Reviews (page 5 of 7)
I think this is a pretty typical early 80s new wave album. I’ve heard the single “Rescue” a bunch of times. Other than that, the album was good. Not a lot of variety of songs mostly because the lead singer doesn’t have much range, but he does have a pleasant voice.
Groupe connu de nom uniquement. Intéressant, j'apprécie beaucoup les lignes de basse, mais un peu moins les autres instruments, plus classiques. Un morceau remarquable : "Happy Death Men", très original (harmonies, ambiance).* Bonne découverte donc, qui me donne envie de découvrir d'autres albums de ce groupe. =>3.5/5
Honestly I think I found this underwhelming. I kept waiting for more, for something to prove to me why this album belonged here but I just couldn’t find it. I’ve heard their stuff before and I think I continue to be content when hearing it.
Группа в моем духе, в которую я так и не смог по-настоящему влюбиться. Альбом окэй. Лучшая песня - Villiers Terrace.
I couldn't tell you a single song from this album. It was perfectly decent, but nothing stood out at all.
I was excited for this as I really enjoy some of their bigger hits. Said hits were not on this album. The style and performance were consistent but no songs stood out to me particularly. I did find myself looking to the end and seeing how long songs had left before they were over. Perhaps I got myself too excited and set this album up to fail. 5/10
I liked the previous Bunnyguys album better
Good for a debut but not great
Don't Starve Bunnymen really brought out Cynthia's piano from Gen 4 Pokemon for Villers Terace????!!!!? Very nice album, I'm tempted to give it a 4 although I just think it's not quite there. Crocodiles, Rescue, and Villiers Terace are 4-worthy, although the rest of the album is a solid 3. The instruments and guitar riffs consistently pop off, and they work with the vocals well. There are some songs with a bit of that "Doors-inspired psychedelia" (Spotify description) guitar drivel, although it's not as often as other albums... I give it a 3.51
Soft, nice to listen to alone
1st song was good.
Quite neat and sounds dark that it almost sounds like goth. Overall tho, it's just another '80s British pop that I'll forget about after a while.
Decent. I think I need to go back and give it another listen at some point as it wasn't super memorable.
This album is good, but not great. Just a solid example of the genre and not doing much more beyond that. Favorites were Do It Clean, Villiers Terrace, and Happy Death Men.
not bad, feels a bit dated
Best wel leuk
My second Echo & the Bunnymen album, and Crocodiles has more depth than Ocean Rain did. Crocodiles is pure new wave, and quite fun new wave at that. I enjoyed the lyrics and the bouncy beats. I heard some similarities between Crocodiles and the Replacements' Let It Be, which came out in 1984. Both are post punk, though I suppose Echo & the Bunnymen weren't quite as unusual as the Replacements.
This appears to be a less known album from Echo and the Bunnymen. A couple of the songs (namely, "Do It Clean" and "Rescue") seem to sound more like their most popular stuff, and happen to have the most plays. Everything else is a bit different than what this band was known for, but ultimately still in that same new wave vein. It didn't really wow me or win me over in any significant way, but I baseline enjoyed their sound here!
Average 2,50
I like Rescue; I almost like Do It Clean
So I do quite enjoy Echo and the Bunnymen. I like their almost goth rock post punk style of music. Crocodiles isn't an exception to my enjoyment of Echo and the Bunnymen but, at the same time, I feel like it could have been more interesting. It feels like something is missing. They are clearly talented and the album feels well made, but I just feel like this is alright to put on in the background.
I am indifferent on the 80s Cure-esque post-punk sound, but there are still some cool tracks on here.
British pop rock. Pretty good, a little off the beaten path but enjoyable.
I bought this years ago based on a 5-star RS article. I've never quite understood the excitement critics have had for this album. It's decent. Some of the songs, like "Do it Clean," are more than decent. But it all kind of sounds the same after a few tunes.
I like this band more the older I get. But this album falls a little flat. I guess they were still finding their voice and their production mojo.
That was a blast from the past.
Not my favorite, but its decent.
Less doomer psychedelic rock compared to their other album and a lot more post-punk. I agree that their album's a bit like The Cure. I don't think Echo And The Bunnymen are exceptional at the genre though. There's a hell lot of repetition, and the band still sounds miserable.
A bit by-the-numbers for this genre and era. Good, but not as good as they'd go on to make. 3.5/5
3/5
Post-punk took so many interesting directions, especially in the late 70's / early 80's in Britain. The album at first didn't sound special, but as the variety in styles widened, the tapestry began to weave together showing how this album was both influenced and influential. 3.5/5
This album is okay but kind of boring after a couple of songs. 3 stars or C- for me.
Udemærket, havde enligt en god rytme igennem pladen. Kan ikke afvises at de skal høres en anden gang.
Ugens højdepunkt. Men fan bliver jeg nok ikke.
I’ve noticed a pattern throughout this list. If an artist or band only has one album included, more often than not the album that was chosen is one of their least popular ones. I’m not sure why this is, but it definitely makes for some less enjoyable listening experiences. Such is the case today. Echo & the Bunnymen don’t seem like the world’s most well known group. But still, their debut Crocodiles is not a well received as what would follow it. But I still tried to approach with optimism. What I’ll say is that this represents the idea of “good, not great” perfectly. There is nothing wrong with this band as far as I can tell. And there are no glaring or frustrating issues that made listening to this record a challenge. It is some pretty straight forward early 80s post-punk. Much like what I’ve heard in the past. But that might be the issue itself. Its simplicity and utter lack of anything really unique left me looking for more. It’s not music I actively dislike. But it’s also not music that actively engages me. I can appreciate the sound though. I’ll always enjoy guitars that are absolutely dripping in chorus. Super floaty, like they are underwater. And there are some cool guitar parts on some tracks. But they are strangely very brief usually. Other than that, everything about this record feels like a carbon copy of what similar artists were doing at the time. Which again, is not a bad thing. But there seems to be an absence in the amount of enthusiasm and prowess that was put into this. If you really want something of a similar vain, just listen to Seventeen Seconds or Pornography. Rating: 6/10
6.5/10. :) The music is intriguing. However, it somewhat went through one ear, and out the other.
