Crocodiles

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.

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

Huske kje så masse fra da, så e vel ein grunn til at eg aldri har tatt Echo and the gang heilt inn i varmen

Never heard of this band before. Decent English post punk vibe that i'm sometimes in the mood for.

Middling 3

6/21/2022 - ALBUM #145 Today's Album: "Crocodiles" by Echo & the Bunnymen - As a punk rock album, this was quite an enjoyable listen. Firstly, the production is quite good and I really like how the album opens up with this sort of psychedelic soundscape before getting into a solid punky groove. The drums and bass come through really clearly and I like how the guitar is sort of used as an auxiliary instrument on a lot of these tracks. The overall asthetic of this project is this sort of beautiful darkness. Like yes, the awkward, strained vocals and punchy grooves give it that dark and moody vibe, but the band adds this sort of color to each track. The track Do it Clean, for example, is this sort of surfy garage rock track and the dark and dreary tone of it is made really enjoyable through a pretty catchy hook and some smart production choices. The album does sort of get bogged down in the later half of the tracklist with a lot of similar sounding or generally boring tracks, but I do really like the way this album closes off with Happy Death Man. The bass guitar kind of acts as a rythmic anchor as a bunch of jangly keys and dissonant chords make you feel like you're in some sort of haunted saloon and the build up to the end of the album is really stunning. There are a lot of really great sonic ideas on this album and I really enjoy when the vocals take a step back for some really well done experimentation. Overall, this is a solid punk project with a lot of creative sonic ideas and although it gets bogged down in some areas, the shining moments make up for it by a mile. Give this one a listen if you're pretty used to punk and want a dark and moody, but mentally managable album to spin. Highlights: Going Up, Do it Clean, Pride, Crocodiles, Read it in Book, Happy Death Man Score: 7/10 Cool and unique punk rock with some subpar tracks

Meh, not really my bag. Didn't hate it. Didn't love it. Solid 3.

Good album. A solid 3

7th June 2022 Actually listened on the day after because this was the day we moved to Painswick! Anarchic driving punk. 3.5 if I could.

Casual, upbeat. Not too heavy, not too light.

fine

There really wasn't much to differentiate Echo & a lot of the other post punk bands at that time, except for Ian McCulloch's voice and style, which can be predictable. I prefer the more lush sounding material they put out later.

This is a decent debut post punk record with Rescue being the highlight. Their later albums are better eg with the Killing Moon, but they get an extra point for being one of the pioneers of the post punk sound with driving bass / guitars and drums. I do think the Cure and New Order were on a higher level though.

This makes some decent background listening. The arrangements are solid, but the songwriting is neither here nor there. After one listen I can't recall any of the hooks or choruses.

Interesting early 80s new wave-ish rock

first listen pretty forgettable

I knew Echo existed, but had never listened to anything by them. Not bad. Pretty standard 80s fare imo.

I quite enjoyed this. The music is urgent and jarring in places and the lyrics dark and introspective. 'The Bunneymen's influence on MSP is apparent across this album. In particular, 'Of Walking Abortion' seems to have borrowed heavily from 'Pride'. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Monkeys Date listened: 13/04/22

You can really tell this is the debut album of the band. The songs felt raw and unpolished. In fact, if you had told me that this was a demo tape for a band, I would have not been surprised. A lot of these felt like a producer should have worked with them more, developed them into better songs. I could not pick out the "hit" of this album. It's not that they all sounded the same, but no song stood out above the rest. So a big "meh" from me.

Yeah, I still don't get these guys. Theirs was one of the first albums I listened to when starting this list and now close to 200 albums later I thought I might have a more enlightened perspective. Not really. I've found I like punk and post-punk more than I thought. I originally likened them to The Smiths or The Cure but now I see them more as a go-between of punk (The Stooges or Undertones) and Shoegaze (Jesus & Mary Chain). I don't dislike them. I just don't see myself going back for much. Do it Clean was the only track that really resonated with me.

Pretty good post-punk, a genre I'm usually not a massive fan of. "Going Up" and "Monkeys" stood out the most to me.

