Echo & the Bunnymen is the fifth studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen, and the last with founder member Ian McCulloch and drummer Pete de Freitas. The album was produced by Laurie Latham who recorded the album in Germany, Belgium, London and Liverpool after an aborted attempted at recording the album without de Freitas and with producer Gil Norton. With Latham being an exacting producer and singer Ian McCulloch receiving star treatment and drinking heavily, the recording of the album was more difficult than the band had initially hoped. The album made more use of keyboards than their previous albums, which had been string heavy.

Although Echo & the Bunnymen was successful in the United States and, to a lesser degree, the United Kingdom, it received mixed reviews from the music press following its release in July 1987. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, number 51 on the United States Billboard 200, number 51 on the Canadian RPM100 Albums and number 22 on the Swedish Albums Chart. Since its release, the album has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. The album includes the singles "The Game", "Lips Like Sugar" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo".

Background

Echo & the Bunnymen took time off from touring, writing and recording after the release of the critically acclaimed Ocean Rain in 1984, because the band's manager, the fabled prankster Bill Drummond,Sandall, Robert (20 August 2008). "". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 January 2009 felt that a year off would help the band write different kinds of songs in preparation for the next album.Adams, pp. 160–1 During the time off, drummer Pete de Freitas travelled Spain and France on his motorcycle, bass guitarist Les Pattinson worked on his new boat, singer Ian McCulloch released a solo single "September Song",Adams, p. 159 leaving guitarist Will Sergeant as the only band member to spend the time doing nothing. Even though the band enjoyed an excellent and creative working relation with Drummond, by the end of 1984 they had mutually parted company as the band were not making enough money.Adams, p. 162

Under the new management of Mick Hancock, Duran Duran's tour manager, the band returned to work in May 1985 with a tour of Scandinavia. They also made a headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival on 21 June 1985, when they played live for the first time two new songs which would later be included on the album – "Satellite" and "All in Your Mind".Adams, p. 170 Now ready to start recording, they entered the studio with their former producer Ian Broudie and Clive Langer to record the songs they had played at Glastonbury as well as "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown". Not liking the results of this session, the band considered Eddy Grant and ABBA's production team, before settling on Laurie Latham as their producer. McCulloch had been impressed by the sharp quality of Latham's production on The Stranglers' single "Skin Deep".Adams, p. 171 The band met with Latham in Brussels and recorded "All in Your Mind", "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown", which was renamed "Bring On the Dancing Horses". "Bring On the Dancing Horses" appeared on the WEA compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing in November 1985 and was released as a single in the same month. An early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", a song that would appear on the album, appeared on the B-side to the 12-inch version.

The band faced 1986 with a commitment to record an album, but without their drummer; a musician who was considered fundamental to the band's creative success.Taylor, Steve. 2006. A to X of Alternative Music. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 98. ISBN 0826482171.. On 31 December 1985, de Freitas had gone to New Orleans with the road crew on a drug binge and there announced his resignation from the band.Adams, pp. 178–180 The band then hired former Haircut 100 drummer Blair Cunningham for the spring 1986 tour of the United States; but he didn't fit in, and after the tour left to join The Pretenders.Adams, p. 182 The band then hired former ABC drummer David Palmer, and recorded a few sessions with producer Gil Norton for the new album. However, by July 1986 Palmer had decided he did not want to remain with the band. As Palmer left the band, de Freitas returned to the United Kingdom and expressed a wish to rejoin. Uncertain of de Freitas's commitment to the band, and his fragile mental state, they took him back as a hired hand rather than a full member. Now with the line-up that would record Echo & the Bunnymen, the band gave a live television appearance for the BBC in September 1986 when they played two new songs, "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar".

