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Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo and the Bunnymen
The complete story of iconic English post-punk band Echo and the Bunnymen from its founding in 1978, lavishly illustrated with numerous never-before-published photographs
Echo and the Bunnymen combine the rawness and venom of New York punk with the moody textures of groups like the Doors and the Velvet Underground. A major force in English post-punk, the band remains an enduring presence on the music scene thanks to Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant’s exceptional songwriting skills and irresistible hooks. Turquoise Days covers the band’s entire career, from its inception in 1978 to the present. It documents in heady detail the forces that gave rise to the group, their early stumbles and successes, and the qualities that have kept them in the musical limelight.
This exhaustive critical history and biography is lavishly illustrated with 200 color and black-and-white photos, and includes the complete lyrics of Ian McCulloch and hundreds of quotes from the Bunnymen, their fans, and their critics.
Echo and the Bunnymen combine the rawness and venom of New York punk with the moody textures of groups like the Doors and the Velvet Underground. A major force in English post-punk, the band remains an enduring presence on the music scene thanks to Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant’s exceptional songwriting skills and irresistible hooks. Turquoise Days covers the band’s entire career, from its inception in 1978 to the present. It documents in heady detail the forces that gave rise to the group, their early stumbles and successes, and the qualities that have kept them in the musical limelight.
This exhaustive critical history and biography is lavishly illustrated with 200 color and black-and-white photos, and includes the complete lyrics of Ian McCulloch and hundreds of quotes from the Bunnymen, their fans, and their critics.
- GenresMusic
330 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 2, 2023
Ian McCulloch, lead singer:
"He was as wet as they come, Morrissey. Like, if in doubt, eat vegetables. Sod off. 'Meat Is Murder.' What a soddin' paltry, pathetic thing to say. I mean, try telling that to a cow."
"Elvis Costello? Bloody terrible. Have you seen him on the telly? All fat and sweaty. Looks horrible. Can't dance, either."
(on his first encounter with Bono, before appearing on the same TV show): "Bono is penguining around the studio, wearing his big Orson Welles hat and these ridiculous Cuban heels. So then he sidles right up to me and says, 'It's great that we're both on the show. You know what it means? We're going to change the whole word. This is our mission, y'know.' And I'm thinking, 'See ya later, Fatso.' Not that he was fat exactly. But he was a squatty little turd. And I thought, 'What the hell's he going on about anyway? We've just got nothing at all to do with what he's doing."
"Who buys U2 records anyway? It's just music for plumbers and bricklayers. Bono, what a slob. You'd think with all that climbing about he does, he'd look real fit and that. But he's real fat, y'know. Reminds me of a soddin' mountain goat."
"All you need to be successful these days is a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall amp with some bloke wailing away about 'in excelsis Deo.' We don't need to condescend and wave flags around. Our music isn't meant to save anyone's soul: it's more meant to make their ears bleed."
"If I saw Bono walking down the street, I would just think he was one of the worst-dressed men I'd ever seen."
"I can't believe it. Those groups are all so much bigger than us, and yet all of them would love to be seen the same way as us. I read in this French magazine Jim Kerr saying that I say all these things about them because I'm insecure. That's ridiculous. He regarded us as the black sheep of the family-the family being us, U2, Simple Minds, and Big Country. I thought that was telling. In order for that family to mean anything it has to have us in it. We give them credibility. We've just been lumped in with them through no fault of our own. The others are all in the same colostomy bag. And as for Bono, he needs a colostomy bag for his mouth."
"You've got to hand it to Paul Weller. He's come up with two of the worst names of all time. Three-if you count 'Paul Weller' which is, let's face it, a crap name for a singer."
Will Sergeant, guitar:
"It just seems like a weird idea, the idea that if you play a load of notes it makes the song better. I remember, whatsisface, the drummer of The Police-Stewart Copeland-reviewed 'The Killing Moon' on the radio, and he said, 'I think it's about time they stopped playing one finger guitar solos.' I mean, if you're saying that, you just don't get it, do you? It's not how many fingers you use, it's about the atmosphere. That's a typical muso attitude from a typical muso band.”
"He was as wet as they come, Morrissey. Like, if in doubt, eat vegetables. Sod off. 'Meat Is Murder.' What a soddin' paltry, pathetic thing to say. I mean, try telling that to a cow."
"Elvis Costello? Bloody terrible. Have you seen him on the telly? All fat and sweaty. Looks horrible. Can't dance, either."
(on his first encounter with Bono, before appearing on the same TV show): "Bono is penguining around the studio, wearing his big Orson Welles hat and these ridiculous Cuban heels. So then he sidles right up to me and says, 'It's great that we're both on the show. You know what it means? We're going to change the whole word. This is our mission, y'know.' And I'm thinking, 'See ya later, Fatso.' Not that he was fat exactly. But he was a squatty little turd. And I thought, 'What the hell's he going on about anyway? We've just got nothing at all to do with what he's doing."
"Who buys U2 records anyway? It's just music for plumbers and bricklayers. Bono, what a slob. You'd think with all that climbing about he does, he'd look real fit and that. But he's real fat, y'know. Reminds me of a soddin' mountain goat."
"All you need to be successful these days is a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall amp with some bloke wailing away about 'in excelsis Deo.' We don't need to condescend and wave flags around. Our music isn't meant to save anyone's soul: it's more meant to make their ears bleed."
"If I saw Bono walking down the street, I would just think he was one of the worst-dressed men I'd ever seen."
"I can't believe it. Those groups are all so much bigger than us, and yet all of them would love to be seen the same way as us. I read in this French magazine Jim Kerr saying that I say all these things about them because I'm insecure. That's ridiculous. He regarded us as the black sheep of the family-the family being us, U2, Simple Minds, and Big Country. I thought that was telling. In order for that family to mean anything it has to have us in it. We give them credibility. We've just been lumped in with them through no fault of our own. The others are all in the same colostomy bag. And as for Bono, he needs a colostomy bag for his mouth."
"You've got to hand it to Paul Weller. He's come up with two of the worst names of all time. Three-if you count 'Paul Weller' which is, let's face it, a crap name for a singer."
Will Sergeant, guitar:
"It just seems like a weird idea, the idea that if you play a load of notes it makes the song better. I remember, whatsisface, the drummer of The Police-Stewart Copeland-reviewed 'The Killing Moon' on the radio, and he said, 'I think it's about time they stopped playing one finger guitar solos.' I mean, if you're saying that, you just don't get it, do you? It's not how many fingers you use, it's about the atmosphere. That's a typical muso attitude from a typical muso band.”
June 4, 2016
It was a very interesting read. I think it needs to be updated or another book written from when that one ended to today.
June 23, 2020
Great Bunnymen book. Tons of information for fans. Bit dated though.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
February 23, 2008
Great scrapbook-like guide to the band's history and recorded work. If you're a fan, it's fascinating.
February 29, 2012
It's the Bunnymen; it's my childhood; enough said.
May 31, 2014
As Cynic said it best: It's the Bunnymen and it's my childhood. That said, for those who don't know about the band, the members, the history or the music; there's magic here for you too.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews