Crocodiles

Growing up, I thought that you had to be extra cool to listen to Echo and the Bunnymen. They weren’t on the radio. The only place I ever heard them was on the The Lost Boys soundtrack. Crocodiles is a pretty good album overall being a defining album of the 80s alt-scene. They’re a little punk, a little goth, a little rock. Coming from the disco age, they definitely held a darker edge than many other bands of the time. All That Jazz and Happy Death Men-two very different songs-were my two favorite songs, because the contrast defines them as a band so well, and they were just great songs. Now that I’m older, I can say I’m cool enough!

Random thoughts: * I don't have a lot to say on this one. * This is pretty standard 80s alt rock. Nothing special here. * I do remember my older cousin coming from California and saying he like Echo and the Bunnymen. I remember thinking that was a weird band. I never bothered to try and listen to Echo and The Bunnymen. Times were weird back then when it was hard to find anything that wasn't mainstream in some way. It wasn't impossible but it also wasn't at your fingertips like it is today. These kids will never know. * Anyway, I like it alright but I will never proactively seek this out again.

Really nothing to report, not bad, not that good, it just happened

Missed it

Crocodiles is full of some pretty good post-punk new wave. I really like the sound this album has, it's pretty reminiscent of what The Cure were doing around this time. I also haven't heard anything they've done outside of Ocean Rain, and while it's not as good as it, it's still great, especially being their debut album. I really liked "Monkeys" and its sound, although the whole album's pretty great. Favorite Song: "Monkeys"

😐These guys are relatively new to me. This is my second album from them. First time around it was new and interesting. Once was enough-shit is boring

Just... I mean, the kind of thing that was good when it came out, but not seminal or (in my opinion) worthy of a place on this list. Sorry.

I really like this band's music in general - but this feels half baked. Maybe I'm unfairly comparing this to their heyday, but - it just came across as a band figuring themselves out. The tunes just don't hold up for me, I'm sorry. THREE STARS

One of those records I have been intending to check out for about 30 years. Maybe a bit underwhelming - was expecting a more psychedelic or generally weird-sounding record that would point to the echoey pop of their later career I'm a little more familiar with. Maybe like a bunch of tunes that The Cure thought just weren't working.

meh

This was a bit of a let down. I like a lot of other bands in this genre and with similar vibes but this felt a bit bland. There are other bands who have done this style of post punk better IMO

Just made me want to listen to any of the other million other bands that do this exact same style but better. It was fine though I guess.

Neat debut but i much prefer their less punky sounding later albums like Ocean Rain and Porcupine.

Love the killing moon but that isn’t on this album and I found this morning, soz lads

Pretty good

It was okay ... for a while. But for 12 songs at 38 minutes, it felt MUCH longer.

Oof! Definitely not my thing. Nothing there to grab or keep my attention. I was ready for the album to finish about half way through. I don't know what it is about post punk from this era, but it's a sub genre that just doesn't appeal to me.

This album feels like it was recorded inside a fog machine. Not terrible. Not amazing. Just very committed to sounding like it owns at least three trench coats. Every track has that specific “mysterious 80s” energy where someone is definitely staring out a rainy window thinking deep thoughts… but nothing is actually happening. At some point I stopped recognizing where one song ended and the next began, but in a very polite, synth-adjacent way. 2/5 — not offensive, just aggressively era-appropriate. It didn’t bite. It gently… hovered.

It wasn't bad or anything, but man, why do we have two albums from these guys and nothing from The Mountain Goats? This is a flawed list is all I'm saying.

Enjoying this, 4 stars

I enjoyed the album. It feels very 80's. The thing is, I was working at the time and it was a reasonable soundtrack, I just think that I won't be back to listen again.

It was ok. Some songs sort of just went by without doing anything, but there were a couple of highlights on it.

I’ve never heard a tune from these guys that I thought was even remotely bearable. I do not understand the appeal.

Not my thing at all. Not one memorable track

So I just a few albums ago discovered this band with their album porcupine. And I bring that up cause it’s great jumping off point for this review. See for the other album I was really won over and impressed with the bands amount of variety and their genuinely bold instrumentation decisions. Where as this album(crocodiles) is a much lower budget sonically, almost garage rock in flavor. You could even say this album is much heavier than porcupines. Despite that I actually like the other album better, I find this album to be alittle lacking in variety of sounds. Like the boldest sounding song is “Rescue” (which is also my favorite song on the album) and that doesn’t mean the other songs are bad they just are not as bold. The other positive stand out songs are “read it in books”, “pride”, “do it clean”, and “Crocodiles”. I wasn’t disappointed with this album, it shows this band has good solid roots, but this album just isnt as memorable or on the same level as Porcupine.

Not my favorite. I really like Echo And The Bunnymen but this is not my favorite album. It just felt like the same song over and over. I might listen to it again later to see if my opinion on it changes because I feel like I could like it in the future maybe. My favorites were: Do It Clean, Pride, Rescue, and The Pictures On My Wall

wait dzaan momewona

The instrumentals are cool, but the rest of this record feels kind of boring. Favourite Track(s): Crocodiles Least Favourite Track(s): Pride, Monkeys, Rescue, Happy Death Men

mid, ni zo speciaal

Ja nh solid 5/10

Got through the first song and couldn’t listen to the rest

OK, I'll bite. I enjoyed this one. It was like punk mixed with the Doors, with a bit of new wave thrown in.

This was okay, nothing stood out to me really. 3 stars

Toto ma potešilo, ale keďže Echo bolo u mňa vždy tak trochu v úzadí, dávam 4.

I was excited to listen to this again because it has been a couple of years. Unfortunately it falls pretty flat compared to a lot of the contemporary post punk that I really like. It just doesn't really have much variety or an atmosphere to it that makes it compelling.

No

Didn't know them before and probably won't hear of them anymore. The sound overall is pleasing though, nothing too memorable.

