Echo And The Bunnymen – Porcupine

'Porcupine' is a bit of a juxtaposition. It saw Echo And The Bunnymen at the height of their commercial powers, with the album dropping the band's biggest hit 'The Cutter' onto a baying public. But it also saw the band in its least commercial mind-set, producing a dark, experimental and purposely difficult album. Indeed, the recording of 'Porcupine' was famously marred by in-fighting and looming threats of a band split. It must have been a bittersweet time to have been one of the Bunnymen.
That said, however, 'Porcupine' is a hugely powerful work that still stands as the peak of Echo And The Bunnymen's career.

The experimental leanings of this record make it irresistible. The production is sent into expansive overdrive here, with every track featuring layers and layers of sound. It feels like the mixing desk must have been maxed out in almost every song, with the thickness of the sound hiding a treasure box of little details that don't reveal themselves immediately. 'Porcupine' is the very definition of an album where you can notice something new every time you listen.
And whilst the production and effects-driven guitar crafts are endlessly exciting, the song writing is also top notch. The album walks a fine line between its catchy cuts and its sinister gothic pieces. Although, it's when these two elements are combined that the band creates the albums true classics. 'The Back Of Love' is a fine example, with the booming drums and moaning, distorted guitar lines creating a dark, cluttered background which in turn frames a catchy, urgent vocal. Likewise, the album highlight 'Clay' is a towering pop song, but taken very much to the dark side by the discordant, squalling guitars that loom over everything like a giant dead tree. It's like the song was written to be a pretty track, and then the decision was made to purposely 'fuck it up'. Whatever, it's a brilliant track and one of the best in the Bunnymen's cannon.
Other highlights abound with the ultra-catchy 'Heads Will Roll', which has a mosh-inducing, radio-friendly chorus and a fantastic, spiralling set of eastern guitar riffs. Not to mention an awesome middle-eight featuring echoey ragas and Indian violins. 'Gods Will Be Gods', meanwhile, takes the albums wall-of-sound production to its natural conclusion, with a huge layered rush of... well, pretty much every guitar effect you could ever put into a song... all at the same time. It's confusing, euphoric and very, very loud.
There isn't much in the way of negative things to say about this record. It's obviously not for everyone, as its darkness is overwhelming, much like Joy Division's 'Closer', and it takes a certain mood in order to be enjoyed. But there aren't really any weak tracks (although the new wave pop of the closing track 'In Bluer Skies' dips close, but is saved by its giant, catchy feedback riff) and the album, when listened to with concentration on a good pair of headphones, offers a level of atmospheric audio immersion of a very rare quality, and one that grants 'Porcupine' the status of a stone cold classic.

Echo And The Bunnymen - John Peel Session 1980

 Echo And The Bunnymen - BBC Radio Peel Session, 12th November 1980 (TB FM 2448 Master)

Echo And The Bunnymen - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert

As always T’Bunnymen are on top form with this live performance from 1991 for BBC radio. All the hits are ready for your consumption; please play loud to best enjoy the performance.

Echo And The Bunnymen - Shine So Hard

There is and always will be an argument about who is the best band from Liverpool. The Beatles are obviously the main targets due to their undoubted influence on the music scene in general, yet people seem to overlook the stuff that came after when the scene was thriving around iconic clubs like Eric’s, with the whole post punk / new wave scene throwing out different genres and creating a new dark sound that resonated with the kids of that era. I’m not from Liverpool so be kind to me if I’m wrong, as I was still exploring music, but from the tales I’ve heard and read about it was an exciting time with bands The Teardrop Explodes and the characters like Pete Burns, Bill Drummond (KLF) and Dave Balfe (went on to manage Blur) milling around. It sounded like a creative bubbling pot of like-minded stoners all cooking up a new brand of incredible music that was and still is a massive influence on our bands today. The Bunnymen were one of these bands that really caught my attention as a youngster and they’ve released some of the best albums you’ll ever need to add to your vinyl collection. For you kids out there here is a bit of information to drag you back into that world…formed in Liverpool in 1978 with Ian McCulloch on vocals and rhythm guitar, Will Sergeant on lead guitar and Les Pattinson on bass. They were soon joined by Pete De Freitas on drums and the rest, as they say, is history.
It began with their classic debut Crocodiles in 1980, released amidst the growing wave of post-punk. Crocodiles cemented the band’s reputation as one of the best around with the NME describing it as “probably the best album this year by a British band”. The album went on to finish in many critics greatest ever debut album lists. The band followed the album with the release of the Shine So Hard EP in April 1981, recorded live at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, before releasing their second studio album Heaven Up Here the same year. This one-off Buxton show is a hugely significant part of The Bunnymen’s history. As a band they strived to be different and challenge their fans, the magnitude of this event should not be understated. Guitarist and founder member of the band, Will Sergeant on that night in Buxton and how it came about...
“The Bunnymen were always looking to stand out from the rest of the now referred to as ‘post-punk’ bands. We sought out places where no-one could play, no-one would play or even in their wildest dreams would have thought to play. We saw being in a band as a way of opening up all possibilities to adventure. We invented and had been wearing the Apocalypse Now chic camouflage fatigues for a while. The stage was a crazy psychedelic bunker of surplus shop uniforms, kit and ’camo-netting’ with surreptitiously pruned local foliage, strobe lighting, smoke and ear-splitting volume. A Coppola inspired vision of Armageddon. We were an invading army and the fans were up for the battle as much as we were. They wore the same surplus shop jackets as we did; we were one army under one groove. But after we had done all of that we knew it was time to change tack... to keep moving and keep the fans and the music press guessing. We gave it our all that night and as the recording proves we were firing on all cylinders.”

