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

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

1984 favourite albums from this year.
Treasure....The Cocteau Twins.
Hatful of Hollow and The Smiths....The Smiths.
Rattlesnakes.... Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Cafe Blue....Style Council.
The Wonderful and Frightening World off...The fall.
The Icicle Works...Icicle Works.
All purchased and loved but my favourite from this year.
Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen their fourth studio album.

1984 still available here, just saying. Sounds like that year would be right up your alley!

Rock Evolution – The History of Rock ’n’ Roll - Pop pre-1960 (pg 38)

Introduction A while ago on the Album Review Thread, @Saddleworth2 mentioned that he’d be interested in using the breaks between regular album reviews, or possibly starting a new thread, to discuss which year was the best for albums. Around the same time, I’d been mulling over the idea for yet...

forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk

 

[BlueHammer85]

Cool pick! always interested to hear more of their catalogue - 'The Killing Moon' obviously know very well and always played on radio.

 

[Out on blue 6]

Echo are a very fine band. Another Scouse band proving there is more to the city's musical heritage than the obvious.
A bit like The Charlatans long standing fans will have their favourite album but I think Ocean Rain is probably their biggest sounding and most accessible. I think this will be well liked

 

[threespires]

Echo are a very fine band. Another Scouse band proving there is more to the city's musical heritage than the obvious.
A bit like The Charlatans long standing fans will have their favourite album but I think Ocean Rain is probably their biggest sounding and most accessible. I think this will be well liked

I seem to remember at the time some folks feeling it was a bit too lightweight compared to their previous albums but you could hear elements of it on those albums anyway so I never really got why people were surprised or had a problem with it. If you're going to lean into a bit of 80s production then, imo, do it like this.

 

[shackattack]

Ocean Rain is a great album definitely in my top 20 albums of all time. Went backstage with them few years back and Mac was the only one who never engaged. Saw them more recently in Bournemouth and his voice was poor to say least. When Pete died I don't think they were ever the same band. Peaked for me with this album but have seen them on most of their tours since. What are you going to do...was a great song and in general their output has been of a fairly high standard

 

[C90]

1) Heaven Up Here
2) Porcupine
3) Crocodiles
4) Ocean Rain

Ocean Rain is still great but those are my favourites. Mac is a bit of a detached sad old man these days and hasn't seemed to move on (not that I know of).

 

[Mancitydoogle]

I’ve got 3 of the albums on that list plus this one, always like the Bunny Men and saw them live touring this album at the Free Trade hall ,can’t believe it was 40 years ago.
Still listen to it regularly and I enjoyed the reworking of the songs they did a few
years ago,sadly Pete De Freitas is no longer with us.
‘The Killing Moon ‘ must have featured in more Tv series and films than any other song in the last 20 years.

Top pick BB

 

[shackattack]

1) Heaven Up Here
2) Porcupine
3) Crocodiles
4) Ocean Rain

Ocean Rain is still great but those are my favourites. Mac is a bit of a detached sad old man these days and hasn't seemed to move on (not that I know of).

There was an article in a music magazine couple of years back - described him as living in a blacked out flat and sending his manager out for food and alcohol. Painted a very bleak picture at the time and I know on the recent tour he travelled separately from most of the band - though nothing unusual in that really.
Some of his solo stuff I found amongst his best - pro patria mori especially!

 

[C90]

I remember that article Shackattack, sounded grim and most likely coca related. I've only heard his first 2 solo albums which were pretty good. Haven't seen Echo since Pete DF died (although I did see Wild Swans with Les and Will on for the encore in Liverpool about 10 years ago).

 

[City Hobgoblin]

There was an article in a music magazine couple of years back - described him as living in a blacked out flat and sending his manager out for food and alcohol. Painted a very bleak picture at the time and I know on the recent tour he travelled separately from most of the band - though nothing unusual in that really.
Some of his solo stuff I found amongst his best - pro patria mori especially!

That was in Mojo. The late David Cavanagh wrote the article. Superb journalism.