{"id":30427,"date":"2026-03-13T05:30:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=30427"},"modified":"2025-12-18T08:52:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:52:07","slug":"take-five-classics-from-echo-the-bunnymen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/13\/take-five-classics-from-echo-the-bunnymen\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Five: Classics from Echo &#038; the Bunnymen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Roaring out of Liverpool, the English port city that birthed the Beatles, Echo &amp; the Bunnymen combined sharp songcraft with modern electronic elements and a melodramatic aesthetic that made their songs feel bigger than life. Launched in 1978, the group released five albums during their initial run. After that the lineup shifted (with lead singer Ian McCullch and drummer Pete de Freitas both absent) and then dissolved. In \u201897, McCulloch returned with two other founding members (bassist Les Pattinson and guitarist Will Sergeant); while the latter left after one album, they have continued ever since, for many years releasing new albums with regularity. 2018\u2019s <em>The Stars, the Oceans &amp; the Moon<\/em> is their latest.<\/p>\n<p>But for serious fans, that initial run of albums is where the classics are found. During that era, Echo &amp; the Bunnymen placed ten of their singles on the UK Top 40. And while none of those songs charted in the U.S., all became popular tracks on alternative (and especially college) radio of the era. The band\u2019s first best-of collection, <em>Songs to Learn &amp; Sing<\/em> was released in November 1985, and made it into the <em>Billboard<\/em> 200. In celebration of that album\u2019s 40th anniversary, here are five of the best tracks from Echo &amp; the Bunnymen\u2019s classic era.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cRescue\u201d from <em>Crocodiles<\/em> (1980)<\/strong><br \/>\nEcho &amp; the Bunnymen\u2019s second singe only reached No. 62 on the British chart \u2013 the band\u2019s first appearance on that chart \u2013 but the strong tune is filled with all of the qualities that make the group\u2019s music appealing and memorable: dig that inventive rhythm guitar. And McCulloch: is that the blues he\u2019s singing?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-7SaJX8JR1Q?si=CPe1hsZK-pqdLZfM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Cutter\u201d from <em>Porcupine<\/em> (1982)<\/strong><br \/>\nWith an exotic melody that suggests Led Zeppelin\u2019s \u201cKashmir\u201d filtered through a new wave sensibility, \u201cThe Cutter\u201d features impressionistic lyrics \u2013 it\u2019s not clear what McCulloch\u2019s singing about, but it\u2019s a thrill ride nonetheless. The single was the band\u2019s highest-charting song to that point, reaching No. 8 in the UK.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3fKwo8qlkJE?si=_hjqBMufhMFcUCWs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Killing Moon\u201d from <em>Ocean Rain<\/em> (1984)<\/strong><br \/>\nOne of Echo &amp; the Bunnymen\u2019s most commercially successful tracks, \u201cThe Killing Moon\u201d showcases ghostly keyboard lines, Ian McCulloch\u2019s sonorous vocals and an enduring chorus that sticks in the memory long after the song ends. \u201cThe Killing Moon\u201d charted in four countries, climbing to No. 9 in the UK.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LWz0JC7afNQ?si=EaskXRnvwNQboui8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cBring on the Dancing Horses\u201d from <em>Songs to Learn &amp; Sing<\/em> (1985)<\/strong><br \/>\n1985\u2019s<em> Songs to Learn &amp; Sing<\/em> was designed in part to help (re-)introduce the band to audiences outside the UK. Filled with UK hit singles are prime album tracks, it succeeded to a degree, reaching No. 158 on the American album chart. The LP featured one new song, released as a single, the haunting and melodic \u201cBring on the Dancing Horses\u201d charted as a single in four countries (but sadly not the U.S.).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V_bJf3foa5I?si=uIyOYbD2G5tYGLjq\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cLips Like Sugar\u201d from <em>Echo &amp; the Bunnymen<\/em> (1987)<\/strong><br \/>\nThe primary aesthetic for much of Echo &amp; the Bunnymen\u2019s music is spooky. But for \u201cLips Like Sugar,\u201d the band crafted a catchy, accessible rocker reminiscent of INXS yet remaining true to the band\u2019s sonic style. It\u2019s almost romantic, even, and charted in three countries, reaching No. 36 in the band\u2019s native UK.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9hGcJA8fXvU?si=GJlCOYPuQD9IDal-\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roaring out of Liverpool, the English port city that birthed the Beatles, Echo &amp; the Bunnymen combined sharp songcraft with modern electronic elements and a melodramatic aesthetic that made their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[5813],"class_list":["post-30427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay","tag-echo-the-bunnymen","cat-27-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30429,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30427\/revisions\/30429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}