Echo & the Bunnymen Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2024
- It's week 2 of Kramtober and today we're ranking the 13 studio albums of Echo and the Bunnymen.
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Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.
Their 1980 debut album Crocodiles went into the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. After releasing their second album Heaven Up Here in 1981, the band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the UK in 1983 when they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the album which the song came from, Porcupine, hit number 2 in the UK. Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success with its lead single "The Killing Moon" entering into the top 10.
After releasing a self-titled album in 1987, McCulloch left the band and was replaced by singer Noel Burke. In 1989, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident. After working together as Electrafixion, McCulloch and Sergeant regrouped with Pattinson in 1997 and returned as Echo & the Bunnymen, before Pattinson's departure in 1998. The band has done some touring and released several albums since the late 1990s to varying degrees of success.
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Thanks for watching! Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
Next week: Cocteau Twins
After that: Psychedelic Furs, Stevie Ray Vaughan
#echoandthebunnymen #albumsranked #worsttobest
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The Bunnymen are the thinking man’s U2. They came out at the same too so they’re not ripping those Irish bandwagon jumpers
I’m rooting for you Kram. You definitely have a man of the people shot if you force through a Hold Steady ranking for us!!
This was pretty good, guys! Now I need to go check out their post-'87 work.
My rankings (for the albums I've heard):
1. Heaven Up Here
2. Ocean Rain
3. Porcupine
4. Crocodiles
5. Self-titled
Finally you are addressing the work of my Favorite band of all time: the Bunnymen's!!
There are too many bands that i really love from the post-punk, but no one as they.
Im gonna take a Coffee and watch this with a big Smile!
Cheers from Argentina🇦🇷
Music is such a mystery. All it is, is a succession of sounds, so why does it mean so much to us? Why does it provoke such love and hate? Somehow the music we love becomes a part of our identity and it's painful when someone dislikes something we love, but why does it even matter? It's all just opinions, right? Keep up the good work guys.
I recently saw Echo and the Bunneymen and they're great live. They rock harder than they do on their albums and are even more psychedelic.
The Best Band from Liverpool since .. What an incredible first five albums ! Ranked #13 The Stars .. # 12 Reverberation # 11 The Fountain ⛲️ # 10 Meteorite # 9 Flowers 💐 # 8 Siberia # 7 Evergreen 🌲 # 6 What Are You Gonna Do .. # 5 S/T # 4 Ocean Rain 🌧 # 3 Porcupine # 2 Crocodiles 🐊 & # 1 - One of the best albums ever made .. no sophomore slump .. Heaven Up Here ! Set Sail ⛵️ On Those Torquise Days ✌️
The original lineup was amazing live and surprisingly louder than motorhead . Style points for some amazing album covers on those first 4 releases . Joe plays the heel this month .
Top 10 favourite band for me. Bought their first album Crocodiles on release back in 1980 and it still remains my favourite LP of theirs. .The darker, edgier but still ethereal , other worldly sounds of their first few records continue to resonate deeply with me, but they still managed to release excellent records later into their career. 13. Reverberation ( 1990) -2.5 stars (marked down due to being the record without McCulloch but some interesting pieces/tunes from Sergeant)
12.The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon ( 2018) - 3 stars
11. The Fountain ( 2009) - 3 stars
10. Meteorites ( 2014 ) -3.5 stars
9. Siberia ( 2005) - 3.5 stars
8. Flowers ( 2001) - 3.5 stars
7. What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (1999) - 4 stars
6. Echo and the Bunnymen ( 1987) - 4 stars
5. Evergreen ( 1997) - 4.5 stars
4. Porcupine ( 1983 )- 5 stars
3. Ocean Rain ( 1984) - 5 stars
2. Heaven Up Here (1981) - 5 stars
1. Crocodiles ( 1980) - 5 stars
Hell yeah I agree Bought crocodiles when it first came out, something about it still resonates today but takes you right back ....
Thanks for your list.
@@julianmulloy3772 You are welcome, Thank you
🤠 Yep. Same here. Bought Crocodiles when it came out, and it remains my favorite.
HOW do you rate Siberia so low? That was 100x better than What are You, Flowers, and Evergreen. The songs on it are a return to OG form.
13. Reverberation
12. The Stars the Oceans & the Moon
11.The Fountain
10. Meteorites
9. Flowers
8. Siberia
7. What are You Going To Do
6. Evergreen
5. Echo & the Bunnymen
4. Crocodiles
3. Heaven Up Here
2. Ocean Rain
1. Porcupine
The first 4 records are really great and then they just peter out for me.
1. Ocean Rain (1984) 5/5
2. Porcupine (1983) 5/5
3. Crocodiles (1980) 4.5/5
4. Heaven Up Here (1981) 4/5
5. Echo & the Bunnymen (1987) 3/5
6. Evergreen (1997) 3/5
7. Flowers (2001) 3/5
8. Reverberation (1990) 2.5/5
9. Siberia (2005) 2.5/5
10. The Stars, the Ocean, and the Moon (2018) 2.5/5
11. Meteorites (2014) 2/5
12. The Fountain (2009) 2/5
13. What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (1999) 2/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
4.5 Crocodiles (1980)
4.0 Heaven Up Here (1981)
5.0 Porcupine (1983)
5.0 Ocean Rain (1984)
3.0 Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
2.5 Reverberation (1990)
3.0 Evergreen (1997)
2.0 What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (1999)
3.0 Flowers (2001)
2.5 Siberia (2005)
2.0 The Fountain (2009)
2.0 Meteorites (2014)
2.5 The Stars, the Ocean, and the Moon (2018)
Everybody knows Echo & The Bunnymen are one of the seminal post-punk bands, but it's worth emphasizing how their influence extended way past the post-punk era. Listening through their discography this week, I was struck by how often I was hearing more recent bands like The Killers and Arcade Fire in their music. To my ears, the Bunnymen came out of the box fully formed. Released in 1980, Crocodiles is remarkably consistent, though I prefer the U.S. edition that includes "Do It Clean." If that abum has a flaw, it's that the playing is so good (Will Sergeant's guitar, Les Pattinson's bass, Pete de Frietas' drumming) it sometimes upstages the songs themselves. Appearing just 11 months later, Heaven Up Here elevates the intensity and features their best song up to that point ("All My Colors") but, on the whole, it's not as memorable as the debut. 1983's Porcupine is their moodiest LP, best exemplified by the title track. It kicks off with the incredible one-two punch of "The Cutter" and "Back of Love." Side 2 of that album has been unfairly maligned- if the stand-alone single "Never Stop" had been included there would be no debate. Ocean Rain followed in 1984. It only has 9 tracks but every one of them is great ("The Killing Moon" being one of the best songs of the 1980s.) I love the orchestral sound of Ocean Rain, it suits Ian McCullough's voice. I wouldn't say McCullough is one of the greatest singers ever, but I've always enjoyed the sound of his voice (I think he occasionally sounds like Robert Smith of The Cure.) Their 1987 self-titled album has strong singles, especially "Lips Like Sugar," but most of the rest is paint-by-numbers. Unfortunately, the original Bunnymen never recorded with each other again. Ian McCullough quit the band in 1988 and Pete de Frietas died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. Sergeant and Pattinson carried on with a new singer and drummer, a lineup which disbanded after one unsuccessful, psychedelically influenced album (Reverberation, 1990.) McCullough returned to the fold in the mid-1990s resulting in a string of comeback albums. They're a pretty mixed bag, with the first one (1997's Evergreen) being the best of the bunch. (Those later albums are rather conventional, the classic Echo & the Bunnymen sound from the early 1980s is nowhere to be found.) I've got a soft spot for this band because I've been listening to them since I was a teenager. Probably a top 10 band of the 1980s for me.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs)
4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both)
4.0 = great (a clear majority is worth revisiting and it's an essential record for this artist/style)
3.5 = seriously good (at least half is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than half is worth revisiting)
2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish it)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
▪︎"Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few duds if the rest of the songs are good enough. "Stratospheric highs" refer to albums that either feature iconic songs or have a highly influential sound. (Albums I consider to be "perfect" can also reach 5 stars, even without containing iconic songs or being highly influential.)
