Echo & the Bunnymen

Were a post punk rock band that formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line up consisted of Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Les Pattinson and a drum machine who was consequently replaced by Pete De Freitas on the drums.

The seedlings were formed in 1977 when McCulloch was in a 3 piece band called The Crucial three with Julian Cope (Later Teardrop Explodes) and Pete Wylie (Later Mighty Wah!), Wylie then left and the band continued with new members called Shallow Madness but Cope then sacked McCulloch and the band became Teardrop Explodes. McCulloch formed Echo and the Bunnymen and the band made there debut in Liverpool supporting Teardrop Explodes!

They released some early material in 1979 but it was 1980 they would make there mark on the mainstream market. They released there debut album Crocodiles and the album broke into the  top 20 in the UK album charts and the debut single Rescue reached a credible 62 in the UK singles chart. The album was produced by amongst others Ian Broudie who would go on to bigger fame with Lightning Seeds and that England collaboration with Baddiel and Skinner, he would produce a lot of the bands material. The album was greeted with great acclaim by the critics where many compared to the American group The Doors.

On the back of that opener they released a follow up in 1981 Heaven up Here and this received even bigger acclaim and commercial success with the album breaking the Top 10 and the single 'A Promise' peaking at 49 in the UK singles chart. The success on the singles chart was only around the corner and the 'Back of Love' broke into the top 20 and this was followed up by a top 10 single 'the Cutter' which peaked at number 8. The album that followed 'Porcupine' hit the dizzy heights of number 2 in the UK albums charts and the band had well and truly arrived into the consciousness of the public. A further top 10 followed with the release of the classic 'The Killing Moon' which was a prelude to the classic eighties album 'Ocean Rain', two more singles followed which hit the top 20 'silver' and 'Seven Seas'.

But with every great album, the follow up is always a difficult one and this proved to be the point with the band. They released the single 'Bring on the dancing horses' which again hit the top 20 and they released a compilation album songs to learn and sing and although it reached number 6 all was not good in the band. The drummer De Freitas left the band, then returned for the self titled album in 1987. Success in America was elusive but they did get some success with the recording of the Doors classic 'People are strange' for the Lost Boys film soundtrack.

In 1988 McCulloch left the band to pursue a solo career and the drummer De Freitas was killed in a motorbike crash in 1989 whilst travelling home.

The band were very productive in the 1980s releasing 5 studio albums with 3 going top 10, and in terms of singles they released 16 singles with 2 going top 10.