Ocean Rain [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Echo & the Bunnymen
Engineer: David Frazer; Henri Lonstan; Gil Norton; David Lord
Producer: Echo & The Bunnymen; Bunnymen; All Concerned; Alan Perman; Andy Zax (Reissue); Bill Inglot (Reissue)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Echo & The Bunnymen: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar); Les Pattinson (bass); Pete De Freitas (drums). Additional personnel: Adam Peters (cello, piano). Recorded at Les Studio Des Dames, Paris, France and Amazon Studios, Liverpool, England. Originally released on Sire (25084). Includes liner notes by Max Bell. Personnel: Ian McCulloch (vocals); Will Sergeant (guitar, sitar, harpsichord); Adam Peters (cello, piano); Luvan Kiem (clarinet); Alan Perman (harpsichord); Pete de Freitas (drums). Audio Mixers: Bunnymen; Gil Norton. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Max Bell. Recording information: Amazon Studios, Liverpool (03/18/1984-05/12/1984); Crescent Studios, Bath, Somerset, England (03/18/1984-05/12/1984); Les Studio Des Dames, Paris, France (03/18/1984-05/12/1984); Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool (03/18/1984-05/12/1984); Studio Davout, Paris, France (03/18/1984-05/12/1984); The Automatt, San Francisco, CA (03/18/1984-05/12/1984). Photographers: Greg Allen; Jim Kutler; Les Pattinson. OCEAN RAIN was modestly described as "the greatest album ever made" during it's promotional campaign. While it doesn't quite live up to this rash claim, it remains Echo and the Bunnymen's most ambitious and cohesive '80s release--a stepping stone that really should have led the band to world-wide fame. This is where the band left any traces of post-punk shambling behind and reached for the stars. The majestic mood of the album is heightened by the extravagant string arrangements that underpin Ian McCulloch's plaintive croon. On "The Killing Moon," one of the band's finest moments, the orchestra is deployed to spectacular effect. McCulloch gives the performance of his life, while the group's often overlooked guitarist Will Sergeant plays with imaginative dexterity. Things turn spookily psychedelic during "Thorn of Crowns," with its memorable refrain "c-c-c-cucumber, c-c-c-cabbage, c-c-c-cauliflower." It's hard to tell whether McCulloch is exorcising some inner demon or just trying to remember his shopping list. Somehow, in the context of the sparkling OCEAN RAIN, it doesn't really matter. Channeling the lessons of the experimental Porcupine into more conventional and simple structural parameters, Ocean Rain emerges as Echo & the Bunnymen's most beautiful and memorable effort. Ornamenting Ian McCulloch's most consistently strong collection of songs to date with subdued guitar textures, sweeping string arrangements, and hauntingly evocative production, the album is dramatic and majestic; "The Killing Moon," Ocean Rain's emotional centerpiece, remains the group's unrivalled pinnacle. [The 2004 reissue of Ocean Rain features improved sound, new liner notes, loads of photos, and a wealth of bonus tracks. The bulk of the bonus tracks is made up of the Life at Brian's sessions, which found the band playing some of their "hits" like "The Killing Moon," "Stars Are Stars," "Silver," and "Villiers Terrace," as well as a faithful cover of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" in a relaxed, acoustic but still very dramatic setting. Also included are two live cuts from the band's Crystal Days extravaganza in May of 1984 ("My Kingdom" and "Ocean Rain"), and the Velvet Underground-inspired B-side to "Silver," "Angels and Devils." The bonus material is nothing less than superb, and makes the band's best album even better. The only minor fault would be the lack of space to include the extended version of "The Killing Moon."] ~ Jason Ankeny & Tim Sendra

Mojo (Publisher) (p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Pushing acoustic guitars to the fore on three songs...the band employed a far more direct compositional approach, with Ian McCulloch's lyrics eschewing doomy portent for universal human connection." Mojo (Publisher) (12/03, pp.129-30) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Effervescent songs, sympathetically orchestrated..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.90) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "A disparate, one-off masterpiece in an already amazing oeuvre, OCEAN RAIN was an album of unparalleled scope and ornateness..."

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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