Different and a bit eerie. But not bad.
Grupo clásico de los años 80 (aunque publicaron muy buenos discos a finales de los 90) con enorme influencia posterior (desde U2 e Interpol a Héroes del Silencio, sin ir más lejos). Herederos de The Doors (más allá de la voz grave de Ian... Stars are stars o Read it in books son perfectos ejemplos) y del Post-Punk de Joy Division, con quienes compartieron tiempo y seguidores, ahí están All that Jazz o Happy death man para demostrarlo. Podría decirse que fueron junto a The Cure y The JAMC el triunvirato que supuso el contrapeso oscuro al colorido y chisporroteo de los 80. Este es su disco de debut, sino el mejor (Porcupine u Ocean rain son superiores) si uno de los que mejor defien su sonido con Do it clean y sobre Pictures on my wall como clásicos de su repertorio. Otros grandes discos de ese 1980 fueron (al margen de London Calling que uno no sabe si ponerlo en 1979 o en 1980) fueron los de: JOY DIVISION - Closer, THE CRAMPS - Songs The Lord Taught Us, BAUHAUS - In The Flat Field, RAMONES - End Of The Century, MINK DEVILLE - Le Chat Bleu, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The River, ACDC - Back In Black, TEQUILA - Viva Tequila!, THE SOFT BOYS - Underwater moonlight, THE B-52'S - Wild Planet, Peter Gabriel- III, YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS - Colossal youth, Prince- Dirty Mind, Scary Monsters de David Bowie, Diana de Diana Ross, Uprising de Bob Marley & the Wailers, Double Fantasy de John Lennon y Yoko Ono, Crazy Rhythms de The Feelies, McCartney II de Paul McCartney, Common One de Van Morrison, Kaleidoscope de Siouxsie and the Banshees, Seventeen Seconds de The Cure, Zenyatta Mondatta de The Police, Duke de Genesis, Kurtis Blow de Kurtis Blow, Boy de U2, Empires and Dance de Simple Minds, Suicide de Suicide, The Jam- Sound affects,Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark de Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels de Dexys Midnight Runners...
Surprised me how early the Bunnymen got going - I always thought of them as coming later in the decade. Personally love McCullochs vocals and Sargent's jangly guitar, but feels like they haven't quite hit their stride on this one. It's good, but probably wouldn't include it here.
After Punk Rock faded away, pop / rock music went in many directions. The post-punk / indie direction that Echo and The Bunnymen took music is such a startling sound for 1980. You can clearly hear the influence on The Smiths, U2, The Clash here. 3.5/5
Pretty good in places, 3.5*
Not as heavy/stark as Siouxsie, not as light as the Cure. A solid gothy album as a whole piece, but not many standout tracks. I like their later work more tbh
It felt like it should be an important album.....but it wasn't. It was fine.
I went in expecting quite a bit more out of an E and the B-Men album. 3/5
2.75
Never really got into the Bunnymen’s more acclaimed work and this debut didn’t change my mind. It’s decent enough moody new wave but just very homogenous and forgettable
🎧This is fine. Nothing in particular grabbed me (there’s no The Killing Moon or Bring on the Dancing Horses-level hits) but it made for a pleasant, if brooding listen. Final night of the DNC in Chicago tonight, Kamala Harris will accept the party’s nomination for pres. P!nk to perform (🤢). Rumors of Beyoncé showing up. And so it goes…
I've always struggled with Echo & The Bunnymen. For me, they never had that standout sound in the huge wave of post-punk and jangle pop of the early 80s. That's not to say the music is bad or anything - songs like 'Crocodiles' and 'Monkeys' on this album are genuinely great and I love those light nocturnal keys on 'Villiers Terrace' that sound almost Doors-esque. It's just that it feels like they're playing straight post-punk, without trying to formulate any sort of unique sound or experiment in any way. But then again, it's a debut so maybe I'm being too harsh - I haven't revisited their later albums in a while (though I remember having similar issues with those). The last thing I'd want to do is dismiss an entire band without having fully dived into their works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnVkRvOQY-8 (there's better postpunk and echo and the bunnymen got better later on anyway)
Pre-Emo Alternative Rock, with traces of New Wave. I didn't hate this album. I can even recognize the musicianship and how they likely influenced other bands that I actually know and like. However, I just had never purposefully listened to anything by Echo & the Bunnymen ever in my life (and probably never will ever again).
80's synthpop. Nothing of note.
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Previous to this I was only really familiar with The Killing Moon. This was not quite what I was expecting...I hear some Gang of Four amongst other things in hear. Enjoyable but not really memorable.
Rockig, ganz gut zu hören. Hat mich aber nicht vom Hocker gerissen. 3/5
Garage Rock from 1980.
Liked it well enough, but doesn't stand out as great for me. Will I listen to again: 30%
Some raw, post punk music here reminiscent of Joy Division, all in all not too shabby
i enjoyed this more than the other new wave albums i’ve listened to, so i guess that’s something. nothing really stood out to me though
Good, driving beat, but annoying repetition of simplistic lyrics. Forgettable.
Not bad, musically sounded a bit like early U2.
Cool band, great new wave sound. But I couldn't fully invest. Kept making me think of other bands and I got lost in the flow.
Decent post punk. There’s a bit of the punk aesthetic with some foreshadowing of what the eighties new wave brought us, without being poppy. Almost has a Talking Heads sort of vibe at some points. Almost. I’d heard of the Bunnymen since I can remember, but never listened to them. I appreciate that this endeavor has me actually listening to bands and albums that I hadn’t gotten around to. Sometimes it’s a win, but usually not. I guess I’ll call this a win.
