[Hits Like Sugar] -- Echo & the Bunnymen's eponymous 1987 record turned 30 this week. Over the last three decades, many albums have come into my life. Some have all but vanished from my memory shortly after their last turn in my listening rotation. Others have stayed with me, impacted me, whether I last heard one of their tracks years or mere moments ago. Echo & the Bunnymen lands squarely in the latter category. Read and hear more after the jump.
Echo & the Bunnymen, the band, formed in 1978 in that hotbed of the British Invasion, Liverpool. Like many fans, I thought Echo was a quaint name for the band's tape machine (or drum machine depending on whom you ask). That notion was apparently debunked in the book, Liverpool Explodes! (1982), but it was still being bandied about by fans in the mid to late 80s. Echo & the Bunnymen released a total of 12 albums between 1980 and 2014, with six of them in our beloved decade. And, really, the first five albums are the only ones worth your while.
Their fifth studio album, Echo & the Bunnymen, is not necessarily their best, but it is the last one to feature the classic lineup. Vocalist Ian McCulloch left the band in 1988, and their drummer, Pete de Freitas, died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. The album reached #4 on the UK Albums Chart and #51 on the US Billboard 200. The three singles -- "The Game", "Lips Like Sugar" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" -- were all top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They didn't chart in the US, but they did receive heavy rotation on college radio.
To celebrate the record's 30th anniversary, I'll forgo my usual practice of highlighting three tracks, and instead leave you with the complete album.
Echo & the Bunnymen, the band, formed in 1978 in that hotbed of the British Invasion, Liverpool. Like many fans, I thought Echo was a quaint name for the band's tape machine (or drum machine depending on whom you ask). That notion was apparently debunked in the book, Liverpool Explodes! (1982), but it was still being bandied about by fans in the mid to late 80s. Echo & the Bunnymen released a total of 12 albums between 1980 and 2014, with six of them in our beloved decade. And, really, the first five albums are the only ones worth your while.
Their fifth studio album, Echo & the Bunnymen, is not necessarily their best, but it is the last one to feature the classic lineup. Vocalist Ian McCulloch left the band in 1988, and their drummer, Pete de Freitas, died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. The album reached #4 on the UK Albums Chart and #51 on the US Billboard 200. The three singles -- "The Game", "Lips Like Sugar" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" -- were all top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They didn't chart in the US, but they did receive heavy rotation on college radio.
To celebrate the record's 30th anniversary, I'll forgo my usual practice of highlighting three tracks, and instead leave you with the complete album.
Tracklist
1 The Game 00:05
2 Over You 3:56
3 Bedbugs And Ballyhoo 7:59
4 All In Your Mind 11:28
5 Bomber's Bay 16:01
6 Lips Like Sugar 20:27
7 Lost And Found 25:20
8 New Direction 28:57
9 Blue Blue Ocean 33:46
10 Satellite 38:56
11 All My Life 42:00
12 Jimmy Brown 46:17
13 Hole In The Holy 50:24
14 Soul Kitchen 55:09
15 The Game (Acoustic Demo) 59:05
16 Bedbugs And Ballyhoo (Original Version) 1:03:03
17 Over Your Shoulder 1:06:45
18 Bring On The Dancing Horses (Extended Mix) 1:10:55
1 The Game 00:05
2 Over You 3:56
3 Bedbugs And Ballyhoo 7:59
4 All In Your Mind 11:28
5 Bomber's Bay 16:01
6 Lips Like Sugar 20:27
7 Lost And Found 25:20
8 New Direction 28:57
9 Blue Blue Ocean 33:46
10 Satellite 38:56
11 All My Life 42:00
12 Jimmy Brown 46:17
13 Hole In The Holy 50:24
14 Soul Kitchen 55:09
15 The Game (Acoustic Demo) 59:05
16 Bedbugs And Ballyhoo (Original Version) 1:03:03
17 Over Your Shoulder 1:06:45
18 Bring On The Dancing Horses (Extended Mix) 1:10:55
Well, that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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