Crocodiles

File under: Bands that i think are talented and make fine music, whose influence I recognize and appreciate, yet have absolutely zero interest in listening to.

This is a seminal album for me. In 1980 I was 18 years old and and was deepening a musical rebirth. Shedding the shackles of classic rock and discovering the joys of alternative rock. Melody Maker and NME were the bibles of my religious awakening. That's where I read about Echo and the Bunnymen and how I was lead to their first album. From the moment the rumbling bass and drum that introduces Going Up, I was hooked. I have the original Canadian release which does NOT include Do It Clean as the second track which is fine by me; I think the ne two punch of those two songs back to back as my introduction to Bunnymen may have caused my head to explode. I won't go into a track by track lovefest, just suffice to say that the album gets stronger and stronger and kick started my now decades long love of British alternative/ post punk music as well as indie/alternative music in general. 5 🌟

I never really listened to Echo and the Bunnymen much because their name and fans were off putting, but this record is really fantastic. Cue regret for not tuning in earlier, as this would go splendidly alongside the cure, new order, joy division, the smiths. Really great, moodly rhythmic rock record. 4*

This album lands squarely in the “I feel like I should like this” camp. However, for reasons I can’t articulate, I just don’t find it that compelling

I'm 87% sure the autor of this list realised halfway thought that he didn't know 1001 albums and added just random English music.

An album I just don’t care about, it’s been weeks since I’ve had an enjoyable listening experience with an album. Somebody please help me

Post-punk is one of the worst genres of music I've ever heard. A scourge upon mankind, a plague upon good taste, an offense to good taste.

Crocodiles by Echo & the Bunnymen (1980) If you’re looking for meaningful lyrics, disciplined poetic cadence, creative melodies, elaborate chord structures, skillful performances, and fine vocals, you should look elsewhere. This Liverpudlian group’s debut release has a steady and competent sound, but it lacks variety on almost every level. I’m looking for artistry here and not finding it. Ian McCulloch’s lead vocals are too often stuck on one note, with easy intervals begging to get back to the home tone. It’s what a non-singer does when forced to write a song he has to sing. While the themes are dark, they neither shock nor provoke empathy. All we get is assorted amateur adolescent angst that could be assisted by amphetamines. It’s a sad album that provides its only musical variation on the final track “Happy Death Men”. If this record has a highlight, this is it, but it’s more of a lowlight. The lone lead solo guitar work is found on this track, and listening to it goes a long way toward explaining why there isn’t more of it. Guitarist Will Sergeant has a very narrow comfort zone, and he has the good sense to stay within it. It seems to me that in a title track about “Crocodiles”, it seems that one could find some actual crocodilian images that might give some meaning. But nope. The listener is pretty much on his/her own. In the song “Rescue”, they ask: “Is this the blues I’m singin’?” No, I don’t think so. More like the blahs. 1/5

A truly miserable album which is what makes it so perfect.

This album has the feel of a high energy anti-establishment punk album of the 70's, heard through the haze of heavy sedatives. The tempo is slower, the gritty effects are traded for rich and mellow reverbs, but the bite is everywhere and just beneath the surface. Check out the track "All That Jazz" to hear what I mean. This is a great album and pair perfectly with works from groups like the Clash. I'm surprised that I never really listened to this group, but I know I will be now!

I remember listening to some of this band's later work when I was in college, and I'll never forget their video for 'Bring On The Dancing Horses' (a song from a later album) that always reminded me of Equus, a great play (no idea if the band intended that). This album, their debut (I think), is great. Nice mash-up of rock, post-punk, new wave -- this is all my best guess; I often mess up all these subgenres -- and I like the strong bass lines.

Whoever made this list had a raging hard-on for British boy bands from the 80s. That being said, this band was one of the slightly better ones. I probably won’t remember it though.

Turns out, I like this band

What a fantastic album. Loved Rescue. This is the sound of my youth, being played at parties by countless cover bands, along with Oingo Boingo, B-52s, REM, U2

9/10, really fun 80s rock while I really liked their first album, the stuff that came after was undeniably better still a damn good start for a band tho

Good album. Really build momentum. I think the sweet spot is Monkeys, Crocodiles, and Rescue. Band sounds good. Good harmonies, crisp vocals, and cohesive new wave sound.

I really enjoyed this album. It’s definitely post-punk with that early goth sound. It has the dark, moody atmosphere of bands like Joy Division and Bauhaus, but with more energy that highlights the punk influences and the new wave sounds bleeding into the music. Since this is their debut, I’m excited to move through their catalog and see how they progress from here.

This is what they call ‘right up my alley’. Its new wave, its got that punch and its structurally interesting. It might be my taste but theres nothing ive got to critique. I could listen to this easily and i think a 5 is in order.

This is #day313 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to post-punk classics again. It's crazy to think this came out 45 years ago. What makes this band stand out in the '80s scene is the psychedelic element in their music. While, say, The Chameleons (one of my favourite bands from the genre) leaned more into goth rock, ethereal wave, and dream pop, the Bunnymen embraced full-on psychedelia, though not without a trace of new wave and punk roots. The instrumentation on the debut is raw and tight: jagged guitars, metronomic drums, and a bouncy bassline. Very much in the vein of Jeopardy by The Sound (another all-time favourite). This is deep autumn music, for wet November days, when the trees are stripped bare... Straightforward, stark, beautiful in its own right. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day314.

Was super exciting

A dark and ethereal classic.

Love the guitar work, some of the best post-punk I've heard. Also like the fact that it's short and straight to the point without any dud tracks or anything that seems like filler

Perfection. Plain and simple

Solid

This list of albums you MUST hear before you die was put together by someone who really loves British post-punk, huh? I also enjoy British post-punk, so I'm not mad about it.

Superb. The best bunnymen album.

There’s a buldge in my pants now

Det er jo dem med The Killing Moon. Troede de var et one hit wonder band. Okay det lyder af Joy Division. Samme mørke stemning og til tider det industrialiserede lydbillede som JD også havde på deres debut fra året før. Det her er mega fedt 🖤 Nyt yndlings album. Weekenden skal vist bruges på at lytte mere af deres diskografi

There were two reasons I didn't listen to this band in the 80's. First, it wasn't heavy metal. Second, their name is silly. In the early 90's I had a roommate that gave me RHCP Freaky Styley. Turns out it was just the cover, it had an Echo and the Bunnymen album inside. I was truly surprised at how much I liked it. I don't remember which album it was, but I know it wasn't this one. This album is good but I think they have better. But that's all subjective innit. This is the style of British New Wave I like. I'll probably dive into the rest of their discography today. Solid.

I am a fully signed up Bunnyhead (?) and this is as perfect a debut album as you could ask for. Ian Mcculloch is exactly who Jim Morrison might have been had he grown up in Liverpool in the late seventies, and one of music's best frontmen. De Freitas and Pattinson are a dream rhythm section, as 'angular' as other new wave bands but with a drive and melodic aspect others lacked. Will Sergeant created a guitar sound all of his own, enough said. Have I gone on about how unjust it is that U2 conquered the world while the Bunnymen, the finest of the post new-wave big 3 with them and Simple Minds, did not. It is unjust. The songs? Flawless apart from possibly Happy Death Men which does sound like something they knocked up in the studio in half an hour. 4.9999999. 'Heaven Up Here' is even better.

Kinda reminds me of Grunge

One of my all-time favorites (I very slightly prefer the first three Echo albums and the way the songs play with dissonance to other stuff by them but love their whole career). Villier's Terrace piano part and the Happy Death Men trumpets stood out to me in this listen through. That and Will Sargeant! He's such as virtuoso, doing rhythm guitar things that invite bits of more minimal space into the songs along with unexpected lead guitar licks all over on this album.

Excellent album from start to end.

I love the story from Bill Drummond about seeing the giant rabbit head in the twisted tree that supposedly noone else had noticed at the photo shoot. I can't see anything else. This record is so good my microwave died.

Echo and the Bunnymen is a classic too, very good mix of rock and new wave 😊 5/5

Really enjoyed this one

early 80's new wave fan girl here

This sounds like all those unidentified 80s songs people find on old cassettes, but if they were actually good. Cozy and romantic but also futuristic and ominous.

I really like this, I’ve never heard of this band before but it feels similar to The Talking Heads.

I was surprised to see I rated the other Echo album (which I rated 725 albums ago) 3 stars, even though I'm sure Spotify has put a few of their songs on random playlists for me and I enjoyed them then. Just the same, I really enjoyed the Crocodiles album as well. So maybe that's evolving taste, maybe it's evolving rating standards and maybe Echo And The Bunnymen need the listener to be in an appropriate mood to hit just right. Because this album really did hit just right. More of a 4.5 rounded up, rather than a clean 5, but a very good album just the same. I particularly enjoyed the textural depth of the instrumentation.

It's an interesting album and band.

Again another superclassic 5-star album, just like their second, third and fourth album, which presumably are included on the list as well.

Plagued with sadness and misery, this is a standout album of the Post-Punk era

Already one of my all time favourites!

"Crocodiles" is the debut album from Echo and the Bunnymen with two songs, "Pictures on My Wall" and "Rescue," on the album previously released as singles. This is quite an album. The music is described as post-punk and neo-psychdelic with imagery of darkness and sorrowfullness. Yes, that's all there. To me, the sound is sort of similar to Joy Division's "Closer" and Gang of Four. The band includes Ian McCulloch (singer), Will Sergeant (guitars), Les Pattinson (bass) and drummer Pete de Freitas whom they added after they signed to a label and were encouraged to add a drummer. One of the first things you notice is how prominent each of the band members are. They all make major to contributions to the songs and album as a whole. McCulloch's lyrics are dark and appear very personal. Given the imagery and personal nature leaves a lot of these songs open for interpretation. The lyrics and music match perfectly creating a great dark and somewhat haunting mood. "Going up" starts the album with Pink Floyd type echoes. Check neo-pyschedelic. It builds with a solid rhythm section and sort of a slash-like guitar. "Do It Clean" has great drumming and absolutely great guitar in the middle. I have no idea what this is about, cleaning your room, doing cocaine??? My favorite song on the album is "Monkeys" with just a great guitar intro and chorus. The bass and drums create a great atmosphere. It sounds like the bass is carrying the melody. My guess it's about a change needed in a relationship. The second side starts with their second single "Rescue" and probably their most recognized song on this album. Another great guitar intro going into the melody. Tremendous catchy vocal chorus. Definitely one of their best pop-type songs. The first single was "The Pictures on My Wall" and appears to have a more keyboard-focused chorus. More echoes. Neo-pyschedelia checked twice. The music is a great match for the lyrics which express a state of despair and paranoia. Joy Division and Roxy Music typically get a lot accolades for the best-ever debut albums and rightfully so. But, this is also just a great debut, worthy of a listen and being on this list. They would also have a few other outstanding albums later on in the decade.

What a belter and a soundtrack to my youth!

very cool

5/5 - New wave? The Smiths? This hit the spot :D

Very cool

No está a la altura de Ocean Rain, pero bueno, qué puede estarlo. Sin embargo, bastante bueno.

Да нормуль епт

I'd never listened to Echo and The Bunnymen before at all and I liked this. Great guitar playing and rhythm section - I especially found the drumming really good. The lyrics are melancholy and slightly downbeat but intriguing. Definitely reminds of The Cure and Smiths who are bands I love I found it a bit droney to enjoy for a full album so not quite 5* but one I might revisit for another spin

Saved

Another album I wouldn't have appreciated a few years ago. Very much in line with The Cure, it's chill but alternative. Glad I listened to this.

Highlights: Going Up, Villiers Terrace. In a nutshell: jangly emo post-punk Note: the UK LP has ten songs and the US LP edition has twelve songs. Your experience may vary. I listened to the US LP. As a debut, it's good. Is it distinctive compared to their peers also appearing in the book (The Cure, S&TB, etc)? Not really. Worth a listen though. Overall: 7/10

Oyes

I've never gone deep on this band and I hope they have another album or two on this list because this was very very cool. Was U2 trying to sound like these guys when they started out? Probably. Gloomy post-punk that really rocks. Must-listen #153.

Solid debut album. I enjoy their later work better, but this good too.

I do like the raw, dark post-punk sound on this. It might even be their best album. It’s a good one, but not in the same class as Joy Division who define the this genre.

Seemed more rock then some of their later albums. A pretty good listen.

I liked this one. Sort of got that New Wave from England vibe. Pretty decent album I'll listen to again.

Pretty good!! I was hoping for more new wave but I felt like this was mostly post-punk, so I’m not complaining.

1. Going Up - 7/10 2. Stars Are Stars - 7/10 3. Pride - 8/10 4. Monkeys - 8/10 5. Crocodiles - 8.5/10 6. Rescue - 8/10 7. Villiers Terrace - 7.6/10 8. Pictures on My Wall - 8/10 9. All That Jazz - 8/10 10. Happy Death Men - 8/10 11. Do It Clean - 8.2/10 12. Read It in Books - 7.5/10 8/10

Somehow they are the missing link between the Stooges and Arcade Fire. Moody and emotional they have a compelling sound. I love the driving rhythm section. There is plenty to like here.

Grooooovy. I love post-punk like this, there's just such an energy to it.

This is just absolutely brilliant . Such a nice vibe . So easy to listen to . Didn’t feel like 40 mins which is good . And all the songs sounded different in my opinion . I just really fucking loved it . WOW

Very good!!

80s post-punk my beloved 🖤

This band is a bit of a conundrum for me. I enjoy the whole listening experience but there isn’t a song that I feel compelled to listen to by itself. So I guess that makes it a good album? 4/5

I rate Rescue a 3 star because its like country and i dont really like country bu the guitar is good and the drums are good and beat ⭐⭐⭐. I rate do it clean a 3 star because its like country and i dont really like country bu the guitar is good and the drums are good and beat ⭐⭐⭐. I rate crocidiel a 3 star because its like country and i dont really like country bu the guitar is good and the drums are good and beat ⭐⭐⭐.

I thought the cover looked interesting. I liked "Rescue" because it was upbeat. The guitar was really good. The lyrics are also good. "Do It Clean" was good. I liked the singing and guitar together. The lyrics weren't that great. "Crocodiles" was really good. It had an element of mystery. I really liked that. The singing is also really good. I would definitely recommend this album.

the first song is good I like how it sounds and it kinda reminds me of stone temple pilots I also like the sound of the instruments. the next song is also good I like the start and I also like how the instruments sound and I like the way the words are said I also like how the drums sound. the last sound is also good I like how the instruments sound and the way the words are said remind me of the song territorial pissings by nirvana I also like how the guitar sounds. overall I would probably recommend this to rock fans I like this album.

rescue I like this song because I can hear some drums and it is talking about like there was something wrong. do it clean I like this song because when it is talking about do it clean it is like picking up the trash . crocodiles. I like this song because it is taking about like when he has blue alligator shoes.

Pretty cool

Great album. Another that makes me ask “why have I not listened to this yet?!” But I love that aspect of discovery. I may not have ever listened to Echo and the Bunnymen without this list.

Пост-панк є одним із моїх улюблених жанрів останній час. В особливості, якщо ми говоримо про його «класичний» період. У першому випуску Essentials, який був присвячений цій темі, я вже казав, що пост-панк для мене - це, в першу чергу, про артистизм та відхід від загальноприйнятих канонів, при чому як музично, так і ідеологічно. І цей дебютний альбом Echo & the Bunnymen - є одними із тих хто наявно ілюструє собою цю «естетичну революцію». В основі Crocodiles лежить вже, більш-менш, визначене, трохи готичне, пост-панк звучання, які заклали інші британські гурти, такі як Siouxsie & The Banshees та Joy Division, але у випадку наших героїв - тут присутній ще один важливий елемент «деконструкції», а саме класичного психоделічного року, та ідеології кінця 60-х. У музиці та текстах Crocodiles чітко відстежується вплив психоделічних легенд - The Doors, та більш «артових» - The Velvet Underground (дехто, навіть називає цей альбом «puncadelic»), але з акцентом на похмурість, страх та «невротичність». Наркотична культура більше не подається тут як щось «радісне» та «обʼєднуюче», а навпаки - висвітлюється її темний бік. Це дуже і дуже крутий альбом, що безперечно, буде мати величезний вплив на альтернативний рок майбутнього, і коли ми обирали альбоми для Post-Punk Essentials, то довго думали - чи включати цей альбом у список. І він, на жаль, до нього не потрапив, але не через те, що він цього негідний, а через те, що етерний, оркестровий та інтроспективний Ocean Rain (1984) здається нам «на голову вищим», тому він і зайняв його місце.

