Post-WAYGTDWYL fantasy album

[black francis]

I used to like Stake Your Claim and Playgrounds and City Parks but I'm going through a rough patch with the Bunnymen right now.

[Mr.Sparkle]

I used to like Stake Your Claim and Playgrounds and City Parks but I'm going through a rough patch with the Bunnymen right now.

Me too, I haven't listened to a Bunnymen album in some time. Although I was in Guitar Center today and as I walked in Do It Clean started playing on the speakers. Just look forward to Will's solo album, that's what I'm doing.

[moses (2)]

I used to like Stake Your Claim and Playgrounds and City Parks but I'm going through a rough patch with the Bunnymen right now.

I am in the same place my friend --but 2 nights ago I got evergreen again and have been listening to it from Evergreen onwards -- empire state halo gets me every time

[DivaDiana77]

We should include Slideling even though it sucks and I will not be selecting any songs from that album.

HOw about just Blue Skies which is a Slideling B side? It was sort of a nice song for some reason.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

I am in the same place my friend --but 2 nights ago I got evergreen again and have been listening to it from Evergreen onwards -- empire state halo gets me every time

Evergreen is the best of the lot in my opinion. Combine some of WAYGTDWYL? dropping some of the weaker songs off Evergreen (Baseball Bill, I Want to Be There) and the album would be a gem. I always think that the tracks Just a Touch Away, Empire State Halo, Too Young to Kneel through to Forgiven makes that album so good. It's better than the grey album, and better than anything that they have done since.

[fat cherry]

I've only heard sliding and love in veins from that album. The former is rubbish and the latter sounds as if it ought to be rubbish but is in fact quite good. I lik ethe rough and ready feel of it. Fairly pointless words utilising the obvious cliche subversion (oo look at me) but nothing trying to be clever but with a really simple guitar riff. In fact one of the better things produced in the last ten years. It would be in but still says ian mcculloch on the label and not 'the bunnymen'. I've just had a thought - are there albums worth of Mac demos that are better than the bunnymen releases. No I'm not starting an 'its all sergeants fault' thread, and I dont mean the mushy 'have i hit rock bottom' tosh eaither just a thought - wondered if they get bogged down in building up a song with a jingly jangly intro which then falls into the straight rock song, hoopy/soaring guitar middle bit and the jingly jangly fade out, where a simple guitar drums bass and vocal would do the job nicely. Do it clean. Maybe with an acoustic album Sarge's thinking this way anyway. Back to basics. Unplugged. o nonesense. In fact thats what I suggest for the next album (sounding like redgumball now), book two weeks in the studio, all in at the same time, just the two of them, drummer and bass player, lock the sarges effects rack in the van. See what happens. Then get phil sspecter in to add a load of strings, ha ha. No. Visconti would do.

[Dave Smith]

You can draw a linear path from Porcupine onwards re songwriting where more and more of Mac's own songs are used and the joint songwriting subsides.Seems to me thay have to have a big fall out and get back together to find a compromise-88 Bunnies split then 94 Electrafixion formed with huge Sergeant influence.96/97 Les comes back into the fold-they all contribute towards Evergreen.88 Macs manager tells him he is the Bunnymen and we get WYGDWYL.Les goes,Sarge threatens.Manager dropped and we get Flowers(ok its a bit naff but Will is on it).2005-Siberia-mainly Mac,2009 Fountain-all Mac to the point that Sarge is a guest musician.2010-Sarge getting pissed off gives up and goes back to his solo stuff.

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

The Bunnymen brand is just an entity now that does touring living off past glories and if there is any new music, Mac is in total control. Les actually has had the right idea. Keep clear of it as there is little creativity new music wise, he doesn't have to go around the world playing gigs. At least working with Will, he'll know there will be some creative process, a record put out and it'll be left there. Even The Wild Swans I take it aren't touring outside Liverpool. Pretty simple life for a musician if they can afford to do it and just want to play now as a hobby rather than as a career.