First of all, I accidentally reposted my Count Basie review for yesterday. I didn’t actually get to listen to that album so RIP Anyway, I’m not very familiar with these guys, but I thought that this was alright, nothing special. I feel like I’d be more impressed if I got into them before Depeche Mode or New Order, since it sounds kind of bland in comparison. Still, it’s a solid synth rock album and I like that it never steers too close to one tempo. I believe that their first few albums are supposed to be pretty good, so maybe I’ll like the next one on here better. C

Was late to this and unfortunately only got one listen in. I can dig it. 3

I saw Echo and the Bunnymen play a fairly weedy set at a festival in 2019, almost forty years after their debut album "Crocodiles". Ian McCulloch was planted in the middle of the stage, looking distinctly pissed off, and said about two words in between songs. In fact, he looked a bit like how I felt listening to much of this album. Echo and the Bunnymen are a band I've never quite liked as much as I thought I would, and this was no exception. In their debut, they haven't quite carved out the niche they'd fit comfortably into by "Ocean Rain", of a band executing polished symphonic pop-rock with gothic undertones. Here, things are less defined and a little shapeless. It's a slow start, quite clearly aligned with the gloom-laden atmospherics of early Cure but without the melodic sensibilities. Things do pick up though, only really kicking in on the second side with the back-to-back hits of "Rescue" and "Villiers Terrace" (by far the best tracks here). Even if the songs aren't always up to scratch, there's no denying that the band are in spirited form, with chiming guitar lines and McCulloch's voice warming into its role as the front and centre. There's the promise of greater things to come from them… and I'm sure that having more to prove, they would have put on a better show here than they are doing nowadays.

Another faceless 80s alternative band that I could never differentiate from all the other faceless 80s alternative band. Pretty good, but nothing that really stands out. 3 stars.

It was good but not great. I thought it was note their best album but it was a solid one.

I firming believe that that echoey lofi sound many 80’s records have came to be when recording artist found their music was being played on lame cassette players and were like “why bother with the quality of the sound?” This is enjoyable and sounds quite influential although I don’t like the recording style

This was the debut album of Echo and the Bunnymen and while it's good, it feels too early in their eventual discography to fully represent their sound. Or, I dunno, was it really all downhill from here? I guess what I'm saying is that "The Killing Moon" is too much of a bright star and that anything that isn't it is going to get lost in its shine.

Yeah. Hmm. I want to like it. I just find it needlessly nihilistic. Crocodiles is fun. Yeah.

Rhythm sections are a natural way to taxonomize post-punk band, and the ministrations of this one are precise. The growth on the substrate is a little too jangle pop, but the lyrical blend, dark and bare, is effective. This is an album in a tradition I love: British four-piece with Win-Butler-voice. But I'm spoiled by modern forms. The crystal guitar in All That Jazz and spiraling weirdness of Happy Death were high points, mysteriously left for last.

Was very excited for it initially but nah it is decent. Solid post-punk.

Good not great.

Décent vibes

2022.01.13

I like Echo And The Bunnymen. They have tracks that I regularly listen to, but I'm not sure if I have listened to a full album from the band. "Rescue" and "Monkeys" were the tracks I liked the most. This album sounded like Echo And The Bunnymen. I liked the album, but I'm not sure if I would round up to 4 stars.

some catchy riffs sometimes, the lyrics are fun sometimes, but nothing really stands out to me.

Quite energetic to listen but did not get any outstanding bit

Didn’t get to listen to the whole album but I liked what I heard. Consequently 3*

Started off quite well as something a bit different. Did drag though.

Für mich ist die Band ein One Hit Wonder - The Killing Moon aus Donnie Darko ist einfach super (und nicht auf dem Album drauf). Das Album find ich nicht schlecht aber fad.

Mag den style prinzipiell, aber ist mir bissl zu flach und berechenbar

Another band I first heard of through the old 80s Gang of Printers bootleg merch catalogs I used to love poring over as a teen. I don't know I ever listened to any up to this, British punk and post-punk not really being my thing. It's clear enough how deeply ingrained these kinds of early outgrowths of punk are in the grunge and alternative scenes to come. I liked it.

almost too weird at times, but ok overall.

Hard to rate after just one listen. I imagine it would grow on me.

Decent, no stand out songs for me. I'd say a 3.5

Good new wave with enough punk vibes to keep me interested. Will probably give a second listen at some point Fave track: “Crocodiles”

3/5 it was okeyish

mola

Rock psicodélico animado

We have clearly established that I don’t like post punk. This was better than most but I’m really bored of this genre now.

Nice music.

3.7 - A post-punk record with softer, less austere instrumentation and more pop-oriented focus. As an album it feels composed, coherent but I'm missing a sense of atmosphere and drama.

Fine, not something I needed to listen to before I die. Post-punk.

There's people rolling around on my carpet!

It’s hard for me not to compare this to early U2, but I dig it!

I found Ocean Rain to be much more interesting. Best track: Happy Death Men

It was ok. Kind of monotonous.

singer is too similair to the doors

Moody

Neat instrumentation, but I didn’t care for the vocalist, and no individual songs really stood out

meh.

