Author Topic: Echo & The Bunnymen...Massively underated? (Read 6117 times)

the good half · « **on:** January 26, 2008, 05:37:22 am »

I'm not from Liverpool as ye know...? But they say these guys were the 'poor mans U2'...I'm Irish!
Best song of the 80's?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX1PwkgwsG0

nyctex · « **Reply #1 on:** January 26, 2008, 05:55:39 am »

nah, The Alarm were the "poor man's U2" Some say more talented, but what the hell do I know. I like them both.

Echo & the Bunnymen were on a different plane. In my era the Liverpool sound wasn't the Beatles - it was Echo & the Bunnymen, The La's, The Mission and The Farm. I know that is a shite list, but there it is

the good half · « **Reply #2 on:** January 26, 2008, 06:02:22 am »

Quote from: nyctex on January 26, 2008, 05:55:39 am

nah, The Alarm were the "poor man's U2" Some say more talented, but what the hell do I know. I like them both.

Echo & the Bunnymen were on a different plane. In my era the Liverpool sound wasn't the Beatles - it was Echo & the Bunnymen, The La's, The Mission and The Farm. I know that is a shite list, but there it is

More difficult for me: Sinead, S. Happens, Stunning, (rubbish) Van, Therapy?..

Still...The Killing Moon, Will come too soon. What a lyric that is?

classycarra · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2008, 06:30:57 am »

Quote from: the good half on January 26, 2008, 06:02:22 am

Still...The Killing Moon, Will come too soon. What a lyric that is?

great lyric although i prefer
In starlit nights I saw you, So cruelly you kissed me

this is easily one of my favourite ever songs. the intro is brilliant too, so original. mccullochs voice is great as ever and compliments the song perfectly.

love ocean rain, villiers terrace, silver and nocturnal me and a load of other tracks who's names i hardly know since i usually just put the cd's on and leave them be (which is a rare compliment trust me)

ps. what a shite video! and has it ever been revealed what the killing moon's about

Victor · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2008, 11:29:41 am »

I'm old enough to remember when U2 were good

the first few albums up to the Joshua Tree were great stuff (excluding October) ... but the Bunnymen were, as far as I'm concerned, on another level .... both lyrically and musically .... saw both bands a number of times live in the early 80s and would say both had a well deserved reputation for live performances but again the bunnies would have topped them in my opinion ...

actually it's worth pointing out that U2 nicked the thing the Bunnymen used to do when they were playing their own songs and would drift into a cover during it then drift back into their own song ...

Henry Chinaski · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2008, 12:04:56 pm »

Incredibly underrated. 'Ocean Rain' is easily up there with the best records of the 80's.

Victor · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2008, 12:56:03 pm »

Quote from: Henry Chinaski on January 26, 2008, 12:04:56 pm

Incredibly underrated. 'Ocean Rain' is easily up there with the best records of the 80's.

as are "Crocodiles" and "Heaven Up Here"

MadErik · « **Reply #7 on:** January 26, 2008, 01:20:43 pm »

Class tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLX_6WwXFUI&feature=related

Ginamos · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2008, 01:31:12 pm »

There's really little similarity between U2 and the Bunnymen, other than that they were both guitar bands who were both on the ascent in the early/mid 80's.

Unlike U2 who became massive after the Joshua Tree in 1987, the Bunnymen were busy breaking up at around same time. Having achieved their greatest success with Ocean Rain, but never having cracked the US in the way U2 did.

They recorded some brilliant albums, I'd thoroughly recommend Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Porcupine and Ocean Rain. Just listen to them on their own merit.

Ron · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2008, 02:50:27 pm »

Quote from: the good half on January 26, 2008, 05:37:22 am

Echo & The Bunnymen...Massively underated?

No.
Just not that great.
It happens.

Xabidodger · « **Reply #10 on:** January 28, 2008, 06:08:55 pm »

A fantastic band and in my eyes very underrated. Ocean rain as discussed on here is a great album. They had the arrogance of U2, but never the work ethic of mid 80's U2, who were a seriously ambitious band. For all those interested Ian and gang are doing the whole of Ocean Rain at the Albert Hall in September. I will be attending and I shall be wearing a oxfam coat, Ray Bans and teasing what is left of my hair in homage.

FlashingBlade · « **Reply #11 on:** January 28, 2008, 07:38:17 pm »

never the same after they got rid of the drum machine!

classycarra · « **Reply #12 on:** January 28, 2008, 07:47:34 pm »

Quote from: FlashingBlade on January 28, 2008, 07:38:17 pm

never the same after they got rid of the drum machine!

definitely lost a lot of character!

eLVIScOSTELLO · « **Reply #13 on:** January 29, 2008, 04:21:19 pm »

Don't know if they were underated or not-the songs just werent that commercial.

