Echo and the Bunnymen

Echo and the Bunnymen

A little something about Echo and the Bunnymen
Liverpool had been the music industry's center of attention in the early '60s. The Merseybeat bands - led of course by the Beatles - took over England, invaded the US, and shaped a decade of pop music. In the '70s London took Liverpool's crown and tainted it with the filthy lucre of punk - it is no wonder that by the late '70s Liverpool wanted to reclaim their title. The story goes that after attending a Clash concert in 1977, Liverpudlians Julian Cope, Peter Wylie and Ian McCulloch were inspired to form a band of their own. The trio came together under the name The Crucial Three, and while the band's life was short lived, the three did become crucial to the music scene in Liverpool. Taking their musical cues from '60s psychadelic rock as well as contemporary Liverpool bands such as Big In Japan, the three each formed their own bands: Cope put together The Teardrop Explodes, Wylie started up Wah! Heat, and McCulloch brought together Will Sergeant, Les Pattison and a drum machine under name Echo and the Bunnymen. 'Echo' was replaced in 1980 by flesh and blood drummer Pete De Freitas just in time to support their debut album, "Crocodiles." Early on the band was hailed as one of England's most exciting new bands by critics and fans alike, but the title proved difficult to live up to. Attempts to craft an original, more recognizable image were scoffed at, and the band could not capitalize on the initial success of their second album, 1981's "Heaven Up Here." The lone bright spot between 1981 and the 1984 release of "Ocean Rain" was "The Cutter," a typically tight Echo single of equally typical dark subject matter. But despite any disappointments the band faced the music remained strong, and the band is now considered one of the most important of the early '80s. Overdue recognition here in the States came in the mid '80s with the single "Bring On The Dancing Horses" (which, if you're keeping score at home, appeared on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack) as well as the release of their Songs To Learn and Sing compilation. While Echo and the Bunnymen carried Liverpool's flag through the '80s, Wylie and Cope have each had their moments in the sun. Wah! Heat dropped the 'Heat' and charted in the early '80s, and Cope went on to a solo career after the 1982 break-up of The Teardrop Explodes. McCulloch, of course, has been working hard since the last Echo album was released in 1989 after the band broke up, releasing successful solo material and putting together his current band, Electrafixion.

Now for the lyrics....

The Cutter

Cut it up...
Cut it up...

Who's on the seventh floor
Brewing alternatives?
What's in the bottom drawer
Waiting for things to give?

Spare us the cutter.
Spare us the cutter.
Couldn't cut the
Mustard.

Conquering myself until 
I see another hurdle approaching.
Say we can, say we will, 
Not just another drop in the ocean.

Come to the free for all
With celo-tape and knives.
Some of us 6 feet tall,
We will escape our lies.

Spare us the cutter.
Spare us the cutter.
C-couldn't cut the
M-m-mustard.

Conquering myself until 
I see another hurdle approaching.
Say we can, say we will, 
Not just another drop in the ocean.

Am I the happy loss?
Will I still recoil
When the skin is lost?
Am I the worthy cross?
Will I still be soiled
When the dirt is off?

Conquering myself until 
I see another hurdle approaching.
Say we can, say we will, 
Not just another drop in the ocean.

Watch the fingers close
When the hands are cold.

Am I the happy loss?
Will I still recoil
When the skin is lost?
Am I the worthy cross?
Will I still be soiled
When the dirt is off?