I would really like to see the band shut in a room for two-weeks just jamming on the spot, but I fear that would break down even before it started. Mac would probably secretly write new pop songs in the weeks leading up to the studio time.

[Dr Evil]

Obviously I'd have included ALL of Reverberation and quite a bit or Evergreen, but that would be cheating since I thought we were talking post-Evergreen?
Slideling is for the most part as boring as the Fountain, but Baby Hold on and Kansas are all time classics-but particularly on Kansas, can you imagine what it would be like if he'd still had that soaring operatic range and used it on that song? It would have topped the charts. Though being perverse, they would have probably released Arthur instead. Perhaps someone young and brilliant could cover this song? Though obviously Mac's songwriting has deteriorated along with his voice (and hair) he occasionally comes out with masterpieces which as this thread points out, would make an excellent compilation album shorn of the filler "songs."
But at the rate his voice is going, I think he's going to be more in the position of Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, better covered than singing his own material. Cohen and Dylan seem to maintain some integrity but some of the stuff on The Fountain, Slidling, WAYGTDWYL and to some extent Flowers (past the first two songs) make him seem like seriously damaged goods, when live, hit and miss as they may be, they can still cut it. Perhaps Mac just loses confidence in the studio? Actually even young and strong bands can be better live than on record. Time for a video bootleg of the HUH tour I think.

[Mr. Brian]

I thought the name of the thread was "Post-WAYGTDWYL fantasy album"

post- (pōst)
1. after in time, later (than), following

[black francis]

Oh so now we're sticklers for accuracy?

[the ghost of guitarplayer]

but particularly on Kansas, can you imagine what it would be like if he'd still had that soaring operatic range and used it on that song? It would have topped the charts. Though being perverse, they would have probably released Arthur instead. Perhaps someone young and brilliant could cover this song? Though obviously Mac's songwriting has deteriorated along with his voice (and hair) he occasionally comes out with masterpieces which as this thread points out, would make an excellent compilation album shorn of the filler "songs."
But at the rate his voice is going, I think he's going to be more in the position of Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, better covered than singing his own material. Cohen and Dylan seem to maintain some integrity but some of the stuff on The Fountain, Slidling, WAYGTDWYL and to some extent Flowers (past the first two songs) make him seem like seriously damaged goods, when live, hit and miss as they may be, they can still cut it. Perhaps Mac just loses confidence in the studio? Actually even young and strong bands can be better live than on record. Time for a video bootleg of the HUH tour I think.

Kansas is a great song and one he should have kept back for the Bunnymen, but whether it would top the charts? Maybe he could push it out to a female singer for an X-factor type ballad, Take That (as he's worked with Mark Owen), a club dancy song or acoustic folky version could be done with another girly singer. Get that French nouvelle vague to cover it so they can top the French hit parade, pop pickers. I also liked that She Sings one, which is a blatant but not so good rip-off of Seven Seas.

Given the downward spiral of his voice, he has missed a trick by not recording an album of rock songs kind of like a modern Crocodiles. No slowies, no pop songs. I think I have done that one before (60s retro recording studio, basic instruments, rythmn guitar, percussion, no keyboards, no orchestra, blah blah)....

[moses (2)]

the key word in the topic is fantasy

so my fantasy is for any song I want

[moses (2)]

the key word in the topic is fantasy

so my fantasy is for any song I want

i think it would be more interesting for us to discuss the shite songs ...

what is the WORST SONG after EVERGREEN -- ???

The fountain is VILE VILE VILE VILE VILE

[Mr.Sparkle]

i think it would be more interesting for us to discuss the shite songs ...

what is the WORST SONG after EVERGREEN -- ???

The fountain is VILE VILE VILE VILE VILE

That's more interesting. Worst song on Evergreen - Baseball Bill and it's not even close. WAYGTDWYL - History Chimes. Flowers - Take your pick, fuck it's a tough one. Siberia - What If We Are? The Fountain - Proxy (Barf).

I actually thought The Fountain was a decent Mac solo album. Pretty good production. Forgotten Fields remains one of the high points for me post-reunion Bunnymen.