Porcupine [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Echo & the Bunnymen
Engineer: Colin Fairley; Dave Bascombe; Bunnymen; Dave Woolley; David Balfe; Paul Cobald; Steve Short
Producer: Bunnymen; Hugh Jones; Ian Broudie; 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: Shankar (strings). Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth and Amazon Studios, Liverpool, England. Originally released on Sire (23770). Includes liner notes by Max Bell. Personnel: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar); Shankar (strings); Pete de Freitas (drums). Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Max Bell. Recording information: Amazon Studios, Liverpool; RAK Recording Studios, London, England; Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales; Trident Studios, London, England; Will Sergeant's Bedroom, Liverpool. Photographer: Andr� Balthazart. Long out of print in the United States before its 2004 reissue, PORCUPINE, Echo & the Bunnymen's third album, has garnered a reputation for being as prickly as its namesake. Although the record is lined with jagged guitars and is arguably the band's darkest offering, these aspects suit the Bunnymen just fine. Ian McCulloch, in particular, sounds right at home on this brooding set of songs, with his deep, Jim Morrison-esque vocals perfectly conveying his intriguing, shadowy tales. PORCUPINE is front-loaded with its two key singles--the startling "The Cutter" and the strangely grand "The Back of Love." Both songs benefit from the dramatic string playing of Shankar, who also lends an ominous drone to "Heads Will Roll." Throughout the album, McCulloch conjures up vivid lyrical imagery with his powerful voice, from the demonic depths of "My White Devil" and "Higher Hell" to the soaring heights of "God Will Be Gods" and "In Bluer Skies." The 2004 expanded edition includes five alternate versions of album tracks, along with the excellent B-side "Fuel" and the much-loved single "Never Stop (Discotheque)," rounding out a record that holds its own with other revered Bunnymen outings. The group's third album is a solid outing, a noticeably better listen than its predecessor, Heaven Up Here. Songs are intriguing and elaborate, often featuring swooping, howling melodic lines. Arrangements here owe a lot to 1960s psychedelia and feature lots of reverb, washed textures, intricate production touches, and altered guitar sounds. Ian McCulloch's vocals are yearning, soaring, and hyper-expressive here, almost to the point of being histrionic, most notably on "Clay," "Ripeness," and the title track. Driving bass and drums lend the songs urgency and keep the music from collapsing into self-indulgence. Parallels between the group's U.S. contemporaries such as Translator, Wire Train, and R.E.M. can be drawn, though all seem to have developed aspects of this style at about the same time -- and none utilize it as flamboyantly as the Bunnymen do. Highlights here include "Back of Love" (with its galloping drumbeat and fragmented yet ardent vocal line) and "Gods Will Be Gods" (which gradually speeds up from beginning to end, working itself into a swirling frenzy). This album is well worth hearing. [The 2004 reissue of Porcupine features new liner notes, photos, improved sound, and a wealth of bonus tracks. Best of the lot is the single that followed the record, "Never Stop," the band's most exciting and successful fusion of dancefloor energy and pop hooks. "Fuel," the B-side of the "The Back of Love" single that was recorded in Will Sergeant's bedroom, is included too. The most interesting additions for collectors will be the four alternate versions of songs from the album. There are plenty of subtle differences and a slightly more energetic approach. "The Cutter" is especially fun to hear in its early stages. A very well done expansion of an already fine album.] ~ David Cleary & Tim Sendra

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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