Customer Reviews

Songs to Learn and Sing

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

ian mcculloch and co. practically invented the british guitar rock later adopted by the likes of the smiths, the stone rose, et. al. more melodic and accessible than the likes of joy division, echo and the bunnymen straddled the line between exquisite song crafting and experimentation.

ian mcculloch proved to be the perfect frontman -- the trademark haircut, the trenchcoat, the voice that threated to crack at any second, the enigmatic persona. while not a truly gifted vocalist, he never had to be. his raspy voice is ideally suited to the music. much of the bunnymen's charm lay in their working class roots, settling for less than perfect, slightly gritty production and focusing instead on quality beats and melodies. will sargeant single-handedly ushered in a new guitar movement. his playing was sometimes intrusive in the beginning, but always interesting melodically and sonically as he matured. (and coldplay oughta be paying him royalties for the riffs they've nicked from him.) add to that a more than capable rhythm section (r.i.p., pete), and the bunnymen became one of the most influential rock bands of the last 25 years.

some of the finest bunnymen songs are found here: the oft mentioned 'the killing moon,' 'never stop,' 'the cutter,' 'the rescue,' etc. even now (2005), they sound fresh. every time i play this cd in my car or at home, i'm blown away by how utterly *fantastic* a band they really are--inventive, unique, and ridiculously original; excellent arrangements, flawless melodies, superb musicianship. of course, it always helps to have ian broudie doing the knob-twiddling.

this collection is something of 'greatest hits' that chronicles one of the most important 'post-punk' bands to ever come out of the UK. a must have for any music afficionado.

This is pretty much what the casual fan is looking for. It's a collection of their early 80's songs, and includes the hit "Bring On The Dancing Horses", from the "Pretty In Pink" soundtrack. Other great songs are "Rescue", "Cutter", and the great "Killing Moon". The only big thing missing is "Lips Like Sugar", which was released afterwards. Otherwise this is a nice simple collection. It will go great with your "Cure" and "Joy Division" cd's. They do have an 18 track import collection. "Ian McCulloch's" solo stuff is good too, especially "Candleland".

This is going to be just the beginning for you. The Bunnymen piqued my interest with Evergreen, so I thought I'd start off my Bunnymen collection with a sampler. Although this became my most played CD, it was my least satisfying! I just had to buy more and have not been disappointed ever since. It is obvious just listening to the disc the whole way through how different the Bunnymen's albums are. Furthermore, the rest of the songs on each album are just as good as the ones included here. In fact, I don't think the Crocodiles songs give you a good impression on how great an album that one is. It is awesome!

This is a smart investment. Not only do you get a sample of each of the Bunnymen's four classic albums, but you get two great non-album tracks in Never Stop and Bring on the Dancing Horses. If you could just get a Greatest Hits that included these two and The Game and Lips Like Sugar, the only two good tracks off the otherwise (...) Gray Album, then you would be all set.

Well, you've heard a million times the cliché "still sounds fresh today," and I'm here to tell you that this hackneyed saying is absolutely true when it comes to this CD. When I was mostly unfamiliar with punk music I associated the best of it with the otherworldly sound of the introduction to "The Cutter." Later, after listening to the album extensively, I realized that "Bring on the Dancing Horses" was the worst of the eleven tracks (which is really saying something). It did not take long before they became, like the Smiths, personal favorites. Echo was one of the most original sounding bands of the eighties with talent to burn. They featured the type of complexity that made it tough on critics to reduce that wonderful decade into a stew of big hair, kitsch, and campy lyrics. This is about as passionate a band as there has ever been, and when I play "Songs..." I do not jump about. I let it wind through and imbibe its beauty and perfection.

The ONLY collection of ECHO to buy if your budget is limited. Includes seminal tracks and flourishes with the final "Bring on the Dancing Horses." This album is a great collection of "progressive hits" that help to define a swath of (thankfully!) underplayed bands of the 1980s, long before "progressive hit" referred to grunge from seattle.

Although this is a decent sampler for the unanointed, the sheer intensity of the Bunnymen can only be felt through their proper albums. Suggested start? Porcupine. Then, Crocodiles before updating to Ocean Rain. Still, Bring On The Dancing Horses is their shining moment.

The first time I heard Pretty in Pink's soundtrack, I thought, "Who in the Heck is this? Echo and the Whatsit? I went down to the record store at the mall (no such thing as online shopping then, of course). Bought everything I could get my hands on by every band on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. This band, along with the Psychedelic Furs and New Order, just amazed me! They're such great storytellers. And who can beat some of their other CDs... Bring on the Dancing Horses will give you the chills...

If you grew up in the the 80's it was hard to escape the brooding lyrics of Echo. This is an album chock full of their best stuff. Quite possibly my favorite album of all time.

I first heard this band when they appeared on the soundtrack to "Urgh! A Music War" when they did "The Puppet". Ever since then I was hooked on them and this album totally epitomizes everything about them. Great lyrics, catchy guitar riffs and Ian McCulloch's vocals are extremely mesmerizing! Definitely worth the pickup especially on tracks "The Puppet", "A Promise", "The Cutter" and "Killing Moon"...definitely a great CD to have in your rotation!

They didn't have a drummer when they started out - supposedly Echo was the name of their drum machine, but in fact guitarist Will Sergeant made this story up in order to stop the press from asking about their band name. The drum machine didn't really have a special name.

Back in the 80's, this album got heavy rotation on my record player and I still listen to it. Even Bunnyheads that prefer albums to singles collections find this one irresistable, especially since it includes some tasty non-album cuts ("The Puppet" and "Bring on the Dancing Horses").

E&B were relegated to alternative underground status, but they were/are melodic pop geniuses nevertheless. The first 4 or 5 songs on this collection are guitar-driven, but then the tunes become more expansive, employing synthesisers and string sections.

"Do It Clean" sounds like a rocker reminiscent of "Stepping Stone" while "The Cutter" represents a sophisticated step forward for these guys, both in instrumentation and composition. "Silver" is a positively joyous celebration of life. "Seven Seas" also feels like a celebration of sorts, but with a touch of melancholy.

I love putting a disc like this on where I can kick back and enjoy every single track. They're all good, all featuring Ian McCulloch's rich, deep voice and inscrutable yet intriguing lyrics.