Ocean Rain

This album is on here for a reason, while a little dated it still has some timeless tracks that are sure to get stuck in your head, killing moon is an absolute banger. Good for a background round the house album, or chuck some headphones on and deep dive into the metaphorical world, drop by drop.

Solid. Good to see what the fuss is about

Really solid album. I prefer earlier and more punky Echo, but this is still great. The Killing Moon is on my shortlist for favorite 80s songs, but the remainder of the album measures up.

Decent album. Didn't love it or hate it, fairly generic 80s music

Probably their best? Again, definitely a greatest hits band, not a 3 albums bamd. Songs to Learn & Sing: done.

Silver - 87 Nocturnal Me - 83 Crystal Days - 88 The Yo-Yo Man - 79 Thorn Of Crowns - 81 The Killing Moon - 93 Seven Seas - 89 My Kingdom - 80 Ocean Rain - 88 Ocean Rain - 86

Had this one on CD...good stuff. "The Killing Moon" is just a perfect song

did not expect to hear The Cure, The Doors, and Nick Cave in the same album

20-10 Track 1 vond ik wel leuk; track 2 is best wel saai: instrumentaal is er niet superveel aan en de lyrics zijn ook niet spectaculair. Track 5 is heftig met de OW UH OW UH, en de hoehoehoe en gekreun ook wel. Het is bijzonder; laten we het daar maar bij laten. Instrumentaal daarentegen wel goed. The Killing Moon is een banger, maar die kende ik al. Track 8 my kingdom is ook leuk. Oké, kortste album ooit, maar overall best nice. Niet heel erg mijn smaak, alhoewel sommige liedjes wel. Moeilijk om dit te raten. Favourite track: beetje basic maar The Killing Moon Overall rating: 3/5

Good

I'm pleased to say this album is better than the other two on this list. There's some good atmosphere in places, with some nice instrumental mixes. I also like the jangly guitars when they kick in. There's still plenty of tracks that are kind of meandering and merely ok though. The Killing Moon stands out as the best track on the album, although a few others pleasantly surprised me.

Of it's time and goth inspired but actually not bad certainly helped by Killing Moon which has always been a great track. Personally I prefer Porcupine but there is not much between them

Ziemlich cool, hatte sehr angenehme Vibes.

Teils schön, teils kaputt. Hatte es damit schon mal versucht, jetzt hat es mir gefallen. Gebe mal vorsichtige 4 Sterne und markiere es als Neuentdeckung.

All of the songs are pretty decent mid-80s slightly goth tinged pop, but The Killing Moon is as close to perfect as you can get. What a song!

I mean, of course we all know "Killing Moon" and "Seven Seas", and they're great. But Holy Fuck, the song "Ocean Rain" is EXQUISITE, and the perfect ending to a stellar album. The album as a whole teeters between a 4 and a 5 for me, so we're gonna round up to a 5 just for the goosebumps on my arms from "Ocean Rain".

Gee, a 3rd album from Echo & the Bunnymen, shocker. Crocodiles (1980), Porcupine (1983), and now Ocean Rain (1984). You're telling me that they released 3 albums in 4 yrs that all broke new ground and impacted the musical landscape?! Nope, this is a favorite of the author, it's not here on merit alone. This sounds just like it's predecessors. Pick one to represent E&TB, but not 3 that have a very similar vibe. The first track couldn't get much less interesting. "Killing Moon" is a tune you still hear on the radio today. "Nocturnal Me" is a slog. "Yo-Yo Man" is super weak. "Crown Of Thorns"? Wtf, it feels like he made it up as he was recording it. Overall this is a pretty vanilla album. This only makes a Must Hear List if you're a super-fan, nothing on here is must-hear worthy. It's a C- album at best. 2.5 stars from me.

Top notch album. Contains EatB’s vest known songs

⭐ 5/5 Stars | Vinyl Verdict: BUY Back in the '80s, I didn't listen to much new wave unless it was mainstream. These days, I've grown to love the genre, and this album reminded me why. From the opening track, "Silver," I was hooked! It gave me serious John Hughes movie vibes. "Crystal Days" was another standout, especially a drum section that reminded me of Oingo Boingo. What really won me over was the combination of atmospheric guitars, fantastic drumming, lush orchestral arrangements, and dark, gothic undertones. Songs like "Nocturnal Me" and "The Yo-Yo Man" had a mysterious nighttime feel that I absolutely loved. I was already familiar with "The Killing Moon" from my new wave playlist, although I never really knew the band that well. Interestingly, Ian McCulloch's vocals reminded me of Bono on that track. The musicianship throughout this album is outstanding. Every song brings something interesting to the table, and the orchestration adds another dimension without overpowering the rock elements. This is exactly why I love this project. I'm discovering albums I overlooked decades ago and finding music that I appreciate even more today. Five stars and an easy vinyl buy!

A beautiful goth album that I will always appreciate.

There were a few moments where I thought it was decent, but the rest of the album was entirely forgettable.

No fav song

The Killing Moon is a great song. The rest of the album is okay.

I don't generally quite "get" post-punk. Not sure if I do still, but from the first track this was eminently more listenable than some of the other post-punk albums I've listened to. I like the synths (or are they real strings?) and the lyrics seem like they were written by humans. I'm not sure if I'd still say I like or love it, but I enjoy it at the very least. Which is more than I can say for most of this genre.

Following the modest success of their previous record, Echo & The Bunnymen’s manager, Bill Drummond, proposed a shift from post-punk toward pop music. Drummond was a noted occultist; in short, his plan was for the band to exist for five years, release the greatest pop album in history (as the promotional materials actually claimed), and then disband — a plan the band itself was apparently unaware of. The album before you is the result, and it is magnificent. Here, psychedelic gothic post-punk meets baroque romanticism rich in strings — imagine The Cure adopting the arrangements of Scott Walker. The cover art perfectly captures the atmosphere; listening to it feels like drifting in a boat along a river at night. On one hand, the ritual didn't work: the band continued on after parting ways with Drummond. On the other, they never managed to come anywhere close to this album again.

Liker den atmosfæriske og kalde stemningen på mange av låtene, men det blir likevel som å høre på en mer polert Joy Division der Jim Morrison og Bono veksler på å synge.

Steinbra! Pittelitt kjedelig.

Litt treg åpning, før det tar sæ opp. Like det.

Amazing, knew artist already 9.5/10

A lot of this reminds me of Enter Shikari at times. I think it's a similar vocal style, this just has less (no) screams. Thorn of Crowns was...something. The Killing Moon is fantastic. Overall, not something I will revisit or dig into deeper.

Meh

I thought I liked Echo and the Bunnymen. I don’t.

Ca, ca, ca, cucumber. Ca, ca, ca, cabbage. Ca, ca, ca, cauliflower. Sing about vegetables - straight to jail. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

This is a pleasant listen that is dragged down by the vocal performance. I really liked the instrumentals, especially the prominence of string instruments.

The killing moon ist überragend aber der rest fällt leider ein bißchen ab. Durch Killing Moon aber eine 3/5

My favorite Bunnymen album - everything about it is bordering on perfect.

One of my all time favorite albums even though lyrically........

A couple of obvious fillers on here. Singles are the best part.

Not for me. 1/5

I am not familiar with this album. It features an orchestra and spoken-word vocals. It is New Wave with lively songs and sensitive orchestration. Not bad at all—quite listenable on a first listen. The song "The Killing Moon" is the highlight of the album.

8/10

Too 80s sounding for me. Didn't enjoy the synths or the voice.

A band at the top of their game and therefore a brilliant album. A pleasure to listen to!

Só conhecia Killing Moon, mas sempre gostei muito daquela canção, então estava bem animado para ouvir seu disco de origem. Som bem… misterioso? Difícil achar palavras pra descrever. Acho que era justamente esse o intuito da banda, um som bem “cool”, indecifrável, presunçoso… Mas não faz nada em mim, particularmente. Achei bem decepcionante considerando o quão boa é killing moon. 3/5

++: Nocturnal Me, Crystal Days, The Yo Yo Man, Thorn of Crowns, The Killing Moon, Seven Seas, My Kingdom, Ocean Rain +: Silver 9,4/10

I had this on vinyl once and think I sold it or gave it away because it annoyed me. It’s like it can’t decide what it wants to be. Is it moody goth rock? Is it less artistic Cure? Is it post punk? Is it straight ahead 80’s new wave pop rock? It’s a little bit of all of that. And also a little bit annoying. The lyrics are a bit too clever. The orchestra is a bit too prevalent. Sometimes they yell. It’s not super annoying, but it is a little bit annoying. But it’s also pretty good.

Pretty good, although the music didn't have much of a lasting impression for me. The album art is a winner.

day 2 of not rolling Aja by Steely Dan it's not even that it's my favorite album. i just want it. couldn't tell you why. it just feels... right. AAAAAAAJAAAAA WHEN ALL MY DIME DANCING IS THROOOUGGGHHHH i want to like this more than i do because the album art is neat and the band name is cool as fuck. i think the inclusion of an orchestra was a really solid decision, but that alone doesn't save it from sounding like a lot of other albums from the first half of the 80s. call it post punk, call it whatever, but it still sounds too similar to like 70% of all music coming out of the UK at the time. i don't know if that's a fair knock against this album (as i am someone who really enjoyed the early 2010s indie pop, which tended to get somewhat samey as well), but unfortunately it does drag this down for me.* i did like "The Killing Moon" enough to consider adding it to my library. i didn't, but i thought about it. *after writing this review, i was curious to know if i'm just an idiot and missing something, so i looked at reviews. in one review alone, i saw someone compare this to the following groups: The Cure, U2, XTC, The Doors, Radiohead, and Bauhaus. so i guess other people with 4 and 5 star reviews also hear a quality of sameness (i also feel vindicated because I hate U2 and I think The Cure is overrated, but maybe that's neither here nor there)

Had some elements I thought I’d like, but overall this felt like an album on life support. No energy whatsoever. This also applied to high tempo moments, which I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced on an album. Took me out of several tracks that I’d started to enjoy.

I enjoyed the first and last song, but everything in between was pretty meh. Felt a lot like proto-U2 at times.

Dude I just don’t know. I went into this knowing Killing Moon, which is a fantastic song, which gave me conflicting expectations as to whether to be excited or to just assume the rest would not be as good. And then I listened to it and was kinda blah but something about it really compelled me to go back and give it another shot. Obviously we’ve gotten quite a few post punk albums of late and that’s working against my enjoyment, but I think Ian McCulloch actually has a really great vocal that makes him stand out from his contemporaries. And now I think I am due to tinker with my rating scale again because I like this and yesterday’s album so much more than other 3 stars but not so much as my current 4 stars. 3.5

Very 80s but forgettable

Not bad, yet no single ball out of the park.

Track By Track Silver - Lush ‘80s instrumentation! Got that epic feel in the lyrics as well. Quite like the strings. Nocturnal Me - This feels a bit cinematic. Again, an epic feel to it. Perhaps a harmonic scale being used, sort of Middle Eastern influence perhaps? Theatrical feel to it as well, like in a musical or something. Crystal Days - quite like this chord progression and melody/riff. Bit of Cure influence I can hear as well. Also a bit of U2. Although they may have been influenced by these guys a bit as well. All the ‘80s crew innit. The Yo-Yo Man - Sounds a little Irish actually this. Are any of them Irish? It’s also a bit Smiths - the melody and delivery. Kind of like a dark waltz. Thorn of Crowns - same harmonic (I think!) scale. It’s like a western. The chords. I kind of like it. I reckon Muse would enjoy listening to this track. The Killing Moon - it has a spooky opening actually. Very autumnal (I’m listening in September). Again those western-like chords. Nice chorus this as well. It’s perhaps a little long. Seven Seas - I like this one. Good tune. Possibly my favourite one so far. My Kingdom - I like the opening chords on the ?? (Harmonium?). Builds nicely. Quite far into the album I’m kind of digging the sound. Ocean Rain - Slow, atmospheric beginning for the title track. Plaintive as I’m currently reading ‘Life Of Pi’, so my mind is currently relating it to that a bit. So ‘80s, so echoey! It’s like the decade that properly invented echo and reverb. Overall Review: I went into this knowing who they were but not ever hearing any of their music properly. They do sound very quintessentially ‘80s. They were also very cinematic, which once I got past it, I kind of enjoyed. I definitely preferred the second half of the album. I’d also have to be in the mood. It’s one of those. They have a way of weaving fantastical sounding narratives both lyrically and melodically. They’re like the ‘80s’ dream-weavers. Solid album. 3.4/5 Favourite Songs: Seven Seas, My Kingdom

Really nice atmosphere. Like the strings with the darker guitar sound.

It’s alright, couple of solid songs in the latter half. Sounded like a more etherial version of the smiths. The voice annoys me

Rating snooze/10

Why is this on the list

Reminds me a lot of The Cure but with a little bit more unique instrumentation. This is my second Echo and the Bunnymen album and they consistently deliver really fun alt rock. I don’t know if they are as good as the Cure, but they’re a little less sad boy and it’s just more fun to listen to. This could be a guilty pleasure, idk we’ll see in the comments section.

What a treat to hear the killing moon, I didn’t know it was part of this album. Such a treat :)

With Ocean Rain, Echo & The Bunnymen reached their creative peak by expanding their post-punk palette, in corporating the early sounds of Neo-Psychedelia and even Chamber Pop. They also seem to have traded a lot of the electric guitar for acoustic one. In theory this would give the album a folkier feel, but instead makes it a mysterious and wonderous, perfectly matching that artwork. I really love the variety of songs here, from bright, string-laden tracks like "Silver", to dark numbers such as "Nocturnal Me". And these are only the first two songs! Key tracks: Silver Nocturnal Me The Killing Moon Seven Seas

bastante entretenido, no terminan de volarme la cabeza pero se disfruta 7/10

Classic 80's synth fails to hide musical composition rivaling the greats. There are moments of levity mixed with angst and gloom. Beautiful album that I would listen to again and again.

A dramatic, grandiose take on indie pop that sounds simultaneously very '80s and two decades ahead of its time

The 4 first EATB records would have made a pretty much perfect discography and The Grey album has it's moments, but the band really lost it's mojo after the death of Pete DeFreitas. With Ocean rain the band was in some kind of a sweetspot between post punk songs and the poppier output. Hard to say which one of the four is best, but Ocean rain is definitely a great album and essential part of my teenage soundtrack.

Not bad but this sounds like these songs / equivalent ones are heard multiple times. Weirdly I would have placed these notably later than 1984 and this might explain why there are plenty of similarities to later bands. And this brings me to idea whom all the Bynnymens haw had influence on. Apparently plenty.

Third album from this band in this list. Previous 2 have got only 1 star from me. This gets 2. So a bit better in my review, but nothing to remember here still...

#479 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❌ Grandiose pop music has never been my thing. Let alone 80's post-punk with some goth tendencies. I was only 3 songs in and already reordered so I'll hear at least the hit songs before I quit it. Bump to 2/5 as there are some proper arrangements going on here.

Need to finish this-had only heard later Echo & the Bunnymen before this

Alright

Definición de mid:

Mid, no me copó, pero no está mal, sin pena ni gloria. Un poco raro a veces.

