Background
Echo & the Bunnymen took time off from touring, writing and recording after the release of the critically acclaimed Ocean Rain in 1984, because the band's manager, the fabled prankster Bill Drummond, felt that a year off would help the band write different kinds of songs in preparation for the next album. During the time off, drummer Pete de Freitas travelled Spain and France on his motorcycle, bass guitarist Les Pattinson worked on his new boat, singer Ian McCulloch released a solo single "September Song", leaving guitarist Will Sergeant as the only band member to spend the time doing nothing. Even though the band enjoyed an excellent and creative working relation with Drummond, by the end of 1984 they had mutually parted company as the band were not making enough money.
Under the new management of Mick Hancock, Duran Duran's tour manager, the band returned to work in May 1985 with a tour of Scandinavia. They also made a headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival on 21 June 1985, when they played live for the first time two new songs which would later be included on the album – "Satellite" and "All in Your Mind". Now ready to start recording, they entered the studio with their former producer Ian Broudie and Clive Langer to record the songs they had played at Glastonbury as well as "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown". Not liking the results of this session, the band considered Eddy Grant and ABBA's production team, before settling on Laurie Latham as their producer. McCulloch had been impressed by the sharp quality of Latham's production on The Stranglers' single "Skin Deep". The band met with Latham in Brussels and recorded "All in Your Mind", "Like a Rollercoaster" and "Jimmy Brown", which was renamed "Bring On the Dancing Horses". "Bring On the Dancing Horses" appeared on the WEA compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing in November 1985 and was released as a single in the same month. An early version of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", a song that would appear on the album, appeared on the B-side to the 12-inch version.
The band faced 1986 with a commitment to record an album, but without their drummer; a musician who was considered fundamental to the band's creative success. On 31 December 1985, de Freitas had gone to New Orleans with the road crew on a drug binge and there announced his resignation from the band. The band then hired former Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair Cunningham for the spring 1986 tour of the United States; but he didn't fit in, and after the tour left to join The Pretenders. The band then hired former ABC drummer David Palmer, and recorded a few sessions with producer Gil Norton for the new album. However, by July 1986 Palmer had decided he did not want to remain with the band. As Palmer left the band, de Freitas returned to the United Kingdom and expressed a wish to rejoin. Uncertain of de Freitas's commitment to the band, and his fragile mental state, they took him back as a hired hand rather than a full member. Now with the line-up that would record Echo & the Bunnymen, the band gave a live television appearance for the BBC in September 1986 when they played two new songs, "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar". According to Will Sergeant, the band were under pressure from Warner Music chairman Rob Dickins to produce an album that would replicate the success of Peter Gabriel's recent hit album So: "I couldn't believe it when Rob Dickins brought us into his office and played us Peter Gabriel's album: 'I want you to sound like this!' I think he escaped with his life that day."
Read more about this topic: Echo & The Bunnymen (album)
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