▪︎I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
▪︎Anything I rate 3.5 stars or higher is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.
Great write-up.
Well done mate.
Jason's comments on production always fascinate me.
FUN FACT: Damon Reece (the drumming replacement for DeFreitas - R.I.P.) is the partner of an upcoming TLM review, the Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser. They have their own new project, Sun's Signature.
1:35:52 Don't worry, Joe... the rest of the CT discography is EXACTLY like those first two Garlands tracks 😉
Loved that record store day suns signature EP
How incredible were the album covers
Many feature small figures/large landscape.
First four albums are all classics, and 2,3,4 are all 5 stars. Brilliant musicianship (love Pete's drums, Will's distinctive guitar, and Les's bass), innovative/inventive songwriting yet still melodic, top-level vocals and lyrics. This is the best kind of music/art, evoking beauty and wonder.
I just don’t hear it. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Good that you gave it a chance. Musical taste of course is pretty subjective--for example I don't get Metallica, or most metal, but millions of people love it. I love opera, and most of my friends either dislike it or are indifferent. As they say, there's no accounting for taste.
"Generic British singer guy." please do not hold back the disgust... I have seen this band live and still think this is the most under rated bands of the 80's. Too smart for the common american. Ocean Rain is one of the greatest albums of the entire decade(80's). Totally agree.
Along with James...
13. Reverberation
12. The Stars, the Ocean, & the Moon
11. Meteorites
10. The Fountain
9. Flowers
8. Siberia
7. Evergreen
6. What Are You Gonna Do With Your Life?
5. Echo & the Bunnymen
4. Heaven Up Here
3. Porcupine
2. Ocean Rain
1. Crocodiles
‘He’s trying to be Bono’….
Hehe, Ian HATES Bono!!!! 😆
And I love Kramzer’s and Jason’s demeanor when Joe demolishes the later albums. 😆
Yes, he does! When they were rivaling in the early 80s, Ian said about Bono: “That sniveling Leprechaunish twat. He’s up to no good!”
E&TB is a good example of showing how important a creative rhythm section is to the lifeblood of the band. While I generally find something worthwhile in their later releases, it's almost like they've been neutered with the loss of Pete, and Les. The Electrafixion project is the exception - its like a blast from a flamethrower.
Echo and the bunneymen for us 80s kids this band was our doors and Ian was our Jim Morrison and this band blew my mind
I'm an 80s kid and The Doors were my Doors. 😎
But I know what yer sayin . .
@@NaughtyVampireGod it's just a fun comparison and I'm just having a bit of fun here and ray manzarek did guest on their 1987 self titled album that's his iconic organ playing on lips like sugar again just a little fun fact to brighten your day
@@georgemathie8123 Nice! 🤓
The debates makes this channel so rewarding. Even when I totally disagree with one or two of you, and occasionally may do some heckling in the comments, I really wouldn’t be without the diversity.
Great show gents! High quality banter. I have the 1987 self-titled album, but now will be looking for the first 4
The Live Shine So Hard EP captures The Bunnymen in a great groove & is on The Heaven Up Here 💿 or you can buy it fairly cheaply used. It's magnificent. 😎
first vinyl i ever bought of theirs. yes it is brilliant..it's also included on some deluxe editions of "Crocodiles" i believe ( or maybe Heaven Up Here)
The first band I ever saw in concert. November 1981. To my newly-teenage eyes they seemed larger than life, as they filed out to the sound desk pre-show, . On stage the lights threw massive shadows behind them, especially under Pete de Feritas and his drums making them seem like the Colossus.
The sound was equally monumental.
My ranking is only the first 5.
Heaven Up here
Crocodiles
Ocean Rain
Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
The second time I saw them in concert was in 2018 when they toured with the Violent Femmes. And it was sad how mediocre they were. Joe summed up the recent Echo & the Bunnymen pretty accurately.
I saw them in April 1981 at Newcastle City Hall and your recollection of the lighting and Pete de Freitas's massive drum sound certainly chimes with mine. All My Colours (aka Zimbo) was one of the best concert experiences I can ever remember, so much more powerful than the album version. The live version on The Cutter 12" single is also worth checking out.
@@terrybnad2959 Thanks for sharing. I will take listen to that live version of The Cutter
Joe, pull the "Bono" out of your ears and ass. I grew up listening to these brilliant albums. The 1st 5 that is. Echo & the bunnymen we're in a class by themselves. The Cure, or U2 will never touch. They all have different sound, but come from the ashes of punk. The Bunnymen took it to a much deeper and atmospheric place. Agreed there new albums did not have the magic that the first five did. But the first four or five albums are distinctively their own, that no other band of the day could touch. Some say "ocean rain" is one of the best albums ever made. Other's say the very best. Heaven up here is a work of Sonic art. But "porcupine" in my opinion is a psychedelic / Post punk masterpiece! A soundtrack for adventure.
I can’t imagine liking this band that much. I guess you had to be there. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic then you have a lousy imagination.
@@TastesLikeMusic Joe, you should imagine getting an ear lavage, could help you get the Bononess outta them!
@@TastesLikeMusic apparently so.
Can't believe I watched the whole thing. Really enjoyed it I guess. Would have liked to have seen more love for the title track of Ocean Rain, surely one of the best songs ever recorded, and arguably McCulloch's finest performance.
Here we gooo!