Enjoyed this one, love their contribution to the Donnie Darko soundtrack but otherwise hadn't listened to them before

Liked this, particularly “Rescue” and “Villiers Terrace”. Some great bass lines on some others. 3.5/5

A really strong debut from one of the more unique post-punk bands. Ian McCulloch’s voice is instantly recognizable and Will Sergeant’s guitar work is great and often overlooked. Rescue remains a banger song with Do It Clean (U.S. version only) also solid. I put this one as better than Porcupine, but not rising to the level of Ocean Rain. 3.5/5.

Three albums from these guys? I get needing to know the band but seems like we’re leaving some stuff off for some meh albums. This was….fine. Not a bad listen but didn’t grab me. Probably my least favorite of the 3 we’ve had so giving a 2.5 and rounding down bc they’ve had multiple chances to get my attention and didn’t do it.

Listen while working and totally left my brain the second it ended... wasn't bad, wasn't great. 2.75/5

imagine this is a 4.5

Enjoyed this. Chill and fun vibes.

Let this be a lesson to all 80s post punk bands going forward. I do not want to hear it.

This was another "fine" album, maybe better than the previous album we had of theirs. I think I liked it more because it was more primitive and was just basically straight up rock music with a little bit of a vocal reverb and some funny time signatures here and there. The song structure is very pop-rock and the instrumentation is standard. It's good enough.

I mean this is pretty cool. Great for a debut. I dunno if I'll return to it but I'm glad to have listened.

- Mid

Another mid UK rock/alt album. I'm sure it was progressive and influential for its time, but it was a miss for me.

It was okay. Never really changed the pace throughout the album and not song really stood out. Not a fan.

It isn’t the one with killing moon on it

Album and artist I’m unfamiliar with so this is a first time listen. This is okay. Kinda enjoying it but nothing is blowing me away. It’s punk inspired with a slower and more early 80s sound. Through the first half of the album, my main thought was this is fine. Nothing here sounds particularly remarkable, but certainly sounds like early 80s British rock music. I was hoping it would get a little more fun, but never really gets there on the second half either. It’s hard to tell if this is influential to the later sound, or if this is a beginning sound for a band that gets better, because so unfamiliar with this band and generally the genre. But that being said, on its own it doesn’t wow me. I think I would be stretching to give it higher than a 2.

Legitimately very, very good. Not my usual cup of tea but I like this. Best Song: Stars are Stars Rating: 8/10 Stars: 4

It's like The Doors fused with Joy Division, but they missed out on really captivating songs.

Didn't care for this as much as the other bum I caught of theirs on here. It did feel a little more rock oriented which was nice though.

Going Up Do it Clean Stars are Stars Crocodiles Rescue All That Jazz

Going Up Do It Clean Pride All That Jazz

It's alright

I think Kyle would love it. It's kind of dadrock-y and maybe a little psychedelic. It's fine.

It's certainly good stuff, but it's a bit basic compared to Ocean Rain. 3.5 bumped up to 4.

I’m at a 2.5; I’d prefer to keep it there, but I’ll bump it down to a 2 on account of me being utterly desperately bored by the end of it. Here’s the good news: I think there's only one actively bad track in "Happy Death Men". Here’s the bad news: there is one actively good track in “Pride”, and I would maybe extend that out to 3 at most, with “Stars Are Stars” & the title track loosely clicking to my ears. The other 8 tracks on this album are… well, I genuinely don’t remember a damn thing about them other than that they sounded kinda nice. I have notes I wrote while listening, sure, but most of those notes end with “that was OK” or “that was alright” or “it sounds good but it just never hooked me”, or some variation of words that sugarcoats what I was trying to avoid feeling throughout this album: bored. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s THAT boring, but… it does get pretty damn boring by the end. This album hits a quota of “it sounds kinda nice” on every single track, and just coasts on that quota for the most part, never elevating at all. Even in the tracks themselves, there’s a painful amount of repetition to the instrumentals that sticks more and more the longer you listen to it. It doesn’t help that a lot of these tracks are just way, way too loosely written, trying to capture vibes that sort of exist, yet never really gather the imagery to feel anywhere near as compelling as they want it to be. It’s frustrating, because I think “Ocean Rain” IS compelling, and while I’m willing to give some leeway on account of this being a debut album, this just doesn’t fucking do anything to stick out. Instrumentally, I can praise “Ocean Rain” for having a lot of musical prescience & sounding way ahead of 1984 at points, but this album is only loosely ahead of its time, slowly reverting back from the R.E.M. vibes it has early on to typical late ‘70s / early ‘80s post-punk fare, with just a touch of instrumental work that at least feels a little unique. If the lyrics aren’t hitting, the instrumentals feel stale, and the vocal work just sort of bounces off for the vast majority of an already kinda long 38 minutes, then I can’t in good faith bump this up to a 3. I don’t think it’s as low as a 2, but this album genuinely never hits a higher gear to justify it, no matter how much I’m trying to find something. I don’t think it’s THAT bad in terms of individual tracks, but as one collective album, it just drags on. The ceiling is a 3, but I’m stuck on a 2, and one that I can honestly say might not be worth being on the list. P.S.: Maybe I should’ve just listened without regard for the lyrics, but that’s just against all of my musical sensibilities. Besides, I still think that for as nice as the instrumentals feel, that sense of stale repetition would’ve still bitten at me deeply. I really just didn’t vibe with it, man. My first 2 since “Maverick A Strike” in November. Alas.

Lovely stuff on the whole, but always feels like an album that points to where they were going rather than arriving straight away.

No

Snooze

This sounds like the cure but with much less intrigue. This is a pass Nothing stands out. At all. Other than all the songs sound the same, which is the 80’s, I get it but even Culture Club changed things up.

Nothing really stood out. I was expecting a little more from them, but it wasn't a bad album by any means.