I definitely feel like I should like this more than I actually do, but I do really appreciate it. Actually, it's a good listen as well. It's not something I would turn to very often, but I can't complain about it. I enjoyed it. It gets an extra star for actually being influential enough to be on this list, as well.

Cool early post-punk with great energy. Not as polished as their later stuff but some killer guitar work. Wish I’d seen them live during this period.

A fun album, with a sort of punk adjacent sound. A good listen. I had fun, but probably won't add this to my collection.

This is a really nice album. It may not be particularly memorable and wouldn't be my first pick for this genre of rock music, but I really enjoyed listening to it. Usually I give this brand of 'nice but forgettable' music a 3.5 score, but I'm rounding it up to 4 this time because the album had no weak spots, which is rare. 4 stars

Love the early 80s new wave / alternative stuff

Love me some classic Goth music

Great

All this time I didn't know the UK release was missong two tracks. I feel short changed. The list is missing the best one out the first three in Heaven Up Here.

Bien aimé le côté sombre, dépouillé et sobre

I really enjoyed this album especially the title track

Dark and brooding, yet soothing

This was a fun album. It has a really good artistic vibe, but just enough weirdness to be concerning haha. I like that this album or band definitely have their own identity and it's something I could see listening to again.

Echo and the Bunnymen's debut album is a lot different than their later works. I still maintain that Porcupine is their best overall album, with Ocean Rain not too far behind. This album is definitely a beginning to something greater. Lots of good music on it. Top tracks: Going Up Pride Rescue Pictures on My Wall 4/5

Pretty listenable, with some interesting songs, but nothing special. Feels like there's a hint of sadness in this album, and I kinda believe in it.

This album feels like a bridge to Porcupine. Thanks to this challenge, I've become a bona fide Bunnymen fan - a bit ironic since I've seen them twice live but vowed never again due to Ian's alcoholism. It's all good. I can still love an appreciate a band for their craft.

Great album.

Eerie tones cascade And reverberate inside A slow dancing soul

whew

This will be my second Echo and The Bunnymen album to review, after Ocean Rain. I gave Ocean Rain four stars, and after reading my short review, I didn’t say anything negative about it that would explain to me why I gave it four stars instead of five. But alas, here we are. I did get to see these guys in concert back in May (it was sadly not a great show, but such is life), and in the weeks leading up to the show, I checked out a few songs off this album so I would be familiar with more of their catalog. Still, I’m not terribly familiar with this album, and I’m excited for the chance to listen to it. I didn’t enjoy Crocodiles as much as I enjoy listening to Ocean Rain, but I still thought it was a really good album. Crocodiles had everything I’d expect from E&TB: Ian McCulloch’s great vocals, excellent guitar playing, and an atmosphere so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The rhythm section on this album is fantastic as well, which adds a unique element to the sound of the album, and sets E&TB apart from other post-punk bands at this time. I hear a lot of Joy Division in the music of this album, which isn’t a bad thing, because it never feels derivative, but McCulloch’s vocal style is so different than Ian Curtis’s, and that further helps separate E&TB from the bands that influenced them. Crocodiles gets better as it goes along and you familiarize yourself with its sound; “Rescue,” “Pictures on My Wall,” and “All That Jazz” were my favorites on the album, with “Monkeys” and the title track also standing out to me. There were a few songs on the album that sounded like filler, but with a fairly concise run time, I didn’t feel like they dragged the album down too much. I’m excited for Porcupine when it comes up, and I hope by then that I’ll have a good Crocodiles/Porcupine joke for the occasion.

Post punk ‘80’s goodness.

Lot better than what I was expecting given how much i disliked the last echo and the bunnymen album. Also echo and the bunnymen is a stupid name

Fantastic.

I like this album a bit more than the other two I've heard here. Being their debut, it's a bit more raw and intense. It feels very gothic and dark.

I'm more familiar with their later more-lush material but it's interesting to hear their raw origins. I'm getting echoes (no pun intended, truly) of very early U2 in production and vocals, without the passion (or tuning, at times...) but also maybe without as much annoyance? The music still had a little ways to go, although it's still eminently listenable. Particular standouts were bass (Les Pattinson) and the dissonant chordal structure which has been a slow burn... An impressive debut, I'd been thinking 3 all along but after a 2nd spin I'm giving extra credit for a first record ... 7/10 4 stars.