Udmærket album, der var helt sikkert nogle bangers (i hvert fald Rescue) - synes musikken var lidt for monoton mht. tempo, og så var sangeren ikke helt så uforglemmelig som andre i lignende bands som Morrissey, Robert Smith, Ian Curtis
Tror aldrig jeg har hørt en Echo & the Bunnymen plade før! Føles som et ret fedt mellemsted mellem Joy Division-agtig postpunk og REM/The Smiths-agtig jangle.
Moments of brilliance, moments of boredom. It ticks boxes for music I should like, but at times feels like it drags forever. 3.5.
Ok
Not bad
This one will need a second listen. I learned of the Bunnymen only in the late 80's. It was interesting hearing this early release from them. Well produced but just a bit more raw and unpolished.
2.5, not bad but I won’t come back to it
Kind of cool - I liked it more than porcupines or whatever. This one was much more atmospheric and groovy - I got into that beloved “flow” state a couple times where I just grooved along. That being said, not a single song actually stood out and rather blended together.
Despite thin production, this album was OK. Music had some good qualities to it. Definitely influential. Not totally my thing but it was listenable.
This was a chill album. It's very 80s which is impressive seeing as how it was made in exactly 1980. It's a good vibe all the way through. I listened twice.
Every other week I'm surprised by another most average album in the history of music. This time, it's Crocodiles. I have nothing else to say about this record.
Started with I quite like this vibe, then firmly got stuck of its time. Probably would have liked it more at the time. Meh!
Its a product of its time. Viliers Trerrace and Rescue show signs but its not up there with Ocean Rain. Still, it showed The Beatles were not the only ones who could create a sound of Liverpool. Great stuff all in all.
Nice enough
Ok
It’s fine. This is at least the third album by this artist on this list. I don’t get it.
Another good but not great 80's album.
# 262 : They've done a pretty decent job. Better then I thought it would be. Some of the songs are OK, Favourite track : Do It Clean
Forgettable.
Not bad, not great.
Another brick in the road towards me becoming a new-wave guy. This one is I guess a bit more post-punk than gothy new-wave like the rest I’ve liked, but it’s still got that flavour. Probably a 3.5 but rounding down because there have been peers of these guys that I’ve liked a bit more. Could be convinced to round up after more listens, I bet.
80s pop punk. More punk. It’s all right.
I mean it’s fine. Early 80s new wave. Nothing memorable at all. I guess they influenced people and that’s why they here on this list.
Good but not really my thing.
Decent enough
Best oké
Ah Echo and the Bunnyman, I really like the album Ocean Rain the rest not so much. This definitely part of that rest I don't much care for. So 3 stars.
I loved 'Ocean Rain', so I'm a bit disappointed that this album didn't blow me away too. I enjoyed it enough to want to revisit it, but I wonder if I would've liked this more if I wasn't aware of a superior album in the same band's discography. The melodies and instrumentation just don't move me as much here. Similarly to the album I'm comparing it to, 'Crocodiles' picks up steam in the second half. Maybe I need be more patient and let my ears adjust or something. Highlights: Crocodiles, Rescue, Villiers Terrace, Read It In Books, All That Jazz
Not bad but nothing wowed me. At time it reminded me of Tears for Fears, but less playful.
I wish the album sounded more like "Crocodiles".
Mixed feelings about this album. I think the band/instrumentation sounds great. I don't like the vocals. Overall the songwriting seems kinda ho-hum. I couldn't tell you what the standout tracks from this album are. However, the sonic textures are impressive, especially for 1980. I can see this band developing over the decade and putting out some seriously interesting stuff.
Very Doorsy. From what I know about E&TB, Ocean Rain would have been my choice for the list. Still, a decent time.
Meh, it's fine.
Sweeping 80's synth and a good representation of that genre.
I like Echo And The Bunnymen but never heard this one. Sounds more raw and rockin' than the albums I was familiar with. Didn't really stand out on first listen, though.
It's nice to see Echo & The Bunnymen in this collection, but then I cheated and looked to see just how many albums we'd be getting, and was disappointed that there are three (3!) Echo & The Bunnymen albums, which seems like one (or maybe two?) too many. And while "Crocodiles" is a fun debut album for a band, with a decent range of styles on it, it's definitely not their best, so kind of a bummer that this is the selection of the day. Although I suspect true fans of either band would be annoyed to hear me compare them, but I've always felt that Echo & The Bunnymen and The Cure (and somewhat The Smiths, and by extension Morrissey's solo work) are kindred spirit bands in many ways. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a Cure fan (nor much of a fan of The Smiths and particularly Morrissey), so that's not the biggest compliment, but it's an in interesting overlap to me.
I remember buying this album when it first came out and not liking it all that much. The lead singer's voice is gorgeous but the songs didn't grab me, with the exception of "Rescue."
I don't think this is THE Echo and the Bunnymen album, but it's still a damn fine record. I think I would probably give this 3.5 normally, but I'm feeling generous after several threes in a row
Fun to see the edges of post-punk coalescing into goth on something like this, too.
Ihan ok
I like that the songs are short and punchy- some vestiges of punk, I’d guess. There were times when his voice reminded me of Bono, but a bit darker. It’s interesting that the guitars take a backseat in nearly every song. The bass is more prominent and even though there are two guitars, they’re both just playing rhythm. Fine by me. I could live my whole life without hearing another guitar solo. This band always makes me think of High Fidelity, https://youtu.be/0eBh6xipKYk?si=gs546mPglvQzt-15. 3.9
I've heard of, but never listened to this band. Not bad. It sounds like other groups of that era, so I suspect they were ahead of the curve? It's okay, but probably not something I'd return to often. 3.4
Really enjoyed this. Tight, interesting, character.