Haven't listened to anything outside of their People Are Strange cover from The Lost Boys - this was delightfully 1980 and sounds so similar to other groups I love

Left less of an impression on me than the previous one tbh. I listened to it! Take it or leave it

it's nothing against echo and the bunnymen but the inclusion of music like THIS (pretty average to good white guy music) to me is so indicative of why this list is ultimately racist and it sucks

2.7 2x my preferable 80s music style but not my favorite

Boring. But that's probably mainly due to the chosen style of music. 2.5/5

Is this better than Ocean Rain? There’s no “The Killing Moon” here, but the average song here might just be of a higher—or, at least, more relatable to me—quality.

Promising for a first album, but still sounds like reheated leftovers.

I can feel the influence on later alternative stuff, shoegaze and more. Interesting record.

ooo i liked this!

Not a particularly enjoyable listen

- ça me fait bcp penser à The Cure, I love it - j’aime l’aesthetic de l’album - meilleure chanson: rescue

Cool debut. Kinda was expecting more. That said, the title track rips. Would revisit…

Höga förvätningar, blev glad då detta är mammas favorit band, men inte helt överväldigad, vissa låtar bra som hamnade i listan men mycket ganska lätt att glömma bort, men glad med musik i min smak efter ganska mycket dåligt....

Yes this is an album.

I like it just fine...my last album was so ha in the key of life so this just feels - not special.

I like the song read it in books. It moves away from the heavy instrumentals of the first songs. It is a very hard album to stick with

As for my own encounter with Echo it would have been far from being a cool kid and seeing them in constant rotation with 'The Cutter' on MTV. The first record I bought was probably Self Titled, which indelibly imprinted me with Bunnymen devotion. Rolling backwards in the discography went from lavishly beatific with Ocean Rain, but then driving darker and more aggressive until Porcupines. It's raw, like an amateur, angry teen garage band, but with deft imagery, presentation and presence. Mad Liverpudlian Lads. Cool post-punk, pre-new wave, cool defiance like The Fleshtones. Now I'm eager to see whether there are more Bunnymen records on this list, because I'd love to give a 5 to Heave Up Here and Self Titled, which I can probably still sing the whole records by heart. Oh, and let's please not forget Ian's solo records.

Very dissonant debut album, had not heard it but does slightly pale in comparison to the more popular 'Ocean Rain'. 7/10 [DROP]

good album, but all songs sound very similar. other than that, i liked "stars are stars", "monkeys", "rescue", "villiers terrace". in the last one, the piano is very good. 3

I can’t think of a reason to knock it down from 5* Epic post punk deliciousness

A couple of noteworthy one but mostly a yawnfest.

My least favourite of the E&TB albums we've had. Just does less for me. 3*

This album just bored me. It seems very one dimensional. I enjoyed the drumming, but that's about all.

Fully formed, but not yet at their peak

This one feels a little forgettable. It's good, but it just turns into background music.

3,1 - Typisches Rockalbum ohne besondere Eigenschaften, die es für mich hervorheben. Highlights: Rescue, Villiers Terrace

Not too bad for the genre but I wouldn’t want to listen to it again.

It's a good job I was preoccupied when listening to this, there were several moments when I considered turning it off. However, I did get all the way through. Musically it sounded incomplete, like a band playing songs for only the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time and not really gelling. Maybe that's the sound the band is aiming for, but it does nothing for me.

pas malll

I was served up their 1983 release, Porcupine earlier in the project and can confidently say that Echo and the Bunnymen rank in my top 5 discoveries from the 1001 project. Though I would rank Porcupine above Crocodiles, this is still a fantastic brooding album with excellent layers of sound and remarkable vocals from McCulloch. I found it interesting that this release had me thinking of the Doors at times, not something I recall considering on my first listen of Porcupine. I look forward to exploring more of their catalog as I can absolutely understand why they are considered such a prominent post-rock act. 4 stars

they always talked a good game - listening to this again, for the first time in more than 40 years, it still sparkles, but not as much as legend would have it. great drums, especially, and some interesting guitar parts

Some really cool moments and songs, but ultimately felt pretty one note

Decent rock album from the 80’s is better than I expected and the music is pretty good. I didn’t get bored nor it was corny. It was good rock music without yet reaching glam rock style in full. So yep just enjoyable

not my genre

Great post punk, just let it play and even enjoy

New wave punk… que recuerdos

Meh.

It was fine overall, but I could have skipped this and nothing of value would have been missed. The singer’s voice is the most annoying of the British post punk I’ve gotten, but it still didn’t click.

Very 80s. Clearly influential, but felt very boring and background for me. Seems like the kind of album to be favourites by someone whose favourite movie is the Lost Boys and is into 80s darkwave stuff. Not bad, but not great either in my opinion.

Did not need another Echo and The Bunnymen record to be in this list. Not better than the other (killing moon I think) and just mildly interesting

A good album by a good band. Proto post punk. The band play fast, frantic and with lots of reverb. It’s probably the most punk album by them. I think they get better as they get weirder but all the elements are here- moody as hell, great vocals, a brilliant rhythm section and a big Doors influence. The band are well represented with 3 albums on the list and this one probably doesn’t need to be here.

I really Didn’t know much about echo and the bunnymen. It always sound like a joke name to me. My favorite song that I had heard by them is the their cover of “People are Strange” for the Lost Boys soundtrack. Listening now to this album I like what’s going on. At the time between the name and the people I knew who were listening to them, I could not take this as a serious band. That’s a major mistake on my part. This is good music. I do wonder how many bands would be bigger if not for their fans. Echo and the Bunnymen fans were always depressed, cynical, knew everything and quick to tear you down for anything you liked at all. I had the same experience with Happy Mondays fans. On track two now. I really like this. The songs are good so far and the vocals and harmonies are good. I really enjoy “Crocodiles”. There’s a punk edge to it, but still rock and roll. “Read it in books is a killer track”. Listening to this album makes me realize how great music is out there that I have not heard yet and how hard it is to be a teenager. No one just lets you grow up. You’re always fighting something.

