Echo & The Bunnymen (album) - Recording, Production and Music

Recording, Production and Music

Recording of the tracks that were to appear on Echo & the Bunnymen began at Conny Plank's studio in Cologne. Both Echo & the Bunnymen and their label, WEA Records, were unhappy with the results of the Norton sessions with Palmer playing drums. Keen to record again with de Freitas, the band decided to scrap the Norton sessions and to start recording a new album with Latham who had previously worked with the band on their 1985 single "Bring On the Dancing Horses". The sessions moved from Cologne to ICP Studios in Brussels before returning to Cologne and finishing off at The Workhouse in London and Amazon Studios in Liverpool. The band hoped that the album would be a collection of simple songs; however, Latham was very specific and exacting, and he would work on one song for as long as a month. Recording was also complicated by the star treatment received by McCulloch. This, along with his heavy drinking, alienated him from the rest of the band. In a 1995 interview, band guitarist Will Sergeant said of McCulloch's treatment, "We just found it all ridiculous. He had people running around behind him, basically wiping his arse." McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview: "I knew I was losing it. I was on another planet but then I didn't want to be on the one were on."

"They're one of my favourite bands. Ian McCulloch is an excellent poet. He's dark and moody and mysterious."

While making the album, the band recorded a version of The Doors' 1967 single "People Are Strange" for the soundtrack of the 1987 film The Lost Boys. Ray Manzarek, former keyboard player with The Doors, was brought in to provide keyboards on the song. While in the studio, he also contributed keyboards to a re-recording of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", which had previously been the B-side to the 12-inch version of "Bring On the Dancing Horses". Once Echo & the Bunnymen had been recorded the band's management company, Direct Management, decided to have it mixed by Bruce Lampcov in the United States. While the album was mixed, the band was on tour in Brazil and listened to the finished tracks over the phone.

Latham moved the band away from the use of strings, which featured heavily on Ocean Rain and to a lesser extent on Porcupine (1983), and introduced keyboards to the melody of the tracks. De Freitas's drumming was contained and discreet and McCulloch's vocals were more restrained. Although the album contained hook-heavy tracks such as "Lips Like Sugar", the guitars on tracks such as "Lost and Found" are more representative of the album as a whole.

The resulting album was disliked by the entire band. Describing what he thought of as the over-production of the album Sergeant described it as "an overcooked fish" in 1987; bass guitarist Les Pattinson said, "I like the songs, just hated the mixes"; and in 1995 McCulloch said, "It still sounds crap."