psychedelic furs vs. echo and the bunnymen

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my freinds say that there's virtually no difference (yeah, right)

too sick to type something clever....

― mike (ro)bott, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 03:41 (twenty-three years ago)

i recently got an old psychedelic furs lp 'psychedelic furs' - debut?

much better than i thought it would be. seriously and shamelessly derivative of course - heavy neu!/la dusseldorf influence in places, lyrics from bowie, a riff from 'white riot'. but somehow still enjoyable.
i'm going to regret saying that.

and yes, i suppose it does sound quite a bit like echo, if you squint your ears.

― neol immitz, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 08:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Your friends are churlishly wrong, Mike, and thus they should no longer be your friends. Cast them out, I say.

Contract Ian's voice with Richard's. World apart, man, worlds apart.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 13:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I loooooove _Talk Talk Talk_ but have only ever been able to tolerate The Bunnymen in small doses. I don't know why, as you'd think they were a group tailor-made to my tastes.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 13:42 (twenty-three years ago)

once i cast them out alex, where do i turn ?

― mike (ro)bott, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 15:48 (twenty-three years ago)

psychedelic furs. far more misanthropic. first 3 lps are great. after that it's patchy although good pop in places.
echo and the bunnymen were pretty great as well. same story, first 3. they're not that similar I reckon.

― simon 803 (simon 803), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 00:38 (twenty-three years ago)

not similar at all. Psy Furs were gorgeous, rich warm textured psychedelia: India( first song on your album). Echo were/are cold, structural operatic psychedelia: Iceland (cover of Porcupine).

Psy Furs got more and more poppy and AOR where Echo did not, but the first album is as distinctively delicious as anything from what was an excpetional time for intelligent pop/rock. I'm glad you like it.

― jon (jon), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 08:42 (twenty-three years ago)

The first two PF albums are ugly, cold and dull. (Sorry Jon) I haven't heard anything after TTT.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 09:32 (twenty-three years ago)

well, I was very young, experimenting chemically, and unaware of the references behind this music that suited the chemicals so well - ie that it had mostly been done before.

but I do still enjoy that first album, if nothing else, so I think it must have had something going for it that would last.

― jon (jon), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 10:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Ugly and cold, maybe, but never dull, Dr.C. The first Psychedelic Furs album is brilliant for "India" and "Pulse" alone.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 13:21 (twenty-three years ago)

"Talk Talk Talk" vs. "Porcupine"? They're both fine records...

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I am of the 'you can't knock the first four records at all' camp. The fifth by each, that's another story...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Soundly reasoned, Ned!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 19:35 (twenty-three years ago)

[>>> The first two PF albums are ugly, cold and dull.

... thanks, doc ...]

I love the Furs: one of my favourite bands ever. I don't love the Bunnymen, though my producer has the most interesting angles on them, and I have liked them a lot more since hearing his acoustic instrumental rendition of 'Silver' 4 years ago.

All Furs records have things going for them, but M to M is the hardest stretch. Talk Talk Talk is remarkably good: 'No Tears' is inspirational. The last 2 LPs (89, 91) are magnificent.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 26 September 2002 10:56 (twenty-three years ago)

My theory on the Furs is that when they started out they became reasonably popular as they were equally pallatable to post-punkers with a trad-rock outlook and trad rockers who were waiting for the legacy of punk to go away. I think the Furs were basically the latter (shades, sax, rockstar poses, misogyny, drugs) hence the sort of turbocharged Graham Parker sound of the first two albums. The wall of sound was superficially exciting, but really a mask to hide their lack of anything to say. Has their ever been anything so unconvincing as Butler's repeated use of the word *stupid* on the first album? Thrown in as a third hand Lydon-ism to 'punk-up' the drab, deeply conservative material, it simply sounds feeble.

Obv EATB had equally trad interests (Doors, VU, 60's psych etc etc) but managed to use these positively. There was a fair amount of imagination in the way they put their material together - unexpected rhythms, hooky guitar fluorishes - but more than that Mac's sheer *belief* always kept them afloat and interesting. The exuberant ENERGY of Crocodiles is a marked contrast to the mere *huff and puff* of The Furs debut. The clincher (for me)is that from 'Pictures on My Wall' onwards EATB make their own 'world' continually improving and redefining it for the first 3 albums. I'm not that keen on Ocean Rain as a whole, but the singles are great and the ambition admirable. The fifth, self titled, album is often thought of as a let-down. Wrong - it's great, but their time had perhaps gone.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 26 September 2002 12:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmm, this is such a good analysis I'm having trouble expressing why I do like the firts Furs album. Just saying 'but to me they do have something to say' isn't much good, is it?

I really like some of the lyrics on that album - Flowers has some wonderful images, Pulse is a delerious marriage of punk and psychedelia, he has lyrical tics, sure - 'carpets' as well as 'stupids' - but everyone has those.

But there's a warmth and richness to the sound itself that I find utterly convincing, and which matches the words and his voice perfectly; on 'Wedding Song' and 'Radio' it's almost funky.

Wiriting this I realise - that's why the album convinces - the way lyric/sound/music all hit the same spot tells me here's a band who are working on a single agenda from inside themselves rather than simply apeing the moves of others.

Oddly, although I like a lot of the later stuff - love my way is a sexy sexy song - it's much MORE trad in its values and 20 years on I never listen to it.

― jon (jon), Thursday, 26 September 2002 12:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Echo and the Bunnymen never managed to release a song as perfectly melancholy as "She Is Mine" (although "Lips Like Sugar" comes close).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 September 2002 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

on the radio all the stupid cowboys fall to your trash

That's not "Unconvincing", Doc, that's "Genius".

― the pinefox, Thursday, 26 September 2002 12:19 (twenty-three years ago)

"Echo and the Bunnymen never managed to release a song as perfectly melancholy as 'She Is Mine'"

What about "the Killing Moon"?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 26 September 2002 12:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I knew someone was going to mention "The Killing Moon". All I can say is that I've never been as affected by that song as I have by "She Is Mine". Something about the gruff delivery is just so perfect... I wish I could come up with a better explanation.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 September 2002 13:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Dr C is crazy OTM. (Alex too)

― Aaron A., Thursday, 26 September 2002 13:50 (twenty-three years ago)

what about "Ocean Rain" (song) then?

― g (graysonlane), Thursday, 26 September 2002 19:30 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

thread revive! because of this great alex in nyc line -- "Your friends are churlishly wrong, Mike, and thus they should no longer be your friends. Cast them out, I say."

eatb, of course.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 6 November 2003 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

them furs've always been jealous of me dance steps.

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Nope, it's still The Furs.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

There's one major problem with The Bunnymen - they're from Liverpool

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

bunnymen bash up the furs with songs, lips, dance steps. coming from liverpool is why our songs are harder to get through, more rewarding to listen to. we're not the greatest band in the world, but we were once. furs've never been.

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

What I mean by "they're from Liverpool" is that chip-on-the-shoulder/ inbuilt inferiority complex peculiar to Liverpool bands which means they spend most of their time shouting about how they are "the greatest band in the world" and suchlike - all of which is surely traceable to the fact that there was once a band from Liverpool called "The Beatles". Curiously, the (Liverpool FC) football fans are similar because Liverpool were once a long time ago, "the greatest football team in the world". Of course neither the Beatles or Liverpool FC were ever that good anyway but let's not bother discussing that - sorry i mentioned it.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

the bunnymen and furs were pointless shit. where's the grime influence in their music? where's the microhouse input? didn't they bother to listen to wiley or dizzee rascal?

― Confused Person, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Confused Person, I kiss you.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

liverpool is a one-way portal to america. liverpool is in our songs and when you're bongoed on your todd in a hotel room and you can't get to sleep in the middle of america it's the songs that take you home.

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

you are a mentalist. Last time we played in liverpool, the hall was unheated (it was in january) and it was so cold my fingers didn't work.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

is that Copey? your fingers only work for wanking.

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

at the end of the day I still only want Liverpool to win the sodding league again!

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

have you still got those smelly leather keks you bought off me, but claimed used to belong to jim morrison?

― 'ey, copey (Pashmina), Thursday, 6 November 2003 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

nice to see you've been visiting my website. Copey wouldn't be here - too busy fiddling with himself in crop circles.

― crucial 1, Thursday, 6 November 2003 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

array you no-marks, while youse have been scrappin' in yer keks, i've been pioneering gutta garridge, like!

― pete wiley, Thursday, 6 November 2003 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

eatb were the best liverpool band since the beatles, end of discussion.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 6 November 2003 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm thinking it was OMD.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 6 November 2003 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm thinking yer wrong, though i also love OMD!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 6 November 2003 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

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