Had a kind of folk sound that was cool.

I love this album. Every song is great. I love Ian’s voice. I love Thorn Of Crowns even though I have no idea what it means.

I like the name of this band, and the style of this band, but I’ve tried before and can not muster up a ton of enthusiasm for their sound. There’s nothing majorly off-putting, but nothing that really grabs me either. I will say that I got a laugh out of some of the lyrics on “Crown of Thorn”.

Not bad. I've realised I know one of the tracks but had no idea it was them.

Interesting production, particularly with the strings, and the short runtime means none of the songs feel repetitive or outstay their welcome, but it can feel a little bit thin and lacking in impact at times. I'm not wholly unconvinced that this albumk is placed on the list on the stregnth of the Killing Moon alone, even if it's not my favourite on there.

Mildly enjoyable

My previous exposure to and experience with Echo And The Bunnymen has been I Want To Be There When You Come, which I like well enough. Well, this album was fine but it came and went without me really noticing anything happening in between. Not boring, but blandly pleasant.

A a non-Pop 80’s album I can listen to. Something really familiar about the lead singer’s voice.

73

The Killing Moon was OK... otherwise... woof. What a bad album. The one song raises it from a 1 to a 2.

That one killing moon song I know but the rest is just meh

It had some okay songs - not bad.

Just meh.

Echo & The Bunnymen has always been a band I’ve known about, by seeing them pop up on compilations over the years, but the songs I’d heard never inspired me to dive deeper. After giving this album a listen, though, I see them in a whole new light. I was genuinely surprised by the strong baroque pop elements and how prominently the orchestral arrangements are featured. Who would’ve thought that blending darker post punk with baroque pop could work so well? Yet, they pull it off so smoothly on this album.

A very 80’s album thats elevated by an orchestral sound and a psychedelic edge. I knew the song Killing Moon, but never listened to the whole album. I can’t say the rest of the album really lives up to the expectation set by that song, but it was a very decent listen. Fav Track: Killing Moon

I love this album. It was a great memory of a good time in life. The vocals are rich and brooding.

It's probably the first time I listen to one of their albums entirely. It took me a while before appreciating it, which is strange, considering that I tend to like anything post punk, new wave, art rock etc. The reason may be that the orchestral arrangement of some songs is a bit redundant... Anyway, after a couple of listening, I started to enjoy it and I think I will come back to check out their discography in the future.

Were the curators of this list, themselves, Bunnymen? Do the Bunnymen have something over them? What the hell?

It was okay, decent vocals, good lyrics, jammy instrumentals. But not entirely memorable.

Rainy camden pub suitable

Much better than the other album of theirs on here, Crocodiles. Killing Moon is brilliant

good, fun new wave type album, with a few standout tracks. no misses, but i feel like it sounds a bit riskless at times.

My fave bunnymen album, one of the peaks of 80’s post-punk. The Killing Moon is an all-time fave song so ive gotta hype it up a little more for that, but it pains me to say that not every tracks a winner. Standouts are Silver, The Killing Moon (the GOAT) and Seven Seas.

Ominous record, which leverages a lot of orchestration and lush production to create an unique atmosphere. Way beyond their most well-known hit 'The Killing Moon', it is their most complete experience. 8/10 [KEEP]

80s pop rock album with haunting strings lyrics. exquisite in places goth meets info pop Understandable why Mac thinks they’re the best band in the world.

aika asaatanan hyviä biisejä mut myös aika todella huonoja. 3/5

There's a lovely alternative, post-punk tone to this record with shades of The Cure or Nick Cave, and there's plenty of very enjoyable moments. What the album lacks for me though is many memorable moments that leave you wanting more. Whilst I enjoyed the record throughout, at no point did I think “wow”. 7/10.

I recognize the one song from this album that got radio play back in the day, but never heard the rest of the album. Smooth and smoky. Very captivating even with some identifiably 80s feel to it. I’ll listen to this again