Customer Reviews

Mysterio

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

 

 

Just pulled this one out of the stack tonight and it still sounds fresh to me.
Of course I was looking for just a crumb of that Echo sound... and for me, Mysterio delivered much of what I liked with E and the Bunnymen. McCulloch's voice still rips chills down to the gut and back up the spine. These 11 tracks have a great range of sound and rhythms.
'Damnation' , 'Honeydrip' and 'Dug for Love' are 3 of my favorites.
Clearly this one never caught on .... can't even show an image for the CD up top, but if you find this in a bargain bin like I did 10 years ago.....BUY IT!!!!

I've recently read a review where the reviewer compared "Candleland" to winter and "Mysterio" to summer. I couldn't put it better myself! Problem is, though, McCulloch must be more creative in the winter than in the summer. Perhaps if "Mysterio" hadn't followed the lush, ethereal, masterpiece "Candleland," then I might have taken to it better.

One of the few highlights from "Mysterio" is the cover of Leonard Cohen's "Lover, Lover, Lover." The opening track, "Magical World," also has a satisfying ring to it; in fact, it's one of only a few that features the trademark Bunnymen sound. Most listeners may also find "Honeydrip" or "In My Head" to their liking as well, but these aren't sizzlers---only mild satisfiers. One track, "Webbed," seems faintly as though it could be an outtake or B-side from "Ocean Rain." For this reason alone, it is another of the album's few standout tracks. I'd also like to mention "Pomegranate," although I can't decide whether I like it or not. It's probably the most creative on the album to say the least. I really dig the chorus, but the rest of the song almost sounds as if Ian were fronting The Smiths (but maybe that would be a good thing). Then, to confuse matters even more, the song slowly fades out with a guitar that conjures up the introduction to The Doors' "The End."
To sum it all up, "Mysterio" features three or four solid cuts and the rest. . .well, let's just compare them to B-sides shall we? To pay full price for this CD would be a pity, but I've seen it here for as little as 50 cents. Add in a few dollars for shipping and you've got a pretty good deal, but be ready to do a lot of track skipping!

Ian McCulloch is truly one of the best kept secrets in music. He has an incredible voice and excellent sense of melody and harmony. "Mysterio" is one of my favorite CD's and is one of the few where I like all the tracks. "Heaven's Gate," "In My Head," "Close Your Eyes," and "Honeydrip" especially stand out. This is an underappreciated effort that will hopefully get more exposure with the release of his new solo album, "Slideling."

to compare this cd to Candleland is kind of unfair, i think, because they both represent two different sides of Ian McCulloch's songwriting. while Candleland was more of a winter kind of album...Mysterio is a summer time record. big guitars and brash choruses with a street rock appeal. most of these songs are pretty good and some are great. "Honeydrip" and "Damnation" are the most fun songs on this album and showcase some of McCulloch's better lyric writing skills. also, worth mentioning is the keen cover design. i dig the argyle three-tone layout. very nice.

This solo album from the lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen is still a wonderful blend of his unusual voice and harmonic chords; it still lacks the power of his first solo album, Candleland. This album is definitely worth having in your collection if you are a Echo & the Bunnymen fan, but is not necessary to live.