Echo & The Bunnymen | Artist
Echo & the Bunnymen is an English rock band formed 1978 in Liverpool by original line-up vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer. McCulloch began his career in 1977, in a band called Crucial Three with Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. When Wylie left to form Wah!, McCulloch and Cope renamed the band to A Shallow Madness, adding drummer Dave Pickett and organist Paul Simpson. When Cope sacked McCulloch from the band, A Shallow Madness changed their name to The Teardrop Explodes, and McCulloch joined forces with Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson to form Echo & the Bunnymen. In November 1978, the band made its debut at Liverpool's Eric's Club supporting The Teardrop Explodes. The band played one song, a 20-minute version of "Monkeys". their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles received critical acclaim but only modest attention at the time. Their next album, Heaven Up There (1981), was an even bigger critical and commercial success, reaching the UK Top Ten. The third album Porcupine yielded the major single "The Cutter" and the fourth album Ocean Rain became their most successful album of all and, arguably, their best. The band still works, under the helm of McCulloch and Sergeant, with some new players, and have released a total of 14 albums to-date, Standout albums include the first four, which are masterpieces of post-punk/neo-psych. Other standouts include Live in Liverpool and The John Peel Sessions 1979-83.
Artist Website: bunnymen.com
Featured Albums: Echo & The Bunnymen
Related Artists: Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, Poltergeist, The Serpents, Wah!, The Teardrop Explopdes, Julian Cope