Echo And The Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here

Following their more psychedelia-based debut, Crocodiles, and subsequent "Puppet/Do It Clean" single, Echo And The Bunnymen returned with the darkest and perhaps most experimental album of their career. Heaven Up Here lacks the signature hooks and melodies that would make T’Bunnymen famous, showcasing instead a dirge-like song writing approach built around the circular rhythms of bassist Les Pattinson and drummer Pete DeFreitas. In this setting, the band remarkably flourishes, although they would go on to greater heights by scaling back the album's extremism. Heaven Up Here's strength is the way in which T’Bunnymen seamlessly work together to shape each song's dynamics (the tension underlying the crescendo of "Turquoise Days" being a prime example). Ian McCulloch, having found his trademark confidence, sings with soaring abandon and passion throughout the album. Similarly, Will Sergeant's guitar playing, notably freed from verse-chorus structure and pop riffs, is at its angular finest; his playing on "No Dark Things" is pure Andy Gill-esque skronk. The album's opening troika of "Show of Strength," "With a Hip," and "Over the Wall" (the latter with its jarring, direct invocation of Del Shannon's "Runaway") are particularly effective, establishing the theme of distrust and restlessness which continues throughout the album. Indeed, even the album's lone single, "A Promise," is hardly light, pop material. But the message underneath that darkness, especially in McCulloch's lyrics, is a call to overcome rather than wallow, as the album ends with the relatively euphoric "All I Want." Sitting comfortably next to the pioneering work of contemporaries like Joy Division/New Order, and early Public Image Ltd. and Cure, this is a rather fine (and in the end, influential) example of atmospheric post-punk. Having reached the British Top Ten, Heaven Up Here is highly regarded among Echo And The Bunnymen's fans precisely for the reasons which, on the surface, make it one of the least accessible albums in the band's catalogue.

Where The Hell Have You Been? (Re-Upped)

Inspired by psychedelia, sure. Bit of Jim Morrison in the vocals? OK, it's there. But for all the references and connections that can be drawn (and they can), one listen to The Bunnymen’s  brilliant, often harrowing debut album and it's clear when a unique, special band presents itself. Beginning with the dramatic, building climb of "Going Up," Crocodiles at once showcases four individual players sure of their own gifts and their ability to bring it all together to make things more than the sum of their parts. Will Sergeant in particular is a revelation (arguably only Johnny Marr and Vini Reilly were better English guitarists) with flavours of delicacy, shades, and inventive, unexpected melodies. More than many before or since, he plays the electric guitar as just that, electric not acoustic, dedicated to finding out what can be done with it while never using it as an excuse to bend frets. His highlights are legion, whether it's the hooky opening chime of "Rescue" or the exchanges of sound and silence in "Happy Death Men." Meanwhile, the Les Pattinson/Pete De Freitas rhythm section stakes its own claim for greatness, the former's bass driving yet almost seductive, the latter's percussion constantly shifting rhythms and styles while never leaving the central beat of the song to die. "Pride" is one standout moment of many, Les Pattinson's high notes and Pete De Freitas' interjections on what sound like chimes or blocks are inspired touches. Then there's McCulloch himself, and while the imagery can be cryptic, the delivery soars, even while his semi-wail conjures up, as on the nervy, edgy picture of addiction "Villiers Terrace," "People rolling round on the carpet/Mixing up the medicine." Brisk, wasting not a note, and burning with barely controlled energy, Crocodiles remains a deserved classic.

Together these four young men are electric. The dark melodies appearing on this album are crafted by a band who have an incredible amount of skill, combined with heaps of identity. You'll easily recognize a song by the Bunnymen. If you don't recognize the psychedelic, dramatic and at times jazzy rhythm, you'll recognize Will Sergeant's guitar. And even if you actually don't recognize the "Bunnymen sound" straight away, Ian McCulloch will come into the picture, doing his thing, and leave you with no doubt that this is the Bunnymen's sound. "Punky but slick".
To keep the theatrical sound company, there's Ian's lyrics. They're not only poisonous catchy pop tunes; they're also dramatic, creepy pieces of poetry, who insists on showing a sense of premonition and cleverness. But let’s be honest; does it really matter? Ian McCulloch could just as well be singing the Yellow Pages, and it would all still be very interesting. Why? Because his voice is so insecure, yet firm. He shouts and he whispers. He sings and he tells. It's all just so dramatic and atmospheric. McCulloch is basically one of a kind.
On tracks like "Going Up", "Crocodiles" and "Villiers Terrace" - we get a glimpse of greatness. This is admittedly one of the best British rock albums from the '80s. Crocodiles is combined with unbelievably catchy and well crafted melodies and lyrics. It's all that and a bag of chips... and all that jazz