So why is Echo & The Bunnymen’s Songs to Learn & Sing on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
I feel compelled to begin this entry of the best 1,000 albums ever with a little story.
Several years ago, I noticed that the Spotify mobile app had added what we might call “ancillary content” to songs, which is a fancy way of saying that you could read little factoids about a song while playing it on the app.
When “The Killing Moon” popped on one day – one of Echo & The Bunnymen’s best songs (though not my favorite, we’ll get to that in a bit) – there was a little related anecdote that one could read involving lead singer Ian Stephen McCulloch.
And it’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life: it relayed that McCulloch believes that “The Killing Moon,” a song that he himself wrote, is the greatest song ever written.
The greatest song ever written. The one, you know, that he wrote is the one that he’s talking about.
I find the sheer audacity of saying something like that to be hilarious and shocking at the same time (I’m also ever so slightly in awe of having the nerve and ego enough to say it, to be honest).
But I suppose to be fair, this opinion is coming from someone who felt compelled to compile something as ludicrously crazy as the best 1,000 albums ever.
That being said, I want to make sure you understand that “The Killing Moon” is indeed a pretty great song, so good as to be a compelling factor in pushing Songs to Learn & Sing into near Top 200 territory on this best 1k project thing.
It brings together elements that bring to mind the very best songs that the likes of The Cure or Depeche Mode or New Order have ever produced, but with a pop sensibility all its own that’s endlessly alluring.
And as I mentioned, it’s not even my favorite song on Songs to Learn & Sing! That would be “Do It Clean,” which is one of my favorite all-time songs that walks the line between new wave and punk rock (or post-punk, if you like). What I enjoy most about it is its exuberance and energy, that’s as fresh today as it was some 40 years ago as of this writing.
“Back of Love” captures some of the soaring sound and energy that early U2 brought to the table.
And “Rescue,” the album opener, sets the table nicely for the vibe and sound that goes all the way through the album’s 11 tracks, and includes a catchy and super singalong-able chorus.
Finally, “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” the album closer, is pure gorgeousness.
Some stats & info about Echo & The Bunnymen – Songs to Learn & Sing
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? College Rock, Post Punk, New Wave, Rock Music, Pop Music, British Bands
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Songs to Learn & Sing released? 1985
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #210 out of 1,000
Echo & The Bunnymen’s Songs to Learn & Sing on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Echo & The Bunnymen’s Songs to Learn & Sing that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Fate – up against your will – through the thick and thin.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.