Chart entered : 17 May 1980
Chart peak : 62
Number of hits : 19
I have to be honest and say that for me this lot never quite lived up to their glowing reviews but they were an important part of Liverpool's finally escaping the long shadow cast by you-know-who and some significant future players are involved in their story.
Echo and the Bunnymen were formed out of the crowd at Liverpool's punk club Eric's in September 1978 . Singer Ian McCulloch ( born 1959 ) had been in the now-legendary but ephemeral Crucial Three in 1977 with Julian Cope who we'll be meeting again and Pete Wylie who doesn't quite make it. They broke up after 6 weeks and Ian and Cope formed the slightly more substantial A Shallow Madness. Ian ended up being fired for not turning up for rehearsals. He then turned to his friends from Eric's Will Sergeant ( born 1958 ) and Les Pattinson ( born 1958 ) who had been at school together. Will was a serious-minded guitarist who had just "released " an experimental instrumental album ( he issued seven cassettes of it ) "Weird as Fish". Les by contrast had never played bass before being asked to join the band but had some stage experience as a poet.
They eschewed having a drummer in favour of a drum machine. It was widely reported at the time that it was the "Echo" in the group's name but Will later denied this saying it was just a random daft name suggested by a friend. They made their debut live appearance , naturally enough at Eric's in November 1978. Before playing any more dates they were signed to local label Zoo run by two local scenesters Bill Drummond and David Balfe, both of whom will feature again.
They released their debut single "The Pictures On My Wall" in May 1979. It helps define the sound of early eighties indie, circular acoustic guitar patterns, eerie minimal keyboards, wayward vocal and a general mood of vague unease and desolation. The lyrics anticipate some momentous life-changing event with both fear and glee although the sharp interjections of "Love it ! " do unfortunately stir memories of Kevin Keegan. It sold out its 4,000 copies.
In August that year they played their first gig in London alongside Joy Division. It was attended by Sire boss Seymour Stein who subsequently signed them to his Korova subsidiary. He had one stipulation ; he felt they could never break America with the drum machine and they must find a human drummer. Balfe suggested the drummer in his brother's little band down in London, Pete de Freitas and he was invited to their next gig at Eric's in September. Pete was about as different from the others as you could imagine, an 18 year old public schoolboy from the South, but they were impressed with his playing and anxious to clinch the deal with Sire.
"Rescue" was their first single for Korova. It was produced in tandem with Drummond's young producer friend from their days in Big in Japan, Ian Broudie ( and yes he'll be back too ). It starts with a great chiming guitar riff that grabs the attention and then doesn't quite hold it. Les and Pete provide a sturdy rhythmic platform , Will displays his talents with angular little flourishes in all the gaps and there's a decent hook in the chorus but elsewhere the song meanders. The lyric conveys nothing but a sense of romanticised self-absorption and the verses are loose and tuneless with the repeated refrain of "Is the blues I'm singing ? " starting to grate by the end of the song. The promise is there but it's not realised on this one.
I do like the Bunnymen and this song, though I agree it could do with the ending being edited down.
ReplyDeleteI read the rhythm section described once as "the Sly and Robbie of post-punk", which isn't too far off the mark. As an aside, Les Pattinson is also perhaps the nicest person who was/is a "pop star" I've ever met.