1. Echo & the Bunnymen (1987) 5 stars (9.7)
2. Reverberation (1990)- 5 stars (9.6)
3. Ocean Rain (1984) 4.5 stars (8.8)
4. Heaven Up Here (1981) - 4 stars (8.5)
5. Porcupine (1983)- 4 stars (8.4)
6. Crocodiles (1980)- 4 stars (8.3)
7. The Fountain (2009)- 3.5 stars (7.6)
8. What Are you going to do With Your Life? (1999) 3.5 stars (7.2)
9. Siberia (2005) - 3 stars (6.1)
10. Evergreen (1997)- 2.5 stars (5.7)
11. The Star, Ocean and Moon (2018) 2 stars (4.6)
12. Meteorites (2014) -1.5 stars (2.5)
13. Flowers (2001) 1 star (1.7)
see you have it at #2 im not nuts lol🐯🐯🐯
@@bengalgangster not at all! 🎉
Reverberation over Ocean Rain?? You're going to make Bunnyheads kneel down and shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
😅
I got to see The Bunnymen twice in '81, once at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton for the 'Shine So Hard' film and EP. It was free for fans (you just paid for the coach) and was billed as a secret gig. I'll never forget it, it was snowing when we arrived, magical. The first three albums are the ones I like best - 'Killing Moon' didn't do it for me, seemed contrived, and I find Ocean Rain is toothless, but who knows, I might change my mind one day.
First 3 albums are amazing. Agree that Ocean Rain is overrated. I have it at 4 when most think it's their best.
Loved your take on this. The Fountain is the only truly bad album IMHO. I like Evergreen and Flowers more than you guys but it has been a long time since I've listened to Evergreen so my taste may have changed. Porcupine is my favorite, it is the closest they get to true Psychedelia to my ears. There is just a dark weirdness to that album that is just sublime. I saw the band about a month ago and actually thought they were better than when I saw them in the 2000s.
Oh Steven, What are You Gonna Do With Your Life is terrrrible. Rust features a recycled chorus from a McCulloch b-side that I already loved, holy shit is that song terrible.
1 Ocean Rain
2 Crocodiles
3 Porcupine
4 Heaven up Here
5 Evergreen
6 Echo and Bunnymen
7 Flowers
8 What are you Going to do
9 Siberia
10 Meteorites
11 Fountain
12 Reverberation
13 The Stars the Ocean
Kram you are the man! Great month so far and great artist choices...Echo & the Bunneymen had a faultless initial album run from Crocodiles through Ocean Rain. Admittedly there is a drop off after S/T album but I'd put them up as a one of the best rock bands of the early 80s hands down (especially live). Kram's reviews were spot on especially on Crocodiles.
Joe is still an enigma to me with his musical taste sometimes lol...I thought he'd be a fan especially considering his affection for early Suede, Bowie, Smiths...But I enjoy the counterpoint to Jason and Kram's positive reviews.
My ranking (last 4 are interchangeable):
1 - Ocean Rain (perfect album)
2 - Heaven Up Here
3 - Porcupine
4 - Crocodiles
5 - S/T
------------------------ Diminishing Returns
6 - Flowers
7 - Meteorites
8 - Evergreen
I’m still watching the vid so if this was brought up I’m sorry. For anyone that is a big fan of Crocodiles, I would HIGHLY recommend Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons. I think they had some affiliation with Echo (maybe produced Crocodiles?) but it sounds like an even more post-punk version of Croc. One of my all time favs
Script of the Bridge is a great album. I also like Strange Times.
Enjoyable episode, you guys seemed to be having fun here. I've long been a fan of the first 5 Echo & the Bunnymen albums but had heard nothing else. It was cool to check it all out even if I didn't love all of it.
13. What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? - 2 (4.2)
12. The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon - 2.5 (4.9)
11. Flowers - 2.5 (5.1)
10. The Fountain - 2.5 (5.3)
9. Siberia - 3 (6.1)
8. Reverberation - 3 (6.5)
7. Meteorites - 3.5 (7.3)
6. Evergreen - 4 (8.0)
5. Echo & the Bunnymen - 4 (8.0)
4. Porcupine - 4 (8.4)
3. Heaven Up Here - 4 (8.5)
2. Crocodiles - 4.5 (8.8)
1. Ocean Rain - 5 (9.8)
Fun? Kram maybe, Jason you never know but Joe looked like he'd rather be put in a blender than reviewing the Echo catalog.
Nicely done. That list seems perfectly reasonable to me. 🙂
@@tommyo7436 I meant more with their banter than the music itself. Joe definitely wasn't having fun there lol.
@@179rich Thanks Rich! :)
good job as always V 🐯🐯
Crocodiles is a great album. Even the later albums contain absolute gems (Idolness Of Gods, In the Margins) the first four albums are mandatory for every self respecting alternative rock fan. The only album I really hated was Evergreen.
Ahhhh, Cocteau Twins Week is coming up! I hope you lads agree with music journalist Steve Sutherland that Elizabeth Fraser is "the voice of God." I like all of their albums a lot but would probably place Milk & Kisses and Four Calendar Cafe at the top. Much of the band's best material is found in their seemingly bottomless pit of B-sides and EPs, and so I feel the Cocteaus are a gift that keeps on giving.
Greetings!
Listens within the last 10 hours:
Ocean Rain- 5 stars
Listens within the last 10 years:
Heaven Up Here- 4.5 stars
Crocodiles- 4.5 stars
Amazing sound! That's what I think drives these ratings. Perhaps blinding me to songwriting a bit, but I think Ian sells just about anything.
Saw the Bunnymen many times in the early to mid-80s and their recorded output never matched them live. I lost interest after Porcupine and recently re-evaluated the first three albums and Heaven Up Here stands up well. It’s also worth listening to the John Peel sessions from this era which was released on vinyl a couple of years ago… it captures the Bunnymen sound really well.
All those not very memorable songs on Crocodiles have been lodged in my memory for 42 years.
Stars 🌟 Are Stars 🌟 ..
Glad you are covering more artists from the late 70s early 80s post punk movement. It's my favorite genre of rock. I like Echo but never dug deep into them. Same thing with Cocteau Twins. Hearing your perspective on them will cause me to dig a little further into their discographies.
This is my first video of theirs, and I'm afraid to even touch the Cocteaus video.
Honesty surprised you guys haven’t done The Cure yet
With the “comeback” I think you have to view them as a different band, we often applaud bands for changing styles, why not Echo? Is it because the first 4/5 albums are so iconic? One of the best runs in post punk if not the best?
Ian McCulloch does not sound like Bono dude. Sometimes they sing in similar ways, but their voices sound completely different.