Nice :) likely their best album tbh

Big yes from me

3 stars

Nice album.

I actually like this band. This album would have worked for me back in the day. Ultimately, this is another one of those albums where I would like to have a half point scoring capacity.....well see where I end up.

Good, reminded me of the doors

Very few people realise that this was actually written and produced by UK music legends, Houmous & Chutney. 4.9 5/12 Crocodiles

Album #22 Echo and the Bunnymen: Crocodiles I was already surprised to see one of my favourite bands, Echo and the Bunnymen, show up once on this list in only my second album; though it did make sense that their crowning achievement, Ocean Rain, would make the cut, but now, after just twenty more albums, they have made their second appearance. I do, however, think that they are deserving of multiple placements, of course, and can see why their debut “Crocodiles” was chosen, as it was truly an innovative album for post-punk; ushering in the grandiose and dreamlike production of post-punk whilst maintaining the short song structure of traditional punk. But unlike the other post-punk bands of the era, Echo and the Bunnymen, whose biggest influence is very openly The Doors, introduce a psychedelic aspect to the mix. What results is truly one of the most original-sounding bands of all time that would go on to influence bands such as U2 and Arcade Fire. Though I do love this album, it might not even rank amongst my top 5 Bunnymen albums. This is mainly due to the album having fewer songs that are in my constant rotation, though the album is still very consistent and doesn’t really have a miss. For what it is, this album couldn’t receive anything less than four stars, though I am awfully biased. Best Songs: Stars Are Stars, Do It Clean, Villiers Terrace Worst Song: Happy Death Man Score Out of 10: 8.5

Meh 2.5

happy new year, guys! if i recieved this at this time last year i will be super happy because im a stupid baby bat trying to get more into goth after nick cave. but here we are in 2026 and im fixated on new wave musicians and stuffs that tumblr autistic teens like. lol So anyway not that good but since it’s their debut it’s alright. Haven’t heard their best to make a more profound judgement so 3/5.

2.4

Going Up - 4/5 Stars Are Stars - 4/5 Pride - 4/5 Monkeys - 4.5/5 Crocodiles - 4.5/5 Rescue - 4.5/5 Villiers Terrace - 4/5 Pictures on My Wall - 3.5/5 All That Jazz - 4/5 I had never heard of this band before, but it scratches that itch I needed from listen to Joy Division and the like. A perfect mix of punk and new wave that somehow isn't as nihilistic as other contemporary records. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Monkeys, Crocodiles, Rescue

1st listen 100%, enjoyed the music. Very similar to 1980's punk scene like the Stones.

12/27/25. I didn't mind this. Sounds like a bridge between the doors and the killers. 6/10

Not sure why there are three Echo albums on this list. Is the weather in the UK so miserable? This album isn’t as bad as I was expecting. Little bit of cure, little bit British new wave. But not enough to convince me we need three of their albums on the list.

3,8 muy cool

This was alright- after a while everything kinda started sounding the same.

Honestly, I thought this was an alright listen - I was surprised to see the critical acclaim behind it. I just didn't think this album was anything particularly remarkable.

Soooo 80s. And today simply boring. But at the time something special and as a debut album certainly worth being here on this list.

Hmmm, I think I'm goth now? All it took was some driving, prominent bass lines without too many frills; a steady and unambitious drumbeat to match; some jangly, shimmering, but not overly complicated guitar that layers on more darkness despite sounding bright; lyrics that aren't afraid to be gloomy without being ironic or shocking; and emotional grandiosity that isn't theatrical or lamenting. It's a formula that got repeated (and, sure, improved upon) by bands with a bigger reach in the decades that followed, but this album had to have been a huge influence on the Cures and Interpols of the world. As a bass player, I love a band where the guitar takes an occasional backseat to the rhythm section, and this album has a ton of those moments. Usually those are when the band sounds its most brooding...and clearly "brooding" is what they're going for here. Will Sergeant is restrained to the point that his guitar creates more space than it fills, so he's definitely still the lead musician here, but you only hear from him every so often and he rarely resolves a melody. It's psychedelia without the showiness, funk without the syncopation, and blues without the ... well, without the blues, if that makes sense. (It doesn't.) I listened to it twice. "Do It Clean," "Rescue," "Stars Are Stars," and "Villiers Terrace" were my favorites.

I should have given Ocean Rain a 4, and this one is probably a 3. So I’m flip flopping them

it was okay, didn’t blow me away but i enjoyed the tracks

It is Allright, not fulltime my style

Light rock. Album was okay. Not as many lyrics as I’d like. Guitar was good. Was not that into the music. 6/10

This band does not resonate with me at all. The bass makes it sound like the band is stuck in the mud. There is not much melodically that interests me. I wouldn't be able to say what genre this was if it wasn't written in reviews and articles. To me it's would be bland-rock.

Classic post punk. One of my favorite bands to come out of that period. Didn't get the acclaim like The Smiths.The Cure and the Psychedelic Furs but definetly in my top five and this album, and Ocean Rain, are two of my favorite albums of all time. Every song a banger.

i like it

Pretty cool chilled out punk type music, I'm not really sure how to describe it and it reminds me of something but I can't but my finger on it. A lot of the songs have a similar vibe but there is a nice variety and I think I like the album as a whole. It seems like a cohesive work. The vocals are the only thing that kind of wears on me, not that he is bad but it seems dramatic at times. Might just be a product of the period it came out though.

luckily this did not make me want to cancel my Spotify subscription. Decent album

Crap

i prefer tigers

I wish I had more to say other than "Bored!". I guess technically nothing wrong with it, the music is fine. Just didn't do anything for me.