I hadn't listened to much Echo and the Bunnymen before a few years ago and thought this is a band I should check out because I'm generally a fan of 80's alternative music. Overall, their sound is fine and there's some good songs on this debut, but I don't love it or care if I heard them again. Kind of a Smith-ish sound, though a bit more upbeat (and less boring) and their guitar sound is not unlike a lot of New Wave/Post-Punk bands from the era. I just feel their music isn't that compelling or interesting, maybe even generic, but at the time there are a lot worse bands that got more attention and accolades. The Bunnymen's music is very listenable, though not essential.
Un album que j'ai vraiment plus aimé que Porcupine. Je l'ai trouvé plus captivant, plus raw, plus cohésif. Ce n'est pas le meilleur album de son genre mais je comprends mieux l'inclusion de ce band dans les 1001. 7/10
It was a nice album. Nothing that will go into my regular rotation.
Cool but nothing to write home about
I liked this album. I was traveling today so it worked well for me to listen while in the car. I didn't find anything that really jumped out of the speaker at me, but I did enjoy it all.
I'm familiar with this group but mostly their work from the later 80's. I enjoyed this album. It was interesting to going back to the beginning and seeing where their sound that I was familiar with evolved from. Standouts on this were " Pride", "The Pictures on My Wall".
The only thing I can recall about this album is that their work got worse as they got older.
I gave Echo And The Bunnymen's Ocean Rain (their fourth album) 5 stars just 12 days ago, so that's front of mind still as I listen to this. This is their debut album which came 4 years earlier than Ocean Rain. This one feels a little darker and grittier to me. It's hard to compare against a top tier album, but Ocean Rain pulled off this much more atmospheric moody sound, while this one is a bit more of a post-punk sound. I don't dislike this, but not a whole lot is really standing out to me. It's giving me a bit of a Joy Division sound, but with less powerful lyrics and less hooks that really keep you interested. I'm probably being a little overly critical, it was a decent album. Quite a bit short of Ocean Rain though, and it's hard not to compare since I listened to it so recently. Favorite song: Rescue Other: Going Up, Do It Clean, Villiers Terrace, All That Jazz 3/28/24
I'm surprised to discover Echo and the Bunnymen album on this list. I was absolutely delighted by that one, Ocean Rain, but this one not as much. It is a promising debut, but not yet great. I'm unconvinced this album belongs on this list.
This is a fine album, but it didn't really stand out too much for me. Early 80s rock that sounds good but I had to listen twice because by the end I had forgotten much of it. Nothing really offensive or bad in it, but nothing notable.
This set of neo-psychedelic garage rock had some good moments but nothing really stood out
Some very kinda chill punky vibes here.
Starts out like a 4, but kind of dips somewhere. Nothing wrong, but then again, nothing really right. Gets good again with the last few
I liked this more than I expected after the first track, but it's not a standout album for me. I enjoyed the guitar foundation of Monkeys. I wanted to like the title track (because a song called Crocodiles seems cool), but I got bored with it.
I listened to this album 3 times and I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to find special about it. I didn't dislike it, but there also wasn't anything about it that bowled me over, unfortunately.
The Bunnymen's singles are amazing, but I hate to say that, like Blondie (or Alan Partridge), they're a 'greatest hits' band, for me. Villiers Terrace still sounds great, as does Rescue. But the rest of this sounds too much of its time. They definitely had their moments, but not enough on here to make this a classic.
Not a lot of light in this album. It sounds like someone trying to escape the winter months with the calendar moving backwards. The production from Bill Drummond isn't his best. It's more about the legend of the Bunneymen, or more importantly, what they could become, rather than the end product. Work in progress.
Meh
This album was pretty good, but I liked Porcupine quite a bit more. I'm not even sure I could identify why I found this one less inspiring. It just didn't grab me the same way 3/5
Pretty good. I probably wouldn't go back, but certainly don't mind listening to it.
Never really got to grips with E&TB. At their peak in the 80’s was very aware of them and bought at least one album but not this one. They were just an OK band to me and that was it. Never listened to this before and as the singles from the album never charted highly probably everything on this album is new to me. It was a pleasant enough listen but nothing to set the world on fire. The album was degenerating towards dullness but then I heard the last two tracks which changed my opinion and rating. Thought the album ended really strongly. Not enough to make this a great album but adequate enough.
Never really listened to them growing up because I didn’t have a cool older sibling. But I didn’t feel like I missed anything ground breaking.
another really early new wavy dreamy album on our list. i kinda zoned out and just let the music control me in this instance. cool cool cool. album for dancing at a club, album for sitting on the toilet at 3am.
Cool old school rock, punk album. Didn't tickle.y fancy that much. Very solid tho
Solid 80s post punk. Nothing really stood out to me in particular. I usually don’t dig this genre but I enjoyed the listen.
I found this one to be somewhat off-putting in its blandness haha I just didn't find anything special about it, but nothing objectionable either.... I definitely dug the jangly guitars and the 80's drum and bass sounds are pretty awesome also sonically. The vocals/lyrics/themes/etc were not my favourite.
Echo & the Bunnymen - Crocodiles Classic album from the 80s. This is Echo & the Bunnymen's debut album. I enjoyed it. Listening to it you can see where this band is going. 3/5
Inspires total ambivalence. Wish I could give 2.5 stars.
En blandning av Joy Division och The Cure med en gitarr som måste vara samma som Andy Summers’s. Helt okej ska nog lyssna igen.
I really don't know Echo and the Bunnymen beyond their radio hits, "The Killing Moon" and "Lips Like Sugar" which are off of two, later, albums. This album is pretty solid but has none of the magic of those two amazing songs. But then... a cursory listen through those albums was mind blowing either.
Percussion on this album was great. Echo is good, but this album is not their best.