All I can hear is bonomen. - Joe
To me, McCullough sounds like other people more than he sounds like Bono. But I do think there are moments when he sounds like Bono's croonier stuff.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I would argue that Bono sometimes sounds like McCulloch's croonier stuff.
I tend to like quite a few bands from Liverpool outside of the Beatles era bands, the Bunnymen are one of them, The La's, The Coral, OMD, Cast, The Lightning Seeds just to name a few... I first heard the Bunnymen & U2 towards the end of 1980, U2 I took no interest in until 'Joshua Tree' & three albums later had no interest once more but I still think they are OK... The Bunnymen I liked instantly, McCulloch has one of my favourite voices of all time...
01... Ocean Rain 5/5 ... The first five albums albums are obviously the most memorable but Ocean Rain is for me one of the best of the decade...
02... Porcupine 4.5/5...
03... Echo & The Bunnymen 4.5/5...
04... Crocodiles 4.25/5...
05... Heaven Up Here 4.25/5...
06... What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? 4.25/5 ... Not a lot between this and 'Evergreen' but WAYGTDWYL will probably be the key album in my top 10 songs, I don't care if it's boring or lackluster to some, I like it and that counts much more than than any amount critical acclaim...
07... Evergreen 4.25/5...
08... Flowers 3.75/5...
09... Siberia 3.5/5...
10... The Fountain 2.75/5...
11... Meteorites 2.5/5...
12... Reverberation 2.5/5 ... Not a bad album but at times I don't get along with the song writing, Ian is definitely a huge miss ... McCulloch's solo outings 'Candleland', 'Mysterio' & 'Slideling' are all better in my opinion and if ranked on this list would slot nicely in the middle section,1 or 2 of the songs would also feature in my top 10...
13... The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon 2.25/5... Sadly Ian's voice is not what it once was, I seem to remember reading that he wished he had packed up smoking early in his career, if his voice would have lasted a few more years, I wish he had...
Like R.E.M., this is a band that has only existed in the 1980s for me. They’re still a top 25 band of that decade (around 18th or 19th overall).
1. Ocean Rain (5 stars; #21 in my top 200 albums of the 80s)
2. Porcupine (4.5; #63)
3. Heaven Up Here (4.5; #158)
4. Crocodiles (4)
5. Self-Titled (4)
I hadn’t bothered to check out anything beyond the 80s based on what I had read about them…and after checking out that material, I regret nothing. I would perhaps only return to my #6 pick, and those bottom 4 are all quite awful.
6. Flowers (3.5 stars; the only one of these post-80s albums that had anything interesting going on sonically; I like the prog-pastoral vibe)
7. Siberia (3)
8. Evergreen (3)
9. The Fountain (3)
10. The Stars, the Oceans and the Moon (2.5; does a great job of showing all that they’ve lost as a band since the 80s!)
11. Meteorites (2.5)
12. What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (2; absolutely boring and devoid of anything interesting; would be scored lower if it was longer than 38 minutes)
13. Reverberation (1.5; total fiasco; one of the biggest drop-offs in songwriting quality that I have ever heard)
Now my experience was hearing a newer live album called "Me, I'm All Smiles" and hearing the hits with Ian's new, mature, raspy voice and loving those hits even more, while also hearing stuff from the reunion albums. That was what made check out the reunion stuff and I found it all really good and like Jason and Kramzer I really enjoyed WAYGDWYL. Which then lead me to B-sides and acousic stuff post reunions and found some of my favorite tracks. Then I explored Ian's solo stuff, some decent stuff there but the standout to me was the album "Holy Ghosts" a re-imagining of the hits but recorded in a church with full orchestra. Kram and Jason might actually really enjoy that.
Jason pretty much had the experience I wanted him to have. And yes De Freitas used a lot of brush drumming throughout Ocean Rain. And "What if we are?" off of Siberia needs to be somebody's wedding song.
Having said that, I have NO IDEA how I would feel about this band or rank their albums if I had to listen to 13 of their albums in a row as my first experience.
Glad you guys finally got around to doing the Bunnymen! Looking forward to the Cocteau Twins, should be interesting. Now if you guys can find it in your hearts to do New Order and OMD things will be PURRRRRFECT!
I thought reverberation would have been considered a better record if it wasn’t under the bunnymen name.
I acquired the first five album as they were released, reignited my interest when Siberia was released, then went back to hear what I had missed. I loved those first four albums. At the time, the self-titled album was seen by much of the post-punk/new wave crowd as the equivalent of The Psychedelic Furs’ Midnight to Midnight; that is, a commercial sell out. In hindsight, I recognize that as an overreaction and quite like the album now. I finally saw E&TB live in 2017 at the PNE in Vancouver with Violent Femmes in the support slot. That Echo show remains the best sounding outdoor gig I’ve ever attended. The spotlights failed so the band played in a wash of backlit misty blue and green light, which actually added to the mood. Good stuff!
1) Ocean Rain
2) Crocodiles
3) Porcupine
4) Heaven Up Here
5) Echo & The Bunnymen
6) What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?
7) Siberia
8) Evergreen
9) Meteorites
10) Flowers
11) The Fountain
12) Reverberation
13) The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon
P.S. I do not hear the Bono thing discussed here. I have always heard a straight line from the baritone of Jim Morrison to Iggy Pop to Ian Curtis to Ian McCulloch.
Halfway through this, I can’t comprehent how Joe hears any Bono or even Ian Curtis in Ian’s vocals. It sounds like totally different worlds to me.
Honestly if you can’t hear Bono I have to question your hearing. - Joe
Whatever similarities you’re hearing I chalk it up to coincidence.
Take Heaven Up Here, recorded in a period in which Bono doesn’t even sound like Bono yet…
To me Ian has much more of a throaty sound.
I’m sure he got his influences, but above all it’s pretty much his own thing.
Joe’s actually pretty hilarious when he’s not ripping on an oddball band or musician I like, like Tom Waits. Here’s to Joe taking down at least 1 indie outfit a month.
So much good stuff coming out of Liverpool in the early '80s! My big brother had a huge influence on my music taste, from Queen to Echo and the Bunnymen, so my interest in EatB waned after he left home in the mid 80s. They piqued my interest again in ’97 with Evergreen though but I must admit, I don’t know their most recent stuff, so had a quick delve this week!
From worse to best, here goes:
The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon (2018)
Siberia (2005)
Reverberation (1990)
The Fountain (2009)
Meteorites (2014)
What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999)
Flowers (2001)
Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
Heaven Up Here (1981)
Crocodiles (1980)
Evergreen (1997)
Ocean Rain (1984)
Porcupine (1983)
Haven't had the chance to watch the vid yet, so will be interesting to see what you guys bring to the table 😃
Cheers!
Hello Lou! I thought Evergreen was a great comeback album for the band.
