Echo & the Bunnymen (album)
Encyclopedia
Echo & the Bunnymen is the fifth studio album by the British post-punk
band Echo & the Bunnymen
, and the last with founding member Ian McCulloch
and drummer Pete de Freitas
. The album was produced by Laurie Latham
who recorded the album in Germany, Belgium, London and Liverpool after an aborted attempt at recording the album without de Freitas and with producer Gil Norton
. With Latham being an exacting producer and singer Ian McCulloch receiving star treatment and drinking heavily, the recording of the album was more difficult than the band had initially hoped. The album made more use of keyboards than their previous albums, which had been string
heavy.
Although Echo & the Bunnymen was successful in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser degree, the United States, it received mixed reviews from the music press following its release in July 1987. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart
, number 51 on the United States Billboard 200
, number 51 on the Canadian RPM100 Albums
and number 22 on the Swedish Albums Chart
. Since its release, the album has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry
. The album includes the singles "The Game
", "Lips Like Sugar
" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
".
in 1984, because the band's manager, the fabled prankster Bill Drummond
, felt that a year off would help the band write different kinds of songs in preparation for the next album. During the time off, drummer Pete de Freitas
travelled Spain and France on his motorcycle, bass guitarist Les Pattinson
worked on his new boat, singer Ian McCulloch
released a solo single "September Song
", leaving guitarist Will Sergeant
as the only band member to spend the time doing nothing. Even though the band enjoyed an excellent and creative working relation with Drummond, by the end of 1984 they had mutually parted company as the band were not making enough money.
Under the new management of Mick Hancock, Duran Duran
's tour manager, the band returned to work in May 1985 with a tour of Scandinavia
. They also made a headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival
on 21 June 1985, when they played live for the first time two new songs which would later be included on the album – "Satellite" and "All in Your Mind". Now ready to start recording, they entered the studio with their former producer Ian Broudie
and Clive Langer
to record the songs they had played at Glastonbury as well as "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown". Not liking the results of this session, the band considered Eddy Grant
and ABBA
's production team, before settling on Laurie Latham
as their producer. McCulloch had been impressed by the sharp quality of Latham's production on The Stranglers
' single "Skin Deep". The band met with Latham in Brussels and recorded "All in Your Mind", "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown", which was renamed "Bring On the Dancing Horses
". "Bring On the Dancing Horses" appeared on the WEA compilation album
Songs to Learn & Sing
in November 1985 and was released as a single in the same month. An early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
", a song that would appear on the album, appeared on the B-side to the 12-inch version
.
The band faced 1986 with a commitment to record an album, but without their drummer; a musician who was considered fundamental to the band's creative success. On 31 December 1985, de Freitas had gone to New Orleans with the road crew
on a drug binge and there announced his resignation from the band. The band then hired former Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair Cunningham
for the spring 1986 tour of the United States; but he didn't fit in, and after the tour left to join The Pretenders
. The band then hired former ABC
drummer David Palmer, and recorded a few sessions with producer Gil Norton
for the new album. However, by July 1986 Palmer had decided he did not want to remain with the band. As Palmer left the band, de Freitas returned to the United Kingdom and expressed a wish to rejoin. Uncertain of de Freitas's commitment to the band, and his fragile mental state, they took him back as a hired hand rather than a full member. Now with the line-up that would record Echo & the Bunnymen, the band gave a live television appearance for the BBC
in September 1986 when they played two new songs, "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar".
's studio in Cologne
. Both Echo & the Bunnymen and their label, WEA Records
, were unhappy with the results of the Norton sessions with Palmer playing drums. Keen to record again with de Freitas, the band decided to scrap the Norton sessions and to start recording a new album with Latham who had previously worked with the band on their 1985 single "Bring On the Dancing Horses
". The sessions moved from Cologne to ICP Studios in Brussels
before returning to Cologne and finishing off at The Workhouse in London and Amazon Studios in Liverpool. The band hoped that the album would be a collection of simple songs; however, Latham was very specific and exacting, and he would work on one song for as long as a month. Recording was also complicated by the star treatment received by McCulloch. This, along with his heavy drinking, alienated him from the rest of the band. In a 1995 interview, band guitarist Will Sergeant
said of McCulloch's treatment, "We just found it all ridiculous. He had people running around behind him, basically wiping his arse." McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview: "I knew I was losing it. I was on another planet but then I didn't want to be on the one [the other Bunnymen] were on."
While making the album, the band recorded a version
of The Doors
' 1967 single "People Are Strange
" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film The Lost Boys
. Ray Manzarek
, former keyboard player with The Doors, was brought in to provide keyboards on the song. While in the studio, he also contributed keyboards to a re-recording of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
", which had previously been the B-side to the 12-inch version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses". Once Echo & the Bunnymen had been recorded the band's management company, Direct Management, decided to have it mixed
by Bruce Lampcov in the United States. While the album was mixed, the band was on tour in Brazil and listened to the finished tracks over the phone.
Latham moved the band away from the use of strings, which featured heavily on Ocean Rain and to a lesser extent on Porcupine
(1983), and introduced keyboards to the melody of the tracks. De Freitas's drumming was contained and discreet and McCulloch's vocals were more restrained. Although the album contained hook-heavy tracks such as "Lips Like Sugar", the guitars on tracks such as "Lost and Found" are more representative of the album as a whole.
The resulting album was disliked by the entire band. Describing what he thought of as the over-production of the album Sergeant described it as "an overcooked fish" in 1987; bass guitarist Les Pattinson
said, "I like the songs, just hated the mixes"; and in 1995 McCulloch said, "It still sounds crap."
shop on Oxford Street
in London, Echo & the Bunnymen was first released on 6 July 1987 as an LP
and CD by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and by Sire Records
in the United States. The album reached a peak of number four on the UK Albums Chart
. The album became the band's most successful in the United States where it reached number fifty-one on the Billboard 200
. The album also reached number fifty-one on the Canadian RPM
100 Albums chart and number twenty-two on the Swedish Albums Chart
. The album has also been certified silver
by the British Phonographic Industry
for having shipped more than copies. Along with the other four of the band's first five albums, Echo & the Bunnymen was remaster
ed and reissue
d on CD in 2003 – these were released for the band's twenty-fifth anniversary. Seven bonus tracks were added to the album and included early versions of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" (title "Jimmy Brown"), "The Game" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo". Also included was a cover version of The Doors' "Soul Kitchen", an extended version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" and the previously unreleased track "Hole in the Holy". The reissued album was produced by Andy Zax
and Bill Inglot and released by Rhino Entertainment
.
In his 1987 review of the album for Rolling Stone
magazine, music journalist J. D. Considine
described Latham's production of the album as "ineffectual" and "well mannered". He went on say that there was no "anxious energy or knife-edged irony that made the group's earlier albums so compelling". He finishes his review by saying the album is "as vacant as it is pretty". Reviewing the 2003 remastered album, Andrew Harrison for Blender
magazine's website said, "Egomania and off-message electronics experiments sank their eponymous 1987 comedown..." Taking a more positive stance, David Cleary for Allmusic describes the album as "the hookiest and most memorable the band would ever write". Having described de Freitas's drumming as solid and veering toward the danceable, and McCulloch's singing as "restrained and tasteful", Cleary added, "The production values were excellent, with many subtle touches that do not detract from the album's overall directness." Although he stated that the production "watered the band's sound down", Joe Tangari for Pitchfork Media
said, "The band's attempt to reach a wider audience worked out."
Three tracks from the album were released as singles
. The first of these was "The Game", which was released on 1 June 1987. This was followed by "Lips Like Sugar", which was released in August 1987. The final single to be released from the album was "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", which was also released before the year's end in the United States and Germany. "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar" reached numbers 28 and 36 respectively on the UK Singles Chart
.
, Ian McCulloch
and Les Pattinson
except where noted.
2003 bonus tracks
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, and the last with founding member Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
and drummer Pete de Freitas
Pete de Freitas
Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
. The album was produced by Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
who recorded the album in Germany, Belgium, London and Liverpool after an aborted attempt at recording the album without de Freitas and with producer Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
. With Latham being an exacting producer and singer Ian McCulloch receiving star treatment and drinking heavily, the recording of the album was more difficult than the band had initially hoped. The album made more use of keyboards than their previous albums, which had been string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
heavy.
Although Echo & the Bunnymen was successful in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser degree, the United States, it received mixed reviews from the music press following its release in July 1987. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, number 51 on the United States Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number 51 on the Canadian RPM100 Albums
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
and number 22 on the Swedish Albums Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
. Since its release, the album has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. The album includes the singles "The Game
The Game (Echo & the Bunnymen song)
"The Game" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 1 June 1987. It was the first single from their 1987 eponymous album. It reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single...
", "Lips Like Sugar
Lips Like Sugar
"Lips Like Sugar" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in August 1987. It was the second single from their 1987 eponymous album. It reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart and number 24 on the Irish Singles Chart...
" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1987. It was the third single from their 1987 eponymous album. The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single by WEA Records and by Sire Records.-Overview:...
".
Background
Echo & the Bunnymen took time off from touring, writing and recording after the release of the critically acclaimed Ocean RainOcean Rain
Ocean Rain is the fourth studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 8 May 1984 and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, number 87 on the United States Billboard 200, number 41 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums and number 22 on the Swedish chart. Since...
in 1984, because the band's manager, the fabled prankster Bill Drummond
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
, felt that a year off would help the band write different kinds of songs in preparation for the next album. During the time off, drummer Pete de Freitas
Pete de Freitas
Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
travelled Spain and France on his motorcycle, bass guitarist Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
worked on his new boat, singer Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
released a solo single "September Song
September Song
"September Song" is an American pop standard composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday. It has since been recorded by numerous singers and instrumentalists...
", leaving guitarist Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
as the only band member to spend the time doing nothing. Even though the band enjoyed an excellent and creative working relation with Drummond, by the end of 1984 they had mutually parted company as the band were not making enough money.
Under the new management of Mick Hancock, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's tour manager, the band returned to work in May 1985 with a tour of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. They also made a headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
on 21 June 1985, when they played live for the first time two new songs which would later be included on the album – "Satellite" and "All in Your Mind". Now ready to start recording, they entered the studio with their former producer Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
and Clive Langer
Clive Langer
Clive Langer is a British record producer active from the mid 1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films Still Crazy and Brothers of the Head. Prior to his record producing career he was a guitarist with the British cult band Deaf SchoolLanger...
to record the songs they had played at Glastonbury as well as "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown". Not liking the results of this session, the band considered Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant
Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
and ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's production team, before settling on Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
as their producer. McCulloch had been impressed by the sharp quality of Latham's production on The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
' single "Skin Deep". The band met with Latham in Brussels and recorded "All in Your Mind", "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown", which was renamed "Bring On the Dancing Horses
Bring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
". "Bring On the Dancing Horses" appeared on the WEA compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Songs to Learn & Sing
Songs to Learn & Sing
Songs to Learn & Sing is a compilation album by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 15 November 1985 and featured all of the singles the band had released up to that point. Released on LP, cassette and CD by Korova, WEA and Sire Records, the album received good reviews and reached number six...
in November 1985 and was released as a single in the same month. An early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1987. It was the third single from their 1987 eponymous album. The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single by WEA Records and by Sire Records.-Overview:...
", a song that would appear on the album, appeared on the B-side to the 12-inch version
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
.
The band faced 1986 with a commitment to record an album, but without their drummer; a musician who was considered fundamental to the band's creative success. On 31 December 1985, de Freitas had gone to New Orleans with the road crew
Road crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...
on a drug binge and there announced his resignation from the band. The band then hired former Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair Cunningham
Blair Cunningham
Blair Cunningham is a drummer who has played with Haircut One Hundred, The Pretenders, Paul McCartney, Alison Moyet, Sade, Paul Rutherford, the Indigo Girls, Roxy Music, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Mick Jagger, Ray Davis, Andy Taylor, Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Kevin Rowland and The Big Dish...
for the spring 1986 tour of the United States; but he didn't fit in, and after the tour left to join The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
. The band then hired former ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
drummer David Palmer, and recorded a few sessions with producer Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
for the new album. However, by July 1986 Palmer had decided he did not want to remain with the band. As Palmer left the band, de Freitas returned to the United Kingdom and expressed a wish to rejoin. Uncertain of de Freitas's commitment to the band, and his fragile mental state, they took him back as a hired hand rather than a full member. Now with the line-up that would record Echo & the Bunnymen, the band gave a live television appearance for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in September 1986 when they played two new songs, "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar".
Recording, production and music
Recording of the tracks that were to appear on Echo & the Bunnymen began at Conny PlankConny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
's studio in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Both Echo & the Bunnymen and their label, WEA Records
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, were unhappy with the results of the Norton sessions with Palmer playing drums. Keen to record again with de Freitas, the band decided to scrap the Norton sessions and to start recording a new album with Latham who had previously worked with the band on their 1985 single "Bring On the Dancing Horses
Bring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
". The sessions moved from Cologne to ICP Studios in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
before returning to Cologne and finishing off at The Workhouse in London and Amazon Studios in Liverpool. The band hoped that the album would be a collection of simple songs; however, Latham was very specific and exacting, and he would work on one song for as long as a month. Recording was also complicated by the star treatment received by McCulloch. This, along with his heavy drinking, alienated him from the rest of the band. In a 1995 interview, band guitarist Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
said of McCulloch's treatment, "We just found it all ridiculous. He had people running around behind him, basically wiping his arse." McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview: "I knew I was losing it. I was on another planet but then I didn't want to be on the one [the other Bunnymen] were on."
While making the album, the band recorded a version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' 1967 single "People Are Strange
People Are Strange
"People Are Strange" is a single released by The Doors in September 1967 from their second album Strange Days which was also released in September 1967. The single peaked at the #12 position of the U.S. Hot 100 chart and made it to the top ten in the Cash Box charts...
" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys is a 1987 American teen comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes....
. Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
, former keyboard player with The Doors, was brought in to provide keyboards on the song. While in the studio, he also contributed keyboards to a re-recording of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1987. It was the third single from their 1987 eponymous album. The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single by WEA Records and by Sire Records.-Overview:...
", which had previously been the B-side to the 12-inch version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses". Once Echo & the Bunnymen had been recorded the band's management company, Direct Management, decided to have it mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Bruce Lampcov in the United States. While the album was mixed, the band was on tour in Brazil and listened to the finished tracks over the phone.
Latham moved the band away from the use of strings, which featured heavily on Ocean Rain and to a lesser extent on Porcupine
Porcupine (album)
Porcupine is the third studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. First released on 4 February 1983, it became the band's highest charting release when it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart despite initially receiving poor reviews...
(1983), and introduced keyboards to the melody of the tracks. De Freitas's drumming was contained and discreet and McCulloch's vocals were more restrained. Although the album contained hook-heavy tracks such as "Lips Like Sugar", the guitars on tracks such as "Lost and Found" are more representative of the album as a whole.
The resulting album was disliked by the entire band. Describing what he thought of as the over-production of the album Sergeant described it as "an overcooked fish" in 1987; bass guitarist Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
said, "I like the songs, just hated the mixes"; and in 1995 McCulloch said, "It still sounds crap."
Release and reception
After previewing the album with a short concert on top of the HMVHMV Group
HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
shop on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
in London, Echo & the Bunnymen was first released on 6 July 1987 as an LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and CD by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and by Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in the United States. The album reached a peak of number four on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. The album became the band's most successful in the United States where it reached number fifty-one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album also reached number fifty-one on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
100 Albums chart and number twenty-two on the Swedish Albums Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
. The album has also been certified silver
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
for having shipped more than copies. Along with the other four of the band's first five albums, Echo & the Bunnymen was remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed and reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
d on CD in 2003 – these were released for the band's twenty-fifth anniversary. Seven bonus tracks were added to the album and included early versions of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" (title "Jimmy Brown"), "The Game" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo". Also included was a cover version of The Doors' "Soul Kitchen", an extended version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses" and the previously unreleased track "Hole in the Holy". The reissued album was produced by Andy Zax
Andy Zax
Andy Zax is a music historian and producer of CD boxed sets and reissues by Talking Heads, Rod Stewart, Echo & the Bunnymen, Television, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Judee Sill, John Cale, Nico, The Neon Philharmonic, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, The Sisters of Mercy,...
and Bill Inglot and released by Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
.
