![]() ![]() Įschewing the traditional "pin-up" cover shot, Crocodiles featured an atmospheric cover image, which showed the band posed in a mysterious woodland setting, lit by hidden coloured lights. 62 on the UK singles chart but the album (co-produced by manager Bill Drummond and his business partner David Balfe of The Teardrop Explodes) broke into the Top 20, reaching No. " Rescue" (produced by Ian Broudie), the lead single from Crocodiles, reached No. Supporting hugely popular ska bands Madness and Bad Manners, the Bunnymen proved an uncomfortable fit, and they were booed off after just two songs. De Freitas met the trio at their Septemgig at Eric's in Liverpool and immediately joined the band, but his October 12 live debut with them at London's Electric Ballroom was less than auspicious. Unlike the other band members, who were from working class Liverpool families, de Freitas was considered "posh" - he came from an affluent background, grew up in the south of England, and attended an elite private school, but his affable and outgoing manner was a welcome addition for his famously fractious bandmates. This was the first of six live sets they would cut for the Peel show between 19.īy the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles (July 1980), the drum machine had been replaced by Trinidad-born Pete de Freitas. With the group now gaining wider attention, they were invited to record a four-song set for the BBC'S John Peel Show on August 22, at which time they were still using a drum machine. Though credited as a McCulloch/Cope collaboration, McCulloch has denied on more than one occasion that Cope had any involvement with its writing. Įcho & the Bunnymen's debut single " The Pictures on My Wall" was released on Bill Drummond & David Balfe's Zoo Records in May 1979, the B-side being "Read It in Books" (also recorded by The Teardrop Explodes approximately six months later as the B-side of their final Zoo Records single "Treason"). The band played one song, a 20-minute version of "Monkeys" which was entitled "I Bagsy Yours" at the time. ![]() In November 1978, Echo & the Bunnymen made their debut at Liverpool's Eric's Club, appearing as the opening act for The Teardrop Explodes. I thought it was just as stupid as the rest. We had this mate who kept suggesting all these names like The Daz Men or Glisserol and the Fan Extractors. In the 1982 book Liverpool Explodes!, Will Sergeant explained the origin of the band's name: This early incarnation of the band featured a drum machine, assumed by many to be "Echo", though this has been denied by the band. When McCulloch left the band, A Shallow Madness changed their name to The Teardrop Explodes, and McCulloch joined with guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson to form Echo & the Bunnymen. When Wylie left, McCulloch and Cope formed the short-lived A Shallow Madness with drummer Dave Pickett and organist Paul Simpson, during which time such songs as "Read It in Books", "Robert Mitchum", "You Think It's Love" and "Spacehopper" were written by the pair. Ian McCulloch began his career in 1977, as one third of the Crucial Three, a bedroom band which also featured Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. The band has done some touring and released several albums since the late 1990s to varying degrees of success. After working together as Electrafixion, McCulloch and Sergeant regrouped with Pattinson in 1997 and returned as Echo & the Bunnymen, before Pattinson's departure in 1998. In 1989, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident. Īfter they released a self-titled album in 1987, McCulloch left the band and was replaced by singer Noel Burke. Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success with its lead single " The Killing Moon" entering into the top 10. After releasing their second album Heaven Up Here in 1981, the band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the UK in 1983 when they scored a UK Top 10 hit with " The Cutter", and the album which the song came from, Porcupine, hit number 2 in the UK. Their 1980 debut album Crocodiles went into the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. Echo & the Bunnymen is an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. ![]()
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