@@NaughtyVampireGod Yeah me too! Kram needs to give his head a wobble 🤣 (joking Kramzer 😉)
hi matey!!!!you hate my album lol!! Its all good !!! luv your list , as always!! Songs later will be fun!!! more fun than my stupid bengals lol Up the 'ammers friend!! 🐯🐯⚒⚒
@@bengalgangster I don’t hate it as such as it’s just not a fave 😜 🇬🇧🇺🇸
@@bengalgangster oh and up the ‘ammers and who dey who dey! ⚒⚒🐯🐯
Kram - I heard Freak Genes - Strong 4.5!! At first it sort of hits you right in the head and I thought it would be another SASAMI situation (their new album I heard this year and it was the most inconsistent listen ever)
This is not that- there’s something very unique here, it’s industrial and gritty yet new wavey and futuristic in a bright way … like an 80s band who saw the future and then went back in time and reimagined the future- this is not inconsistent , there’s an odd cohesion about this one- thanks for the suggestion!
Currently standing in top ten at ten - that’s in a pool of 119!!
i wonder for the sake of theorizing whether a producer like martin hannett (joy division, new order, happy mondays) might not have added greater depth to an introduction like crocodiles. a stable first outing for the band. songs are a bit sparse and nebulous but it brands their sound to a varying extent. their first five are usually what connects with their audience but i think much of that had to with the drumming proficiency of pete de freitas who would die the year before reverberations. e&bm was certainly worthy of your introspections. cheers
"Even after....errr...what's his name passed away....", says Kramzer, and nether of the others can help him out... Maybe it might help to write down the names of the band members? He's only referring to the late great Pete de Freitas, The Bunnymen's original drummer. A great drummer who's natural musicianship was integral to the Bunnymen sound. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. He was 27 and had a wife and a baby daughter. He played with the Bunnymen for a decade and on their first 5 albums. Their best work. Such a lack of enthusiasm here for some of the greatest music from one of the world's most iconic bands of the 80's.
If Kramzer can’t remember the name of the drummer for the band he picked for his special month that’s on him. - Joe
It was edited out you chump
I recommend the discography of The Church for many hidden gems in their 40+-year catalogue- the “problem” is, the albums tend to be growers, and this format doesn’t seem to lend itself to those... actually, come to think of it, almost all my favorite albums of all time were growers
I love The Church as much as I love EATB but the first sounds like a cover band since Willson-Piper and Koppes left ... Kilbey is a very interesting person but he can't erase from history the original line up. There will never be another drummer as good for The Church as Ploogy.
Love this video. Probably my favourite band so I was annoyed by Joe but then had a complete coin flip when his top two were the same as mine. The three of you work so well together, such a good mix of opinions.
Kram, you long ago solidified your place as the sensible and tasteful icon atop the TLM totem pole.
Point to Joe, though, for his use of "hackneyed"
Well, half point.
Joe's "man of the people" title might be slip sliding away. The UK audience certainly will have none of this Bunnymen bashing.
These top 3 though.. 🤷♂️ i've played them hundreds of times seperately over the years, so this week it was hard to rank them
1. Porcupine 5☆
2. Ocean Rain 5☆
3. Heaven Up Here 5☆
4. Echo & the Bunnymen 4☆
5. Crocodiles 4☆
6. What are you going to do with your life
7. Siberia
8. Meteorites
9. Flowers
10. The Fountain
11. Evergreen
12. The Stars the ocean and the moon
13. Reverberation
Also with Jason that McCulloch’s lyrics are a thousand times better this century than anything Bono musters up.
Eh it’s probably a draw. - Joe
I just listened to porcupine and the lyrics were not good
Not many lovers of the electrafixion album "burned" out there.. ? Hair slicked back and all that jazz.
Great album. Powerful sound
5-star album for me.
The one I have been waiting for, oh yes indeed 👏
Having lived through what I prefer to call 'new wave' (as opposed to Joe's post-punk) era, I bought both Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here and later, Ocean Rain. I feel I sit somewhere in between Kramzer/Jason and Joe. Kramzer loves the moody, indie cred (as I do), Joe can't stand it but appreciates good musicianship and Jason loves songwriting and production. Crocodiles has the indie cred, Heaven Up Here has it too with better songwriting and Ocean Rain is more polished. After this, Ian McCullough really got into crooning (it was remarked about at the time) and for that reason, I would put Heaven Up Here above Ocean Rain for its urgency though, as Kramzer and Jason say, Ocean Rain does have an atmosphere about it. I just feel the move from a guitar-based album to an album laden with strings and McCullough's crooning a bit too much to take.
I don't know where that puts me. I don't quite have the scorn that Joe has for them but I would agree that after 1987 they became pretty irrelevant but their first four albums had merit - Porcupine, Crocodiles and Ocean Rain all at 4 stars and Heaven Up Here 4 and a half. Joe's comparison with Bono is interesting. I never noticed it myself. U2 certainly had more substance and songwriting strength than the Bunnymen. A major artist for their time but it was shortlived.
Just a note to Joe (and a nod to Kramzer) and I know I've mentioned this before but the UK music scene was very different to the US at this time. Punk ushered in an unending stream of 'new wave' artists (of which the Bunnymen were just one) in the post-1977 years in the UK whilst the US was still listening to disco, prog leftovers, bombastic rock bands with big hair. Most of us thought it was a joke. But, of course, the opposite point of view is all this post-punk stuff from the UK is so dreary, monotonous and depressing. Well, at least it was real. And the artists were relatable. By comparison, the US music scene in the 1980s was so bland it was like another planet. It took the Pixies and Nirvana to come along and shake things up. I guess the post-Nirvana years of grunge were like America's punk.
I guess we have to expect more of the same with The Cocteau Twins (who I would place higher than the Bunnymen) - Joe's derision of what he hears as dirge-like post-punk, Kramzer eulogising quite rightly over another stellar indie artist and Jason bemused by the lack of songwriting. But we shall see. Enjoy.
For the first half of the 80s Echo and the Bunnymen had inherent swing which U2 lacked. U2 had to go out of their way to change their style with Rattle and Hum, which was an unsubtle attempt to introduce roll to their rock. They finally succeeded with Achtung Baby which is of course, a great record. Almost as good as Ocean Rain.
Achtung Baby is not rock and roll at all. Its weird and European. It’s their least rock and roll album (until pop and Zooropa, anyway). - Joe
Joe, I can agree that it is their least "rock" record prior to Z and P, in the sense that they veered some from their successful, more or less unidimensional classic rock based sound (a lot of which I still like after 40+ years) toward "weirder" danceable music. Hence the added swing, or the "roll" in rock and roll. Thanks for the exchange!
