Customer Reviews

Echo & The Bunnymen

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The four dour personages of the cover of the "Gray Album" could only hint at what was going on behind the scenes during the making of this album. The band was fighting, breaking up, regrouping, and yet managed to make their best selling album out of the chaos. It's equally fascinating that some of songs here are E&TB's most coherent. They are also the most timely sounding, probably more to producer Laurie Latham trying to make the band sound more 80's timely and the band being too contentious to care.

Ian McCulloch was also veering into a new phase of singing. He's in deep croon here, as "Bomber's Bay" and "All My Life" deftly indicates. He was stretching towards arty pop (Ray Manzerek guesting on "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a dead giveaway) and the rest of the band was resisting. The tension gave birth to terrific songs like "Lips Like Sugar" and "The Game," but also guaranteed the band would jettison him after this record was done. Too bad, because the rift that led the Bunnymen to go on without the Mac left us with the bitter "Reverberation" and Mac's "Candleland" needed them more than he cared to admit.

But for now we can revel in this remastered and punchier sounding disc of the Bunnymen's swansong. (I don't count the reunion albums.) The bonus tracks are pretty cool, in particular, the live version of "Soul Kitchen."

I realize that this isn't the band's favorite album, but artist's (and critics) can frequently be wrong. Behind Heaven Up Here (my favorite)and Porcupine (my second favorite), their self titled album more than holds its own in #3 position for me. The remastered sound is terrific although the production is a tad flat on at least a couple of tracks. The songs are well written and if the production might be a little too slick it works with the material the band put together here.

With 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks and two that appeared on the boxed set, this is, to date, the ultimate edition for this vastly underrated album. As the band began to fall apart, they produced some of their most memorable songs including the incredible "Lips Like Sugar", "All My Life" and "The Game". Really this album is essential for anyone who is a fan of the band.

Unfortunately, the remastered albums don't feature all the tracks on the boxed set, so most fans should probably make a copy of those tracks and then sell the boxed set. Missing from this CD are the following tracks: "Lips Like Sugar" (single version), "People are Strange", "Rollercoaster".

The booklet is quite nice as well.

...it's truly remarkable what a little remastering will do for a recording once sidelined, because Bunnymen fans will happily discover this album now sounds the way it was meant to sound. It's punchier, more vibrant, and every instrument is brought forward in the mix and given the sort of attention it deserves. All of which now screams out for a much needed reassessment.

Old school bunnymen fans saw this record as the flaccid decline of a once great band, but this 'remaster' has pulled the carpet out from under that claim. Their new stuff may lack the edge of their former glory, but at least this one won't get consigned to the dust bin so quickly. Revisit an 80's classic.

Pound for pound, this is the most pop-y and hit laden Echo album in existence. Moreover, I think that it's very good. It's a little less edgy than the first albums, but that's typical for an maturing band. The playing is very tight and the production is slick. Still, it's an Echo and album, and there really isn't a bad one to speak of.

Well, somehow they managed to make this album even better the second time around! Great sound quality and fantastic bonus tracks. Only one complaint: no lyrics this time. I guess that's a small price considering the great songs on this CD. "Lips Like Sugar", "Over You", "New Direction" have all stood the test of time and sound just as good in 2003 as they did in 1987! 'Nuff said. Buy this one and enjoy!!

Bunnymen fans all know the band broke up at the eve of this album. They also know that it is an album that the band personally hated. 3 years in the making, the album was a slickly-produced affair that felt like a very smooth/commercialized version of E&B.

There's no doubt that this album lacks the originality or urgency of the band's first few albums. There are no classics like "The Killing Moon" or "Ocean Rain" on this album. But songs like "The Game", "Lips Like Sugar", and "Over You" still capture some of the magic of the Bunnymen. Though it's a bit too slickly produced for me, the songs still have great lyrics and catchy melodies. My favorite song though, is still "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" - which I think is the only song that the band actually 'feels' like the old/not jaded Echo and the Bunnymen. There, we hear the band having fun, which was when they were always at their best.

If you are a collector or fan, you probably already have this album already. If you are a first time fan, try the Ocean Rain album first, and then buy this album as evidence of the band's evolution (and the swan song of the true original foursome).

I've always thought this CD by Echo and the Bunnymen was under-rated. To me, it's one of the band's best. This new, remastered edition is fun, but there are a few things you should know before you buy it. First off, the bonus cuts aren't so special. "Hole in the Holy" is just "Over You" with different lyrics. "Jimmie Brown" is an early version of "Bring on the Dancing Horses." The other bonus cuts are either just alternative versions of Bunnymen classics or are available in other formats, like the "Crystal Days" boxed set. Still, this new edition is worth owning if you're a Bunnymen fan. The liner notes are great, providing some interesting context to what the band was going through at the time. (It's amazing they got any album out, let alone one this good.) But, take note: This edition does not contain a lyric sheet, so don't discard your old copy of the "gray album" or sell it. To me, the real charm of this record is that it takes me back -- back to (crystal?) days before kids, a mortgage, gray hair, etc. Those carefree mid '80s! Sure, we had to put up with Reagan, but the Bunnymen provided a balm for our post-punk souls. Pop it in the CD changer, and it takes you right back. Before you know it, you're sailing out on a blue, blue ocean.

Echo has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. I've always thought this was another amazing piece of work by them but some people just don't seem to arrive at that conclusion. Ocean Rain is a staggering masterpiece. Porcupine is phenomenal as well. But I think this album is just as good. From start to finish it flows very well. Every song is good, if not great. I think the disappointment some people experience with this album is because it isn't like Ocean Rain. I think that's a key point to make. It's not supposed to be Ocean Rain Part II. It's supposed to be different and it is. I've always thought of Ocean Rain as being seductive, mysterious and sensual. I prefer to listen to it at night when I'm on or by the water and when the stars are out. It's mood comes across much stronger when it's dark out and the moon is up. This album, however, sounds better during the day when the sun is shining. It isn't as moody and mysterious as their previous albums. That's why it's another gem. It seems to me they went for a different mood and sound on this one and I think they did an incredible job. The positive, happy, uplifting feeling to it brings me back to listen to it again and again. In my opinion they are the greatest and most original band that emerged from the punk/new wave movement. Some of the new wave bands strayed too far from the electric guitar but not Echo. They have many awesome songs with great guitar and they are also one of the most psychedelic bands. Innovative, intelligent lyrics are one of their strong points as well. They never were a radio band. If they have any shortcomings it would be that they were too good for their own good. I rank them right up there with Zep and Floyd and the other great British bands.

This is one of the greatest 80's Brit bands to ever emerge from this era. Their music is iconic and quite inspirational for many bands of today. This cd has it all, with the exception of my other favorite, 'The Killing Moon' ... and I adore the early version of 'Bring on the Dancing Horses' entitled 'Jimmy Brown'. The artwork is great too! This is a must have for any Echo fan!

Echo & the Bunnymen's self-titled album, popularly referred to as "the gray album" (due to the color of the cover), is similar to "Ocean Rain" in the sense that it has a timeless quality and sounds fresh and new, despite the passing of years. This, their fifth studio album, comes off as a far less earnest attempt than their previous releases. Ian McCulloch's vocals are more restrained, possibly more refined and artful than before.The instrumentation isn't anything epic or grandeur like "Porcupine" or "Ocean Rain", but I think this album is a bit classier and probably more accessible for newer fans' tastes. Though there are a few tracks that stand out ("Lips Like Sugar", "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", and "The Game", for instance), this album seems to be best listened to as a whole.

This album was really the last one that truly captured the spirit of the band; after this, the band's singer, Ian McCulloch, on to do solo work and the drummer, Pete de Freitas, died in a motorcycle accident. Their next album, "Reverberation", was released in 1990 and featured an entirely different vocalist and new drummer in place of the previous Echo & the Bunnymen members. An album featuring Ian McCulloch as vocalist, "Evergreen", did not appear until 1997. Still, after several more major album releases (in 1999, 2001, and 2005) the band hasn't yet been able to, and probably won't, regain the energy and style of music that they once made in their first five studio albums, especially due to the loss of a very critical member of a band, Pete de Freitas, Echo & the Bunnymen's incredibly talented drummer.

This re-mastered edition includes seven extra tracks: "Jimmy Brown" (an early version of "Bring on the Dancing Horses"), "Hole in the Holy" (an early version of "Over You"), "Soul Kitchen" (Doors cover), an acoustic demo of "The Game", and two B-sides ("Over Your Shoulder" and an early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo").