Performer Notes

Echo & The Bunnymen: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar).
Additional personnel: Mark Taylor (keyboards); Guy Pratt, Les Pattinson (bass); Jeremy Stacey, Michael Lee (drums); Harry Morgan (percussion); Paul Williams (background vocals); London Metropolitan Orchestra; Fun Lovin' Criminals.
Personnel: Ian McCulloch (vocals, guitar); Will Sergeant (guitar); London Metropolitan Orchestra (strings, woodwinds, brass); Mark Taylor (keyboards); Michael K. Lee, Jeremy Stacey (drums); Harry Morgan (percussion); Paul Williams , Paul Williams (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Mark "Spike" Stent; Alan Douglas .
Recording information: CTS; Doghouse, Olympic, BBC; Maida Vale; Parr Street; the Doghouse.
Photographers: Andrew Douglas; Kevin Westenberg.
Echo & the Bunnymen's comeback was one of the most dignified of the late 1990s. Their resurgence owed much to the beautiful "Nothing Lasts Forever," which redeemed 1997's inconsistent EVERGREEN. Two years on, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE? eschews the rock posturing of much of its predecessor (and the Electrafixion years) in order to pursue the tenderness and poignancy of its highlight. Like the Jesus & Mary Chain's STONED AND DETHRONED and, more recently, Travis' THE MAN WHO, it is a coherent work that relies exclusively on an understated acoustic sound and a pensive mood.
The title track is a sunlit stroll, blessed with the spirit of Bacharach and the crooning of McCulloch's solo effort CANDLELAND. Elsewhere, he delivers a weary croak for the bare "History Chimes" and a heartfelt plea for forgiveness on the gorgeous "Rust." "Lost on You" briefly raises the tempo with its charging brass and Prefab Sprout playfulness, while the sweeping strings of "Fools Like Us" provide an elegant conclusion. Lyrically content and reflective, the Bunnymen are basking in the autumn of their career and growing old gracefully.

Professional Reviews

Alternative Press (9/99, p.93) - 4 out of 5 - "...the pair have created an album that's at least as satisfying as their last, EVERGREEN, which means, once again, that it's as great as anything they did the first time around....Let's hope they'll keep making albums like this."

Magnet (8-9/99, p.72) - "...continues the most unlikely comeback since the '69 Mets...with McCulloch crooning in his best faux-Morrison whisper over the top of guitarist Will Sergeant's jangle prog to great effect..."

CMJ (7/5/99, p.5) - "...a collection of tales highlighted by soft, acoustic melodies, sweeping string orchestrations and arguably the most personal and poignant collection of lyrics McCulloch has ever penned..."

Melody Maker (4/3/99, p.36) - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) - "...What makes this album truely great is the bittersweet tone it achieves. Like reading old love letters, it's strangely uplifting....romantics should conisider it unmissable."

New Music Monthly (7/99, p.48) - "...nothing less than glorius....a passionate set of lushly orchestrated songs....McCulloch's voice sounds marvelous....[Sergeant's] guitar shimmers....an album of such maturity and spine-tingling emotional sweep..."

NME (Magazine) (4/3/99, p.39) - "...It glides with a beautiful, ununhibited momentum....The symbosis between words and music is perfect and unexpectedly subtle....A pure, timeless Echo..."

Album: What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?
#	Song Title	Time
1)	What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?
2)	Rust
3)	Get in the Car
4)	Baby Rain
5)	History Chimes
6)	Lost on You
7)	Morning Sun
8)	When It All Blows Over
9)	Fools Like Us

Album: What Are You Going to Do with Your Life?
#	Song Title	Time
1)	What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?
2)	Rust
3)	Get in the Car
4)	Baby Rain
5)	History Chimes
6)	Lost on You
7)	Morning Sun
8)	When It All Blows Over
9)	Fools Like Us