Ocean Rain

This 1987 album captures the Bunnymen as they transformed themselves from English cult sensations into international pop stars. Riding the modern-rock wave that catapulted bands like U2, Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, and the Cure into the American Top 10, the Bunnymen created a polished album that was unlike anything they had ever recorded. Even though ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN boasts the same epic sound that had characterised the band's four previous albums, highly produced songs like "The Game" and "Lips Like Sugar" eschew singer Ian McCulloch's typically obtuse lyrics in favour of easy-to-relate-to lyrics that earned the songs heavy rotation on alternative rock radio and MTV. Songs like the propulsive "All in My Mind" and "Satellite" attempt to recapture the freewheeling spark of the band's earlier work, and former Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek injects some sexy grooves into "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo". ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN is an inventive pop album that is packed with well-written, creatively arranged songs that were among some best modern-rock tunes of the '80s.

Mojo (12/03, pp.129-30)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "Effervescent songs, sympathetically orchestrated..."