Well it wasn't bad so that's cool I suppose. I dunno this kinda falls under the category of an album by a band that sounds okay but didn't blow my socks off or anything, it was just kind of mid. I didn't hate it and they sounded good it was just kind of weird and we've had a bunch of kind of weird albums back to back to back so that has kind of gotten old for me. I'll probably never choose to listen to this album or this band again and will most likely forget about them in a couple days.
it's a "meh" one. can tell they haven't fully developed or decided on their sound. just ok
This was kinda just a boring album. Not bad. Just boring. Okay lyrics, with okay singing, with okay instrumentals. Not part of it was bad, yet nothing to excite
Todo un clásico el primer disco de Echo & the Bunnymen. Sonido post-punk ochentero para iniciar la década, con guitarras luminosas y una sección rítmica sobresaliente. Siempre se ha dicho, con razón, que se inspira en los Doors y la voz de Jim Morrison, además de tener ciertas influencias de la psicodelia. Destacaría los temas "Pride", "Cocodriles" y "Rescue".
I kind of understand why this album is on the list, since they helped define much of the 80s post-punk sound. But it's not that special.
it was ok
Love the band....the singer not so much...or at all
Sorprendido! Así es como me siento con este disco y este grupo. Un sonido rollo rock sicodélico impresionante
I was between a 2 and a 3. A little rough. Pretty good.
maneirinho... nada particularmente me atraiu. estou lançando esse comentário no meio do álbum, porque não vou mudar de ideia
Solid, in a very Clash-y way
Didn’t listen to it enough but Rescue stood out. Too much compression and overall shit production. Kinda sounds like a bad bowie album which is a compliment.
Really average. All the songs had the same feel, but it felt repetitive and easy to drown out.
honest new wave
This list seems to be obsessed with the sounds of the 60's, even though this one is from 1980.... It isn't bad on its own merit just kind of generic.
well it's not fucking Ocean Rain
Sound like big Crowded House contemporaries (or predecessors?). It was alright but didn't blow me away. Sounds like they were on the forefront of the 80s INXS sound
There's a lot to like about E&TB, but I can still see why I was never a huge fan at the time. Also, I don't think this is their best album, but as a debut it's great, but nothing The Teardrop Explodes hadn't already done.
I forgot I was listening to an album on this list, so it's got that going for it. I'm not sure why it's on this list, but it didn't make my ears bleed.
My only knowledge of this band is Bring on the Dancing Horses from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. Crocodiles is alright. Not great, not bad.
Reminds me of The Clash, but unfortunately not as good
Love the pace and energy, but there isn't a lot of variation, but really fun. Great work on the bass guitar. Reminded me a lot of The B-52s.
A more melodic take on punk/pre-punk stuff that's been coming up lately. I like their sound, but not in favorite album territory. Solid 3* album. Enjoyed: Villiers terrace (keyboards) Very Cure-adjacent
Not too bad.
3.5/5
Not super impressive but perfectly solid. A little weird, pretty jangly, interesting atmosphere. Would try it out again. Best song: Happy Death Men
Average indie rock. I'm not keen - nothing specific, lots of listeners will like this, I just don't. It's average 1980s indie, which isn't a genre I enjoy.
It was fine, pretty bland. Easy listening
I like the sound of a lot this music—feels at times akin to Joy Division, Midnight Oil, The Smiths. It’s a solid album, but I don’t know if it’s great. I think it comes down to the vocals in the end—they don’t feel quite as strong as the rest of the arrangements, melodically or tonally. Monkeys, Crocodiles, and Do It Clean were probably my favorite tracks.
Not my favourite album by Echo and the Bunnymen, but a milestone in the history of psychedelic rock. One thing I really don't like about this album is the mixing, the sounds are too flat and make the sound too monotonous in the long run.
Generally a fan of this kind of moody rock with compressed and reverby drums, and overall I didn’t mind this one. Nothing really stood out to me all that much, and I think I’ve heard more interesting stuff from this band before. Yeah, it was fine. Interesting that this ended up on this list, not really that much of a knock out. Two and a half. Fave track: Crocodiles
Just ok
Today's entry in, "Wait - this band has HOW many albums on the list?". That being said, this band is famous for helping me get laid at a very young age. Although in retrospect, I had a beautiful head of hair back then and I likey could have gotten that piece of ass with Depeche Mode or the Psychedelic Furs or even (or especially) Air Supply playing in the background.
BL: echo and the bunny men I know only for their one hit. So it’ll be worth digging into a band that I know loads of my friends really love AL: very cohesive and solid album. My one complaint is that there seems to be a recurring theme of a lot of 80s British New Wave albums appearing on this list. Not that my objections are massive as I do enjoy the genre, I fear it may get stale after a while. For now this was a solid project, however nothing particularly stood out to me as anything exceeding, it was all just “good” FT: “stars are stars” 3/5
I liked the sound of the band and the album was good for background music but there weren't really any standout songs for me. Overall, not very memorable.
Fun album, very poppy in an 80's way. Even though I've never heard this band before, I feel like I have. Very similar to The Cure, The Clash, and so many British bands from the 80's.
As with a few other reviewers. I *should* really like this band but there's something missing. Still a very good album.
Not their best effort but always liked Echo.
More cool dark post punk from the bunny men 💪
I have a history of rock dvd where the producer hated punk and refused to acknowledge it as an important movement. So we go from glam to new wave. It makes for an interesting approach. No sex pistols. No clash. No Ramones. No echo and the bunny men. No Siouxsie, etc etc.. But, let's accept punk is actually important. Given that Echo are pretty important in the movement, I think it's good to see them represented. I think this again is the wrong album but it’s a good one. They have a great energy about them. 3/5.
