Echo and the Bunnymen

It's fair to assume the band had poured so much into their previous records, that, when it came time to record this 1987 album, all that remained was a familiar shell. Polish replaces the darkness. The big hit "Lips Like Sugar" produced plenty of the Bunnymen sound, but none of the fury.

When it comes to studio craft, the accepted wisdom is that every song could benefit from
another hook, another coat of polish. Although some producers approach these makeup
sessions as if they were cosmetic surgery, their true purpose is merely to improve what is
already there, highlighting the attractive features while brushing over unsightly pockmarks
and blemishes. Not every band benefits from such a tarting up, however. Echo & t... More >

In a desperate attempt to market Ian McCulloch's crumpled shirts and skin problems (two of the most likable things about him, I'd say), Warners pulls two top cuts off Porcupine, counted by some a step in the right direction. Revealingly, they're the two worst things here, though where "The Cutter" is a pretentious dog (quills sticking out all over the little bugger), "Back of Love" is merely more histrionic than the competition. Suggested motto: "Do It Clean," which here builds to a casual vocal rave-up in a seven-minute concert version that could almost make you believe these spaced-out student existentialists were rock-and-rollers. (Grade - B+)