Customer Reviews

Evergreen

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having given up on the Bunnymen after (perhaps upon release of) what the band now refers to as the "Grey album," I had only recently become curious as to what the new line of albums might have to offer. I was a bit more than skeptical, having been such a big fan of the music from the "Heaven Up Here"/"Porcupine" era. I picked up a used copy of "What Are You Going To Do..." about a year and a half ago, and listened with an intentionally open mind. It's been many years after all. Wow. I was actually impressed. This is not the Bunnymen of the 80's, no doubt. But, the emotion and quality of simple songwriting was undeniably solid. After a couple of weeks of occasional listening I was surprised by how much this album took hold of me.

I purposefully put off buying another "new era" Bunnymen release in order to "cleanse the palette." I decided to purchase "Evergreen," and again tried to remain open minded about where the Bunnymen might have been coming from in 1997. In all honesty I was expecting to be disappointed (as I was with WAYGTDWYL), but once again I was very much taken with this album. While there should be no doubt that the Bunnymen are a very different band than they were years before, this more reflective, sedate Bunnymen was still entirely capable of producing meaningful, soulful, and yes, rockin' tunes. Like many others, I would like to see a bit more "noise" from Will, and perhaps more "funk" from Les, but on the whole the transformation/maturation of this legendary band makes a lot of sense to me. There is no escaping growing older, and the way in which the Bunnymen reflect their maturity in no way denies the past and at the same time readily embraces the present/future in the form of beautiful composition, deliberate intention, and a general lack of concern for fulfilling others expectations.

I rarely consider an album worthy of 5 stars, but given the pressure of unrealistic expectations these guys must have faced in making this album I feel obligated.

I am a absolute fan of Echo and the bunnymen,you should know the rotten music atmosphere in asia.so I was difficult to get some non-mainstream works here.but god bless me!By accident I found a music magzine that contain a bunny song called"just a touch away"
it moved me deeply.it is touched with gloomy,psychedelic,heartbr-
eaking aura and a unknown singer's melancholy vocal.From then on,
I began to dip into this band from liverpool.I fought against all the barricades to purchase evergreen.such a great album should i get!from the first song "don't let it get you down" to sullen song"forgiven".I can't carp in it,will's guitar is bewitching and posh.Ian McCulloch's vocal is also Doorish.in myself,I was addicted to all the song in this album,especially beautiful "nothing last forever" ,old-film-liking "just a touch away",a grunge style of "baseball bill".
If you are new to bunnymen,you would choose to get the four old releases(crocodile,heaven up here,porcupine and ocean rain)they four are greatest and most indescribably influential than other 80's bands' works,and definitively better than the cure and U2.If you are a beautiful rhythm nut , get it !trust me!

I'm a long-time Bunnymen fan, so when this comeback CD was released after a ten-year breakup I didn't expect it to knock me out, and it didn't. "I'll Fly Tonight" is fairly lame. However, the title track and "Don't Let It Get You Down" are instant Bunnymen classics and completely worthy of inclusion in their canon of brilliant, romantic pop epics. In an era in which we are continually assaulted with the miserable sounds of cheapened commercial alterna-product, it nearly brought me to tears to hear Will's guitar and Ian's voice together again. These guys are two of the most original and inventive musicians in modern pop. The Bunnymen broke up long before they had run out of ideas. It's nice to have them back and making music again, even if it doesn't quite approach the brilliance of the first four albums.

I remember getting quite excited when this CD came out - wow, new Echo (well, new Bunnymen, anyway). The band plays well, the music is fine - but Ian sings with sort of a bored/satisfied feel on almost every song. Even an excellently written song like "Nothing Lasts Forever" is marred by what sounds like disinterest on his part. When he finally opens up ("Altamont"), the results are much more satisfying. Nothing really horrible about this CD, but nothing worth getting excited about, either.

I really liked Echo And The Bunnymen in the 80's. My hopes were high when I learned about Ian rejoining, but after repeated playings that often induced sleep, I found those hopes dashed.
Ian's voice seems to have lost it's upper register, leaving him to sing in a low drone as if he's been on valium for years.
Frankly, I'm at a loss to explain the 4 and 5 star reviews here.
This doesn't even hint at past greatness such as "Crocodiles" and "Ocean Rain". The fact that there are currently 30 used copies available here speaks in volumes.

The truth is, this album is anti-climactic, but for all that, it's still much better than anything you could find on the charts at any given time. It's a Bunnymen album, but it has more in common with the incendiary 'Electrafixion' singles 'n' album. No matter, even if it's not a true return to form, it's a sigh of relief to see that Ian & Will haven't lost the capability of writing intelligent, melodic, pop songs. And probably the best 'reunion' album of new material that can be found in this decade.

Since 1997 was being dominated by too many pop bands/singers, I had to go for new cd's by better, older artists. The single "I Want to be There" had some mild airplay in Houston, but then if I hadn't gotten this cd at the time, it would be forgotten. However, it's never too late to get a good cd. True, most people who know the Bunnymen's earlier works believe it doesn't compare, but it's good. And while I usually don't like too much mellowness, it's great to listen to when you're in the mood. I think this mellowness was well balanced by the use of strings, along with Ian's soothing voice. Will Sergeant's guitar work is great too. If you already like this band & hadn't gotten this cd yet, get it. Other favorites of mine on the cd include "Evergreen" & "I'll Fly Tonight".

Like many of the other reviewers, I was a fan of this band back when they put out the Picture on My Wall single (the one with Echo the Drum Machine!) Their first four records are amazing slabs of swirling psycedelia, orchestral grandeur, and lyrical obsessiveness. Much to my surprise, though, Evergreen has turned out to be one of my favorite Echo CDs, and has been in pretty constant rotation on my CD player for at least a couple of years now. Pete DeFreitas' precise skin beating is definitely missed on this outing, the emotional directness of these songs win me over every time. Ian McCulloch's voice is more of a croon nowadays, which really suits the autumnal quality of the recording. The first four cuts in particular (Don't Let it Get You Done, In My Time, I want to Be There, Evergreen) are among the best they've ever recorded. For some reason, Evergreen has fallen through the cracks and appears to have gone out of print. A pity. This is beautiful, compelling music.

This is an okay album, but there's no way it can compare with classic Bunnymen. It's just so...mellow. Don't get me wrong; some classic B-men songs, like Ocean Rain and Bring on the Dancing Horses, were quite subdued, but here it's just too much, and there's nothing to balance it. At no point on this album does Mac even raise his voice. Most of the songs are okay, and there are a few classics (Evergreen, Just a Touch Away), but all in all they sound sorta washed out. Let's hope the decidedly un-Bunnily-titled (great word, eh?) What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? is better.

One last comment: what's with the "God's above us/Jesus loves us" bit in Don't Let It Get You Down. Argh! I'd always assumed Mac was a good pagan, and now I'm disillusioned! Oh well...

EverGreen, I gave this 4 out of 5 stars because it was alittle poppy, Songs to Learn and Sing is a great album and got me into Echo, Evergreen is a good album as well but my first though when i heard this album was, okay some one wrote songs to get played on the radio, but then after you think to yourself that the radio what all bands are pretty much shooting for anyway i got over it, the ablum has some great tracks and Echo is a great band, if you have a bad taste in your mouth from the suck music of today then get into Echo (it will help if your a cure fan as well) i recommend Evergreen but i would pick up Songs to Learn and Sing first.