Ah, more post punk. Another album with the perfect mix of punk's distaste for decent vocals and pop's distaste for interesting songwriting. This felt totally devoid of everything to me. Completely mediocre, start to finish. Am I missing something here? Fave track: - Rescue

2 listens and I still don’t hear anything exemplary.

Yeah, I don’t know what to say. This is post-punk.mp3. Very basic but not offensive in any way. It’s fine. I have zero thoughts about it.

Really good post-punk album. Absolutely loved the energy.

This just doesn't capture my attention like it should. It has all of the pieces of music that I like, and yet, I don't find it all that special. I'd rather listen to the band's contemporaries. Do It Clean is a great song though. Best Songs: Do It Clean, Crocodiles Worst Songs: Rescue

Hmm I didn’t enjoy this one much. Similar feeling I get from a lot of early 80s new wave of it feeling quite amateurish honestly. 2 stars

I liked it - I knew a few of the tracks previously but had not listened to the whole album before. I cannot find any fault with it and there are no dud tracks it just does not really connect with me - possibly its the vocals which are a bit blunt and lacking emotional connection for me.

Crocodiles I’m not sure what prompted me into it, but I bought the Bed Bugs and Ballyhoo best of around A-Levels and I remember being very keen to see them at V97. It was before (How Does it Feel to Be) On Top of the World, so it can’t have been that, it was most likely their Evergreen album from that time. Despite really liking them I think I’ve only really listened to Ocean Rain, so it's great to listen to this properly. It has all of the elements of what makes them great, and there are some excellent songs in their melodic post-punk moody style, and it’s notable how much of a 60s influence runs through it despite that post punk mood, much like many Liverpool bands from the 80s onwards. Guitar and bass-wise there are obvious comparisons to The Smiths, in the jangliness and disco-influence, and although this is a little bit before The Smiths, I think Will Sergeant is probably a bit overshadowed by Marr and other contemporaries, but he really is an excellent guitarist Going Up, Monkeys, Crocodiles, the excellent Rescue, Villiers Terrace and All that Jazz are the real standouts, and I quite like the Doorsian Happy Death Men, but it does dip in a few places, Stars Are Stars, Pride and Pictures on My Wall not quite catching light for me. But it is a very good album by a great band, which I think adds up to a 4. 🐰🐰🐰🐰

It's interesting to hear the band's nascent sound, which is out the blocks pretty well-developed. McCulloch's voice is slightly higher-pitched here, before the weathering of age, but still commands a rich baritone. It actually has a strain of the Bonos about it at times - and some of the tracks, such as 'Going Up' do have a whiff of early U2 (the latter following the former). 'The Pictures on My Wall' is a stand out, with it's middle eastern-infused hook, great Andy Rourke type bass line, and a bit of grit in the vocal. The synth gives it a bit of ambience. 'Do It Clean' was unexpectedly poppy, backed by a bouncing organ which all sounds like something The Go-Gos may have produced. Mainly though you have the slower burn atmospheres of 'Stars Are Stars', 'Pride' or the fantastic 'Monkeys'. A critical component is Will Sergeant's guitar, which is an effective tool of ambience and a means to an end rather than for show. Sure there are a number of more dispensable tracks ('Rescue', the title track), but the feel of the album is never compromised.

на бумаге мне это должно было бы понравиться, но на деле совсем не понравилось. скукота

Blind album, know the artist by name. Mid album honestly. Was never a huge fan of the band but I know people like their style. This album felt heavier at times compared to others but still didnt hit my note personally.

I just found everything kind of dull, unfortunately. It wasn't bad, but I didn't hear any standout tracks. At least it was short.

Slightly disappointed. Maybe I'll like The Killing Moon (presuming it's on this list) more. I should probably give this another go but only some of it made my ears prick up. The rest was less enjoyable than I hoped.

never even heard of them before, where were they hiding? fantastic name too.

I only know one echo song and it's not on this album... But it is amazing. This one started and the first track was very very very joy division, the middle 8 went somewhere else, which was nice. Don't get me wrong, I love joy division, but it was a bit too close really. The later tracks were more influenced by rather than sounding exactly like, It is a nice sound. Has a cool atmosphere, I'm not convinced any of the songs really grabbed me though.

Never heard any of these before but solid album

This was fine. Not really a big fan of this genre of music.

a pleasant surprise

Definitely a bop.

Never ever been a fan of this group and couldn’t tell you one memorable track

I feel like some 80's New Wave records have not aged that well. Moreover, they lose something if listened to many years from their release. It was overall kind of enjoyable, but there wasn't a single track that stood out.

4 crocodiles out of 5

fajny do autka

Bass is good and guitar is good. Vocals are bad

I did enjoy listening to this one, reminds me of my love of the single “The Cutter”, never really got into Echo & B when I was in my early 20s

Enjoyable enough but fairly forgettable

Rescue Villiers Terrace

it's okay. idk nothing really stood out for me in this album

Det fanns potential men kändes platt

post-punk, new wave it is moody and dark. The bass lines are great with the underlying lead guitar parts and the vocals have enough range to not be boring. I enjoyed this and would listen to it again.

Haven’t heard this in a while!

This might be the sliding doors moment where I finally understand what all the fuss is about with Echo and the Bunnymen. Whenever I've tried in the past, including one of their other albums I've had so far during this process, I've always found them competent enough, but the music would wash over me. Turns out I'd just been listening to the wrong Bunnymen for where my tastes are at - this grabbed me from the word go, and never let go. Nice, rich bass-lines, a great drum sound, it occasionally goes for that angular style of playing akin to Wire, Magazine et al (most notably so on "Happy Death Men") but it also has a gothy, detached coldness to it. Definitely something of a revelatory listen, it's gone onto the purchase list.

W sumie fajne. Mogło być inspirowane trochę Joy Division albo tak wtedy grali. Ale tak na 4.

