The Album Review Club - Week #146 - (page 1935) - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

Funnily enough, I've been listening to this album quite a lot recently and was minded to nominate it myself! I had it on as I walked to an exercise class tonight ha ha!

This album was the first album I listened to - as a kid in the early 80s. I loved putting my Dad's massive Wharfedale DD1 headphones on and putting the Rotel amp up to a point where I could barely stand it! Even though he owned it, he says he didn't really like it but I honestly think that it was his guilty pleasure haha!

The album also reminds me of one night of taking a C60 tape (FFS I needed a C90) to tape it from a friend after my Dad lent the album out and never got it back. We listened to it about 3 times whilst playing Kick Off 2! We both absolutely loved it and memorised loads of Burton's talking!

I've also recently played it to my son recently and - and I am sure this is true of all kids - absolutely loved The Eve of the War. I honestly think that the opening 'duh duh dur' is up there with Beethoven's 5th! :) what a magnificent piece of music that is.

My only criticism is that it's a bit too long and there's some 'filler', but this album reminds me of being a kid, my Dad's headphones and my best mate. I've nothing but astonishingly good memories of this album. I loved the book and I think the musical version is just as good and would love to see the stage version despite not liking musicals!

All that said, Eve of the War and Forever Autumn in particular are two of the greatest songs ever written. The album version of Forever Autumn is absolutely brilliant and the way Burton describes everyone fleeing for the boats and seeing Carrie leaving is superb. Eve of the War is just absolutely magnificent. The whole album is the soundtrack of many a 1980s Sunday afternoon and my first introduction to music!

It's an easy 10/10!
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
Funnily enough, I've been listening to this album quite a lot recently and was minded to nominate it myself! I had it on as I walked to an exercise class tonight ha ha!

This album was the first album I listened to - as a kid in the early 80s. I loved putting my Dad's massive Wharfedale DD1 headphones on and putting the Rotel amp up to a point where I could barely stand it! Even though he owned it, he says he didn't really like it but I honestly think that it was his guilty pleasure haha!

The album also reminds me of one night of taking a C60 tape (FFS I needed a C90) to tape it from a friend after my Dad lent the album out and never got it back. We listened to it about 3 times whilst playing Kick Off 2! We both absolutely loved it and memorised loads of Burton's talking!

I've also recently played it to my son recently and - and I am sure this is true of all kids - absolutely loved The Eve of the War. I honestly think that the opening 'duh duh dur' is up there with Beethoven's 5th! :) what a magnificent piece of music that is.

My only criticism is that it's a bit too long and there's some 'filler', but this album reminds me of being a kid, my Dad's headphones and my best mate. I've nothing but astonishingly good memories of this album. I loved the book and I think the musical version is just as good and would love to see the stage version despite not liking musicals!

All that said, Eve of the War and Forever Autumn in particular are two of the greatest songs ever written. The album version of Forever Autumn is absolutely brilliant and the way Burton describes everyone fleeing for the boats and seeing Carrie leaving is superb. Eve of the War is just absolutely magnificent. The whole album is the soundtrack of many a 1980s Sunday afternoon and my first introduction to music!

It's an easy 10/10!
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Great post. Loved reading that; your enthusiasm really shines through and your recollections make it come alive :-)

Agree with you on the filler, but the high points are just so high, that I would have to rate it 9/10 - at the very least!
 
mrbelfry said:
Half way through side 2. Any one who gave me crap last week but likes this needs to have a word with themselves
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Amen, and after a few of the scores thus far, I may reverse my decision not to review this.

At least when I reviewed Moving Pictures and gave it a 10/10 largely on nostalgia, I spent some time taking the piss out of its ridiculous pomposity and self-indulgence, which is I think what you should at least try to do when you aren't 12 years old any more.

