Echo & The Bunnymen

The John Peel Sessions 1979-1983

RHINO. LP/CD IN THEIR first five years, Echo & The Bunnymen recorded six sessions for John Peel’s late-night Radio 1 show. Fans listened rapt to these broadcasts, as the band typically used a visit to BBC studios to work through new material that would evolve in the subsequent months until officially released. Songs were presented in basic arrangements, often with speculative titles (I Bagsy Yours became Monkeys; Taking Advantage is a spectral medium-pace Back Of Love; No Hands was never recorded again, bafflingly). So these tracks are unique depictions of the creative process. One giant leap occurs between the August ’79 and May ’80 sessions as Pete De Freitas replaces the Korg drum machine, thereby transforming the group’s DNA. Although some tracks have appeared previously, this 2-LP set is the first complete release for all the original era Echo sessions, showing a band at its aspirational peak and the symbiotic relationship with Peel, a fellow contrarian with romance in his heart.

Keith Cameron