In his 1987 review of the album for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, music journalist J. D. Considine
J. D. Considine
J. D. Considine is an established music critic who has been writing about music professionally since 1977. His work has been published in numerous newspapers and music magazines, and he has contributed to several books. Over the years, he has claimed to have put over three million words into...
described Latham's production of the album as "ineffectual" and "well mannered". He went on say that there was no "anxious energy or knife-edged irony that made the group's earlier albums so compelling". He finishes his review by saying the album is "as vacant as it is pretty". Reviewing the 2003 remastered album, Andrew Harrison for Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine's website said, "Egomania and off-message electronics experiments sank their eponymous 1987 comedown..." Taking a more positive stance, David Cleary for Allmusic describes the album as "the hookiest and most memorable the band would ever write". Having described de Freitas's drumming as solid and veering toward the danceable, and McCulloch's singing as "restrained and tasteful", Cleary added, "The production values were excellent, with many subtle touches that do not detract from the album's overall directness." Although he stated that the production "watered the band's sound down", Joe Tangari for Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
said, "The band's attempt to reach a wider audience worked out."
Three tracks from the album were released as singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. The first of these was "The Game", which was released on 1 June 1987. This was followed by "Lips Like Sugar", which was released in August 1987. The final single to be released from the album was "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", which was also released before the year's end in the United States and Germany. "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar" reached numbers 28 and 36 respectively on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Track listing
All tracks written by Will SergeantWill Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
, Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
and Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
except where noted.
- "The GameThe Game (Echo & the Bunnymen song)"The Game" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 1 June 1987. It was the first single from their 1987 eponymous album. It reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single...
" – 3:50 - "Over You" – 4:01
- "Bedbugs and BallyhooBedbugs and Ballyhoo"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1987. It was the third single from their 1987 eponymous album. The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single by WEA Records and by Sire Records.-Overview:...
" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, Pete de FreitasPete de FreitasPete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
) – 3:28 - "All in Your Mind" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) – 4:32
- "Bombers Bay" – 4:22
- "Lips Like SugarLips Like Sugar"Lips Like Sugar" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in August 1987. It was the second single from their 1987 eponymous album. It reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart and number 24 on the Irish Singles Chart...
" – 4:52 - "Lost and Found" – 3:37
- "New Direction" – 4:45
- "Blue Blue Ocean" – 5:08
- "Satellite" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) – 3:04
- "All My Life" – 4:07
2003 bonus tracks
- "Jimmy Brown" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) – 4:07
- "Hole in the Holy" – 4:44
- "Soul Kitchen" (Jim MorrisonJim MorrisonJames Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
, Robby KriegerRobby KriegerRobert Alan "Robby" Krieger is an American rock guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Touch Me," and "Love Her Madly."...
, Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
, John DensmoreJohn DensmoreJohn Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
) – 3:56 - "The Game" (demo) – 3:57
- "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" (early version) (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) – 3:41
- "Over Your Shoulder" – 4:10
- "Bring On the Dancing HorsesBring On the Dancing Horses"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
" (extended mix) (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) – 5:50
Personnel
- Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (singer)Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
– vocals, guitar - Will SergeantWill SergeantWill Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
– guitar - Les PattinsonLes PattinsonLes Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
– bass - Pete de FreitasPete de FreitasPete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
– drums - Henry Priestman – keyboards
- Jake BrockmanJake Drake-BrockmanJames Ralph "Jake" Drake-Brockman was a Bristol-based English musician and sound recordist. Drake-Brockman was known to fans as "the fifth Bunnyman", as he had been associated with the Liverpool group Echo & the Bunnymen since the 1980s and became a full time member, as keyboardist, in 1989, using...
– keyboards - Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
– keyboards ("Bedbugs and Ballyhoo") - Stephen Morris – drums ("Soul Kitchen")
- Laurie LathamLaurie LathamLaurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
– producer - Bruce Lampcov – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Alex Haas – mixing assistant
- Don Rodenbach – mixing assistant
- Paul Gomersall – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Stuart Barry – engineering
- Brian GardnerBrian GardnerBrian Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner is a mastering engineer. He has worked on countless recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk, and dance pop. He is perhaps best known for his work on hip hop albums and in...
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Anton CorbijnAnton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
– photography - Gil NortonGil NortonGil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
– producer ("All My Life" and "Soul Kitchen") - Echo & the BunnymenEcho & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
– producer ("All My Life" and "Soul Kitchen") - Andy ZaxAndy ZaxAndy Zax is a music historian and producer of CD boxed sets and reissues by Talking Heads, Rod Stewart, Echo & the Bunnymen, Television, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Judee Sill, John Cale, Nico, The Neon Philharmonic, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, The Sisters of Mercy,...
– producer (reissue) - Bill Inglot – producer (reissue)
- Rachel Gutek – cover design (reissue)