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Reviewer: Iluvthe80s

Echo & The Bunnymen's dark, swirling fusion of gloomy post-punk and Doors-inspired psychedelia brought the group a handful of British hits in the early '80s, while attracting a cult following in the United States.

The Bunnymen grew out of the Crucial Three, a late '70s trio featuring vocalist Ian McCulloch, Pete Wylie, and Julian Cope. Cope and Wylie left the group by the end of 1977, forming the Teardrop Explodes and Wah!, respectively. McCulloch met guitarist Will Seargent in the summer of 1978 and the pair began recording demos with a drum machine, which the duo called "Echo." Adding bassist Les Pattinson, the band made its live debut at the Liverpool club Eric's at the end of 1978, calling themselves Echo & the Bunnymen.

In March of 1979, the group released their first single, "Pictures on My Wall"/"Read It in Books," on the local Zoo record label. The single and their popular live performances led to a contract with Korova. After signing the contract, the group discarded the drum machine, adding drummer Pete de Freitas.

Released in the summer of 1980, their debut album Crocodiles reached number 17 on the U.K. charts. Shine So Hard, an EP released in the fall, became their first record to crack the U.K. Top 40. With the more ambitious and atmospheric Heaven Up Here (1981), the group began to gain momentum, thanks to positive reviews; it became their first U.K. Top Ten album. Two years later, Porcupine appeared, becoming the band's biggest hit (peaking at No. 2 on the U.K. charts) and launching the Top Ten single, "The Cutter."

"The Killing Moon" became the group's second Top Ten hit at the beginning of 1984, yet its follow-up, "Silver," didn't make it past number 30 when it was released in May. Ocean Rain was released that same month to great critical acclaim; peaking at number four in Britain, the record became the Bunnymen's first album to chart in the U.S. Top 100. The following year was a quiet one for the band, as they released only one new song, "Bring on the Dancing Horses," which was included on the compilation, Songs to Learn and Sing. De Freitas left the band at the start of 1986 and was replaced by former Haircut 100 drummer Mark Fox; by September, de Freitas rejoined the group.

Echo & the Bunnymen returned with new material in the summer of 1987, releasing the single "The Game" and a self-titled album. Echo & the Bunnymen became their biggest American hit, peaking at No. 51; it was a success in England as well, reaching No. 4. However, the album indicated that the group was in a musical holding pattern. At the end of 1988, McCulloch left the band to pursue a solo career; the rest of the band decided to continue without the singer. Tragedy hit the band in the summer of 1989, when de Freitas was killed in an auto accident. McCulloch released his first solo album, Candleland, in the fall of 1989; it peaked at No. 18 in the U.K. and No. 159 in the U.S. Echo & the Bunnymen released Reverberation, their first album recorded without McCulloch, in 1990; it failed to make the charts. McCulloch released his second solo album, Mysterio, in 1992. Two years later, Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant formed Electrafixion, releasing their first album in 1995. In 1997, the duo reteamed with Pattinson to reform Echo and the Bunnymen, issuing the LP Evergreen. Two years later, they returned with What Are You Going to Do With Your Life. The new millennium brought Echo & the Bunnymen back to basics. The British press touted the band's storybook flair found on 1983's Ocean Rain and figured such spark would be found on their ninth album. Flowers, which reflected McCulloch's dark breezy vocals, and Sergeant's signature hooks, was issued in spring 2001. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

SOURCE: Allmusic.com