Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past and present), playlists and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you have never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
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A half silhouette, half human, bathed in a spotlight, mumbles in a broad scouse accent; 'This is the best song ever written' and his band take off, playing The Killing Moon, released back in early 1984.
At one point band and singer fell away to let the Barrowland crowd sing;
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
2,000 people give themselves 100% completely to him - the half silhouette, half human. His name is Ian (Mac) McCulloch who formed Echo and the Bunnymen way back in 1979, quickly going on to release their debut album Crocodiles in 1980.
It's a beautiful moment, the crowd uniting behind a beautiful song in front of author.
Echo and the Bunnymen are a special band. Their first four albums in particular created the kind of devotion that is only saved for the very best of bands. People followed them like a football team and many gigs were like cup finals. Their 1997 comeback with Nothing Lasts Forever could have a case for being the greatest musical comeback of all time, coming over a decade since they had done anything of note. And after Mac had left the band.
Last night wasn't the most euphoric Bunnymen gig I've seen, it wasn't the best, but the best teams with the strongest leaders can still pull a performance out when they need it.
Early on Mac said he was nervous, playing the Barrowland on the last night of their tour. This was after he joked 'it only feels like yesterday that we were here.' This was their second sold out show in a row and I'm sure many in the audience will have attended both nights.
Will Sergeant on guitar coxed exquisite sounds and freaky psychedelic sounds, introduced on stage by Alan McGee as the best post punk guitarist. His playing on Ocean Rain was simply sublime, truly beautiful. Sergeant could attack his guitar with grace one moment, then play stunning solo's on just a couple of strings next - incredible.
And Mac, the half silhouette/human? Well his presence was felt by every single person in the room. All eyes were on him. He berated the sound engineer a little at the start, took drinks from the drum riser during and in between songs, talked nonsense and ... most importantly ... he sang his heart out. His brittle heart. When he pulls way from his microphone, head tilted back, then you know he is at his best.
Sure at times he was croaky and hoarse. But at other times he thrilled as he reached as high as he could go and at others pulled us closer with a mere whisper. Throwing in Walk On The Wild Side during Nothing Lasts Forever and then bringing it back is an old and seasoned Bunnymen trick, as is a little segue into Roadhouse Blues here and The Jean Genie there.
Over the wall, hand in hand felt important and urgent, especially so given the current news and seeing such bravery from Ukranian citizens. It electrified the Ballroom, the band played superbly. See you at the barricades.
Highlights? Rescue lifted the crowd early on and it was followed (perhaps a little too early in the set) by Bring On The Dancing Horses, but it dazzled and it always will. An extended Lips Like Sugar that went pretty psychedelic was a delight. But it was the encore that raised the roof.
The Cutter was skyscrapingly euphoric, the crowd singing say we can, say we will, not just another drop in the ocean before those incredible strings and Sergeant's guitar reach heavenly. And then the aforementioned greatest song of all time with the best choir in the world that Mac said he wished he could take on their American tour.
And then? Then it was Ocean Rain. An even better song than The Killing Moon for me. So pure, heartfelt, soulful and true. Beautifully played and sung.
Nothing Lasts Forever, Echo and the Bunnymen's stunning 1997 comeback single was my introduction to this wonderful band. I went to seem at the Barrowland Ballroom in October of that year and in a mist of dry ice, Ian McCulloch (part pop star, part silhouette) was absolutely captivating. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He had that mysterious 'X' factor that certain people do. The real X factor. Whatever 'it' is, McCulloch had it in abundance.
I bought the Songs To Learn And Sing compilation immediately after that show. What an album! I'd go and see Echo and the Bunnymen whenever they played in Glasgow, I also went to see Mac when he released a solo album and played a show in Borders in Buchanan Street in the afternoon, followed by an intimate show in Tuts at night.