Love echo and the bunneymen magical vibe to them
First 5 albums, all great…OR is a 5 star record, pretty much perfect. Would be top 10 80s album. I also liked What Are You Going To Do…album, beautiful songwriting, gorgeous lush recording and McCulloch sounds amazing in a crooning style. The rest I am kind of take or leave it really, with some moments here and there.
Just gonna shamelessly drop my top ten of the year now
1. Ghost- Impera - 5 stars (10)
2. Prince Daddy and The Hyena - Prince Daddy and the Hyena- 5 stars (10)
3. Sharon Van Eton - We’ve Been Going About this all Wrong - 5 stars (9.9)
4. Jack White - Fear of the Dawn 5 stars (9.8)
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs -Cool it Down -5 stars (9.7)
6. Midnight Oil - Resist … 5 stars (9.6)
7. Elvis Costello - Boy Named If 5 stars (9.6)
8. TMV- TMV - 4.5 stars (9.5)
9. Junatime- Remember the Magic - 4.5 stars (9.3)
10. Freak Genes - Hologram 4.5 stars (9.3)
I think maybe Jason overconsidered the production on Crocodiles when he placed it so low.
I think it's unfair to talk about Bono here. As I recall it, Echo & the Bunnymen's sound heavily influenced U2, not the other way round. Echo were a much better band back in the early 80s, and had a much richer sonic tapestry. Heaven Up Here is, for me, the best album of the period. I also think they kind of invented indie - the use of guitars so prominently was unusual in the early 80s. Saw them on the HUH tour, Brighton 1981 - utterly superb live.
I don’t think either we’re that influenced by either but Ian’s voice came to sound a lot like Bono after 1980. - Joe
True - higher register particularly. I think your placing of Heaven up here at 1 is spot on. I lost interest a bit after that album.
Echos first album came out in july of 80 and U2 in october therefore Joe , bono sounds like Ian :)
Nope . Ian doesn’t really start sounding like Bono until Heaven and Porcupine. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic released 5 months before october. Which makes Ian the Chicken and bono the egg :) And heaven up here is a better sophomore effort and i agree … their best . Besides almost giving me an aneurism with the Bono smack, it was still a great ep.
I've just listened to their whole discography like a month ago!
First time watching you guys, loved the format, love the subject of choice (which is how I found this), and so far Kram is my man, in exact alignment with me on the top 5. Will be interesting to see whether that holds for the rest of the list as I'm not yet familiar with the later records. And look forward to see whether this holds for other bands, and to getting put on to some new bands. Thanks!
Welcome!
Ocean Rain is the only one I’ve heard all the way through so far, epic album. Although Thorn of Crowns threw me for a loop, very strange song but very cool. Always have thought The Killing Moon is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard.
One of my favourite bands since the early 80s , 1.Ocean Rain , 2.Heaven Up Here , 3.Porcupine 4.Crocodiles , 5.Echo & The Bunnymen ( self titled ) 6.What Are You Gonna Do With You're Life , 7.Evergreen , 8.Siberia , 9.Flowers , 10 . Electrafiction ( almost a Bunnymen album ) 11.The Fountain , 12.Metorites 13.Reverberation ( decent but only Echo & The Bunnymen by name , side project ) 14.The Stars ( harmless , take it or leave it ) ,,,Songs To Learn And Sing comp and Crystal Days box are essential as is the BBC sessions CD
Was not expecting Bono to get as many mentions as he did, in this vid!
1. Ocean Rain
2. Heaven Up Here
3. Crocodiles
4. Porcupine
5. Echo & The Bunnymen
I need some homework on the following albums. And I don't own them all. I'm a first period fan. I have the Crystal Days box, some comps and The Peel Sessions too.
I think it would be cool to hear a breakdown of your audio systems and listening environments.
Imagine me listening to headphones at work. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Hmm, maybe not such a good idea then? What about Jason and Kramz?
In my home office I use a pair of HiFiMan Sundara planar magnetic headphones fed by a Gilmore Lite amp through a Behringer FBQ800 to tame the 2K and 4K ranges just a bit. A good chunk of my listening is to CDs on a Marantz CD5001. Sounds pretty decent.
If I need isolation I use Audio-Technica ATH-M50s.
If I can use speakers I do that, which are Emotiva Airmotiv 5s in a very close nearfield setup but off to the sides rather than in front. These are ten years old but I'm still amazed by how crystal clear they are, how three-dimensional their soundstage is, and how tight and taut the bass is in my working position. These give me eargasms. Today I was listening to the Pure Reason Revolution album Eupnea and was just blown away.
Our living room / theater system is in flux. We've got Emotiva Stealth 8s and dual 10" sealed subs, but one of the Stealths is failing, and I'm thinking of going bigger on the subs, like triple 12" Rythmik sealed servo subs. So we'll be replacing everything soon, but I'm mostly into active / powered mains, so I'm not exactly sure. We've thought about the Edifier S3000 Pros or the KEF LS50 actives, but I'm still looking.
"dullness is worse than badness".. .the wisdom of Joe.... reminds me of the quote "the only thing worse than pretentious poetry is unpretentious poetry"
I'm enjoying you guys' videos in the UK. I'm trying to work out which states(s) you guys are in from your accents. I believe you were all at school together, so I guess all more or less from the same place. I'm thinking Northeast... am I anywhere near?
PA. Pittsburgh specifically. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Kind of on the northeast/midwest border, no? Mid-atlantic?
Will you guys be doing The Cure again at some point? I’d really enjoy that.
12. Reverberation (1990) 2/5
11. Evergreen (1997) 2/5
10. The Fountain (2009) 2.5/5
9. Siberia (2005) 2.5/5
8. Echo & The Bunnymen (1987) 2.5/5
7. What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? (1999) 3/5
6. Flowers (2001) 3/5
5. Meteorites (2014) 3/5
4. Crocodiles (1980) 3.5/5
3. Heaven Up Here (1981) 4/5
2. Porcupine (1983) 4.5/5
1. Ocean Rain (1984) 5/5
You're even harder on the 1987 self-titled LP than I was. Makes me feel like I'm not such an outlier. Ocean Rain, FTW. Nice list.
I know whats been nagging at my bones. The best song for me is Never Stop. Jason taking about Ocean Rain made me think of it. Looking forward to Cocteau Twins.
Would love to see you guys cover The Fall discography. That is over 25 albums dudes. You would probably have to do a four hour video on The Fall. I can totally see the guy at the bottom of the screen lose his mind over that one. I think the guys at the top of the screen should do it just to drive Joe mad, heck he might even go on strike during the video. If tastes like music decides to tackle them, I wish you the best of luck. I'd suggest giving their singles compilation 458489 A Sides LP a spin first just to see if you'll be so inclined.
Why do you hate me. - Joe
Joe baby, hate is way too strong of a word. I do not.