Still one of the best live bands I've seen-especially one particular gig on a Sunday night at the Grafton of all places, in about 1983-Mac was in fucking top form that night.

Also seen em at Sevvy Park in 82 I think (free concert shown on BBC2) which was a right laugh, and on the Royal Court about ten million times.

Oh, and "Do It Clean" is one of the best live numbers you'll see anywhere.

kavah · « **Reply #14 on:** January 29, 2008, 04:38:36 pm »

Quote from: eLVIScOSTELLO on January 29, 2008, 04:21:19 pm

Also seen em at Sevvy Park in 82 I think (free concert shown on BBC2) which was a right laugh

larks in the parks, how good were they.

eLVIScOSTELLO · « **Reply #15 on:** January 29, 2008, 10:09:36 pm »

Quote from: kavah on January 29, 2008, 04:38:36 pm

larks in the parks, how good were they.

Absolutely top notch mate.

Also saw Big Country, Bow Wow Wow (hubba hubba), and Haircut 100-possibly the funniest night out of my entire life that...

morestellata · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2008, 10:28:16 pm »

Quote from: eLVIScOSTELLO on January 29, 2008, 04:21:19 pm

Don't know if they were underated or not-the songs just werent that commercial.

Still one of the best live bands I've seen-especially one particular gig on a Sunday night at the Grafton of all places, in about 1983-Mac was in fucking top form that night.

Also seen em at Sevvy Park in 82 I think (free concert shown on BBC2) which was a right laugh, and on the Royal Court about ten million times.

Oh, and "Do It Clean" is one of the best live numbers you'll see anywhere.

The single, most, intelligent post I've ever seen on this site !

Zeppelin · « **Reply #17 on:** January 30, 2008, 08:02:54 am »

Quote from: eLVIScOSTELLO on January 29, 2008, 04:21:19 pm

Still one of the best live bands I've seen-especially one particular gig on a Sunday night at the Grafton of all places, in about 1983-Mac was in fucking top form that night.

I was at that gig and the thing I remember most was that they were too loud for the venue and the sound was distorted (maybe it was just where I was standing) - I've since got a recording of the show, probably from the soundboard, and it is a good show when you can hear it properly. I think my favourite Bunnymen show was from 1981 at the Mountford Hall (the camoflage era) and they were just superb.

They were probably underrated in as much as they didn't get the commercial sucess they deserved, but I would think they were very highly thought of by musicians and probably still influence bands today (- The Arcade Fire maybe?).

Oh, and Ian McCulloch often sits a few rows in front of me in the Main Stand.

MichaelA · « **Reply #18 on:** January 30, 2008, 12:55:19 pm »

Various substances have undermined Mac over the years. They could have been as big if not bigger than U2; and even some of their late 90's albums still had the tunes, but by then they had lost their audience. I listened to Crocodiles yesterday for the first time in years, and it still stands up.

One of my favourite gigs of all time was the Bunnymen at the Empire in (I think) 1987. It ended up being released as a Radio One Live In Concert album on Strange Fruit. They were utterly amazing that night, I sat on the the back of my seat in tears of joy. Equally, I saw Mac at the Bowery in NY a few years back and he was completely hammered and the gig was an embarrassment. Hope he's on the straight & narrow.

Lad · « **Reply #19 on:** January 30, 2008, 04:35:09 pm »

I was at the Mountford Hall gig and Sefton Park, two great nights no doubt made even better by the amont of weed we got through. Can't remember wether they ever played Eric's. We went there most weekends regardless of who was on but I don't recall seeing them there.

Saw Wah Heat one night at Eric's and I've got a feeling they may have been supporting the Bunnymen. Was any one there ?

the good half · « **Reply #20 on:** January 30, 2008, 07:12:04 pm »

Saw them in a club called 'Black Out' in Rome about 3 years ago. Max 250 folk at it. They were awesome.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2008, 07:18:02 pm »

[geeky mode]
Got my nick from their song.

The first four albums are absolute magic. Magic I tells ya. Mac's voice is unbelievable and Will Sgt. is one of my favourite guitarists.

Grey album and the reunion albums are okay.
I even like their Mac-less version and the album Reverberation, although obviously with out Mac the Mouth it wasn't the same. It was like David Bowie without ...well David Bowie!

