A popular misconception is that the ‘Echo’ in Echo & The Bunnymen was the name of the drum machine used when they started out. Guitarist Will Sergeant explained: “We had this mate who kept suggesting all these names like The Daz Men, or Glycerol And The Fan Extractors. Echo & The Bunnymen was one of them. I thought it was just as stupid as the rest.” Endelman, Michael (5 March 2004). "Crocodiles". Entertainment Weekly. No.754 . Retrieved 5 May 2010. Echo & The Bunnymen's 'Bright And Beautiful' Pete De Freitas Remembered". Mojo. 28 May 2014 . Retrieved 15 February 2023.

Children of Nuggets : Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1995 CD 3-CD 4 V.A (1) Fast-forward a year to what is arguably Echo & The Bunnymen’s magnum opus, Ocean Rain – indeed, the promo campaign was anchored by a quote from McCulloch, never a master of the understatement, describing it as “the greatest album ever made”. Most of it was recorded with a 35-piece orchestra in Paris, augmented by further sessions in Liverpool and Bath. In December 2010, Echo & the Bunnymen went on tour playing their first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here in their entirety. [40]Terich, Jeff (2 July 2015). "10 Essential Neo-Psychedelia Albums". Treble . Retrieved 24 April 2020.

McCulloch claimed Porcupine was “a classic autobiographical album, the most honest thing that I’d ever written or sung”. It’s all about the irresistible chemistry between McCulloch and the camera. By the end, we’ve been transported from the sound studio to a garish set straight out of Star Trek, where the Bunnymen are hunted by a couple of women in lurid space suits. Who said they don’t have a sense of humour? Want more from Classic Pop? Try a print or digital subscription for just 99p and access our exclusive perks and benefits. Find out more here. Of course, it's not as straightforward as its two predecessors, 1980's Crocodiles and 1981's Heaven Up Here. The Bunnymen hit the ground running, and their debut album is a stunning statement of purpose, with McCulloch already in full dramatic swing and the band at their most straightforward-- any band that uses as much reverb as this one is hard to label "raw," but "Pride" and "Do It Clean" nonetheless hit hard, and "Rescue", with Sergeant's massive opening riff, manages to turn a chorus that should sound like a plea into a rallying cry. Heaven Up Here ranges more widely, and makes motions toward the slightly funkier band that turned up on Porcupine on the aptly titled "Show of Strength" and "With a Hip", while also stretching out their theatrical side on the slow-burning, flute-laden "All My Colours" (also frequently referred to as "Zimbo" for McCulloch's weird, droning nonsense refrain).

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a b Cranna, Ian (24 July – 6 August 1980). "Echo & the Bunnymen: Crocodiles". Smash Hits. Vol.2, no.15. p.29. Following the departure of McCulloch and the death of de Freitas, Sergeant and Pattinson assembled a new line-up for the sixth album, featuring ex-St Vitus Dance frontman Noel Burke. Proof, if it were needed, that Mac was indispensable. On their 1978 debut at Eric’s Club in Liverpool, Echo & the Bunnymen played a 20-minute version of Monkeys, which was entitled I Bagsy Yours at the time. In 1994, McCulloch and Sergeant began working together again under the name Electrafixion; [13] in 1997 Pattinson rejoined the duo, meaning the three surviving members of the original Bunnymen line-up were now working together again. Rather than continue as Electrafixion, the trio resurrected the Echo & the Bunnymen name and released the album Evergreen (1997), which reached the UK Top 10. Crocodiles" is the debut album from Echo and the Bunnymen with two songs, "Pictures on My Wall" and "Rescue," on the album previously released as singles. This is quite an album. The music is described as post-punk and neo-psychdelic with imagery of darkness and sorrowfullness. Yes, that's all there. To me, the sound is sort of similar to Joy Division's "Closer" and Gang of Four. The band includes Ian McCulloch (singer), Will Sergeant (guitars), Les Pattinson (bass) and drummer Pete de Freitas whom they added after they signed to a label and were encouraged to add a drummer. One of the first things you notice is how prominent each of the band members are. They all make major to contributions to the songs and album as a whole. McCulloch's lyrics are dark and appear very personal. Given the imagery and personal nature leaves a lot of these songs open for interpretation. The lyrics and music match perfectly creating a great dark and somewhat haunting mood.

The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980 What came out of all this was, arguably, the greatest year for great albums ever". Rolling Stone. 11 November 2020 . Retrieved 12 November 2020. There are references, too, to Hamburg and the Star-Club, where The Beatles served their apprenticeship, and to Corbijn’s native Netherlands, as well as Venice and Morocco. As daft and delightful as the song itself. Echo & the Bunnymen formed in 1978 and originally consisted of Ian McCulloch (lead vocals), Will Sergeant (lead guitar), Les Pattinson (bass) and a drum machine. They released their debut single, "The Pictures on My Wall", in May 1979 on the independent label Zoo Records. The band then signed with WEA subsidiary label Korova and were persuaded to employ a drummer. [4] Pete de Freitas subsequently joined the band, and in early 1980 they recorded their second single, "Rescue". The single was recorded at Eden Studios in London and produced by fellow Liverpudlian and ex-member of Big in Japan Ian Broudie. [5]After they released 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. [8] History [ edit ] Early years [ edit ] Crocodiles is the debut album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 18 July 1980 in the United Kingdom and on 17 December 1980 in the United States. The album reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. " Pictures on My Wall" and " Rescue" had previously been released as singles. Sweeting, Adam (31 October 2003). "Echo and the Bunnymen: Various". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 October 2015. It’s alluding to the present phase of the Great Work, which is an ages-long process of human progress/evolution.” Wonder if Mac knows that? In 2002, the group received the Q Inspiration award. [32] The award is for inspiring "new generations of musicians, songs and music lovers in general." The band were said to be worthy winners as they have done much to promote the Mersey music scene. [33] In a later interview for Magnet magazine, McCulloch said "It validates everything that we've tried to achieve—cool, great timeless music. It's not like an inspiration award affecting the past, it's affecting the current music." [34]