Now here's an admission. Echo and the Bunnymen were alright. They weren't the best thing Liverpool had produced since the Beatles, and in my humble opinion, not nearly as interesting as their local contemporaries, Teardrop Explodes and Wah! There - I said it.
I bought this album on vinyl cheaply about four years after its release, acquiring it on CD after the great LP purge.
To my mind this album is superior to anything McCulloch did with the Bunnymen. There's nothing groundbreaking or earth-moving about it, just a collection of ten excellent pop songs, superbly produced by Gentle Giant's Ray Shulman. It's hard to pick out favourites, but Proud To Fall and Candleland (with lovely backing vocals from the Cocteaux's Liz Fraser) stand out on the first half. The second half doesn't feel as strong, but there's nothing bad on there, with I Know You Well and Faith And Healing making an impression.
A solo album from the singer in an established band is often a curious beast. It's a fine line to tread between aping the band's work and being so different that your fan base reject it. I'm not sure how diehard Bunnymen fans took this, but I enjoyed it and continue to.
4* - a great album, full of good songs well delivered.
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