Album Review of the Week: Echo and the Bunnymen "Ocean Rain"

Thanks to the featured placement of "The Killing Moon" in the recent ‘80s alternative-centric soundtracks for Donnie Darko and Grosse Point Blank, Echo and The Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain has experienced a revival.

My original introduction to Liverpool, England’s Echo & the Bunnymen was through "Bring On the Dancing Horses" on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack, but my introduction to Ocean Rain came much later courtesy of Pavement's cover of "The Killing Moon" on the Major Leagues EP. Stephen Malkmus does his best Ian McCulloch while mixing in lyrics from "The Yo-Yo Man" and "Thorn of Crowns." The quirkiness of Malkmus’ delivery aside, he and McCulloch aren't so different as lyricists.

Upon the release of Ocean Rain, the band - no doubt under the direction of noted boaster McCulloch - declared it the best album ever made and critics to this day agree it was at least the band's best work. Previous albums had highlighted an interplay between Will Sergeant's guitar and McCulloch's vocals that would become the template for the Morrissey/Marr relationship of The Smiths, but Ocean Rain plays down Sergeant's function and highlights lush orchestration from Adam Peters and new duties for drummer Pete DeFreitas on the glockenspeil and xylophone. The band dips into the dark (or as the press deemed it at the time, gothic) influences present in their previous albums, but are clearly influenced by Bath and Montmartre where much of the album was recorded.

By the time the Bunnymen recorded (in no less than three locations), released, promoted and toured in support of their fourth album in four years they had grown tired of each other and the road. They released "Bring on the Dancing Horses" in 1985, which was picked up for the Pretty In Pink soundtrack in 1986. But by then, McCulloch was releasing solo material. The band would take an extended break until 1987, when they released an eponymous album that would become their biggest U.S. hit.

The Rhino Records reissue of Ocean Rain includes b-sides and demos from the Life of Brian sessions (so named for Brian's Diner, where the band are said to have sopped up many hangovers with a full English brekkie). The sessions feature a cover of "All You Need Is Love" by that other famous band from Liverpool. The expanded CD also has live recordings from the A Crystal Day television feature on Channel 4.

The album's cover photo (pictured) was shot by Brian Griffin on the largest lake inside the man-made Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall that, interestingly enough, was once used by the British Royal Navy to store rum during WWII and in 2001 was transformed into an auditorium featuring live music.

Courtney

Comments

[RBM studios]

@Brian
yes right said. Its quite optimistic and inspiring piece of writing. I like this very well.

[Recording studios Las Angele]

@brian
You are right! This post is tremendous and the writer was good enough to give some information about this great album.

[Brian]

Inspiring piece of writing, a new rival to the teidious musings of NME.