Echo & The Bunnymen

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Guitarist WILL SERGEANT Produced New COURTNEY LOVE Solo Album

Posted on by JL

26 November 2024

Last night Echo & The Bunnymen‘s guitarist and multi-instrumentalist
WILL SERGEANT posted this message on the band’s Facebook account.

“From @ Will Sergeant. Evening all my old friend Courtney Love has spilled the beans,
so I think I can now. Been working on her amazing new record. Been a trip, she gave
me complete artistic freedom. Loved every minute, autoharp, electric mandolin, Bulbul
Tarang, baritone guitar plus layers of 12 & 6 string guitars.”

Courtney Love on Tik Tok about the album she already teased this past summer,
the day before Sergeant‘s announcement : “It’s the longest record that’s ever been written in the history of rock, so it better fuckin’ be good, no filler. I don’t do “collabs” — man, I hate that word! However, I have co-written songs with some people on this album. [REM’s Michael] Stipe mentioned our collaboration to The New York Times. I fell down weeping hearing his voice — it’s better than ever! I thought I knew the outcome, but I’m still the grasshopper while Michael is the sensei. There are others I can’t mention; I didn’t intend for any collaborations.

I did ask PJ Harvey to come back — I wanted just one of her great iconic Stones guitar riffs. We have a relationship; I’ve endorsed her over the decades, but she chose not to respond to me. So I wrote her about how fucking rude that was. Her manager tried to smooth things over, but it’s not okay — she hasn’t played rock music in 100 years! Her first five albums are great; after that, she ventured into art space (though I do love the Last Living Rose, which feels like a John Donne poem with… WTF? A tuba?.

Kurt Cobain‘s infamous widow COURTNEY LOVE released 4 albums
with Hole and one solo LP, named America’s Sweetheart 20 years
ago, in 2004.

She also played in 7 movies. Trust me, she’s a great actress.


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CL: Instagram

Album Tracks That Should Have Been Singles – ‘PROXY’ (2009) BY ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

Posted on by JL

22 September 2024


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Leuven, Belgium – 2016)

Band: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
Track: PROXY

Album: THE FOUNTAIN
Their 11th LP. It got mixed reviews, although there are several tracks on that
could have been singles. Proxy is my first choice. It’s a get-up-and-go guitar-pop
gem with an irresistible dash and playful piano touches.

E&TB: Linktree

Happy 65 To IAN McCULLOCH – One Of The Greatest Voices In Rock Ever

Posted on by JL

5 May 2024


Photo by Turn Up The Volume

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN‘s charismatic frontman and songwriter IAN STEPHEN McCULLOCH was born on 5 May 1959 in Liverpool. Happy 65 to one of the greatest voices in rock, ever of one of my all-time favorite bands, on record and on stage (I saw
them 30+ times, so far). They celebrated their 40th birthday as a band 2 years ago.

To celebrate Big Mouth Mac‘s birthday here are 3 Bunnymen knockouts.

– RESCUE –
(1980)

– THE CUTTER –
(1983)

– OCEAN RAIN –
(1984 – Live in Liverpool in 2001)

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Story

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Released Their Masterwork ‘OCEAN RAIN’ 40 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

Back in time

4 May 2024

Liverpool legends ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN (1978–1993, 1996–present) released their masterwork LP OCEAN RAIN on 4 May 1984, today 40 years ago. It was their 4th album featuring a series of grandiose, melodramatic pop-rock symphonies. A sterling classic with frontman/songwriter ‘big mouth‘ Ian McCulloch at the top of his game. It peaked at #4 on the UK Charts.

AllMusic says: “Ocean Rain emerges as Echo & the Bunnymen’s most beautiful and memorable effort. Ornamenting Ian McCulloch’s most consistently strong collection of songs to date with subdued guitar textures, sweeping string arrangements, and hauntingly evocative production, the album is dramatic and majestic; “The Killing Moon,” Ocean Rain’s emotional centerpiece, remains the group’s unrivalled pinnacle.” Score: 5/5.

Singles/clips: The Killing Moon / Silver / Ocean Rain

– THE KILLING MOON –

– SILVER –

– OCEAN RAIN –
(My favourite. Supreme, spellbinding ballad)

ALBUM

Echo & The Bunnymen: Story – All Albums – Instagram

SUEDE Frontman BRETT ANDERSON And The British PARAORCHESTRA Cover ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

Posted on by JL

2 March 2024


Promo photo Paraorchestra

The British PARAORCHESTRA combines disabled and non-disabled musicians into a unique symphonic band. They’re about to release a star-studded album, titled Death Songbook. It features collaborative performances from artists such as Depeche Mode, Japan, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Seb Rochford (Pulled By Magnets, Acoustic Ladyland, Sons Of Kemet) and many more.