"This record has filler; 10/10 . . . 9/10 at LEAST." Seriously, people?
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
"This record has filler; 10/10 . . . 9/10 at LEAST." Seriously, people?
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The whole album is packed with memories for me that I couldn't give it anything less! I've listened to this album from being 8 to... a more generous age. I've taped it numerous times, bought the LP and when you joined the
Brittania Music Club in the 90s is was one of the CDs I ordered for free. This album has literally been with me from being a kid, going to University and even up until today.

I have so many more memories bound up with it that I can't write on here! :D it's been there through so many phases of my life and makes me smile and I just love it. As chesterbells says - the highs are so high that it just eclipses the filler! :)

Some albums just mean different things to different people but this album - whilst not the best ever - means so much to me and is so bound up with people I love (Dad, brother, best mate and many a night out and at many a party) that I can't give it anything less :)
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
The whole album is packed with memories for me that I couldn't give it anything less! I've listened to this album from being 8 to... a more generous age. I've taped it numerous times, bought the LP and when you joined the
Brittania Music Club in the 90s is was one of the CDs I ordered for free. This album has literally been with me from being a kid, going to University and even up until today.

I have so many more memories bound up with it that I can't write on here! :D it's been there through so many phases of my life and makes me smile and I just love it. As chesterbells says - the highs are so high that it just eclipses the filler! :)

Some albums just mean different things to different people but this album - whilst not the best ever - means so much to me and is so bound up with people I love (Dad, brother, best mate and many a night out and at many a party) that I can't give it anything less :)
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Can't argue with that I guess.

But between this and @BlueHammer85 arguing the one-note Stone Roses are one of the ultimate five bands in UK history, I think I'm calling it a night with you lot.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Can't argue with that I guess.

But between this and @BlueHammer85 arguing the one-note Stone Roses are one of the ultimate five bands in UK history, I think I'm calling it a night with you lot.
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It's very hard to quantify how much this album hit the conscious of anyone growing up in the 70's. It sold by the bucket load. Nostalgic for sure, but in a very good way.

Dum dum dummmmm...
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Can't argue with that I guess.

But between this and @BlueHammer85 arguing the one-note Stone Roses are one of the ultimate five bands in UK history, I think I'm calling it a night with you lot.
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I don't think they are one of the ultimate 5 but I think they are very important!

I didn't vote for them (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepellin, Bee Gees, Stones) but as time goes by, they are remembered and revered and surely that deserves some credit? They've influenced a lot of 'indie' bands that came after and were a major factor in putting Manchester on the music map. I'd argue that the Roses, Mondays and Hacienda are the reason that pulled so many students etc into Manchester and made it the cultural hotspot it still is in the UK!
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
I don't think they are one of the ultimate 5 but I think they are very important!

I didn't vote for them (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepellin, Bee Gees, Stones) but as time goes by, they are remembered and revered and surely that deserves some credit? They've influenced a lot of 'indie' bands that came after and were a major factor in putting Manchester on the music map. I'd argue that the Roses, Mondays and Hacienda are the reason that pulled so many students etc into Manchester and made it the cultural hotspot it still is in the UK!
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I didn’t say it didn’t deserve credit. I love that record. But it’s ONE RECORD. FFS, even Nirvana did two that mattered.

Also, while I am a Mancophile and I love you all, Manchester is not the be all/end all of the UK writ large. The Stone Roses influenced a fairly narrow subgenre of music that was important to you all, I get it. But, say, The Clash or The Stones influenced HUNDREDS of bands worldwide, and still do, not to mention were talented and prolific enough to churn out several great records each, not one.

Think of how spoiled you are as Brits for choice in such an exercise. You have arguably the five most important rock and roll bands ever for STARTERS — Beatles, Stones, LZ, Who, Pink Floyd. And look at all — dozens — you’ve excluded from that list. And then to pick the Roses over any of those five or all the rest?

As you know I believe some musical perspectives are more objective than subjective and picking Stone Roses is at least partially an objectively bad choice. Or better put — anyone who has hasn’t listened to enough music.

Now if you want to argue the RECORD is a top five ever British record, I’d still disagree but that’s far more understandable, Manc or no.
 
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