echo and the bunnymen live album free mp3s

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Echo and the Bunnymen recently did the dust off the old albums tour, playing Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here in their entirety, something they're doing again this fall with Ocean Rain.

Now they've packaged it all up with Do It Clean — a live album recorded at sold out shows in Liverpool. If you've not seen EATB in concert, it's a much more visceral experience than you might expect. Will Sergeant shreds and Ian McCulloch broods, making for a true "rock" show.

For an example of what I mean, right click or have a listen to "Crocodiles":

Echo and the Bunnymen — "Crocodiles"


Last week, the band offered up a couple other free mp3s. Here's "Pride" from Crocodiles:

Echo and the Bunnymen — "Pride"


And Heaven Up Here album opener "Show of Strength":

Echo and the Bunnymen — "Show of Strength"


Do It Clean is a limited edition that's only available through the band's website. Check out the full track list below:

the smiths, new order & the bunnymen for record store day

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Rhino UK has some lovely plans to celebrate Record Store Day this Saturday. Unfortunately, these are UK-only releases, so we in the US will need to hit ebay or ring up a mate in Merseyside.

First off, The Smiths classic The Queen Is Dead has been reworked into a 10" vinyl format. Johnny Marr consulted expert vinyl cutter Frank Arkwright to create new masters, promising incredible clarity. This pressing is limited to 1,500.

I want one:




As for New Order, their classic 12" "Ceremony" (FAC33) gets a truly unique repressing. The a-side are remastered versions of the original New Order tracks "Ceremony" and "In A Lonely Place." The b-side are versions of those same tunes as recorded by Joy Division.

It's an amazing slice of new wave history, limited to 1,000 copies. Have a listen to a Joy Division recording of "In A Lonely Place":




And finally, Echo And The Bunnymen's triumph "The Killing Moon" has had its original radio promo 7" recreated.

On the b-side is a studio version of "Do It Clean," rather than the live version of the 12". Let's go ahead and listen to the a-side anyway:




As for the US version of Record Store Day, here's the whole list of what's available on our side of the Atlantic. Not quite the same, but still not bad.

echo and the bunnymen ocean rain tour

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Echo and the Bunnymen have announced a September tour of the UK that will feature the 1984 classic Ocean Rain.

Beginning in Manchester on September 24 and culminating six nights later at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, the band will play the entire album accompanied by a full string section.

This mini-tour is on the heels of a string of gigs last year in which they performed first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here front to back. A similar Ocean Rain tour also took place in late 2008 and early 2009.

Echo and the Bunnymen's fourth album is somewhat divisive, but it holds arguably the band's most effective song, "The Killing Moon":




From a 1983 performance at Royal Albert Hall, here's album opener "Silver":




"Seven Seas" was the third and final single from the album. The video was a typically silly affair:




Echo and the Bunnymen will be touring the states in May — no word on the source of those setlists.

echoes of the bunnymen

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Underrated.

Of all the great bands of the 80's, Echo and the Bunnymen are arguably one of the best yet they receive perhaps the least attention.

From Crocodiles to Porcupine and the fantastic self-titled classic, Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and their Liverpudlian mates created some of the most timeless albums of the era.

While the reformed band's new material doesn't quite hold up, they still have the verve and presence live that they had back in the day. And if you've ever seen them live, you know that the albums — great as they are — don't do them justice.

Today, let's enjoy a few classic performances of some Bunnymen favorites; "Do It Clean", "Never Stop" and "Killing Moon":

beware of crocodiles

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When you name-check an Echo and the Bunnymen album, it's a good way to get an old waver's attention. Crocodiles are a San Diegan...  Diegoan...  a duo from San Diego who gained notoriety through association with a fellow California duo, No Age.

Their debut album, last year's Summer Of Hate, was a cult favorite. Now they've returned with a more fully realized follow-up, Sleep Forever.

There's still a bit of an Echo and the Bunnymen feel, with a heavy dose of Jesus and Mary Chain, but Sleep Forever mines even further back to Ian McCulloch's inspiration, The Doors.

Take the Ray Manzerek organ intro to "Stoned To Death":

Stoned To Death - Crocodiles by oldwaver

Or maybe it sounds more like Stereolab.

The second single off Sleep Forever, "Hearts Of Love", leans more closely to the JAMC influence. The video starts off innocently enough, with a beach party reminiscent of The Drums "Let's Go Surfing" — but stay with it for the amusingly disturbing ending:




Cult rituals... good times.