I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. There was a 2002 show in Manchester supporting New Order at Old Trafford Cricket Ground where The Bunnymen seemed determined to blow New Order off the stage, incredible shows at T in the Park and brilliant nights at the Barrowland. Then their 2011 show at the Royal Concert Hall (blogged on here) was one of the strangest shows I have ever been to. Mac seemed deranged, certainly preoccupied, but there were still moments of wonder.
And when you look back over the career of Echo and the Bunnymen, of Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, it is sprinkled liberally with moments of wonder. A band bursting with creative energy and ideas, leading to memorable events, singles, albums and performances.
I did look back, buying the Turquoise Days book to read through the bands vision and adventures, McCulloch's belief in himself and his band was incredible. It was notable that he wanted the Bunnymen to be the best band in the world, not the biggest. He had formed a magical band, they had Bill Drummond (later of The KLF) as their manager, they created their own scene, lived in their own world and for a number of years they could do no wrong. They could have probably moved to stadiums like U2 and Simple Minds, instead they toured the Outer Hebrides, played the Royal Albert Hall and sent their fans on bicycle tours round Liverpool with a map in the shape of a bunny's ears.
Echo and the Bunnymen were beautifully different. Fiercely ambitious, but brilliantly (and stubbornly) independent with it - everything was on their terms.
Live in Liverpool, 2008
Echo and the Bunnymen mean something to many people across the world. Their legendary 80's line up was impeccable; McCulloch's personality, look and voice wooed girls and boys, Sergeant's guitar playing provoked awe and debate, Les Pattinson on bass is someone I admire more with every passing year, keeping a groove to let guitars and strings flourish and their original drummer Pete De Freitas was super cool. I say original, but in actual fact the band formed with a drum machine called Echo.
Their first 4 albums; Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Porcupine and Ocean Rain are critically lauded and worshipped by fans, their 5th eponymous LP is almost as good.
Something had to give, nothing lasts forever. De Freitas left, living the rock star lifestyle, he rejoined but by then things were frayed and McCulloch left after a Japanese tour in March 1988.
Bizarrely, the band wanted to continue without McCulloch. Tragedy struck when Pete de Freitas was killed in a motorbike accident on his way to the first rehearsal with singer Noel Burke. Rather incredibly, an album, Reverberation, was still released under the name Echo and the Bunnymen, the lead single reached number 96 in the UK charts. I've never felt the need to check it out, the Bunnymen without McCulloch?!
Then you have the majestic 1997 comeback, Sergeant, Pattinson and McCulloch reunited, releasing Nothing Lasts Forever, featuring a young Liam Gallagher on backing vocals. The Bunnymen, the real Bunnymen, were back. Including Evergreen, the band have released 7 albums since reforming and they continue to tour regularly.
If I was to choose what I consider to be the 10 best songs by Echo and the Bunnymen, there would be slight differences to this list. But this is, at the time of writing, 10 of my very favourite Echo and the Bunnymen songs.
If you're new to the band, start with the aforementioned Songs To Learn And Sing. You will learn them and you will sing them.
Will Sergeant & Ian McCulloch
Nothing Lasts Forever
I'll start with where my love of Echo and the Bunnymen began, their majestic 1997 comeback single Nothing Lasts Forever. I still call it Nothing Ever Lasts Forever!
McCulloch's vocals have a hushed, soulful urgency to them, rising for the bridge to the chorus and then sounding like they are soaring behind the strings as he declares nothing ever lasts forever, nothing ever lasts forever
There is a rich reflective feeling to McCulloch's voice and his lyrics get straight to the point, he doesn't let up as he sings of time running out the door I'm running in.
I want it now, I want it now
Not the promises of what tomorrow brings
As comeback singles go, this sets the bar. Check the original video and the live version from Liverpool in 2001 below.
Lips Like Sugar
The title conjures an image, the lyrics take it further. Everything about this song is super cool; the title, the guitar, the lyrics and McCulloch's vocals.
McCulloch looks like a total star in the video; the lips, the hair, the look, the backdrop as he walks through the city, the way he cradles his microphone ... then it goes a little odd!
