"Just when you think she's yours, she's flown to other shores, to laugh at how you break and melt into her lake."
Without a doubt, Echo & The Bunnymen's eponymous swan-song is the most "commercial" of the albums recorded by the band in its original (and best) incarnation. Gone is the abrasive Post-Punk guitar-work that characterized Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here, and gone are the plucking, bowing strings that gave Ocean Rain such a distinctive sound. The cleaner, jangly guitar sound and greater emphasis on keyboards can be attributed to the choice of Laurie Latham (Squeeze, Paul Young) as producer and the fact that the band was too busy falling apart to counteract this commercial influence. Whatever the reason, Echo & The Bunnymen has tended to be either reviled or overlooked as a result, which is both unfortunate and unfair given the quality of the songs it contains. In addition to the cleaner production, Ian McCulloch's vocals also mark a break with the past, showing more range and sounding more restrained when he is not trying to channel the ghost of Jim Morrison. While the band apparently traded in their Post-Punk credentials for a 60s jangle and psychedelia fetish (a trendy move in 1987), and one band member has notoriously described it as "an overcooked fish," Echo & The Bunnymen deserves far better than its current reputation.
Echo & The Bunnymen (2003 Remastered Edition)
1. The Game (3:50)
2. Over You (4:01)
3. Bedbugs and Ballyhoo (3:28)
4. All in Your Mind (4:32)
5. Bombers Bay (4:22)
6. Lips Like Sugar (4:52)
7. Lost and Found (3:37)
8. New Direction (4:45)
9. Blue Blue Ocean (5:08)
10. Satellite (3:04)
11. All My Life (4:07)
-Bonus Tracks-
12. Jimmy Brown (4:07)
13. Hole in the Holy (4:44)
14. Soul Kitchen (3:56)
15. The Game (Demo) (3:57)
16. Bedbugs and Ballyhoo (Early Version) (3:41)
17. Over Your Shoulder (4:10)
18. Bring On the Dancing Horses (Extended Mix) (5:50)
I'm going to give this a shot. I was more a Clash fan but since you took all the trouble to post this there must be something redeeming that I had missed. lol
ReplyDeletegreat songs, crap production. Even The Bunnymen despised the mix. It's still a fine slice of 80s alt.
ReplyDeleteYeaa! Sure it's no Heaven Up Here or Porcupine but I still like it. Thanky.
ReplyDeleteStankenfriener, you're welcome!
ReplyDeleteOr Crocodiles or Ocean Rain. Still a good album though.
ReplyDeleteif you want The Crystal Days boxset in flac give me a shout.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.discogs.com/Echo-The-Bunnymen-Crystal-Days-1979-1999/release/456886
Hi spaceman73, I already have it and plan to post it eventually, but I certainly appreciate the offer
ReplyDeleteno problem mate.
ReplyDeleteThis record was a crushing disappointment when it came out. They should have quit after Ocean Rain (a masterpiece). The Bunnymen sell out! we all cried. Oh well. Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteyoyodyne, this was just a really bad choice of producer and the band not having the stomach to fight for their sound
ReplyDeleteI have always been a huge fan and think Will Sergeant doesn't get his due as the missing influence for Johnny Marr's playing. On this album, the 12-inch version of Bedbugs was so, so, so, so much better than the synthy version they put on the album. And along with Zumba, that version of Bedbugs is Pete D at his best.
ReplyDeleteHi marshall, what people overlook about this album is that the songs were great, but the production sank the album. I completely agree about Sergeant; it's amazing how little credit he gets. Thanks for the great comment :)
ReplyDeleteThis album rulz. It's better than everything EVER. It's like God if he destroyed everything and only had to keep one thing. This album! (but how would he listen to it without a record player?)
ReplyDelete