Echo and the Bunnymen –
Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar)
Will Sergeant (guitar)
Paul Fleming (keyboards)
Simon Finley (drums)
Peter Wilkinson (bass)
After going through all the prerequisite band member changes and inner-band struggle, the group was presented with a real tragedy – the death of original drummer Pete de Freitas from a motorcycle accident in 1989. At that same time, singer Ian McCulloch left the band to work on a couple of solo projects and the remaining Echo and the Bunnymen released a cd in 1990 called Reverberation with a different lead singer. Fast forward past a number of forgettable solo albums to 1997, when the three remaining original members Pattinson, McCulloch and Sergeant began recording together again and released the critically lauded comeback cd, Evergreen.
For the 2005 release of
The true advantage that keeps Echo and the Bunnymen so passionately relevant are the darkly romantic and poet-laced lyrics. “Is this how the end begins?/Infra-reds and ultra-violets/No one there to mend your wings/flown by unconscious pilot” from the song ‘Of A Life’ is one such stand out line, but believe me – I could go on. It could be argued that the only real purpose of the current rhythm section is to provide a background canvas for Ian’s wordplay.
All in all,