Recording, production and music

Recording of the tracks that were to appear on Echo & the Bunnymen began at Conny Plank's studio in Cologne. Both Echo & the Bunnymen and their label, WEA Records, were unhappy with the results of the Norton sessions with Palmer playing drums.Adams, pp. 182–183 Keen to record again with de Freitas, the band decided to scrap the Norton sessions and to start recording a new album with Latham who had previously worked with the band on their 1985 single "Bring On the Dancing Horses". The sessions moved from Cologne to ICP Studios in Brussels before returning to Cologne and finishing off at The Workhouse in London and Amazon Studios in Liverpool.Adams, p. 183 The band hoped that the album would be a collection of simple songs; however, Latham was very specific and exacting, and he would work on one song for as long as a month. Recording was also complicated by the star treatment received by McCulloch. This, along with his heavy drinking, alienated him from the rest of the band. In a 1995 interview, band guitarist Will Sergeant said of McCulloch's treatment, "We just found it all ridiculous. He had people running around behind him, basically wiping his arse." McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview: "I knew I was losing it. I was on another planet but then I didn't want to be on the one were on."

While making the album, the band recorded a version of The Doors' 1967 single "People Are Strange" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film The Lost Boys. Ray Manzarek, former keyboard player with The Doors, was brought in to provide keyboards on the song. While in the studio, he also contributed keyboards to a re-recording of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", which had previously been the B-side to the 12-inch version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses". Once Echo & the Bunnymen had been recorded the band's management company, Direct Management, decided to have it mixed by Bruce Lampcov in the United States. While the album was mixed, the band was on tour in Brazil and listened to the finished tracks over the phone.Staunton, Terry . "Ocean Refrain: Echo and the Bunnymen". Record Collector. October 2005.

Latham moved the band away from the use of strings, which featured heavily on Ocean Rain and to a lesser extent on Porcupine (1983), and introduced keyboards to the melody of the tracks.Considine, J. D.. "Echo & the Bunnymen Review". Rolling Stone. 22 October 1987. De Freitas's drumming was contained and discreet and McCulloch's vocals were more restrained.Cleary, David. "". Allmusic. Retrieved on 30 December 2008. Although the album contained hook-heavy tracks such as "Lips Like Sugar", the guitars on tracks such as "Lost and Found" are more representative of the album as a whole.Tangari, Joe. "". Pitchfork. 3 March 2004. Retrieved on 30 December 2008.

The resulting album was disliked by the entire band. Describing what he thought of as the over-production of the album Sergeant described it as "an overcooked fish" in 1987; bass guitarist Les Pattinson said, "I like the songs, just hated the mixes"; and in 1995 McCulloch said, "It still sounds crap."Adams, p. 185

Release and reception

After previewing the album with a short concert on top of the HMV shop on Oxford Street in London,Adams, p. 190 Echo & the Bunnymen was first released on 6 July 1987 as an LP and CD by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and by Sire Records in the United States. The album reached a peak of number four on the UK Albums Chart.Roberts, David, ed. British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: HiT Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 1-90499-410-5 The album became the band's most successful in the United States where it reached number fifty-one on the Billboard 200."". Allmusic. Retrieved on 30 December 2008. The album also reached number fifty-one on the Canadian RPM100 Albums chart and number twenty-two on the Swedish Albums Chart."". RPM:47(1). 10 October 1987. Retrieved on 30 December 2008."". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on 30 December 2008. The album has also been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for having shipped more than copies."". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 7 May 2010. Note: User needs to enter "echo & the bunnymen" in the "Search" field and click "Go". Along with the other four of the band's first five albums, Echo & the Bunnymen was remastered and reissued on CD in 2003 – these were released for the band's twenty-fifth anniversary. Seven bonus tracks were added to the album and included early versions of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" (title "Jimmy Brown"), "The Game" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo". Also included was a cover version of The Doors' "Soul Kitchen", an extended version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" and the previously unreleased track "Hole in the Holy". The reissued album was produced by Andy Zax and Bill Inglot and released by Rhino Entertainment.

