Customer Reviews

B-Sides And Live (2001 - 2005)

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Since reuniting in 1997, the Bunnymen have released 5 studio albums, 2 of them being near-historic efforts ("What Are You Going To Do With Your Life" and "Siberia"). I purchased this internet-only collection of B-sides and live tracks only because I'm a super-fan. I expected there to be few thrills in this collection - Thankfully I was wrong.

The collection does have a few dead spots, but they're not the ones you would think. I thought that the "instrumental versions" of previously released tracks would be the collection's low points. Not so. I really enjoyed hearing the instrumentals and was surprised at how layered and interesting the tracks were even without Mac's vocals. It makes you wonder why they've never included an instrumental on any of their post-reunion CDs.

Three tracks I didn't care much for were a remix of "Rescue", an alternate version of "A Promise", and a by-the-numbers live version of "Killing Moon" with the lead guitar too low in the mix.

Some of the thrills in the collection are the B-sides "Marble Towers" and "Scratch the Past", which are pretty much as good as anything on the studio release "Flowers". Also great is a live version of "Villiers Terrace" in which the band plays a little of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues". A stripped-down version of "What If We Are" might be the definitive version of the song. The cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" is a fun listen. Also fun is hearing Mac quote Lou Reed during a live performance of "Nothing Lasts Forever" recorded in Brazil; Mac sings "I want to play football for the coach...", a line from Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby". In another messier live version of "Nothing Lasts Forever", Mac switches things up and sings lines from Lou Reed's "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" before quoting "Coney Island Baby".