SetDiffuse( RageColor(1,1,1,0) );
+
+	m_sPendingBanner = "";
 }
 
 void FadingBanner::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 {
 	BeforeChange();
-	m_Banner[GetBackIndex()].LoadFromSong( pSong );
+
+	if( !pSong->HasBanner() || 
+		TEXTUREMAN->IsTextureRegistered( Banner::BannerTex( pSong->GetBannerPath() ) ) )
+	{
+		/* We either don't have a regular banner at all, or we have a banner and
+		 * it's cached; just use Banner's logic. */
+		m_Banner[GetBackIndex()].LoadFromSong( pSong );
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/* We have a banner, but it's not loaded.  Try to load the low quality version. */
+	RageTextureID ID = BANNERCACHE->LoadCachedSongBanner( pSong->GetBannerPath() );
+	
+	if( !TEXTUREMAN->IsTextureRegistered(ID) )
+	{
+		LOG->Warn("Load of reduced banner for '%s' failed", pSong->GetSongDir().c_str() );
+		m_Banner[GetBackIndex()].LoadFromSong( pSong );
+		return;
+	}
+
+	m_Banner[GetBackIndex()].Load( ID );
+	m_sPendingBanner = pSong->GetBannerPath();
+	m_PendingTimer.GetDeltaTime(); /* reset */
 }
 
 void FadingBanner::LoadAllMusic()
diff --git a/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.h b/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.h
index 300cd209f1..c44b5d3261 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/FadingBanner.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 #include "Banner.h"
 #include "ActorFrame.h"
+#include "RageTimer.h"
 
 class FadingBanner : public ActorFrame
 {
@@ -39,6 +40,9 @@ protected:
 	Banner		m_Banner[2];
 	int			m_iIndexFront;
 	int			GetBackIndex() { return m_iIndexFront==0 ? 1 : 0; }
+
+	CString		m_sPendingBanner;
+	RageTimer	m_PendingTimer;
 };
 
 #endif