In his 1987 review of the album for Rolling Stone magazine, music journalist J. D. Considine described Latham's production of the album as "ineffectual" and "well mannered". He went on say that there was no "anxious energy or knife-edged irony that made the group's earlier albums so compelling". He finishes his review by saying the album is "as vacant as it is pretty". Reviewing the 2003 remastered album, Andrew Harrison for Blender magazine's website said, "Egomania and off-message electronics experiments sank their eponymous 1987 comedown..."Harrison, Andrew. "". Blender (magazine). Retrieved on 30 December 2008. Taking a more positive stance, David Cleary for Allmusic describes the album as "the hookiest and most memorable the band would ever write". Having described de Freitas's drumming as solid and veering toward the danceable, and McCulloch's singing as "restrained and tasteful", Cleary added, "The production values were excellent, with many subtle touches that do not detract from the album's overall directness." Although he stated that the production "watered the band's sound down", Joe Tangari for Pitchfork Media said, "The band's attempt to reach a wider audience worked out."

Three tracks from the album were released as singles. The first of these was "The Game", which was released on 1 June 1987. This was followed by "Lips Like Sugar", which was released in August 1987. The final single to be released from the album was "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", which was also released before the year's end in the United States and Germany. "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar" reached numbers 28 and 36 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.

Personnel

*Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar

*Will Sergeant – guitar

*Les Pattinson – bass

*Pete de Freitas – drums

*Henry Priestman – keyboards

*Jake Brockman – keyboards

*Ray Manzarek – keyboards ("Bedbugs and Ballyhoo")

*Stephen Morris - drums ("Soul Kitchen")

*Laurie Latham – producer

*Bruce Lampcov – mixing

*Alex Haas – mixing assistant

*Don Rodenbach – mixing assistant

*Paul Gomersall – engineering

*Stuart Barry – engineering

*Brian Gardner – mastering

*Anton Corbijn – photography

*Gil Norton – producer ("All My Life" and "Soul Kitchen")

*Echo & the Bunnymen – producer ("All My Life" and "Soul Kitchen")

*Andy Zax – producer (reissue)

*Bill Inglot – producer (reissue)

*Rachel Gutek – cover design (reissue)

References

*Adams, Chris (2002). Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. New York: Soft Skull. ISBN 1-887128-89-1

Footnotes

Category:1987 albums

Category:Echo & the Bunnymen albums

Category:Albums produced by Laurie Latham

Category:Sire Records albums

Category:Warner Music Group albums

it:Echo & the Bunnymen (album)

Artist/Band Information

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut album, Crocodiles, met with critical acclaim and made the UK Top 20. Their second album, Heaven Up Here (1981), again found favour with the critics and reached number 10 in the UK Album chart. The band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the mid-1980s, as they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the attendant album, Porcupine (1983), reached number 2 in the UK. Their next release, Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success, and has since been regarded as their landmark release, spawning the hit singles "The Killing Moon", "Silver" and "Seven Seas". One more studio album, Echo & the Bunnymen (1987), was released before McCulloch left the band to pursue a solo career in 1988. The following year, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident, and the band re-emerged with a new line-up. Original members Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson were joined by Noel Burke as lead singer, Damon Reece on drums and Jake Brockman on keyboards. This new incarnation of the band released Reverberation in 1990, but the disappointing critical and commercial reaction it received culminated with a complete split in 1993.

After working together as Electrafixion, McCulloch and Sergeant regrouped with Pattinson in 1997 and returned as Echo & the Bunnymen with the UK Top 10 hit "Nothing Lasts Forever". An album of new material, Evergreen, was greeted enthusiastically by critics and the band made a successful return to the live arena. Though Pattinson left the group for a second time, McCulloch and Sergeant have continued to issue new material as Echo & the Bunnymen, including the albums What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001), Siberia (2005) and The Fountain (2009).

History

Early years

Ian McCulloch began his career in 1977, as one third of the Crucial Three, a bedroom band which also featured Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. When Wylie left, McCulloch and Cope formed the short-lived A Shallow Madness with drummer Dave Pickett and organist Paul Simpson, during which time such songs as "Read It In Books", "Robert Mitchum", "You Think It's Love" and "Spacehopper" were written by the pair. When Cope sacked McCulloch from the band, A Shallow Madness changed their name to The Teardrop Explodes, and McCulloch joined forces with guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson to form Echo & the Bunnymen. This early incarnation of the band featured a drum machine, assumed by many to be "Echo", though this has been refuted by the band. In the 1982 book Liverpool Explodes!, Will Sergeant explained the origin of the band's name: In November 1978, Echo & the Bunnymen made their debut at Liverpool's Eric's Club, appearing as the opening act for The Teardrop Explodes.

Echo & the Bunnymen's debut single "The Pictures on My Wall" was released on Bill Drummond's Zoo Records in May 1979, the B-side being the McCulloch/Cope collaboration "Read It in Books" (also recorded by The Teardrop Explodes approximately six months later as the B-side of their final Zoo Records single "Treason"). McCulloch has subsequently denied that Cope had any involvement with the writing of this song on more than one occasion.

By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles, the drum machine had been replaced by Trinidad-born Pete de Freitas. The lead single, "Rescue", climbed to UK #62 and the album broke into the Top 20 at #17, following critical acclaim. Their next album, Heaven Up Here (1981), was an even bigger critical and commercial success, reaching the UK Top Ten (#10), although a single lifted from the album, "A Promise", could only reach UK #49.

Mainstream success

In June 1982, the Bunnymen achieved their first significant UK hit single with "The Back of Love" (#19). This was followed in early 1983 with their first Top 10, the more radio-friendly "The Cutter", which climbed to #8. The parent album, Porcupine, hit #2 in the album chart. Now firmly established as a chart act, further hits followed with a one-off single, "Never Stop" (#15), and "The Killing Moon", a preview from the new album featuring a dramatic McCulloch vocal, which became the band's second UK Top 10 single at #9.

Following a PR campaign which proclaimed it "the greatest album ever made", 1984's Ocean Rain reached #4, and today is widely regarded as the band's masterpiece. Single extracts "Silver" (UK #30) and "Seven Seas" (UK #16) consolidated the album's continued commercial success. In the same year, McCulloch had a minor solo hit with his cover version of "September Song".

Echo & the Bunnymen toured Scandinavia in April 1985, performing cover versions of songs from Television, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and The Doors. Recordings from the tour emerged as the semi-bootleg On Strike.

Unfortunately for the band, Ocean Rain proved to be a difficult album to follow up, and they could only re-emerge in 1985 with a single, "Bring On the Dancing Horses" (UK #21), and a compilation album, Songs to Learn & Sing, which made #6 in the UK album chart. However, all was not well in the Bunnymen camp, and Pete de Freitas left the band. Their next album, the self-titled Echo & the Bunnymen (1987), was recorded with ex–ABC drummer David Palmer, but when de Freitas returned in 1986, it was largely re-recorded. Eventually released in mid-1987, the record sold well (UK #4), and was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.

In the United States, the band's best-known songs were "The Killing Moon" (from Ocean Rain) and "Lips Like Sugar" (from Echo & the Bunnymen), although "Bring On the Dancing Horses" is well-known as one of the songs on the soundtrack to the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink. "The Killing Moon" was featured on the 1997 soundtrack from the film "Grosse Pointe Blank" (starring John Cusack). They also contributed a cover version of The Doors song "People Are Strange" to The Lost Boys soundtrack.

1988 split

McCulloch quit the band in 1988 and de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident in mid-1989. After former Colenso Parade singer Oscar turned down an offer to take over from McCulloch,Larkin, Colin: "The Guinness Who's Who Of Indie and New Wave Music", page 67. Guinness Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0-85112-579-4 Pattinson and Sergeant recruited ex-St. Vitus Dance vocalist Noel Burke and drummer Damon Reece. Keyboardist Jake Brockman (a touring member of the band for several years previously, and a contributor to the 1987 album) was promoted to full member, and the five-piece recorded Reverberation in 1990. This did not generate much excitement among fans or critics, and the group was abandoned in 1993. McCulloch, meanwhile, had continued his solo career, with the albums Candleland in 1989 and Mysterio in 1992.

Reformation

IanMcCulloch.jpgthumbuprightEcho and the Bunnymen at Paradiso, Amsterdam, in 2006.

In 1994 McCulloch and Sergeant began working together again under the name Electrafixion; in 1997 Pattinson rejoined the duo, meaning the three surviving members of the original Bunnymen lineup were now working together again. Rather than continue as Electrafixion, the trio resurrected the Echo & the Bunnymen name and released the album Evergreen (1997), which reached the UK Top 10.

Immediately prior to the release of the band's next album, What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Les Pattinson quit to take care of his mother. McCulloch and Sergeant have continued to tour and record as Echo & the Bunnymen, touring repeatedly and releasing the albums Flowers (2001) and Siberia (2005). The Siberia band line up was Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Paul Fleming (keyboards), Simon Finley (drums) and Pete Wilkinson (bass), Hugh Jones produced Siberia after previously engineering early Bunnymen albums. As from August 2009 the group's touring incarnation comprises McCulloch and Sergeant along with Stephen Brannan (bass), Gordy Goudie (guitar), Nicholas Kilroe (drums) and Jez Wing (keyboards).

In 2002 the group received the Q Inspiration award. The award is for inspiring "new generations of musicians, songs and music lovers in general." The band were said to be worthy winners as they have done much to promote the Mersey music scene. In a later interview for Magnet magazine, McCulloch said "It validates everything that we've tried to achieve—cool, great timeless music. It's not like an inspiration award affecting the past, it's affecting the current music."

On 11 September 2006, Echo & the Bunnymen released an updated version of their 1985 Songs to Learn and Sing compilation. Now re-titled More Songs to Learn and Sing, this new compilation was issued in two versions, a 17-track single CD and a 20-track version with a DVD featuring 8 videos from their career.

In March 2007, the Bunnymen announced that they had re-signed to their original record label, Warner, and were also working on a new album. The band were also said to be planning a live DVD, entitled "Dancing Horses", which also contained interviews with the band. This was released in May 2007, on Snapper/SPV. The live line up was Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Simon Finley (Drums), Paul Fleming (Keyboards), Gordy Goudie (Guitar) and Steve Brannan (Bass) .

On 11 January 2008 Ian McCulloch was interviewed on BBC Breakfast at the start of Liverpool 08. He was asked about new Bunnymen material and he revealed that a new album would coincide with their gig at the Royal Albert Hall in September. He went on to say that the album was, "The best one we've made, apart from Ocean Rain."

In a 20 April 2008 interview with the Sunday Mail Ian McCulloch announced The Fountain as the title of the new Echo & the Bunnymen album with producers John McLaughlin and Simon Perry, which was originally due to be released in 2008 but was finally released on 12 October 2009. The first single from the album, "Think I Need It Too", was released on 28 September 2009.

On 1 September 2009 former keyboard player Jake Brockman died on the Isle of Man when his motorbike collided with a converted ambulance. Brockman had played keyboards for the band during the 1980's

Discography

Studio albums

* (1980) Crocodiles - UK #17

* (1981) Heaven Up Here - UK #10, U.S. #184

* (1983) Porcupine - UK #2, U.S. #137

* (1984) Ocean Rain - UK #4, U.S. #87

* (1987) Echo & the Bunnymen - UK #4, U.S. #51

* (1990) Reverberation - UK #19

* (1997) Evergreen - UK #8

* (1999) What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? - UK #21

* (2001) Flowers - UK #56

* (2005) Siberia - UK #83

* (2009) The Fountain - UK #63

References

Bibliography

*Adams, Chris. Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. NY: Soft Skull Press, 2002.

*Reynolds, Simon. Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. London: Penguin, 2005.

*Fletcher, Tony. Never Stop: The Echo & the Bunnymen Story. London: Omnibus Press, 1987.