Phil Jupitus tweeted this morning about his first gig and asked his followers to do the same. Mine was Echo and The Bunnnymen at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon. Now the EATB Twitter page has tweeted a link to this interview about a new album of old songs re-imagined. Mac at his best. I’m off into the garden now for an hour of the second greatest band to come out of Liverpool….
It’s been an Echo and The Bunnymen sort of day..
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I return to Evergreen and Songs to Learn and Sing quite often (about three times a year). The Killing Moon is a triumph – and Seven Seas is also a favourite because it sounds like an afterthought and less epic than something like Bring on the Dancing Horses, which is also triffic. Like The Cure, I don’t think the early scratchy songs are much cop – they got better as they, er, got better. I am also unlikely to delve into the albums again. I borrowed them from the library at the time and these days I am OK with a greatest hits comp (and I even skip some of those).
That is how I also listen to both bands.
Oh I love Crocodiles. It’s a proper album with a beginning, a middle and an end. The Stone Roses ripped it off for their debut.
I’d never thought of that but now you say it. Crocodiles, Porcupine and Heaven Up Here are stone cold classics and live around 82-84 they took some beating.
They peaked live in 81 in my opinion. One of the greatest gigs I ever witnessed at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. They were pretty great in 1980 too, for coincidentally my first gig.
Their mid-Britpop return was something of a triumph.
Evergreen is a canny little album
This era passed me by as did most of the 90’s thanks to children, life etc… Must give Evergreen a listen
It’s ace!
Their gig at Brighton Dome in – what? 1983 – still stands out. They had the Apocalypse Now netting and camouflage look for the stage. I recently played the first four albums and, for me, they still stand up. The first three tracks of Heaven Up Here are stunning.
Also stunning is the news that Phill (odd spelling / never knowingly funny) Jupitus has followers…
I listened to a Live at The Albert Hall set yesterday afternoon from 1984. They were such a great live act.
It is true and unfortunately I am one of those. I unfollowed Piers Morgan the other day and now I feel clean.
Came to them late and at the time I was impressed by “Songs To Learn And Sing”. Was mocked by a musician friend and fairly quickly realised that behind the bombast there wasn’t really a lot of substance.
I refer you and your friend to the first 3 albums and if there genuinely is nothing there then they are not the band for you…..
It’s mainly Ian McCulloch’s singing that puts me off them. I just went right off his voice and that general style of singing.
Oh. That’s the main attraction for me. Live, his voice is extraordinary. I’ve never witnessed anything quite like it.
I agree but I can also see why it’s not to everyone’s taste. He was an astonishing live performer back in the day. Hypnotic
So who were your greatest band to come out of Liverpool ….. ?
My money is on The Christians or A Flock Of Seagulls.
China Crisis obviously…..
The Icicle Works closely followed by The Teardrops Explodes.
You’re all wrong the greatest band to come out of Liverpool are Shack.
True (der streets of Kenny)
The various incarnations of Wah! or maybe It’s Immaterial.
Messrs Orchestral, Manoeuvres and Dark
Billy Fury and his band?
An album I’ve often meant to investigate is “The Sound of Fury”, Billy Fury’s debut album from 1960.
It’s an album of all original material – songs written by Fury, either under the pseudonym ‘Wilbur Wilberforce’ or the name Billy Fury (which itself was Ron Wycherley’s stage name).
In the 60s, a debut album by a British artist/band consisting of all original material – no covers – was pretty rare. I believe it didn’t happen again until August 1967, with “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” by Syd’s Pink Floyd.
Is any Afterworder familiar with “The Sound of Fury”? Is it any good?
A proper rock ‘n’ roll record. Well-recorded with a top-notch band.
The version I have is a double CD, giving the original 10″ mono album on Disc 1. and original stereo versions of most tracks plus some additional tracks recorded at the time on Disc 2.
Get it.
Didn’t THJHM release a self-written album or two before August 1967, Duke?
Nope.
fentonsteve – I was talking specifically about DEBUT albums. Although “A Hard Day’s Night” is all original material, it wasn’t the HJH’s debut.
“The Sound Of Fury” is wonderful, and yes, it has a good claim to being the first self-written album of the rock & roll era…
BONUS! That fine Johnny Trunk fellow currently has it as a 50p download at https://trunkrecords.greedbag.com/buy/the-sound-of-fury-8/ – no excuse not to investigate!
Gerry & the Pacemakers, natch
The Stairs – you just cannot beat a band whose vocalist is impersonating Blind Melon Chitlin.
“Songs To Learn & Sing” is one of the great ‘Best of’ albums, it really hangs together as an album even though it’s just the singles to date in chronological order, whichof course is the hidden benefit of not having a drum & bass or jazz-funk phase in your band history…
And I’d highly recommend “What Are You Going to Do With Your Life” as a lesser-heard later album (though it’s almost 20 years old now, zeesh…)
Indeed. At the end of the night, when I’ve a few bevvies on, I very much enjoy singing along to this one:
All you need……
I’ll check it out Dave. I can’t stand “Mac” as I find big mouths very tedious but I’ll give it a shot. Never quite been convinced he’s anywhere near to being as wonderful as he thinks he is but I’ll have a lis…
Just a thought…. what about the new version of Killing Moon and that interview then?
It’s never a good idea to record new versions of old classics – I’ll stick with the original which is perfect and doesn’t need a re-hash. They’re still brilliant live, Mac still has one of the greatest and most distinctive voices in rock, and Will Sergeant is a bit of a hero of mine.
Did you read the rather startling Mojo interview with Mac back in June? https://theafterword.co.uk/that-echo-the-bunnymen-interview-in-mojo/
Yes, I remember ready that thread about the Mojo interview with McCulloch. A couple of months later, I came across a copy of Mojo in a public library here in Stockholm, and I sat down and read the interview. I found it a memorable and rather disturbing read.
Does anyone have a copy of/link for the interview? I love the Bunnymen, but the fact they’re on tour 365 days of the year is a clear indicator that they aren’t swimming in cash.
@Hamlet Try these….
http://www.xsnoize.com/interview-ian-mcculloch-we-write-great-songs-and-weve-written-some-of-the-greatest/
Thanks, Dave.
Had a listen to the clip in the OP. It’s a great song treated nicely but I can’t help thinking that it will be the soundtrack to a closing scene of an American TV drama. Meredith Grey out of TV’s Greys Anatomy will be looking pensive as she walks home at night following a terse exchange with some bloke about a risky operation. He hates her and she hates him but she’s saved his life. Why? Because that’s her goddamn job.