Liverpool's favorite lads
Echo & the Bunnymen
battled the cathartic reign of
the Smiths
and the enigmatic
synth pop
of
Depeche Mode
and
New Order
throughout the '80s movement of redesigned
post-punk
, and they became a staple image as well.
Songs to Learn & Sing
marked
the Bunnymen
's cemented place in
new wave
and relished the crooning ambience of frontman
Ian McCulloch
. This collection recalls the rise and steadfast career of the band, highlighting
's work between 1980 and 1985 and collecting the most prominent tracks that made the band the waxed poetics the British press hailed them to be (specifically on older cuts like
"Do It Clean"
"Rescue"
). Frequent use of the band's classic drum machine or "echo" was also a major feature in
Bunnymen
tracks, especially on the vibrant
dance
cuts
"Never Stop"
"Back of Love."
With various production work from
the Lightning Seeds
'
Ian Broudie
Chameleons
Zoo
labelmates
David Balfe
Bill Drummond
(
the KLF
),
achieved great cult status throughout the '80s stream of U.K.
pop
music.
is a solid and comprehensive collection of the band's material, also introducing the previously unissued album track
"Bring on the Dancing Horses,"
which was featured on the
soundtrack
to the
Molly Ringwald
film
Pretty in Pink
(1986). ~ MacKenzie Wilson