Emerging from Liverpool, England in 1980, Echo and the Bunnymen were hailed as the vanguard of a new psychedelic-rock movement. While vocalist Ian McCulloch's cryptic lyrics and Will Sergeant's colorful guitar arrangements do evoke the dark, brooding intensity of '60s groups like the Doors, Echo and the Bunnymen owed more to English post-punk than '60s rock. Featuring songs that range from the supercharged three-chord garage rock of "Do It Clean" and the crashing album opener, "Going Up," to the hazy neo-psychedelia of "Villiers Terrace" and "Pictures on My Wall," CROCODILES is a remarkably good debut, one that established Echo and the Bunnymen as one of most creative and charismatic English rock bands of the '80s. The American edition of CROCODILES also boasts the single "Rescue," a dramatic, melodic track that layers McCulloch's gritty rhythm guitar over Sergeant's chiming lead and producer David Balfe's subtle keyboard work to create one of the definitive U.K. singles of the post punk era. While Echo and the Bunnymen would later become modern-rock icons, CROCODILES captures them in all their raw, ragged glory, trying to emulate the work of their heroes David Bowie and the Velvet Underground but instead creating music of startling originality.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (3/5/04, p.68) - "While lead moper Ian McCulloch channels Jim Morrison on morphine, the rest of the quartet cranks out spiky post-punk riffs sharp enough to draw blood." - Rating: A-
Q (8/02, p.71) - "The first post-punk psychedelic album. CROCODILES is all lysergic blots of guitar and pulsating keyboards..."
NME (Magazine) (9/25/93, p.19) - Ranked #28 in NME's list of The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s.
