A friends younger brother(aged 17) is discovering the Bunnymen through use of the Killing Moon on the Donnie Darko soundtrack.
He only has Songs To Learn & Sing & What Are You Going To Do With Your Life to listen to.
I made him a mix CD using nothing he'd heard on those before.

I wrote a corrresponding email.....

are there any arguments, agreements or suggestions?

Here is what I wrote to him....

"

Hi J******,

Mario here.
*** told me that you've been getting into Echo & the Bunnymen lately & mentioned that all you had to listen to was Songs To Learn & Sing & What Are You.....

All I could think about that was something along the lines of..."If that's all he's heard, wait until he hears...."

I discovered the Bunnymen when I was 16, & to this day, the original lineup & albums remain among my top 5 or 7 favourite bands ever. The Beatles, the Church, The Velvet Underground, U2, The Who, Queen & Echo & the Bunnymen are the most important bands in my life....there are countless others that have had a HUGE impact on me, but when it comes down to it, it comes down to these.
I even owe my love of the Velvet Underground to learning of them through the Bunnymen since their singer(Ian McCulloch) often cited them as the coolest band ever...I HAD to listen to them.

Anyways, back to the original topic.

The CD I burned for you is a collection of some of MY favorite non-single songs by Echo & the Bunnymen recorded in the years 1980-1984(more or less) & with the exception of alternate versions, none of them were singles, so none of them ended up on Songs To Learn & Sing.
Songs To Learn & Sing is a semi-accurate collection of singles, but it does NOT show the band in their full on GLORY. I wont pretend my comp does either, but it is a chance for you to hear at least some of that magic.

Here is a list of the songs I chose & some of the reasons why I chose them.

1st! A guide to the albums the tracks came from.......

1)Crocodiles(1980)
2)Heaven Up Here(1981)
3)Porcupine(1983)
4)Ocean Rain(1984)

The CD

1)Show Of Strength(Heaven Up Here)
in many ways this song tought me arrogance. 'Hopefully', without ego or pride. More of a self assured confidence that allowed me to be me without fear. It tought me to walk with swagger.
Less in the lyrics than in the mood & feel of the song. This song struts like few I've heard.
"Guts & Passion, those things you can't even set down.....
All those things you think might count, you can't ever set them down, don't ever set them down, NEVER set them down..."
2)All That Jazz(Crocodiles)
Constant pulse. This song is all about the bass(Les Pattinson) & drums(Pete de Freitas). It just so happens that the guitars(Ian McCulloch & Will Seargent) & vocals(Ian) rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Where the Hell have you been?"
3)Heads Will Roll(Porcupine)
4)Crystal Days(Ocean Rain)
5)Stars Are Stars(Crocodiles)
I don't know what the lyrics to this song mean at all, but I do think they are beautiful as they come......
"now you spit out the sky because it's empty & hollow, all your dreams are hanging out to dry..."
6)All My Colours aka Zimbo(Heaven Up Here)
Larry Mullen Jr. from U2 has been making a career from stealing these drums ever since.
Who says you need THREE chords to make a great song? This one only has 2! *
* See also Heroin by the Velvet Underground.
7)Heaven Up Here(Heaven Up Here)
A manifesto of sorts by the band. They BELIEVED they were cooler than everyone else out there. In many ways, believing it MADE it so.
"It may be hell down there, cause it's......."
8) Angels & Devils(B-side to Ocean Rain single Silver)
The Bunnymen out Velvet the Underground. Iggy Pop once said that he was afraid to drive out the devils in him for fear of driving out the angels as well. This song is sort about the same thing.
9)Killing Moon(All Night Mix/extended from Ocean Rain version)
My favourite song of all time? I think so.
Other than the fact that the vocals on this version begin with the chorus instead of the verse like the album version does, I prefer this mix. But this song could gp on for 365 days a year & I'd never mind.
Ian has said this is both a love song AND a prayer to god.
To me, they are one & the same.
10)Turquoise Days(Heaven Up Here)
The dynamics used in this song(especially starting at 01:05 going through 02:20) should be used in future ROCK-101 text books.
11)Way Out & Up We Go(B-side to the Porcupine era single, the Cutter)
Lyrics indecipherable most of the time. Emotions, NOT so.
12)With A Hip(Heaven Up Here)
One of the simplest, yet COOLest bass lines in the world....
"Bounds, of course we know no bounds...."
a statement of intent. The band finding their place. Unlimited, except by their own imagination....
"you've yet to discover...."
13)Over The Wall(Heaven Up Here)
Have you ever felt sorrow? Did you avoid it? or embrace it? This is a song a bout FEELING, even sorrow, in order to deal with it.
"I'm walking in the rain, to CELEBRATE this misery...."
But at the same time, you are 'Over The Wall', you've moved on.....
14)My Kingdom(Ocean Rain)
A simple & georgeous song SLICED in two by the guitar solo, possibly my favourite sounding guitar solo ever, harsh & smooth, vicious AND mellow, it is brimming with emotion, style & even humour.
15)Ocean Rain(Ocean Rain)
A good(great?) song that in any other hands would be just that. It ends transformed, Ian McCulloch's vocals from 3:44-4:22@!-4:43) are more powerful than Bono or any other singer at his/her best, the way this song builds is SEX incarnate. Ian's vocals are the orgasm.
Too Fucking cool.
16)Crocodiles(Crocodiles)
Jagged guitars & spiky vocals with amazing bass/drums. It all coalesces at 01:52, where communication between all the instruments becomes the snarling biting jaws of the Crocodiles, chewing your ass off. Period.
17)Paint it Black.(Live)
Rolling Stones cover......
18) Do It Clean(Live)
Garage rock at its best! Touchstones incude James Brown , Broadway & the Beatles.
What more do you need?

It's late , I'm off to bed.....


Consider this part one, I'm saving it & writing part 2 tomorrow or the day after.


Mario

that goes for all of you......
Any suggestions?

%^)


"And the love that loves the love that loves the love that loves the love that loves to love the love that loves to love the love that loves."