I was gifted a piece of artwork called "My 90's Tapes" by an artist named Jeff Klarin (https://www.bughouse.com/wall-of-sounds/choose-a-tape-collection-print. It looks like one of my own collections at that time, a mix of rock/classic rock, pop, new wave, punk, dance, heavy metal and soundtracks. I decided to use this artwork as a writing prompt to review all 115 albums pictured and share some personal anecdotes along the way. Consider this me dipping my toe back into the Basem*nt Songs pool.
Column 1, Row 7: Echo & The Bunnymen, Echo & The Bunnymen
The latter part of the 1980s saw several of the founding bands of what would become know as alternative achieve mainstream success. U2 and INXS were the prime winners of the race, but The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Simple Minds and R.E.M. all had significant radio hits between 1986 and 1989. I could include Depeche Mode, but I feel that their crossover popularity really happened after their 1990 smash, Violator. Echo & The Bunnymen seemed poised for their own breakthrough, as well. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" from their singles collection, Songs to Learn & Sing, was included in the John Hughes produced hit film, Pretty in Pink, and their cover of the Doors' "People Are Strange" from The Lost Boys soundtrack gained them AOR traction. 1987 should have been their year.
One listen to Songs to Learn & Sing and you'll hear that this was a band ahead of its time both in melodic and lyrical themes, as well as production aesthetics. On Echo & The Bunneymen (1987), the band, which consisted of lead singer, guitarist Ian McCulloch, lead guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson, and drummer Pete de Freitas, appear to be chasing the same slick, 80s sound that producer Chris Thomas perfected with INXS, as well as the big drum sound mix Jimmy Iovine brought to Simple Minds' Once Upon a Time and The Pretenders' Get Close. It makes for an interesting choice, and I would say thatEcho & The Bunnymen is a fine introduction to the band's dreamy dark wave music.
However, while the single from the album, "Lips Like Sugar" was a moderate hit, and remains a staple on classic new wave stations, the general public didn't latch on to this band the way they did their new wave peers. I can't explain why radio didn't embrace Echo & The Bunnymen or the band itself. I was an avid AOR kid back in the 80s, so alternative bands had to jockey for radio time between Bon Jovi and Mellencamp, and the rising tide of hair metal bands. Perhaps the program directors at the time only had so many slots for moody English bands so Echo & The Bunnymen lost out. A shame.
The album opens with "The Game," a poetic reflection on the dissolution of a relationship. This was the first single from the album, released in the summer of '87. It carries the hallmarks of Echo & The Bunnymen, including a chiming guitar solo from Will Sergeant. It's quickly followed by the similar sounding, "Over You." The third track, "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" switches things up with drummer de Freitas using brushes for this funky number. I'm a sucker for brushes, especially on pop songs, making this one a highlight on side one. The Doors' Ray Manzarek is a guest on keyboards on this one. Side one closes with "Bomber's Bay," a deceptively pretty tune that appears to be about young soldiers being sent to battle. Radio friendly melody, but the lyrics are a little depressing for mainstream airplay.
Side two begins with "Lips Like Sugar." It's followed by "Lost and Found" and "New Direction," which to me sound like the blueprint for the music the Ocean Blue would release at the end of the 80s and early 90s: Uptempo songs with chiming guitars and haunting lyrics. Track four, "Blue Blue Ocean," has that dated electric piano so reminiscent of late 80s alternative. Personally, I love the way it sounds because it takes me back to my youth. I wonder what modern audiences think of it? That said I can hear some of this influence in the music of Two Door Cinema Club and The 1975, two bands I love. The album concludes with the quiet, acoustic number, "All My Life." The music is beautiful and haunting, and the lyrics echo the side one closer, "Bomber's Bay," with mentions of cannon fire and "God's one miracle." It's a perfect coda to the entire record and pulls you back into the entire album. If the cassette were to flip over after this song, you probably wouldn't mind.
Echo & the Bunnymen show up a couple more times in this collection. I look forward to going backwards into their catalog.