3/5 probably won’t listen again but decent album

Pretty good, nothing really stood out to me tho.

fine

An album I had missed previously, but a good listen. You can hear the influence it has had on future post-punk bands

A really good album maybe let down by production, which on certain tracks sounds quite amateurish, it sounds like Crocodiles & Rescue were done in a different studio than the tracks before. I’ve no idea if they were but sounds like it. Anyway, great stuff mostly.

Somehow i've never knowingly listened to echo and the bunnymen. maybe at an indie club night or something. there's quite a lot of interesting music in there, but the sound isn't something that appeals to me much.

Classic 80's British Post-Punk album! Moody music that can sound good in most situations.

Just ok for me

I can see the appeal here and it sounds kind of like a lot of other stuff I like but I ultimately didn't get into it too much.

Eu gostava de saber porquê deveria ouvir este álbum antes de morrer, é um álbum Ok com uma sonoridade Ok, com músicas Ok. Sei lá, o álbum soou a pop punk genérico ou demasiado deslavado. Este álbum não é mau, mas não é o meu género e torna-se cansativo ouvir coisas destas. Vou dar um 5 de 10 e destacar o Villiers Terrace. Nota: 5/10 Data:19/02/2025

This album starts out with a nice shimmery plasma of guitar noise before launching into Going Up. The band reveals its debt to psychedelia with guitarist Will Sergeant's processed guitars and echoey vocals, but that's just a jumping off point. For all of their psychedelic flourishes, Echo & The Bunnymen are in fact fairly direct rockers, which probably has a lot to do with the then recent punk movement. Do It Clean has an appealing drive, stuttering guitar, propulsive drums and double-tracked vocals. Stars Are Stars is a showcase for the drama queen yelps of Ian McCulloch. On Pride, it's bassist Les Pattinson's turn to shine up front in the mix. To the bands' credit, they are not one trick ponies. They ring variations on their basic sound throughout Crocodiles. Echo & The Bunnymen are strongest at their most aggressive. When they attempt introspection, there's a bit too much melodrama for me. Thankfully, they stick to high-energy tunes for the most part on Crocodiles. The more I listen to this, the more impressed I am with the rhythm section. They're tight and they kick ass. Another plus--there's no horrid 80s synthesizers stinking up the joint. Ultimately, Echo & The Bunnymen and Crocodiles are a little too vanilla for my taste, but they aren't bad at all.

Nice album

It’s so 80’s isn’t it. Very listenable but not a show stopper. I’d quite like to go and check out Villiers terrace from the sounds of it.

Much much better than I anticipated. Almost gets an extra star for being a decent post punk album but a 3 is good enough for them

Krokodyle, pierwsze slysze taki tytul, nazwa bandy tez nic nie mowi, ale po slepym odsluchu mocno smithowe viby, wiec dobrze zakladalem, ze brytyjskie chopaki, calkiem podobny odsluch jak ostatnie firehose i ich fromohio, jesli chodzi o strone instrumentalna, bo tez klasyczna 4 osobowa ekipa, tym razem najbardziej wyrozniajacym sie pozytywnie instrumentalem sa drumy, nie ciezke, ale mroczne i pasujace do lirycznej strony plyty, bo tak niektore wstawki gitarowe maja duzo niedopowiedzien, tak samo klawisze, wokal nie jest jakos zapadajacy w pamiec, ale material ratuje sie lyrycznie, bo tworzy spoista calosc w duchu punkowosci, wiec piesni opiewajace szeroko przyjete formy postawy spolecznej, brak empatii, naduczuciowosc, brak polaczenia z otaczajacym swiatem i izolacja sa glownymi motywami, czyli dosc smithowo, ale nigdzie nie brzmi to zbyt oklepanie lub ckliwie, jestem ciekawy czy na innych albumach ewoluuja, bo z charta widze ze sporo zmian bandowych na przestrzeni lat mieli, a dodatkowo drumer nie pozyl zbyt dlugo, ale to bedzie trzeba sprawdzic, na plejaka dodaje monkeys i pictures on my wall

Rock psicodélico animado

Classic new wave, but nothing that stands out from the many bands doing this style of music.

Post punk. Tipo Clash. Sin estar mal del todo.

Meh. I'd rather listen to "Songs To Learn and Sing". I have all 11 songs on STLS marked as favorites.

Pretty decent. Didn't blow me away or anything, but I liked it.

An early album where I'm not sure they had found their sound yet. Apparently all bands of this era got distracted by trying to sound like Joy Division. I enjoyed most of it, but some of it left little impression on me

Another decent but not overly inspiring 80s album. Echo seems to skirt the line between new wave and rock.

not as good as ocean rain. kinda didn’t notice when one song finished and another started. av.

Pretty good, not so bad

It was fine, nothing stood out.