But back to the song, after a teasing intro Will Sergeant launches into a riff underpinned by a simple beat that always makes me want to dance. Then McCulloch comes in with his vivid pop poetry.
She floats like a swan
Grace on the water
Lips like sugar, lips like sugar
Sergeant has a piercing guitar solo and as the song develops McCulloch sounds like he is lost in a dream as he talks of siamese twins and mirror kisses, before launching himself out of his dream and into the chorus.
Rescue
The chiming guitar riff is a great intro, leading to the beat and McCulloch singing in a very Lou Reed/Velvets style over a funky bluesy riff. Later on he goes on to repeatedly sing; is this the blues I'm singing?
If I said, I'd lost my way
Would you sympathise, could you sympathise?
I'm jumbled up, maybe I'm losing my touch
I'm jumbled up, maybe I'm losing my touch
But you know I didn't have it anyway
Released away back in 1980, there is still a very timeless quality to Rescue. It grabs your attention, demands your attention and it rewards your attention.
The breakdown section tips a nod to The Doors before building to the aforementioned is this blues I'm singing outro, McCulloch leading his band superbly and his band rise, playing loosely when allowed but then getting real tight when it matters.
Crystal Days packs a lot into 2 minutes 24 seconds. A classic Sergeant guitar riff is beautifully brief before McCulloch comes in singing looking for hope and I hope it's you
There is heartbreak, pain, misfit ways and crystal days, shadows and golden views.
The Bunnymen somehow manage to find space for a 40-second instrumental and there is time at the end for McCulloch to hint at his Velvets/Lou Reed influence with a brilliant do do do do do do do section.
Guitar pop perfection, this all sounds effortless. Taken from the Ocean Rain album, Crystal Days is a band at the top of their game.
The Game
If I was writing a blog on what I consider to be the 10 best Bunnymen songs then it is very unlikely The Game would feature, but it's a real favourite of mine. It flows superbly and I particularly love the line,
Everybody's got their own good reason
Why their favourite season, is their favourite season
Opening with organ/keys over a beat, Will Sergeant then comes in with his electric guitar and McCulloch sounds totally on it, singing of tinsel tears and midnight trains.
Do It Clean
This was the last song to be added to my 10 favourites, narrowly pipping Seven Seas. I had a list that contained a number of songs including Rust, Seven Seas, Silver, The Back Of Love, Never Stop and the more recent Think I Need It To which I really like.
In the end I opted to include Do It Clean as it's got a real pure psychedelic garage nuggets style energy that I always enjoy, especially live when the band often stretch it out and go into jams of other songs they love. This is a trick that The Bunnymen do regularly to this day, check the brilliant segue from Nothing Lasts Forever into Walk On The Wild Side from their 2008 T in the Park show HERE (last song in, starts at 12-minutes).
Originally released on the US version of debut album Crocodiles, the band thought highly enough of the song to include it on the 1985 Songs To Learn And Sing compilation.
Where am I going, where have I been?
Where are you going, where have you been?
Do It Clean sounds fresh, full of energy with a raw edge and intensity, check this early live version where the band extend it to include All You Need Is Love. Imagine getting into this band upon release of their debut album, what a ride you would have been on! I'd have loved to have seen the band at this stage.
The Cutter
If push came to shove this might be my favourite Bunnymen song. Opening with some outrageous guitar riff from Will Sergeant with some kind of harmoniser effect, McCulloch is in, quickly leading us to the chorus
Conquering myself until
I see another hurdle approaching
Say you can, say you will
Not just another drop in the ocean
After a second verse and another run through the chorus the song is sent towards the heaven thanks to an absolutely beautiful burst of strings at 1-minute 48 seconds.
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?
This is almost like a second chorus, the real chorus, it is spell binding, a band in majestic form, brimming with the confidence to create something as good and ambitious as this. Ian Broudie deserves a lot of credit for his work as producer on this gem. L Shankar provides the incredible cloud bursting strings.
