Echo & the Bunnymen
Formed: 1978
Location: Liverpool, England
Genre: Post Punk, New Wave
Years Active: 1979 - 1993; 1996 - 2018
Meaning of the Name: The band joke that Echo is the name of their drum machine. No real meaning beyond that.
Core Members: Ian McCulloch (vocals), Will Sergeant (guitarist)
Way of Working: Led by McCulloch & Sargeant
Associated: The Teardrop Explodes
Essential Releases
Heaven Up Here (1981)
Darkly atmospheric and intense album.
Porcupine (1983)
Moody, experimental, more challenging. Denser, more ornate arrangements.
Ocean Rain (1984)
Considered their magnum opus. Grand, lush, and highly melodic album featuring roaring anthems.
Immersive and enigmatic, Echo & the Bunnymen provide a brooding backdrop from which to explore post-punk. Amidst the sea fog and terraced streets of post-industrial Liverpool, the band emerged in the late-'70s as an outfit that knew some things were best left to the imagination.
The city, a working-class port in the North West of England, sees thousands of ships berth each year. In such a place, there's a heaving sense of life, its comings and goings mimicking the tide. The strangers on the shore take new forms, which is reflected in Echo & the Bunnymen's lyrical ambiguity, an artistic choice that creates mystery by failing to provide easy answers.
People disembark at the docks, hoping their pasts have been cleansed by the sea so they can start anew. There's a sense of possibility found walking past the fresh faces as they trade in their secrets for their dreams.
The music of Echo & the Bunnymen was forged by such a setting. Will Sergeant's psychedelic guitar textures evoke the nighttime air as the ships pull in. The band wore trench coats, especially in their early days, and had an unanswered question surrounding them that invited a closer look.
Their first four album covers feature the group posed in extreme long shot, far from the camera, even silhouetted, as on Heaven Up Here, in an effort to maintain their mystique and posit themselves as part of the environment. On Crocodiles, it's woods; Porcupine, frozen rocks; and Ocean Rain, an underground pool.
Their music is characterised by broad, sweeping emotions, poetic lyrics, and sombre existential musings that grapple with big questions. For instance, "Am I the happy loss? Will I still recoil when the skin is lost? Am I the worthy cross? Will I still be soiled when the dirt is off?" asks 'The Cutter', in a rallying cry against the constraints of conformity that still leaves room for interpretation.
This epic sense of melodrama appealed to fans of gothic rock, new wave, and post-punk alike, leading to critical and commercial success for the Bunnymen in their native England throughout the '80s. If you're ready to explore a band that perfected atmosphere and introspection, their discography is a good place to start.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
80
Mental Impact
60
Originality
70
Artistry
80
Authenticity
40
Live
80
Production
70
Musicianship
80
Singing
85
Songwriting
85
Danceability
60
Fun
40
Consistency
70
Range
60
Cool
60
Charisma
45
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications >>>
- Crocodiles: Gold in UK
- Porcupine: Gold in UK
- Ocean Rain: Gold in UK
- Echo & the Bunnymen: Silver in UK
- Evergreen: Gold in UK
Charts >>>
- Porcupine: #2 in UK
- Ocean Rain: #4 in UK
- Echo & the Bunnymen: #4 in UK
Critics >>>
- Melody Maker: Porcupine - Best Albums of the 1983: #7
- NME: Crocodiles - Best Albums of the '80s: #28
- NME: Heaven Up Here - Best Albums of the All Time: #51
CRITICISM
- McCulloch said U2 would have been "laughed out of the place" if they were from Liverpool. He's also described Bono was "cunt" several times, as well as a "gibbering, leprechaunish twat."