Quote from: FlashingBlade on January 28, 2008, 07:38:17 pm

never the same after they got rid of the drum machine!

Nah I think only the first few singles were done with the drum machine, which actually wasn't called Echo, that's just a press myth.

And Pete DeFreitas was a very good drummer anyway. The rhythm section of songs with him and Les [original bassist] was great.

Quote from: Victor on January 26, 2008, 11:29:41 am

I'm old enough to remember when U2 were good the first few albums up to the Joshua Tree were great stuff (excluding October) ... but the Bunnymen were, as far as I'm concerned, on another level .... both lyrically and musically .... saw both bands a number of times live in the early 80s and would say both had a well deserved reputation for live performances but again the bunnies would have topped them in my opinion ...

Correct.

I've read some very funny interviews with Mac and he used to take the piss out of Bono and Morrissey [and well Julian Cope from the Teardrops], which was great fun. They had a shite deal with their record company and when U2 cracked America they were under pressure to do the same, this caused conflicts and the eventual split.

Mac, Julian Cope and Pete Wylie used to be together in a band called 'Crucial Three'. I don't know how did these three big egos manage to fit in the same rehearsing room.

Mac's a red as well. Think they had a concert when Reds won the CL and I heard he was a right laugh.

Quote

actually it's worth pointing out that U2 nicked the thing the Bunnymen used to do when they were playing their own songs and would drift into a cover during it then drift back into their own song ...

Bunnymen nicked it from Patti Smith though.

I even have a version of 'Do It Clean' in which they're doing her 'Land of Thousand Dances' [which is originally an old Jazz song I think, though I'm pretty sure they were doing Smith's version]

FlashingBlade · « **Reply #22 on:** January 31, 2008, 10:07:50 pm »

Actually it was a joke....and I actually saw them quite a few times ( including their first gig) when I was a regular at Eric's many ( killing) moons ago....in fact if it wasn't Echo suporting the main act one week it would be Teardrops the next..got a bit boring after a while.....still got all me zoo singles though!

nyctex · « **Reply #23 on:** February 1, 2008, 08:22:26 pm »

Quote from: The_Cutter on January 30, 2008, 07:18:02 pm

Mac's a red as well. Think they had a concert when Reds won the CL and I heard he was a right laugh.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/ringoffire/

Quote

Performed by 'The Boot Room All-Stars' - Tim Speed and Apollo 440 - and featuring the distinctive vocals of Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch, 'Ring of Fire' - was our official FA Cup song in 2006

All of the artists involved - Ian McCulloch, Tim Speed and Apollo 440 - donated all of their share of income from sales of the download to The Marina Dalglish Appeal, an organisation set up by Marina and Kenny Dalglish to raise money for a new Oncology ward at University Hospital Aintree.

FlashingBlade · « **Reply #24 on:** July 6, 2017, 11:33:36 am »

Nice piece in The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/05/echo-and-the-bunnymen-10-of-the-best

Zeppelin · « **Reply #25 on:** July 6, 2017, 12:07:07 pm »

Quote from: FlashingBlade on July 6, 2017, 11:33:36 am

Nice piece in The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/05/echo-and-the-bunnymen-10-of-the-best

Great stuff - I loved the Bunnymen. I saw them at the Mountford Hall back in 1980 and it was one of the best gigs I've seen. Mac used to sit a few rows in front of me in the old Main Stand years ago. Never had the nerve to speak to him.

I took some photos of them at the Empire in 1981, which are here.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57311003@N07/albums/72157683649842390

dave 5516 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 6, 2017, 07:58:42 pm »

Quote from: Lad on January 30, 2008, 04:35:09 pm

I was at the Mountford Hall gig and Sefton Park, two great nights no doubt made even better by the amont of weed we got through. Can't remember wether they ever played Eric's. We went there most weekends regardless of who was on but I don't recall seeing them there.

Saw Wah Heat one night at Eric's and I've got a feeling they may have been supporting the Bunnymen. Was any one there ?

You never saw the Bunnymen in Erics...how the fuck did you miss them. I can remember them playing at least once a week...with TTE.

One year I spent my birthday in Erics watching them and TTE doing the Xmas show in...I think, 79.

dave 5516 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 6, 2017, 08:03:01 pm »

I was doing hill repeats on my bike up Beaconsfield Rd one morning a few back, and as I started another ascent up the road I was passing Strawberry Field and one of the tourists asked me what I was singing....I like to listen and sing along to music when I'm riding...I told him..."the best band to come from Liverpool. The Beatles? No. Echo and the Bunnymen!!"

cloggypop · « **Reply #28 on:** July 7, 2017, 02:26:43 am »

Never the same after Echo left though I did like Pete.

elbow · « **Reply #29 on:** July 7, 2017, 02:45:23 am »

Didn't Pete De Freitas go on a bit of a mad bender?