McCulloch's recipe was very simple: stay on the surface but give the impression of being dark and brooding. They took a little bit of everyone original around them (as the 70s turned into the 80s) for their generic stew and mixed it with good-old Jim Morrison, a formula that worked before them and worked afterwards just as well. Masters of the big bloated nothing and taken as that, they are (sometimes) entertaining.
But like with all one-trick ponies, an album is always too long and reveals their weaknesses halfway through. Background music for an 80s movie, void of any personality or real highlights. One consequence of their approach is that McCulloch and Sergeant can go on this way forever...
11. What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? 1,5 (They always have been utmost generic in their genre but here they turn to another level - completely generic pop cliches.)
10. Flowers 2,0 (Jim Morrison falls asleep on the opening track but somehow mumbles through another 40 minutes...but to whom?)
9. Ocean Rain 2,0 (This is their most original album and reveals their ambitions even if they bit off more than they could chew. While the A side fails to recreate Forever Changes, the B Side is all hollow posing that no amount of strings can fill with meaning.)
8. The Fountain 3,0
7. Evergreen 3,0
6. Meteorites 3,0
5. Echo & The Bunnymen 1987 3,0
4. Siberia 3,5
3. Porcupine 3,5
2. Crocodiles 3,5
1. Heaven Up Here 3,5
And they covered a Doors song . . 😎
"Echo & The Bono-Men"... that just made my day. 😂
Brilliant band awesome, engaging video lad's.
Having been listening to Echo for over 30 years I was wondering how the group would describe each lp. Kram and Jason did a masterful job. Joe not so much and no Mac doesn’t sound like Bono.
That’s willful ignorance to suggest they don’t sound similar. - Joe
Echo debut Crocodiles was released on 7/18/80 U2 debut Boy was released on 10/20/80 Mac must have been Nostradamus to anticipate Bono’s voice
BTW love u Joe love the channel👍
Suggestion.., two classic Aussie groups.., why don't you take on The Church and The Saints, two local groups for me. Interested in your take on these would be interesting from an American point of view?
the guy at the bottom of the screen really should have sat this one out. Did not know they made a record without McCullogh. That is insane! I would never ever ever listen to that thing. I only saw them live once when they did an Ocean Rain show for its anniversary a few years back at Radio City Music Hall with a live orchestra. It was unbelievable. People in the audience were actually in tears over how amazing they sounded when they played the entire album in order. First half of the show was a survey of various songs from different albums and his voice was not so good, but when they took a short break and returned for Ocean Rain, he became transformed and his voice returned. It was a truly magical concert.
I would if I could have. - Joe
I saw that tour in Austin. Get this, it was cloudy and ready to rain the entire concert, the venue was outdoors. When they played "the Killing Moon" the clouds parted and a full moon was on display. Then it began to rain during the encore of "Ocean Rain."
@@gino88 was there an orchestra with them for that show? Not sure if they were accompanied by them through that entire anniversary tour. I bet it sounded great outdoors.
@@J.A.1969 They only had a few local dtring musicians, but not a full orchestra.
I love it when opinion is divided on a band's catalogue. in college, I dated a woman who was obsessed with Ultravox (Midge Ure era only) and Echo & the Bunnymen. I couldn't really get into them then, but I recently went back and re-listened to their pre-90s records. I think Heaven Up Here is a great record. I'm not that into any of the others. I get what Joe is saying about McCullough sounding like Bono-both tend to wail and moan, but I appreciate McCullough more. and the Jim Morrison comparison feels forced due to E&tB covering "People Are Strange" on The Lost Boys soundtrack. at their essence, I feel like they were a psych band disguised as post-punk. Julian Cope's band Teardrop Explodes were very similar in that sense. Echo & the Bunnymen are a band I can like but not love.
they came out before u2
I'm glad I found this video, the bunnymen are one of my top 5 favorite bands. I'm from Argentina and I have all their albums, or almost all of them, I don't have Reverberation, but it's hard for me to consider it one of their albums. Besides, I don't like that album, Burke's voice and even a certain sound on the album sounds more like the Smiths than the bunnymen to me. And I didn't buy the last one either, which I don't consider an album in itself, rather it's a compilation of versions. For me the last album as such is Meteorites. Finally, I consider Electrafixion as another bunnymen album, since it has its two main members as in almost all of its second stage, and at the same time it seems to me to be a fantastic album. but hey, I won't include it in my personal ranking because it's not a bunnymen album in itself and I would also have a hard time where in the ranking to place it. For me, Ian is a wonderful singer, my favorite, I also love his way of singing since the reunion, more poised. The two stages of the band are obviously different and I like both.
1- Porcupine 5/5
2- Heaven up here 5/5
3- Ocean rain 5/5
4- Crocodiles 4.5
5- Siberia 4.5
6- Evergreen 4.5
7- whats are you going to with your life 4
8- Meteorites 4
9- Homonym 4
10- The fountain 3.5
11- Flowers 3.5
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi guys, I used to listen to Echo and the Bunnymen back in the 80', I liked them but I preferred Prefab Sprout and Simple Minds, as far as as Echo are concerned my table would be 1) Ocean Rain 2) Crocodile 3) Heaven up there 4) Crocodile 5) self-titled. I've never listened to the others
Hi Jason and kramzer it's echo and the bunnymen all the way today, l had a look in the record shop and for 12.99 a box set 5 cds crocodiles, heaven up here, porcupine, ocean rain, echo and the bunnymen, got it a bargain down to you guys, going to watch video again couldn't give you shot out Joe as you was a bit lukewarm about this band nevermind.
Huge Echo Fan. I like "Live in Liverpool" because they sound so fucking good live. Great job!!
13) The Fountain (2009) 2.75/5
12) The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon (2018) 3/5
11) Siberia (2005) 3.25/5
10) Flowers (2001) 3.5/5
09) Meteorites (2014) 3.5/5
08) What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999) 4/5
07) Evergreen (1997) 4.25/5
06) Reverberation (1990) 4.5/5
05) Echo & the Bunnymen (1987) 4.5/5
04) Porcupine (1983) 5/5
03) Crocodiles (1980) 5/5
02) Heaven Up Here (1981) 5/5
01) Ocean Rain (1984) 5/5
Ratings Scale:
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - pretty bad
2 stars - fair
2.5 stars - meh
2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it."
3 stars - OK/decent
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
4 stars - very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - god gold
Chronological Order:
1980 - 5.00 - Crocodiles
1981 - 5.00 - Heaven Up Here
1983 - 5.00 - Porcupine
1984 - 5.00 - Ocean Rain
1987 - 4.50 - Echo & the Bunnymen
1990 - 4.50 - Reverberation
1997 - 4.25 - Evergreen
1999 - 4.00 - What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?
