Echo & The Bunnymen to re-release first albums on vinyl

Echo & The Bunnymen are re-releasing their first four albums on vinyl on 22 October. Each of them will be available on 180g black vinyl from all music retailers, as well as limited edition coloured vinyl exclusively from Dig!: Crocodiles (yellow), Heaven Up Here (blue), Porcupine (white) and Ocean Rain (transparent blue). You can pre-order the albums here.

The Bunnymen were formed in Liverpool in 1978 with Ian McCulloch on vocals and rhythm guitar, Will Sergeant on lead guitar and Les Pattinson on bass. They were soon joined by Pete De Freitas on drums.

 The band’s first release was the 7” single Pictures On My Wall with the B-side Read It In Books on Zoo Records in 1979. Pictures On My Wall would appear on their debut album Crocodiles in 1980. 

The Bunnymen followed Crocodiles with the release of the Shine So Hard EP in 1981, recorded live at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, before releasing their second studio album Heaven Up Here in the same year. It became the band’s first UK Top 10 LP, winning the 1981 NME Best Album award in the process. 

The band’s cult status was soon transformed into mainstream success in 1983 with the release of their third album Porcupine, produced by Ian Broudie. Porcupine provided their best chart performances, with The Cutter reaching No.8 in the singles charts and Porcupine finishing No.2 in the album charts before being certified gold.

1984 brought the fourth studio album Ocean Rain. Recorded in Liverpool and Paris, the band used a 35-piece orchestra with composer Adam Peters scoring the strings. Three singles were released from the album – Silver, Seven Seas and The Killing Moon. 

Echo & The Bunnymen will tour the UK and Ireland in the spring of 2022. Tickets are available here.

FEBRUARY

Tue    01    SHEFFIELD        City Hall

Wed    02    LEEDS            O2 Academy 

Fri    04    BOURNEMOUTH        O2 Academy

Sat     05    CARDIFF            St David’s Hall

Mon    07    LONDON        Roundhouse

Wed    09    DUBLIN            Olympia Theatre

Fri    11    NORWCH        UEA

Sat    12    GATESHEAD        Sage 

Mon    14    LIVERPOOL        Philharmonic Hall

Wed    16    MANCHESTER        Albert Hall 

Thu    17    NOTTINGHAM        Rock City

Sat    19    CAMBRIDGE        Corn Exchange

Sun    20    BRISTOL            O2 Academy 

Tue    22    LONDON        O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Wed    23    NORTHAMPTON        Derngate

Fri    25    MANCHESTER        Albert Hall 

Sat    26    BIRMINGHAM        O2 Academy 

Mon    28    GLASGOW        Barrowland

MARCH

Tue    01    GLASGOW        Barrowland

APRIL

Wed    06    BEXHILL            De La Warr Pavilion

Read more: The Lowdown – Echo & The Bunnymen