Songs To Learn and Sing is a great compilation as well, played it on vinyl just the other night.

Anyway, here's Killing Moon live on The Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCB835WJsgs

KERRYKOP · « **Reply #30 on:** July 26, 2017, 02:06:54 pm »

Chillin

The Bournemouth Red · « **Reply #31 on:** July 26, 2017, 02:54:27 pm »

Has no one mentioned The Cutter? My personal fav.

Card Cheat · « **Reply #32 on:** May 24, 2018, 12:13:32 am »

Friend has three spare tickets for Friday's gig at the Phil. 2 x £35, 1 x £45. PM me if interested.

MichaelA · « **Reply #33 on:** May 24, 2018, 12:54:51 pm »

Saw them last night doing this 'with strings' version of previous events. Sadly, I don't think they're really capable of delivering their back catalogue any more, which is probably no great surprise to anyone who has seen them live in the last 20 years. Mac's voice is shot to fuck. They'd have been better off sacking off the string quartet and helping him out with a set of backing singers. Aside from cracking back to back versions of 'Rescue' and 'The Cutter', this particular comeback was a big let down.

rafathegaffa83 · « **Reply #34 on:** May 25, 2018, 01:10:50 am »

Yep. Sadly his voice is done

gray19lfc · « **Reply #35 on:** April 15, 2021, 02:45:42 pm »

Anyone selling tickets for the Philharmonic in Feb?

joe buck · « **Reply #36 on:** April 16, 2021, 07:36:55 pm »

crystal day ,bike rides ferry trip and a crackin gig in st.georges hall magic.
and ocean rain in my top ten albums of all time.

Stevie-A · « **Reply #37 on:** April 16, 2021, 11:44:05 pm »

Sagged off school at 15 to see them at the first WOMAD in 1982. Echo and the Burundimen, one of the many staggering gigs I've seem them play. Still awesome.

Filler. · « **Reply #38 on:** July 19, 2021, 11:39:43 pm »

https://brianturnershow.com/

Formed 1978, Liverpool’s Echo and the Bunnymen evolved into one of post-punk’s most legendary and successful units, going from skeletal, drum-machine inflected beginnings to an expansive, colorful neo-psychedelic presence on record and stage, becoming critical faves with such LPs as Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Porcupine, Ocean Rain. The powerful rhythmic section of Les Pattinson and the late Pete De Freitas propelled the lofty poetic lyricisms of singer Ian McCulloch, but guitarist Will Sergeant, the defacto music director of the band, was a creative innovator of the highest order as the band progressed and toured around the world. In tune with both 60’s psych/garage roots and forward-thinking freeform guitar style, his sounds both added subtle texture and eruptive passages, and a look at some key live tracks on the show today from mainly 1981-85 illustrates some moments of the Bunnymen’s higher ruling. Super excited to have Will visit the show today to talk some history as well as his brand new forthcoming memoir Bunnyman, out in the states next month. It focuses on Will’s formative years in post-war Liverpool, his musical DNA and the path to their eventual big break with Sire after establishing themselves on the Eric’s club scene with kindred spirits like Julian Cope’s Teardrop Explodes. Huge thanks to Will for coming by! As well as thanks to Kelley Stoltz and the folks at Third Man for helping get us together! New episodes every two weeks at this site and you can get these shows also at: Buzzsprout, Deezer, Podchaser, Podcast Addict. And Apple Podcasts too. We are streaming the show live every other Wednesday (this episode on Wednesday, July 21, 10am ET/4pm CET) on Efferalgang Radio in Paris, and those archives will live on their You Tube channel or Mixcloud channel thereafter. We are also live Thursday, July 22nd on Veneno Radio in São Paulo, 10am-12pm ET as well. If playing right off this embed below results in some holdups, just click on the actual other links and stream. Or just download on Apple Podcasts. Thanks as always for tuning in everyone, it’s much appreciated. We love to hear from you on socials, or send music direct too, btradio85@gmail.com.

jackh · « **Reply #39 on:** July 20, 2021, 12:09:51 am »

Handy bump (cheers for sharing) - had been meaning to share to mention Will Sargeant's new book (the first part of his memoirs, this one dealing with the 60s & 70s) myself. Particularly liked the tributes paid on the back cover, shared indeed by Courtney Love:

https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/1412805803929657347