Bring On The Dancing Horses
Bring On The Dancing Horses has a kind of shimmering quality to it, helped by synths that are constantly at play underneath the bass groove and beats.
When you read the lyrics you might wonder what it's all about, but then you hear it and it somehow all makes perfect sense. Lush, dreamy, sublime, cinematic, post punk psychedelia, Bring On The Dancing Horses is the sound of a band lost in their own world and capturing a piece of it to display on Planet Earth.
Bring on the dancing horses, wherever they may roam
Shiver and say the words of every lie you've heard
First I'm gonna make it, then I'm gonna break it, til it falls apart
Hating all the faking and shaking while I'm breaking, your brittle heart
The Killing Moon
Described by its author as the greatest song ever written, The Killing Moon is a single lifted from the 1984 Ocean Rain album.
There is no doubt that it's a special song, one that came to McCulloch in a dream, so much so that he jokingly credits God with a co-write as he woke up with the lyrics fate up against your will, through the thick and thin, you will wait until, you give yourself to him
McCulloch is at his poetic best, imagery pours out of him; blue moon, starlit nights, your lips a magic world and your sky all hung with jewels.
Musically, Les Pattinson on bass, Pete de Freitas on drums and Will Sergeant on guitar, are on fire, aided by glorious strings, conjuring a cinematic feel to match McCulloch's poetry.
Ocean Rain might be the most beautiful song that Echo and the Bunnymen have written and recorded. Backed by a 35-piece orchestra, McCulloch delivers a perfect performance, telling of a broken heart / depression, trying to get back , with Will Sergeants guitar sounding like it is crying at times, offering hope at others.
The Bunnymen self-produced the Ocean Rain album (with a little help) and they get the performance and production absolutely spot on. This is a devastatingly beautiful song, delivered with heartfelt soul. The instrumental section with lush strings and Sergeant's impeccable guitar solo is just sublime.
When you look at it on paper, there is only a couple of verses, but they way they are repeated throughout as the song builds leads to them becoming like a long chorus. McCulloch sounds broken and gentle at the start, but by the end of the song he is in full flight with the strings and guitar, sounding defiant - he will get through the storm. Listen to the way he lifts his voice to sing the waves at 4-minutes 20 seconds, it is euphoric, by the end of the song we're all going to get through it.
Check the incredible live version from The Tube in 1984 with Mac introducing it as 'a slowy'.
Echo and the Bunnymen are one of my favourite bands, one of the few bands that you could say don't play gigs. Their shows are occassions, cup finals at times, so when they announced they were playing their seminal album 'Ocean Rain' with strings at the Concert Hall I was a little excited. At the time I was skint and my mate Tel got us tickets sharpish for the front row. The scene was set for a great night.
After a pre-gig pint in Heavenly the sense of occassion heightened as I walked round the side of the venue to see singer Ian McCulloch outside the side door having a fag and I said 'Come on late, my mate is stuck in traffic' to which he looked somewhat bemused.
Inside it was announced that there were 3 sets; a string classics set, a greatest hits set and then 'Ocean Rain'.
The lovely string section performed some Bunnymen tunes while most of the crowd were at the bar, we soon joined them. Then the band took to the stage in their famous dry ice, all silohettes, McCulloch could easily still have been his 20-something self as he was when they burst on to the scene.
The Greatest Hits didn;t include; Lips Like Sugar, Back of Love, The Cutter or Nothing Ever Lasts Forever. I can only assume they were going to come back on after playing Ocean Rain and play these tunes. Instead we got some great songs like 'Never Stop' and 'Bring On The Dancing Horses' (admittedly superb) along with some more recent tunes.
McCulloch aplogised after the opening 'Rust' for being 'rusty'. It was no joke, the band were clearly not gelling and throughout the set McCulloch berated the bassist, rythm guitarist, sound engineer and lighting engineer.
He also regularly went into a comedy Scottish accent and had 'banter' with the crowd. Those that have seen the Bunnymen before (and I must be in double figures) will know this is common occurrence. But tonight McCulloch was clearly drunk (regular drinks appeared on the riser on stage for him) and possibly coked out his nut.