Killing Moon was a real favourite of mine back in the day. As was The Cutter. But apart from that I really didn’t listen to this band. Tight band alright. Musically gifted. I just find the compositions a tad boring & a bit repetitive on this album, which I’ve never listened to before. They embarked on a European tour straight after this & a half- hour film was shot of the band, called Shine So Hard, which you can find on youtube. Just skip all the arty filmmaker stuff & go straight to the live footage - they were so good live. The only 12” vinyl I have by them is the 4-track live EP taken from the film, which includes great versions of Crocodiles & especially All That Jazz. Maybe I’ll give the album another listen. Maybe not.
I shall now quote liberally from my previous review of 'Ocean Rain": "Ooff, are Echo and the Bunnymen possibly the most overrated band of all time? Certainly, if you listen to how they describe themselves ('the greatest album of all time!"), they could never possibly live up to the hype. Obviously, 1001 albums love them, as there are three (THREE!) of their albums on this list, of which this is probably the best. ... The lyrics are not nearly as clever as Ian McCullough thinks they are, which makes them the Doors on the 1980s. And they have dated about as well (ie, they have a shrinking fanbase that agree that they are all that, but the rest of the world shrugs)." The whole record has this weird dichotomy of morose anguish and loneliness, against overwhelming self-confidence, ambition and hubris. Like goths on coke or something. The record is really well recorded, and the rhythm section in particularly is tight and muscular. But there is nothing on this record as good as 'The Cutter' or 'Killing Moon'. It's all OK, but not as good as they think they are.
In their debut, Echo & The Bunnymen stick by a dark yet energetic style of post-punk. Not quite gothic (which Ocean Rain shares more traits with), but has a moody, hollow atmosphere with expressive vocals and catchy melodies yet simple punk beats, inserting strange spontaneous sound effects, distortion, and reverb to surprise the audience. Pretty good, my type of music, but many forgettable tracks with only a few things going for them. Maybe this one will grow on me too like Ocean Rain has.
Had Read It In Books, but never listened to these guys. Will probably listen to more of these guys to get a better feel for them.
Don't have too many thoughts on this one. Good basslines. No real highs or lows.
Not the worst punk album on here but nothing special. No songs stood out to me in particular and they all kind of sounded the same. 2.5 but rounding up to a 3 because it was better than all of the 2 punk albums.
Pretty solid punk album actually!
Echo and the Bunnymen are one of them bands I’ve been hoping would pop up. A band I’ve heard the odd track by but never gone much further. Got to admit that large chunks of this passed me by. It didnt sound anything too special for me. Nothing bad, just nothing really stood out, bar All That Jazz. It’s a very decent post-punk album but I dont really know what else to say about it.
Always wanted to listen to these, cult heroes in Liverpool so they come up a lot. Decent, very much in the vain of Smith's/Cure. I drifted in and out a bit so can't say there were any clear hits. Think I'd need to listen again to make a stronger opinion, at this point it was okay
Monkeys is great, the rest I was less enamoured with. Not bad, just a little bit generic. A very, very lucky 3.
This sounded quite joy Divisiony in parts. That kinda industrial post punk sound. Then in others it sounded quite 80s. Didn't recognise any of the tracks on this album. Didn't mind most of it, but nothing really stood out.
it just made me want to listen to the smiths. sorry.
Idée de déguisement
chap bunnymen
Not really my cup of tea but I can see why it is eighties?
2.5
I had no idea Echo and the Bunnymen were from the 80's. It is a very 80's album. I enjoyed it, but nothing really stuck out to me.
Essential Tracks: Rescue (Playlist)
Pretty British, but not in a way that is bad... most of the time. It is very 80s though (which can be bad at times) Feels like it meanders a lot. It's alright. Sometimes I can vibe to it, other times I am tired of it. Not a huge fan of the overall production. A low 3/5
Kind of funny how I thought "I'm sure I love a lot of Echo & the Bunnymen songs, so this ought to be good." Weird how perceptions are. I had known a couple of their songs, but nothing from this album. And there was nothing on this album that I loved.
ничего не ухватило, но с другой стороны и пост-панк не заметила
Weinig speciaal
Some simple, similar from track to track, rock from the heart
Not a bad bit of rock guitary stuff, feels newer than 1980
Melancholy in a way that sets your teeth on edge. A good beginning.
I've always heard of this band but had never checked it out. It's pretty middle of the road. I don't think any super special.
Solid. 3/5
There's nothing super unique here.
Ça revient pas mal à du tout au même en plus d’avoir un son assez basic. Big bof, mais loin d’être caca
dint really pay attention to it. mid? 6/10.
Expecting a moody indie album and mostly got that. But I felt a lot of it was quite forgettable
I like Echo And The Bunnymen, but I don't love them.
solid, but it probably sounds awesome if you were high.
Fine
I had this on vinyl many years back but didn't pay it as much as I should have. Moody and guitar/drum driven Liverpudlian intenseness. Not any hits as such but I wonder whether that often detracts from and album where people focus on the highs- this is consistently good but not great it has to be said.
I liked it better than the last echo and the bunnymen album, but not enough to get a four, just a high 3
I have this on CD. It’s fine. Don’t know if we needed another Echo album on this list though.
I mean it's fine but I think I've expected more from all these Echo and the Bunnymen albums. Nothing remotely close to The Cutter or the Killing Moon and I think I always expect an alnum of songs of that quality
Ca brassait, j'ai aimé ca et c'était une bonne écoute en somme 3.85
Good but not yet classic BM
An enjoyable enough listen but nothing jumped out at me as amazing
Good but not great post-punk, or whatever you call this genre. Bass lines are awesome on pretty much every song, really elevating the drive of each beat. It's cool music but not life-changing. It's a weak 3 stars; I like it enough to listen again sometime, but it didn't blow me away.
