Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "Sgt. Pepper's" of the 80's, March 9, 2000
Beautifully constructed, this is by far the best work Echo and the Bunnymen ever did. This album seeps into your pores like thick honey and coils into your heart and your brain until it's lodged in and found a home. The music from a band at their creative peak, the songs range from haunting ("Eternal Me" "Ocean Rain"), hopelessly upbeat ("Silver"), to songs that still make me cry ("Killing Moon"). One of those (sadly) rare albums without a weak song, this is a MUST have for anyone who lived through 80's, for all the nostalgia about Culture Club, Wham, and Kajagoogoo, Echo and the Bunnymen's "Ocean Rain" is the real deal and proof that music of importance and staying power came out of that time.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellence, July 7, 2000
My fellow bay-area banshee-esqe counterpart below hit the nail on the head with this one.This is my favorite amongst favorites of Echo & the Bunnymen releases. It is completely beautiful, acheiving such incredible melodies and lyrics that it is almost beyond words. I guess I can best sum it up in the following way: I remember, at the time, I was living in San Jose, Ca. I was watching MTV (remember when it was decent...Kevin Seal on 120 minutes and such?), and on came MTV news...the latest word...drummer Pete de Frietas of Echo and the Bunnymen was dead. Hit by a truck while riding to the market on his motorcycle. He is survived by his wife and child. It cut like a knife. I was a (young) teen, hooked on Echo, Smiths, New Order, Cure and the like. These guys don't die...do they? Ah, there's the rub. So, without further ado, I reached for my "Ocean Rain" cassette, temporarily passing up the poignancy of "All my Life" on the self-titled tape. The music and lyrics touched my soul at that moment in such a way that I can barely describe it. Yet, sitting here in my office, over ten years later, I can feel it and recollect it as if it was yesterday. Get this beautiful cd if you don't already have it. You will love it. In closing, and in effort to try to not make this review too much like something out of the "All Men Have Secrets" book on The Smiths, anyone remember seeing Echo and the Bunnymen with New Order and Gene Loves Jezebel? ....1987-ish....Berekly, CA? Amazing...
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Screaming from beneath the waves...., August 25, 2003
Ocean Rain is, in my opinion, the best Echo & The Bunnymen album. When you listen to it, it's hard to believe that it was originally released in 1984. Even more difficult to believe is that this album is every bit as cool today as it was almost 20 years ago. The lyrics, coupled with the music, lead the listener on a journey that takes them to strange and beautiful places. The album as a whole is beautiful, ethereal, melodic, original, and poetic. What is amazing is that it manages to be all of these things without sounding pretentious. The absence of synthesizers sets it apart from other new wave albums. You can actually hear instruments being played--like the cello, piano and drums. Anyone familiar with music from this era knows how impressive that, in and of itself, is. I really love the lyrics on this album. For example, there is Silver-- "Just look at you, with burning lips, you're living proof of my fingertips" Another great line, "Take me internally, forever yours, nocturnal me" (from Nocturnal Me) And, one of my favorite's, "Froze to the bone in my igloo home, counting the days till the ice turns green." There are good albums and then there are great albums. This is one of the great ones because it excels on many levels. It has strong lyrics, catchy melodies, appropriate vocals and of course originality. I highly recommend it to anyone who used to own this album and sort of remembers liking it, anyone who enjoys 80's new wave music, or anyone looking for a truly great album that will transport their soul every time they play it. Incidentally, if you want to purchase an Echo & The Bunnymen album and you're not sure which one to get, get this one! :)
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