At the end Mac apologised and said he had received some bad news. Now if he had the kind of bad news that we all fear, the loss of a loved one, fair enough. But on stage he said for his birthday he had received a chocolate cake with candles and he hates chocolate cake....and candles.
I like McCulloch, he has what I would describe as the x-factor, not the Cowell version, the real rock star version, something a lot of current bands sadly lack. You can't take your eyes off him, he looks good, he sings good, he writes great fucking songs.
But tonight he was a total and utter c*nt. The poor young string section were behind his riser and I felt sorry for them. I have never felt like that at a gig before.
We did get a sublime 'Killing Moon' but McCulloch went into full breakdown mode, challenging the crowd to a fight, saying he would bottle someone and then walked off before playing 'Ocean Rain'!
The majority of songs featured breakdowns in the music to allow him to rant a-la his hero Jim Morrison, but they just came across as drunken rambles. Funny at first perhaps, but then just an embarrissing farce.
To my right, sat a couple from Chicago who had flew over for the show, afterwards I met two lads from Newcastle who had driven up. A lot of money had been spent by fans wanting to hear a glorious album with strings on stage.....it didn't happen.
After a long waiting period during which a large percentage of the audience left, the band came back on. I expected 'Ocean Rain' but for some bizarre reason they played 'Killing Moon' again and McCulloch berated Will Sergeant 'you didn't even know, you didn't even notice.'
At one stage he stood behind him and looked like he was going to lamp him with his mic stand. Whether he was referring to the chocolate cake with candles I will never know.
If this was at the Barras, glasses would have been raining down. Somewhat amazingly through the boo's and shouts for a refund were shouts of 'we love you Mac' and 'you can do it'.
Mac may have tried but he broke down into tears at one point and a stage hand came on to console him.
Me and Tel genuinely couldn't believe what we were seeing.
And so Mac walked off again. Again the band followed, only this time they didn't come back out and eventually the lights came on, by which point most people had left.
I've been to some shit gigs in my time, I've seen singers walk off before, but this was quite insane.
In some ways I quite like it. Coldplay would never do something like this, neither would most bands who dress from Topman.
I've never been tempted to ask for a refund before but I paid £40 for this. I wonder if the Bunnymen will make a statement about it.......
As it was, the band didn't even play 'Ocean Rain', their moment of perfection, on their 'Ocean Rain' tour....
I was too young to get into the Bunnymen in their 80's pomp, however when they released the glorious 'Nothing Ever Lasts Forever' in 1997 it was enough to prompt me to explore their back catalogue; especially after catching them at the Barrowlands that year. McCulloch was icy cool, the band were bathed in dry ice, this was guitar pop with ambition, style, an edge and confidence.
My friend has just bought us front row tickets for their Glasgow Royal Concert Hall performance of their 1984 self proclaimed masterpiece 'Ocean Rain'. So I thought I would revisit the album.
As opening songs go 'Silver' is impressive. It flows along and McCulloch is in great form
'just look at you with burning lips, you're living proof at my finger tips'
The song, like a lot of the album, is allowed the space to breath and develop, with acoustic guitar underpinning everything, allowing Will Sergeant's chiming guitar to shine when used and the strings lift the song towards the end.
There is quite a dramatic change in style for 'Nocturnal Me' with the bands love of The Doors (they later covered and released 'People Are Strange') influence shines through. The music has an operatic feeling to it with a military style beat at moments. The 35-piece orchestra employed by the band for this album get free reign to add to the dark and moody atmosphere.
You can pack a lot into a 2 minute and 26 second pop song, as admirably demonstrated by the Bunnymen with 'Crystal Days' . Like 'Silver' the acoustic guitar drives the song along without being over-bearing, almost in the background. I wonder how much of the album was written on acoustic guitar.