Also present is Brett Anderson, the frontman of famous glam rockers Suede.

For the occasion, he covered The Killing Moon, the 1984 Echo & The Bunnymen‘s
24-Carat gold classic with conductor and Paraorchestra founder Charles Hazlewood on drums.

WATCH/LISTEN

Original

PARAORCHESTRA: Website – Instagram

Classic Clips – ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN On Top Of The Pops With ‘NEVER STOP’ 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

28 September 2023

Long-time Liverpool champs ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN released a stunning
stand-alone single NEVER STOP 40 years ago (July 1983) and played it a couple
of weeks later on the legendary British music show Top Of The Pops.

Later it was included on the 2003 remastered version of their third LP Porcupine,
released in February of the same year, as well as a number of compilation albums.

Charismatic frontman and big mouth Ian McCulloch looks bored at the beginning, obviously hating playback TV performances (as so many artists do), so he starts playing
a bit with his shirt and then suddenly gets fired up in the end. Anyway Never Stop is one
of the countless top E&TB juggernauts by one of my all-time fav bands. It peaked at #15.

Measure by measure, drop by drop
And pound for pound, we’re taking stock
Of all the treasure still unlocked
The love you found must never stop

The king is dead
And long live the people who aim above

E&TB: Bio – Discography – Instagram

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – Never Stop (TOTP 1983)

Posted on by JL

23 August 2023

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, one of my all-time fav bands (well I guess,
having seen them live 28 times – so far –  makes you a fan) fronted by
the charismatic loudmouth Ian McCulloch released the brilliant stand-alone
single NEVER STOP 40 years ago (July 1983).

It peaked at #15 on the UK Singles chart.

The bunnies performed the song on the legendary
British music TV Show Top Of The Pops.

OMG! So young!

E&TB: Facebook – Instagram

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Released Their 3rd Album ‘PORCUPINE’ 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

Back in time

8 February 2023

Liverpool‘s imperishable heroes – one of Turn Up The Volume‘s
all-time fav bands – ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN released their
third longplayer 40 years ago, on 4 February 1983.

AllMusic wrote: “Porcupine, Echo & the Bunnymen’s third album, has garnered
a reputation for being as prickly as its namesake. Although the record is lined with
jagged guitars and is arguably the band’s darkest offering, these aspects suit the
Bunnymen just fine. Ian McCulloch, in particular, sounds right at home on this
brooding set of songs; his deep, Jim Morrison-esque vocals perfectly convey his
intriguing, shadowy tales. Score: 3.5/5.

TUTV: It was hard to match their first 2 classic LPs (Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here)
although they reached its grandeur with the two sublime singles The Cutter
and The Back Of Love and tracks Heads Will Roll, Gods Will Be Gods, and the title
track. It was their most successful chart LP, reaching #2 in the UK.

Singles/clips: The Cutter / Back Of Love

– THE CUTTER –

– BACK OF LOVE –

Full Album

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ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Bio – Discography – Facebook

One Of Their Grand Classics – ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Released ‘THE CUTTER’ 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

Great 7″ singles/sleeves/vinyl from the past

17 January 2023

Liverpool’s imperishable heroes ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
released one of their grand classics THE CUTTER 40 years ago
this month.

Allmusic wrote: “Echo and The Bunnymen successfully wed the Eastern influenced
psychedelic sounds made famous by the Beatles. The Eastern strings re-enter at strategic points, filling in space between verses and Ian McCulloch’s esoteric pleas to ‘spare us the cutter!’. The track never loses steam, cruising through each section with power and grace.”

The cutting gem was part of their excellent 3nd LP PORCUPINE.

It peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Charts and was ranked
#14 on the end-of-the-year selection of NME.

Who’s on the seventh floor
Brewing alternatives
What’s in the bottom drawer
Waiting for things to give
Spare us the cutter
Spare us the cutter

B-side

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Discography – Instagram

‘OCEAN RAIN’ By ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN On THE TUBE In 1983

Posted on by JL

11 January 2023

Liverpool’s heroes ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN wrote/recorded
one of the best ballads ever in music history with magical gem
OCEAN RAIN, the title track of their 1984 magnum opus.

The live rendition of this diamond on British legendary music TV Show
The Tube (1982-1987) on 16 December 1983 is vintage Bunnymen with
big mouth Ian McCulloch doing what he did/does all his life. Singing cool,
performing cool and looking cool.

Roll the tape.

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Bio – Discography – Facebook