Lidt for 80’er skælvende klagerock

Kind of boring? Sad

This album is filled with great tunes, but it didn't resonate with me tonight as much as I thought it would for some reason. Still great though

We did not need more than one Echo & the Bunnymen album on this list. This is nowhere near as good as the other.

Echo & the Bunnymen are a band I’ve always appreciated, but I never dug too deep. Now that I have listened to their debut, I can say they are pretty good in an album format. Although, the gloomy sounds start to blend together.

Not impressed. Actually bored listening to it. I just couldn't get into it.

Tedious

Not as good as Killing Moon. Still fine though. Simpsons: No

Nope

Reminds me of crowded house. Intro is interesting sonically. Jangly, generally too fast and muddy-sounding. British, post-punk, dark pop. Songs aren't grabbing me so far. Rescue wasn't bad. Second half feels better.

Album is chill honestly. Bass lines are not crazy but sooo good they ARE the song and honeslty drive the album and I found myself actually nodding along which I cannot say about a LOT of these albums. Has such a good 80s rock sound but not in the hair metal genre (i don't know a ton about 80s music genres). This was a 4/5 but not in a way that was like all great songs. these songs just didn't piss me off and all would be good to put on in the back of like work.

played this, thought it was alright in the moment, ir's now less than 12 hours later and i can't remember a single fuckin' thing about it. 2/5

No from me

U2 stole their whole flow

Not my thing, but literally sounds exactly like what “80s alternative” sounds like in my head

This is the musical definition of "fine." It’s clearly well-made post-punk. You can hear the DNA of so many bands that followed. I also know I will never voluntarily play this again. It’s objectively fine music that I have absolutely no desire to revisit. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s nothing pulling me in either. Spins: 1  Playlist Additions - Do It Clean - Rescue - Villiers Terrace

yeah nothing special

Know the band name but not their music…loved this. A lot. Thinking this might be a huge influence on numerous bands including the replacements…will definitely listen again.

This was fine, would likely not relisten

I had to look.. there are 3 Echo and The Bunnymen records on this list. At least 1 too many.

I love Echo and the Bunnymen, but there are only a couple albums I personally feel hold up all the way through, and this isn't one of them. It is a very good album, but this album mostly is just impressive for how original it was at the time, a couple good singles, and promise of what they would do. As a whole, it's good but not great, especially compared to some of their other albums.

In college I helped a fraternity brother "acquire" this album (and Ocean Rain) from the internet because it wasn't readily available on the popular apps all the kids were using. I know I listened to this album once I had it, but it didn't make much of an impression. Twenty years later, I have a better understanding of post-punk and new wave, but this still didn't make much impression. This sub-genre of shoegaze-adjacent post-punk/new wave still isn't my thing. It's fine, but I don't really find anything sufficiently weird or infectious enough to grab my attention. I like more punk in my post-punk, and more funk in my new wave. Rather than a bunch of guys with avant-garde haircuts playing unremarkable music, I'd prefer dudes with unremarkable haircuts playing more avant-garde music. I'm going to put this firmly in the "Fine" zone, where I won't visit it for another twenty years.

If you took an average of all albums in this list it would sound like this.

Yeah…will listen to more

picks: do it clean, rescue

Huh. This definitely shares some DNA with new wave stuff from the 80's, but I didn't hate it so it must be different. A little more energy, a little less synth, involves some actual drumming; whatever it is, this landed much better than I expected. 3.4

I have previously heard of the artist but not any material. This was just ok for me. The beginning of the first track had me excited that this would be something psychedelic and weird, but it never did go back to that. The whole album sounded the same to me, just sort of dark generic rock. Would not listen again.

As a genre, post-punk is firmly in my wheelhouse, and so is this period. So why have E&tB never landed? I just don't know - I should like this, but I'm just not enthused. It's not a bad record, it's just not for me. The title track is decent. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10)

Dreary

Start to finish a interesting collection of 80s alternative new wave music

Clean crisp production, great sound if somewhat dated and limited. I was never a fan of this 80s vocal style which 90% of British male singers adopted. But the songs are mostly great. I first knew the band from The Lost Boys, then a few singles, then by appearing on a Manics song. Never heard a full album before.

The post-punk explosion was in full swing by the dawn to the 1980s thanks to the emerging presence of Joy Division, John Lydon's shift from the Sex Pistols to the more experimental Public Image Ltd. and some newer players like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Liverpool had their own answer to this movement: Echo and the Bunnymen: and their debut record, 'Crocodiles', would make a determined case that popular music was looking at its hottest Liverpool property since The Beatles. With the darkly alluring vocals of Ian McCulloch, the swirling, chorus-drenched guitar or Will Sergeant, the driving bass lines of Les Pattinson and the rolling drums of Pete de Frietas, 'Crocodiles' has all the critical elements of Echo and the Bunnymen already there, although with more of the raw punk energy and less of the deep, sensual melodies that would define their peak works in the mid 80s (Ocean Rain, self-titled). With unique hits such as 'Rescue' and 'Pictures on My Wall', Echo and the Bunnymen already sound brimming with confidence and personality, which would help grow their status as one of Britain's most prominent acts from the post-punk/goth era. They may not be as musically dense as The Cure nor as witty and sharp as The Smiths, but Echo and the Bunnymen had their own unique that won them over plenty of fans in the 80s. Getting it right on the first go with 'Crocodiles' was only the beginning. Best songs: Going Up, Crocodiles, Rescue, Pictures on my Wall

Tolerable introduction to the bands career. Much more prefer the later stuff like THE KILLING MOON and LIPS LIKE SUGAR.

