Crystal Days: 1979-1999 [Box]

Performer: Echo & the Bunnymen
Artist: Ray Manzarek
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The 4-CD box CRYSTAL DAYS includes singles, B-sides, rare live tracks, alternate versions and a 64-page companion book with complete recording notes and historical photos. Echo & The Bunnymen: Ian McCulloch (vocals); Will Sergeant (guitar, sitar); Les Pattinson (bass); Pete De Freitas (drums). Additional personnel includes: Mike Mooney (guitar); Adam Peters (cello, piano); Nick Bernard (violin); London Metropolitan Orchestra (strings, woodwinds, brass); Shankar (strings); Luvan Kiem (clarinet); Ed Shearmur (piano); Alan Perman (harpsichord); Jake Brockman, Ray Manzarek, Henry Priestman, Julian Cope, David Balfe, Mark Taylor (keyboards); Guy Pratt (bass); David Palmer, Stephen Morris, Michael Lee, Jeremy Stacy (drums); Harry Morgan, Royal Burundi Drummers, Tim Whittaker (percussion); Paul Williams (background vocals). Producers include: Echo & The Bunnymen, Gil Norton, Ian Broudie, Laurie Latham, Alan Douglas. Compilation producer: Andy Zax. Engineers include: Michael Bergek, Chris Nagle, Gil Norton. Recorded between 1979 & 1999. Includes liner notes by Andy Zax, Mick Houghton, Ian McCulloch, Wayne Coyne and Will Sergeant. Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot (Digiprep). Personnel: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar, sitar, harpsichord); Mike Mooney (guitar); Adam Peters (cello, piano, keyboards); London Metropolitan Orchestra (strings, woodwinds, brass); Shankar (strings); Leslie Penny (woodwinds); David Balfe (piano, keyboards); Edward Shearmur (piano); Alan Perman (harpsichord); Henry Priestman, Jake Brockman, Julian Cope, Mark Taylor , Ray Manzarek (keyboards); David Palmer , Michael K. Lee, Jeremy Stacey, Pete de Freitas, Stephen Morris (drums); Tim Whittaker, Harry Morgan (percussion); Paul "Tubbs" Williams , Liam Gallagher (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Clif Norrell; Echo & the Bunnymen; Don Rodenbach; Gil Norton; Alex Haas; Mark "Spike" Stent; Richard Woodcraft; Bill Inglot; Brian Kehew; Bruce Lampcov. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Recording information: Abbey Road Studio 2, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Amazon Studios, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); August Studio, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); BBC Studios, Maida Vale, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Cargo Studios, Rochdale (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Conny's Studio, Cologne, Germany (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Crescent Studios, Bath, Somerset, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); CTS Studios, Wembley, North London (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Doghouse Studio, Henley on Thames (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Eden Studios, Chiswick, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); ICP Studio, Brussels, Belgium (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Karen, Gottenburg, Sweden (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Les Studio Des Dames, Paris, France (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Marcus Music, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Open Eye Studio, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Parr Street Studios, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Ridge Farm Studios, Dorking, Surrey, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Square One Studios, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Strawberry Studios, Stockport, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Studio Davout, Paris, France (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); The Automatt, San Francisco, CA (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); The Royal Albert Hall, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); The Womad Festival, Shepton Mallet (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); The Workhouse, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Tistedal Studios, Tistedal, Norway (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Trident Studios, London, England (03/??/1979-03/15/1999); Will Sergeant's Bedroom, Liverpool (03/??/1979-03/15/1999). Photographer: Chris Walter. This is the box set of Echo & the Bunnymen fans' dreams. Four discs that amply cover the high points of the band's albums as well as a hefty batch of rarities. It's fascinating to hear the band's earliest, pre-first album recordings from 1979. Spare, scratchy guitar, uptight vocal, and drum machine were the original band's formula for post-punk expression. By the time drummer Pete De Freitas arrived, however, the band's sonic muscle had developed considerably, as heard on the pumping, energetic cuts from the first album. Though we're onto disc two by the time the group's most critically acclaimed period (OCEAN RAIN, PORCUPINE) comes into view, it only took a couple of years for guitarist Will Sergeant to evolve from scrubby rhythm guitarist into the master sound sculptor wielding moody Middle Easternisms on "The Cutter" and atmospheric watercolors on "The Killing Moon." As if this weren't enough there's an entire disc devoted to unreleased, mostly live material, including a nod to the band's roots via covers of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black," the Doors' "Soul Kitchen," and the Velvet Underground's "Heroin." Bunnyfans, your day has come.

Rolling Stone (9/13/01, pp.108,111) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A completist's compilation...featuring lost of unreleased songs...suggesting that Echo's songwriting produced some contemporary standards....Echo's crystal days haven't shattered yet..." Q (Summer/01, pp.122-3) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Conjures McCulloch's insolent good looks and the band's more willful inclinations....giving a chance to view their music in relief free of grand, heroically absurdist gestures..." Uncut (8/01, p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Very fine indeed.....What's startling about spinning back to the band's beginnings at the dawn of the Eighties is how strong they became in how short a time..." Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.70) - Ranked #4 in Mojo's "Best [10] Box Sets & Compilations of 2001".

Along with Teardrop Explodes and Wah! Heat, Echo & the Bunnymen were part of the early-1980s Liverpool scene that was somewhat misleadingly dubbed "neo-psychedelic." While the Bunnymen bore elements of the Doors' dark, mysterious sound and decidedly abstract lyrics, punk played as much of a role in the development of the band's music as anything else. What marks their sound more than anything else, though, is a soaring, anthemic quality that can be quite affecting. After a lengthy hiatus, the band reunited in the early 2000s to tour and record.

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