Here am I
Whole at last with a golden view
Looking for hope
And I hope it's you
Splitting my heart
Cracked right in two
The pleasure of pain endured
To purify our misfit ways
And magnify our crystal days
McCulloch uses every trick he can on this album and the recurring use of 'hope' in each verse is extremely clever. The first verse has the line above and the second verse is;
Where are you
In shadows only I can see
Looking for hope
And you hope it's me
While the third verse goes back to the first but replaces the second 'hope' with 'know'. It is so simple, yet so effective. As is the electric guitar riff that kicks in after every chorus, I could probably learn it in a day. Simple and pure pop.
The song is under two and a half minutes long yet there is still time for a lengthy solo with strings, 'Crystal Days' has become one of my favourite Bunnymen songs.
'The Yo Yo Man' revisits some of the darker LA bands from the 60's like The Doors and Love.
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
Collecting the bones of my friend tonight
Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land
You know when prayers all hit the ground
There is no higher hand
If I'm honest, it isn't one of my high points of the album, yet it still showcase the bands music ambition and McCulloch's poetic skills.
'Thorn of Crowns' is one of the strangest songs in the Bunnymen cannon, sounding like a loose jam at times with crazy lyrics, exploding into a glorious yet all to brief riff at 1 minute 27 seconds (and 2mins35) at others, white noise and feedback on occassion.
C-c-c-cucumber
C-c-c-cabbage
C-c-c-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
If 'Thorn of Crowns'sounds like it was conceived out of (or is) a jam, then the remaining tracks on the album are absolutely sublime examples of songwriting and the Bunnymen at their majestic best.
'The Killing Moon' is just f**king fantastic. It flows and it glows. Mac is at his poetic best
In starlit nights I saw you
So cruelly you kissed me
Your lips a magic world
Your sky all hung with jewels
The killing moon
Will come too soon
The song rises at the right moments, it takes the listener on a journey and Mac is the pied piper, with songs like this it is no wonder that devoted fans followed the band around the UK to places as exotic as Shetland as they attempted to mark out a tour map in the shape of a bunny!
The strings are gorgeous, Sergeant's guitar knows when to be heard and when to remain silent and yet again the acoustic guitar lets the song breath and flow. The song got to number 9 in the UK charts when released as a single. Check this video of the band playing it live on The Tube back in the day.
If 'Crystal Days' shows what the band can do in under three minutes then 'The Killing Moon' is the platform for them to show what they can do in just under six - stunning!
'Seven Seas' keeps the momentum going and it is more pure pop with acoustic guitar, chiming electric, Mac crooning and strings soaring. The bass riff holds it all together.
'My Kingdom'gets into the groove from the off and McCulloch is in playful mood with his lyrics and delivery, all underpinned by by Will Seregant's acoustic guitar before he lets loose on electric at the end. McCulloch's love of the Velvets/Lou Reed is highlighted with the 'do do do do do' section.
I've lost and I've gained and while I was thinking
You cut off my hands when I wanted to twist
If you know how to dance to Boney Maroney
He's doing the ballet on both of his wrists
'Ocean Rain'
i
s heart breakingly beautiful, f**king gorgeous, so slow and aching it hurts. It all sounds so simple and easy, yet this is songwriting and music of the highest quality.
All at sea again
And now my hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain
To bathe me again
My ship's a sail
Can you hear its tender frame
Screaming from beneath the waves
Screaming from beneath the waves
All hands on deck at dawn
Sailing to sadder shores
Your port in my heavy storms
Harbours the blackest thoughts
'Ocean Rain'(album and song)is the sound of a band in top form, they show off their skills, influences and ambition. The orchestra reaches for the stars in the break at 2 minutes 30 seconds, the guitar riff /solo is just exquisite and McCulloch's croon is Sinatra-esque.
What makes the album so special - well all of the above. Th albums stands up as a body of majestic work and at its peak it reaches truly magical moments that the vast majority of bands can only dream of. The Bunnymen had the look, the attitude and songs to inspire genuine passion amongst fans, on a cult and international scale.