Pretty boring

To be honest, the composition and everything is pretty good but this could not keep my attention

As I continue to try and catch up on more albums I missed in my 1001 albums to hear before I die list, I wanted to check out one recommendation I had saved up, Echo and The Bunnymen's debut album Crocodiles. If you are a fan of more alternative music with a bunch of weird singers and instrumentals that will make you both dance and stare off into your ceiling then this is for you. While I wouldn't call this a very strong project, it does stick to the sound it wants to have and feels very consistent from front to back with its' overall execution. There isn't much I really remember about this project in hindsight as it isn't a very remarkable song on this album, but it is enjoyable. Not super huge on this release as much as I would like to be, but I feel their later projects will win me over a lot more when I get to them.

Bowie meets the smiths ish

It's a link between British post-punk and early neo psychedelia, great album. Happy Death Man is a fantastic song to finish the album.

Nunca fui fã de Echo and the Bunnymen mas ouvindo depois d| algum tempo, considero este disco em particular bom. Seu rock rítmico que combina guitarra envolvente com bateria pulsante tem um uma melancolia que me lembra The Cure e Joy Division.

No need to listen to this album as I have done so a hundred times before , seen the bunny men live a few times and this is their best album by someways. This album is in my top ten of all albums

Enjoyed album. Worth listen

Pretty good

I'm rating it 2 out of principle because 3 entries for this band is outrageous

gonna listen to htis

Early 80s straightforward rock, easy to o listen to.

Good, but missing the standout Bunnymen tracks, so I don't feel like a 1001 essential album. 3.5/5

Great record. I have loved E&tB since I was a teen.

Very decent

Mostly bland until the last couple of tracks where they started leaning in the effects pedals and self indulgence more. I might listen to their later albums as they sound like they are going more into The Cult. 2.5 but rounded down to 2.

I’m getting a little board of noting my dislike of the 80s sound. It’s so bleak and joyless. I endured this more than most because they have a Scouse pass.

Three albums from these fucking guys are you kidding me? Such bullshit I cant believe i haven't given up on this 928 albums in what am i doing.

This is quintessential white mans alternative. Enjoyed it. Felt like I was Joseph Gordon Levitt in 500 days of Summer.

2.5

Great album. One of my favourite bands

Didn't stand out to me. I was listening to "Happy Death Men" and thinking I kind of liked it - and then I realized I was the last song on the album. Too little too late.

Echo’s influence in the 1980s was quite broad. Dorm music!!

Always sorta liked this band, but never really center stage for me, but listening now it's pretty clear what a big (and important) break they helped form from punk, prior to the onslaught of shitty synth bands.

Some of the melodies are kinda interesting but this album is too stereotypical 1980 post-punk for my taste. It just fades into the background without leaving much of a mark.

Another album by this band. Still find it to be a bit boring. I guess it’s just not for me. 2/5 Won’t listen again

Grooved to this a little but honestly nothing memorable. Not sure if there really needed to be 3 Echo and the Bunnymen albums here.

Darker than I thought it would be. A couple of songs were reminiscent of Joy Division. Pleasantly surprised!

Cool vibes, nothing too out there. Very middle of the road

115/1001 Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodile Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ One of those bands where I'm trying to figure out why I haven't listened to them sooner... It's one of those albums that incorporates the post-punk with the more energetic sounds, along with goth elements. It may have dropped off a little towards the end, but a great debut.

I accidentally booted up their 1996 album “Evergreen” because it has SUCH similar cover art and got halfway through thinking “damn they were way ahead of their time for 1980 this sounds more like well-recorded late 90’s pop-rock! Wow!” Whoops. A bit of a shame too, I heard a lot of maturation in Evergreen. Not that this is a total sloppy mess, this just isn’t as sticky for me. “Villiers Terrace” is pretty fun, full of character, and a good Halloween song. To this albums credit, the band gets more comfortable experimenting and being its true self after this. “Pictures On My Wall” is even more creepy and subdued. Let’s say 3/5 and move on from accidentally listening to two albums

Dancey, reverb-heavy post-punk with angular guitars and clean bass lines. I like some of their later stuff more but they had a very interesting sound even on this debut.

It's been a long time since I heard this one. Thanks for the refresher!

Throw another decent-but-samey new wave album on the pile, I suppose.

Good stuff.

High 3 I think, sounds of the 90s which aren't my favorite but definitely a little ahead of it's time

Echo and he bunnymen are a band I know, but never properly got into them. I own this album digitally, yet I do not know it really, which means that it never really grasped my attention in the past, and it is kind of the same now. I enjoyed listening to the album but there was nothing that really stood out caught my attention. There were a few songs I marked as notable, but for he most part it was just ok. I know they played a role in the music scene in the UK in the 80s, but I just did not find it compelling enough to warrant a score higher than 3.5 Stars

3.5

Decent if not a little forgettable

Pre-streaming days, I downloaded the entire Bunnymen discography. Think I listened through exactly once then decided Ocean Rain was the one, bought that on CD and deleted the rest. For some reason I never bothered going back to the others so glad this came up. This was good. Definitely still not /as/ good as Ocean Rain though.

Buvo okay, nelabai išskirtinis. Kartais skambėdavo kaip Joy division.

Thoughts before listening: These guys put out some good songs in the 80s with a sound that I believe would be considered dream pop style alt rock. I don't recognize this album cover though. I'm not positive this is what's happening here, but there are lots of examples on this list where some European 80s band gets their big hit album AND the more difficult/arty follow-up on the list. Review: I was so close...this is the lesser known debut album not the arty follow-up. Echo and the Bunnymen's big song came out in 1984, 4 years after this debut. In fact, this is the 2nd E&tB album I have heard on this list, and still no "Killing Moon". You know, I like being able to get a history lesson and not ONLY listen to the hit albums, but this one is just okay to me. Its perfectly fine post-punk that leans toward a darker sound, and I am sure if I listened to it enough it would grow on me. However, on an initial play through, only the title track is really pulling me in. To make it worse, Spotify auto-played a random later career song by the band and it was MUCH better. I think this album is suffering a bit from low production values and the band hasn't quite yet come into their own as songwriters. This is a 3-star album.

