Reverberation (album)

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Reverberation
An album cover with a colourful psychedelic pattern overlaying a monochrome image of a young woman's head. The band's name is in white text across the bottom of the cover and the album's name is below that in white text on a grey background.
Studio album by
Echo & the Bunnymen
Released13 November 1990
RecordedMay 1990
StudioRidge Farm Studio, Surrey, England
GenreAlternative rock, psychedelia[1]
Length46:42
LabelWEA, Sire
ProducerGeoff Emerick
Echo & the Bunnymen chronology
Echo & the Bunnymen
(1987) 		Reverberation
(1990) 		Evergreen
(1997)
Singles from Reverberation
  1. "Enlighten Me"
    Released: October 1990

Reverberation is the sixth studio album by the English rock band

engineer Geoff Emerick at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England, and had a more pronounced psychedelic
sound than the group's previous releases.

Following the album's December 1990 release, critical reviews were not favourable; critics noted Burke to be a poor replacement for McCulloch, who they believed was an indispensable aspect of the band. After Reverberation failed to chart, the band were dropped by WEA Records and, after two independently released singles, they disbanded in 1993.

Background and recording

During August and September 1987, Echo & the Bunnymen co-headlined a tour of the United States with New Order. Despite the tour passing without incident, the performances were deemed to be of poor quality. Although American audiences were apparently satisfied by the shows, when the group returned to the United Kingdom for an autumn tour the British music press and audiences were not as enthusiastic.[2] Shortly thereafter the band announced plans to record a self-produced album of "savage rock" when there was more free time.[3] The group toured the UK and the US again in early 1988. These concerts were more positively received than their tour the previous year, with guitarist Will Sergeant being singled out for praise – BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel said, "Will Sergeant was superb, moving in a trice from squalls of angry sound to playing with such care and subtlety that there were whispered asides from his guitar that I would have sworn only he and I had heard."[3] In March 1988, the band released a cover version of The Doors' song "People Are Strange". However, this failed to impress critics; music paper Melody Maker called it a "rancid effort" and Q said the band had "thrown in the towel".[3]

Following a Japanese tour in April 1988, lead singer

The B-52's singers Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, the band advertised for a full-time replacement.[9]

While McCulloch was recording his debut solo album, Candleland (1989), Echo & the Bunnymen promoted long-time touring keyboard player Jake Brockman to a full-time band member position.[10] In April 1989, after listening to an album by the defunct band St. Vitus Dance which had been recommended by Geoff Davies of Probe Records in Liverpool,[11] Sergeant felt that the band's singer Noel Burke would work well within the context of the band's sound. After a meeting with the band and being reassured that they did not want a McCulloch clone, Burke agreed to join. However, tragedy struck when on 14 June 1989 de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident on his way to the band's first rehearsal.[12][13] The band recruited Damon Reece, a friend of Brockman, as drummer in de Freitas's place and began rehearsals. The new line-up played their first string of performances in mid-March 1990 with a mixture of old and new material. McCulloch allegedly described this incarnation of the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen" but later attributed the comment to the former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.[14][15][16] Sergeant later said that keeping the name was "down to wanting to take a bitter swipe at [McCulloch]".[11]

The new line-up entered

loops.[14] The album contained many of Sergeant's favoured psychedelic influences.[17]

Release, reception and aftermath

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[19]
Record Mirror[20]

"

Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States.[22] The album's release followed in December 1990, and Echo & the Bunnymen immediately went on a seventeen-date tour that focused on the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour received good reviews, with Melody Maker describing the band as "an object lesson in how to survive and prosper".[23] However, the reviews of the album were not as good. Awarding the album two and a half stars out of five, Tim DiGravina, who reviewed the album for AllMusic, said, "Echo & the Bunnymen doesn't exist without the distinctive voice of Ian McCulloch".[18] Although he added that the album would have been a "great debut" had the band decided to record under a different name. Bob Mack, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly was more forceful in putting the album down. He described the sound of the album as "hopelessly in thrall to the brand of pale pseudo-psychedelia [the band] helped popularise during the past decade".[19] He went on to describe Burke and most of the songs as "nondescript". He finished his review by saying "this is a turkey best left to be gobbled up by the band's relatives, close friends, and diehard fans".[19]

Failing to make the

UK Singles Chart, the band undertook an extensive tour of the United States before finally disbanding in early 1993.[25]

Track listing

All tracks written by Noel Burke, Will Sergeant, Les Pattinson, Jake Brockman & Damon Reece.

  1. "Gone, Gone, Gone" – 4:13
  2. "Enlighten Me" – 5:01
  3. "Cut & Dried" – 3:47
  4. "King of Your Castle" – 4:36
  5. "Devilment" – 4:44
  6. "Thick Skinned World" – 4:18
  7. "Freaks Dwell" – 3:51
  8. "Senseless" – 4:55
  9. "Flaming Red" – 5:33
  10. "False Goodbyes" – 5:40

Personnel

Echo & the Bunnymen

with:

Technical
  • Geoff Emerick – producer
  • Will Gosling –
    engineer
  • Adrian Moore – assistant engineer
  • Paul Apted – assistant engineer

References

  • Adams, Chris. 2002. Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. New York: Soft Skull.
    ISBN 1-887128-89-1

Footnotes

  1. ^ Roesgen, Jeff. "Echo and the Bunnymen The Fountain". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. ^ Adams, p.201
  3. ^ a b c Adams, p. 202
  4. ^ Adams, p. 203
  5. ^ Adams, p. 204
  6. Canadian Online Explorer
    . Retrieved on 12 January 2009.
  7. ISBN 0-8264-8217-1
    .
  8. ^ Adams, p. 205
  9. ^ Adams, p. 206–207
  10. ^ Adams, p. 226
  11. ^ a b Staunton, Terry (October 2005). "Ocean Refrain: Echo and the Bunnymen". Record Collector.
  12. ^ Robbins, Ira (5 February 1990). "Ian McCulloch". Rolling Stone.
  13. ^ Adams, p. 207
  14. ^ a b c Adams, p. 228
  15. ^ Doherty, Mike (3 November 2008). "Successful applicants must provide own legend[permanent dead link]". National Post. Retrieved on 13 January 2009.
  16. ^ Tone E. "Mac the Nice". Atomicduster. Retrieved on 13 January 2009.
  17. ISBN 1-84353-105-4
    .
  18. ^ a b DiGravina, Tim. "Reverberation > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved on 12 January 2009.
  19. ^ a b c Mack, Bob (11 January 1991). "Reverberation (1991)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  20. ISSN 0144-5804
    .
  21. ^ "Chart Log UK: E-40 – E-Z Rollers". Zobbel.de. Retrieved on 14 January 2009.
  22. Allmusic
    . Retrieved on 14 January 2009.
  23. ^ a b Adams, p. 229
  24. The Official Charts Company
    . Retrieved on 7 October 2010. Note: Select "View Albums".
  25. ^ a b Adams, p. 230

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