2001 - 3.50 - Flowers
2005 - 3.25 - Siberia
2009 - 2.75 - The Fountain
2014 - 3.50 - Meteorites
2018 - 3.00 - The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon
Notes:
* I got the singles compilation Songs to Learn and Sing on vinyl when I was 15, soon after it came out in 1985. I played the hell out of that thing. A few years later I picked up their self-titled album on cassette which was huge for me my Senior year. Later I got most of their earlier albums on CD. I've never seen them live but I think my adoration for them qualifies me as a Bunnyhead.
* The main appeal is surely Ian McCulloch's gorgeous croon, but also Will Sergeant's stellar post-punk guitar playing and Les Pattinson's spiraling bass lines. Pete de Freitas' drumming was integral to their sound as well. He was a busy drummer who played with a lot of action on the toms. He aspired to play like Budgie of Siouxsie & the Banshees whom he admired.
* Over the course of their career, they made use of orchestras quite often and effectively.
* The lyrics are poetic but typically just deepities that sound deep but don't really mean anything. Later in their career the lyrics became more straightforward and centered on relationships which seems to be a common direction for rock bands as they age.
* For the debut, I considered the American version which contains two extra tracks including "Do It Clean," a great song likely inspired by "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," made popular by the Monkees.
* Heaven Up Here gets a bit darker and moodier. There's some Future Days-era Can influence in there.
* Porcupine takes things up a notch with "The Cutter" and "The Back of Love," assisted on those tracks and the whole album by renowned Indian violinist and string player Shankar.
* Ocean Rain is surely their masterpiece; I rate nearly every song 5-stars.
* The self-titled album felt like kind of a sellout at the time, although that didn't really inhibit my appreciation of it. I was under the vague impression that when bands named albums after themselves, they were trying to reach a wider audience and sell more records. "Lips Like Sugar" was certainly a big hit where I lived. Robert Smith referred to them as a "dreadful band" at this point, having sung their praises in the past. They did clean up their sound, ditching orchestra in favor of keyboards. Ray Manzarek contributes some fantastic keys on "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo," while "Blue Blue Ocean" reminds one of the band ABC.
* After that, Ian left for a solo career and the rest of the band brought in Noel Burke to sing on the album Reverberation. I had this on tape back in the day and thought it was pretty good, but listening back for this project I found it to actually be fantastic. The album gets shit on a lot, but mainly because of ill will from McCulloch loyalists. Sadly, they lost Pete de Freitas who died in a motorcycle accident on his way to their first rehearsal with Burke.
* In 1994, Ian and Will began working together again under the name Electrafixion and put out an album called Burned (5 stars!) which is basically heavy Echo. It's fucking great.
* Fan pressure convinced them to bring back Echo & the Bunnymen and Evergreen was released in 1997. There's some great stuff on the album, although Pete is sorely missed. I don't appreciate the "God and Jesus" stuff on the opening track but "I Want to Be There (When You Come)" always manages to crack me up inside (I want to be there when you squirt/ejaculate). Must be the kid in me.
* What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? is a much more mellow album with horns and orchestra. "Get in the Car" sounds like a Soul track. A worthy different direction for the band.
* They sound maybe a bit tired on Flowers, but the album has a punchy, occasionally trippy production. There are some exquisite watery guitar tones on this one and what sounds like a theramin on the title track.
* Siberia has some good songs but it's borderline generic Echo - not too exciting. The original rhythm section is long gone and what we get in its place is pretty conventional. There's some nice Spanish flavor on the title track, but only "Scissors in the Sand" has any edge to it. The lyrics are rather lazy.
* The Fountain is their worst, least inspired album, with more lazy lyrics. By this point, if "ocean" is mentioned, "sea" is not far behind.
* Meteorites is a good, not great album. I was too high on it when it came out, giving it 5 stars on Amazon. I think I was just high period.
* The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon is mostly a collection of inferior versions of Echo classics that serve little purpose other than exposing the fact that McCulloch's voice isn't what it used to be. The two new songs don't turn me on much.
* Unfortunately, an inferior version of the single "Never Stop" appears on Songs to Learn and Sing on streaming services. On official Echo TH-cam, the original version is mislabeled the "discotheque" version by mistake - they got switched.
* I love Echo & the Bunnymen to this day and always will!
* Cheers mates!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good job! I'm kind of on Robert Smith's side regarding the 1987 self-titled album. Most of it doesn't do anything for me. We got the same #1, tho! 🤜🤛
A nice breakdown and I share many of your sentiments... I totally agreed with Robert Smiths remarks at the time but I like to think that Smith like myself looks at it a little more favorably these days....
@@aleksandarfrick2656 Rich always delivers a fantastic summary. In this case I believe the Bunnymen are a top 10 band for him (Rich? yeah?)
I like Flowers much more than most here. Rather than tired, i think the band sounds energized. I appreciate them getting back into psyche. A song from Flowers will be on my top 10 and actually was my 2001 SOTY. 🙃
I wonder why Do It Clean was omitted from the UK album?? Doesn't appear to have been released as a single. i did not consider it for my album rating/ranking because I prefer to go w the original UK version (if it's a UK band). No "right" method. I just do this for consistency . .
@@aleksandarfrick2656 Just true to their own "tastes" 😀. Nice that you got the generation correct. (They aren't millenials.)
Love Echo, Love the Fountain, Forgotten Fields one of my favorite songs by the band,
K’s Human Centipede comment really had me buggin’ 😮
01 Crocodiles
02 Ocean Rain
03 Porcupine
04 Heaven Up Here
05 Echo & the Bunnymen
06 Evergreen
07 What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?
08 The Fountain
09 Reverberation
10 Siberia
11 The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon
12 Flowers
13 Meteorites
The Bunnymen and U2 are exact contemporaries. To insinuate that McCulloch has somehow been aping Bono is ridiculous.
Seems like it got more and more pronounced the more famous U2 got… just kidding. Kind of. - Joe
"echo and the bonomen" lol 😅🤣😂 my favorite album is " heaven up here" , the second is " crocodiles " and third is "ocean rain " - i don't like de production of " porcupine" so messy - the 1987 album is great but it was a rock-fm production- the albums in the 90's are good , " What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? " is the best from that period-the 2000 albums are correct but the album " The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon " is a waste of time-it's one of albums album that is not in my collection ( "reverbaration " i must listen to another time , and "electrafixion" -the same )- great video guys !!!!!!!!!!
heaven up here > porcupine > crocodiles > bangles - all over the place > ocean rain
Heard The Comsat Angels or Wasted Youth?
Sleep No More .. Best Album Of 1981 & Fiction is amazing. I have Wild & Wondering by Wasted Youth .. Cool record .. Maybe We'll Die With Them