The Smiths vs. Echo and the Bunnymen: Who was better? - Page 2© Jason C. Reeher
Page 2
Jan 12, 2004
Not surprisingly, Echo and The Bunnymen were also reaching their peak at about the same time. 1984’s “Ocean Rain” was a pinnacle for the band, and a masterful LP from cover to cover. “Man has to be his own savior,” the irrepressible McCulloch sings on the opening track, “Silver,” which is awash in tasteful strings that would appear at various points on the album. Most folks have heard “The Killing Moon,” a haunting and mysterious mid-tempo ode to love gone bad. But the rest of “Ocean Rain” is just as good, from the weary, guilt ridden “Thorn of Crowns,” to the whimsical fantasy of the delightful “Seven Seas.” Critics who describe the fourth Bunnymen record as “majestic” are right on; the band, led by guitarist Will Sergeant, were superlative at backing McCulloch’s modern-day Alice in Wonderland lyrics with suitable brush-strokes of psychedelic grandeur. It is often said that we dislike in others what we dislike about ourselves. This is an apt description of the “relationship” between Morissey and McCulloch, which mainly consisted of throwing jabs at each other through the British press. Mostly too foul and offensive to list here, the remarks were probably more of a recognition of stiff competition than anything, and the realization that there were two great bands in England in the mid-1980’s – and only one could be the true successor to the gloom-rock crown once held by the inimitable Joy Division. Only a small bit of their work is examined here. Yet two of the best rock bands of the ‘80’s were never really given the credit they deserved. They argued back and forth, via their incendiary lead singers, about whom was best. Luckily for us, the great works of The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen are preserved on compact disc for all time. By listening to these fine albums today, each person can decide for themselves the most important question in rock history – at least to Morissey and McCulloch anyway. Who was best? You decide.
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