Crocodiles is kind of an interesting moment, seemingly capturing the evolution of post-punk to goth in real time. That being said, this isn't the most interesting Echo And The Bunnymen album in my opinion. They have a good sound here, but I just don't think they'd entirely carved their niche out yet. The result is a good post-punk album with some pretty great songs that I don't really think transcend the (very saturated) genre. Honestly, it's the gothier tracks that mostly do it for me here, Stars Are Stars springs to mind. But even so, there were bands pushing this sound further a couple of years earlier, like Siouxsie And The Banshees and Bauhaus. However I don't think that really discredits the material here: a good song is a good song. However, conversely there are songs here that specifically don't do it for me. Happy Death Men springs to mind. This is a good record overall, I just don't know if it stands out within it's niche, and I think Echo And The Bunnymen later surpassed it.

I know these guys have at least one great album, I just haven't received it yet... Favorite track: Do It Clean

Prior to this, I hadn't heard much from this band outside of the track on the Donnie Darko soundtrack. This is really good post-punk, proto-goth, new wave-ish stuff. I even have a discount shirt that I snagged in one of those mystery bag type offers -- i can wear it and not feel like a poser now.

I struggle to understand the fascination with this band 2*

2/5

kind of generic rock, but not afwul

I heard some Talking Heads similarities in some tracks, which is the kind of thing people say when they can't think of any unique descriptors. Comparison is the worst way to comment on music, and yet here we are.

Oof, I didn't enjoy this.

Very british

Lacks bite.

snappy

I like it. Not as depressing as their later work. Favorite song: crocodiles.

It’s an ok album. I feel like I should’ve liked it more considering I’m a big fan of U2. But I’ll always prefer their work to this.

It's alright, but it's it worth being here? I guess you had to be there back then to appreciate this. I never really liked the band, still don't after listening to this.

You know it just kinda passes through me 3/5

could've been moodier

2025-10-05: Another dose of absolute enjoyment after the previous albums. Am I that volatile in my listening experience?

Un buen ejemplo de lo que el rock británico en los años 80 era. Saliendo de la efervescencia del punk para adoptar formas más sofisticadas (The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, etc) Echo and the Bunnymen representaban una línea que abrazaba sonidos oscuros y atmósferas cargadas que ya destacaban en este primer disco. Yo los idolatré con “Porcupine”, que llevaba ese estilo a lo más alto. Pero nunca fui atrás para escuchar con atención sus comienzos. Ahora me resultan algo cargantes, pero se reconoce ese toque propio que además ha influenciado a muchas bandas posteriores. “Billiard Terrace”, “Pride” y “Stars Are Stars” están entre mis favoritas.

not great

Bit like Rolling Stones. Boring.

Quite nice.

3 out of 5. Feels like it should have been a 4 and there are good moments here. That's how a lot of debut albums are to me.

meh

Cool dark vibes - bonus points for cool band name and album cover

I really enjoyed this, but I feel like it won’t leave a very lasting impression.

I love how this has this punky goth vibe without losing its pop flavor.

file this under "decent, but won't listen to again"

I do not have any nostalgia for Echo and the Bunnymen. I think they fall into the category of bands that are talented and make fine music, whose influence I recognize and appreciate, yet have absolutely no interest in listening to regularly. 3⭐️

Ah! Finally, some post-punk. Enjoyable first listen, pure classic post-punk sound released at the peak of the genre. But can't help it but compare to other post-punk releases from 1980–we have "Remain in Light" by Talking Heads, "Closer" by Joy Division and "Seventeen Seconds" by the Cure to say the least. This album simply blanks compared to these 3, however it still seems like a solid debut effort by these guys. Definitely very enjoyable, at least 3 stars for sure, 3.5/5.0. A few songs from this going to my post-punk/new wave playlist. "Going Up" - an opening track and "Rescue" really stood out for me along, to a lesser extent, a couple of other tracks.

I get why this made the list but it wasn’t my favorite.

Pretty cool, pretty fun

Entretiene pero no he conectado demasiado

Repetitive,and a bit boring. On paper i should really like this but no songs really stood out to me.

Fine, agree with the top review that it seems a bit filler in the context of best albums of all time. Odd, considering some standouts on the record.

Fun project, wish I were around to hear this live back when it first dropped. I was already a big fan of a few of these tracks after hearing them on one of their compilations, but within the context of the album they're even better sounding. Bangin basslines and classic 80s post punk darkness whats not to love. Catchy as hell with a solid variety of songs throughout.

Show gazing

The album cover conveys the music just right. Feels like somehow it melts together and it loses focus at times.

not really their fault that the whole genre of english post-punk just sounds like mud to me.

I need to check more out from them, but I really dug this.

3/5

= to the Beatles As far as post punk goes, this is listenable

Fine bit of work here, lacks a killer single but sounds great anyway.

Awesome album. Happy discovering this band. They sound like king gizzard from 1980 and the album was fresh and unique. Great vibes and I’m surprised I’ve never heard of them. Loved it

It was alright. Nothing really stood out on this album for me one way or the other. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Mostly ambivalent.

All I gotta say is thank god this was only a 38 minute album.

This reminded me of Interpol. Pretty good. Easy listening.

If this group comes up again they’re getting a 1-star. Fuck sakes…

Not bad, just put on some Donnie Darko and youre ready to go.

Didn't dislike it by any means. Definitely had some cool moments. Nothing seemed to come together to a great song though. 2.5.

british

This was just ok and hardly worth the reason to be on this list. 5/10.

I am only familiar with punk bands in the 70s, like Ramones, and that's it. This sounds kind of like them with the voice and the bass drum production. But sometimes riff like Crocodiles and beautiful piano playing like Villiers Terrace make this album shine. Listening in low volume, this album is still very expressive.