What do Mac/Will need to do to make another great album?

[Frank The Bunny]

I think what Mac & Will need to do is get rid of all the voices from outside - managers, producers - and craft some demos.

Spend some time alone together, putting as much focus and energy into the creative process as they put into making the Crocs/HUH shows a success. Once they've got demos for twice as many songs as they need for an album, then bring 'em to a talented producer or objective ear and start weeding, and put an album together.

The thing about Evergreen - they had a LOT of material - just take a look at all the B-sides that came out. Same with WAYGTDWYL to a lesser degree. Since then, the b-sides have all been reworkings of existing songs - radio recordings, instrumental, live...

Seems to me that whhen the've gone into studio from Flowers on, they've written and formed the songs in studio... under the pressure of paying for studio time. No quality can come out of that. If you don't have the songs to take into the studio and record, than don't try to mane an album until you do.

[girlwithnoname]

Hopefully, working on the Crocs/HUH tour material together has also given them the motivation, desire, and passion to craft an inspired album! When you treat your band like a day job, it shows.

[kook]

I think Mac would also seriously need to stop wanting to sound like any one other than himself, voice-wise and complete sound-wise. He seems to want to ape other successful bands too much. If his ego is really that big, what's the problem with being Ian McCulloch?
Will still plays guitar like he did and should.
Not having Les and Pete's individual input is always going to be a negative, which can't be changed but the core problem is with Mac, I think.

[withahip]

Maybe making music is just a big drag for them now. Especially Ian. Making music takes time and not in the way memorizing a calculus equation takes time. There is a lot of sitting around, jelling ideas and it gets a bit tougher.

I can bet Ian and Will never have taken music lessons. After awhile, there is only so much you can come up with without at least exploring some covers outside your comfort zone. Lessons even more so can bring about realizations of things to steal. Er, be influenced by.

And maybe sitting down with the old four track or better yet Ableton Live or Logic and cutting and pasting some ideas. Learn to love the work and effort making a good song takes. That work sometimes just means vegging out and listening to the ideas and having agood laugh with a co-writer. And it means maybe staying sober for the first half of practice.

But the bigges thing is what Ivan said, having fun with the songwriting process. It would be a lot easier with a drummer who is part of the band or else learning how to cut up some samples and move them around.

But it ain't going to happen. Ian really isn't that bright in the first place and darn right lazy to boot. Sprinkle that with his mass insecurity and really have a band that looks pretty washed up.

Well, we did get Empire State Halo and Curvature of The Earth.

[Mr.Sparkle]

I think it comes down to what's already been posted - Mac wants to sound like what's currently hot (Evergreen = Oasis/Verve, etc. Current stuff = Coldplay, etc.)

Mac has too much control, which may not necessarily be a bad thing if not for the fact that Mac isn't really a consistently great or original songwriter, at least anymore. Which is why he brings in outside songwriters to help him write songs now (I guess in lieu of having a real band to contribute to the songwriting process).

And finally, this is just speculation, but it seems like Will isn't really into making music for the Bunnymen anymore. It seems like he's more into making experimental stuff and I can't blame him for that if that's the case.

If the above were to change there's a chance they could make a great album but current history says that probably won't happen. I guess we can hope the current tour might rub off on the band to make a great album.

[watercolors]

IMO...


Mac needs to do a solo and Will needs to make another Glide...

Then, work on another album together. I think it would be a better creative process. But, what do I know...

[Frank The Bunny]

IMO...


Mac needs to do a solo and Will needs to make another Glide...

Then, work on another album together. I think it would be a better creative process. But, what do I know...

Yeah... that route got us the gem called Siberia

[watercolors]

Yeah... that route got us the gem called Siberia

Gem meaning good or bad? you can be facetious, Frank.

[Voodoo Billy]

Gem meaning good or bad? you can be facetious, Frank.

Did you mean faeces?

[Frank The Bunny]

Did you mean faeces?

That's right - Siberia was a steaming pile of facetious

[black francis]

It's half a great album. Most of the songs have either a great verse or a great chorus but not both.

Except Parthenon Drive. That is the most boring, God awful Bunnymen song ever. Anything on the Fountrain is preferable.

[withahip]

It's half a great album. Most of the songs have either a great verse or a great chorus but not both.

And that in may ways makes a shitty song even shittier.

[bunnygod1]

its the best album since ocean rain somewhere near where they should be! realistically they are never going to equal the first four albums unfortunately

[withahip]

Mac and Will need to get down and make sweet sweet love. Then we would see a great release.

[oddbunny]

1) Stop trying to impress the young-ones & concentrate more on their real, devoted fans who obviously appreciate them.

2) Find a producer who expresses similarly the same ideas.

3) Maybe reach-out to other creative types of musical style instead of singing about lost loves & glorified days of the past. Think anew for future endeavors, plans & ideas.

4) Create their own specific zone where they can be creative as they need-be but, have their own contracts & clauses so, no more legality & troubles occur due to lack of support & funds.

5) Get Les back....