Do It Clean sounds kind of like a Clash song... Stars Are Stars I'm digging. Pride starts out a bit like an Elvis Costello song with that little guitar hook. I'm digging Villiers Terrace! Happy Death Men jams! Seems almost psych / jam / experimental / kraut inspired. Could be a weird take. Doesn't seem especially "top 1001" remarkable as a whole. Maybe this was a big deal for 1980 since it's bringing us out of first wave punk and into the 80s. I do see some interesting songs in here but seems like filler as well. Still... solid album really, I'll do a 3.
I enjoy the general vibe and Ian McCullough's voice. The main thing that doesn't click for me is the melodies tend to not be very memorable. I like Do It Clean and Rescue, but much of the rest tends to blur together. It's fine but not outstanding.
Can’t even remember most of this.
- Don't like this as much as the other one by them, but still fun to listen to - Love the 80s production
Oh GOOD some more English punk/new wave/whatever. 2nd album of theirs here. Could be worse, it was ALMOST good, but I've heard enough of this stuff to last a fuckin' lifetime in the last 3 years of this project. 3/5.
Well. If the last album was post-punk with some symphonic flair to it and some experimental parts that made it less poppy which I kind of like, this album is not that. It's just post-punk. I don't find post-punk that interesting in all honesty. The other album I reviewed did have some interesting moments and was not bad, so I rated it positively. This is just not bad. I don't find it to be particularly interesting. No track truly stood out to me. It's just another album. I'll give it, 5/10. Not bad but not particularly good.
Similar to early U2
Un album qui nous rappelle encore une fois qu'entre 1980 et 1989, les portes de la popularité s'ouvraient à celui qui chantait le plus comme un débile.
Aucun souvenir de cet album, je viens pourtant tout juste de le terminer. Il me semble néammoins qu'on peut apercevoir vers la 12ème piste Nicolas Sarkozy tenter de franchir la rivière aux crocodiles, hormis ça je ne peux rien vous dire de plus.
Really interesting to listen to. A lot of notes similar to like David Bowie and others in that new wave kind of alt music. Also a hint of like the Doors or something. 7/10
6/10. Okay, sure, whatever, this was something I had to hear before I died
i feel like the early Aquabats loved this shit
Spacca, molto semplice ma efficace.
Ja de va bra. Känns mer som ett jag album än ett Alva album, hon kommer troligen tycka att det var ett average rock-ish album.
Jag diggade albumet. Jag visste faktiskt om de här då jag lyssnat mycket på The Killing Moon och någon mer från samlingsalbumet där gestalter går med en gul bakgrund. Det var najs men måste nog lyssna några fler gånger för att veta vad jag faktiskt tycker
Not bad, but not my thing
Not terrible but mostly works as background music
Okay but never exciting
Think it sounds pretty good but extremely forgetable
OK, not amazing. Very on point for that period.
I hear the echoes of so many other bands in this Bunnymen debut, and feel a nagging desire to hop on over to their discographies instead.
i’m generally exactly fine with echo et al, and this album isnt any different. i liked some stuff, i didnt like other stuff, i’m a bit sick of post punk.
Waahehrwt
Rescue e bänger... men albumet saknar nånting. I postpunk/new wave vill jag ha lite mer consistent sås från bassisten o mer catchy tunes... Gillar int trummorna jättemycke heller, men de e typ alla klagomål. Det är ändå helt bra!
good début but they got a lot better later
It’s a fine album on its own merits, but as it is so frequently labeled “post-punk,” it is difficult to avoid comparisons to superior outfits such as Magazine, Wire, or Gang of Four. This album comes across as vapid and forgettable compared to anything by those bands. As a pop album, though? It’s alright.
Proper song material but I'm not fond of the dreary atmosphere.
I've never listened to their first album. Honestly I prefer their later sound. I feel like Ocean Rain is a far superior album to this.
Post-Irgendwas aber insgesamt etwas eintönig, 3/5 for the effort
Meh. I do like the sound but none of the songs really kicked it off for me. weak three, strong two.
I thought this was going to be a hidden gem starting off, but turned out to be nothing special for me. Still not bad
Just another album
Ok
perfectly mid
Cool
EatB debut. I like this but Ocean Rain and Heaven up Here are better. Half way between Joy Division and the Doors(?) Macs voice is distinctive but the guitar of Sargeant is not fully formed.. Some strong songs but the best was yet to come.
Pretty good but nothing amazing
3.5
3.5
Very 80s and very simple, but I like it. A few songs blind blend together, though. I feel like it's definitely something that would get picked up easily during the time. I also really like the album cover. Fave track(s): Monkeys
Hé leuk. Een jaren '80-album. Wat verfrissend na XTC, Kate Bush, New Order, en vier albums die net op 1 of 2 jaar het label '80's missen. Kan je het wel weer naast elkaar zetten. En in vergelijking met de rest, is dit album vooral nietszeggend. Heb mij er (buiten het laatste nummer om) ook niet aan geërgerd. Er is prima bij te werken. Dus laten we het maar een 3 geven. Idee voor een boek: 201 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die?
Clash tussen the Clash en the Cure, maar dan eigenlijk allebei net niet. We krijgen wel veel van die 80s new wave post punk britpoep voor onze kiezen de laatste tijd. Het is dat er een weekend tussen zat, anders had ik dit uit irritatie weer een ster lager gegeven dan ik het eigenlijk waard vind. Under a killing moon is misschien wel het be(kend)ste nummer van ze, maar ja, dat staat op het 4e album en niet hierop. Toch 3 sterretjes: luisterbaar maar geen onuitwisbare indruk.
Not too bad :) 3/5
I had it in my head (not ever having listened to Echo & The Bunnymen before) that they were much more modern than 1980, but it seems not. It's a good listen, good energy, a sound that is maybe a bit dated now but definitely wouldn't have been in 1980. It is a bit samey though (apart from the final track), and there's no track that really stands out. Just about scrapes a 3.
Echo & the Bunnymen have always existed on the finge of my attention. Glad to finally listen to an album, but not sure there's enough for me to go back to it. Very evocative of the 80s
When this album slows up, there's a sense of spaciousness to the music that lends it an air of stateliness or grandeur. Numbers at a faster clop have an agreeable jaggedness about them. 'Pride' is my highlight. The track 'Crocodiles' sounds like the Stranglers before their fixation on Vikings and aliens. 'Pictures on the Wall' is the Hollies or Herman's Hermits from the nightmare dimension. All to the good. So why does the package as a whole fail to land entirely with me?
Okay post-punk is okay.
Woah, some more post-punk. Crazy.
De wat meer uptempo nummertjes zijn prima te pruimen ('Crocodiles' en 'Villiers Terrace'). De wat meer klagerig gezongen nummers irriteren me een beetje. Al met al doet dit album me weinig. Vergeetbaar. Ergens tussen 2 en 3 sterren in.
This was alright
Strong, intriguing opening that kind of devolved into what I think of when I hear "sad 80s goth kid." Not completely without merit. But kind of tedious. 2.5
Generic 80s rock. Clash did it better
This is a solid debut album, I actually like it more than I remember linking 'Ocean Rain' (their other album I got earlier in this exercise) as a whole. That being said, again I like but don't love the album. Some of the songs are really great, the two opening tracks in particular kick off the album in a great direction. Same overall takeaway as with 'Ocean Rain' though: not an album I think I'd ever find myself adding into regular rotation but if these songs came on, I wouldn't turn it off either. Standout Tracks: Going Up, Do It Clean, Rescue, All That Jazz, Happy Death Men
Brings to mind Simple Minds and Joy Division. Ok, but nothing special - prominent baselines, but nothing particularly athletic. Low 3.
Interesting records. Worth another listen.
idk if i care about this much. 3 so far.
Never listened to this earlier, rawer Echo and The Bunnymen before. It's like a more manic Joy Division with a romantic nostalgia for 60s garage rock and psychedelia. I think I prefer their later, more atmospheric albums.
I am whelmed. It's fine but... plagued by 80s rockness.
Ja, best lekker. Leuk en ontzettend 80’
Doet me hier en daar aan The Cure denken. Het klinkt alsof het goed in elkaar zit, maar het raakt me nergens.
3.75
Didn’t mind it, but not enough to listen to again.
Aye, I wanted more from this, to be caught up in the tunes but it didn't happen. EATB have a unique sound, but you need the tunes to go with it
Not bad, nothing that really wowed me but still enjoyable overall
They've done some songs I really like but there's nothing amazing on here, best song Rescue and title track are decent and everything else is fine, but better songs to come later in their career
Rock on, Echo. Rock on, bunnymen.
This band still tours after all these years. Another band introduced to me in college. Thank you Jason. Good band with good music. Enjoyed most of the album with Rescue one of my favorites. Really like the guy's voice and just the overall sound. Will listen again. 3.5
2.5-3 I’ve heard of Echo and the Bunnymen because Ghost covered one of their songs, so I was interested in listening to more of the OG. I’m completely and totally whelmed by this album. It sounds like another band that I couldn’t quite put my finger on (The Clash maybe?) . Anyway it doesn’t sound anything like I expected based on the Ghost song. But not in a great way. It was fine. Some really cool bass licks here and there, some pretty broody lyrics that I kind of liked but I just can’t imagine this leaving much of a lasting impression. Idk. Whelmed.
British Punk, not really for me.
This is a solid album, but I'm not quite sure I should listen to it before I die. Just okay. Top-to-bottom okay.
The album is neither incredible or incredibly boring. It is nice though, and for being produced in the late 70s, released in 1980, we can sort of hear the transition from disco electronica to what would become an eventual overuse in the decade. Recording wise, no deep bass, more of a thumpiness without feeling, just presence that there's a bass. That may have more to do with how grooving Echo & The Bunnymen tended to be on this album. Crescendos such as in the song "Monkey" have some of that deep bass note, but it is quite muted not allowed to carry. The rest of the songs tend to follow the recording practices of decades prior where everything is packed together playing on the same track. Drums sound electronic, probably were. The cymbals are too perfect, the snare too consistent, unless of course the drummer is just that professional. All in all, the album feels very polished with everything just done so well. Maybe a little too well. Why 1001? This review has not really found the answer to that, except that tracking how the sounds changed each decade, this album bridges that disco era with rock & roll of the 80s eventually giving way to the reverb-happy methods that would become rather common. "Happy Death Men" is an example of some of that sound, not to mention a little bit of adlib/chaos at the song's conclusion. Neither incredible, or boring.
Nothing I'd go back to but a solid enough listen for this genre
Good rock feel for this album. I enjoyed the listen but it's not something I'll come back to. Nothing really stood out that made this more unique from other albums around the same time.
Good vibe and I can see its influence in other music.
Good album, a bit dark and nothing stood out too much but I had a good time listening to it. 3.5 / 5
Clean rock album... Was surprised by a few songs and melodies at some point but other than that it felt pretty standard rock that I enjoy only for the rock aspect... 3/5
Spiky raincoat rock by maudlin sullen scousers. It's earnest for you to feel how miserable it is and it will go and sulk its room until you do understand. Which you probably never will. Best Tracks: Do It Clean; Rescue; Villiers Terrace
I was expecting more. I like the sound a lot, but I feel there was something lacking here. I know they developed their song writing over the next few albums, so I'll be excited to hear more.
This was pretty good. It felt a little repetitive, but generally I liked it.
I can see why people would like it, but not my style.
Did not age well. Very indicative of the sound at the time.
Well, it didn't suck. But it also wasn't very good. These boys clearly have some skill, they just didn't do much with it. I wanted more than I got out of this album.
greit nok