and I swear to God there’s a song on it that sounds like they’d been repeatedly listening to “The Kiss” by The Cure. Tim Smith’s voice sounds suspiciously similar to his non-brother Robert’s, too. They started recording the album in 1985, though, so maybe not.

Theatre Of Hate - what a name. Sounds like a name circa 2000, not 1982. Yeah, it does sound Clash-y. And the dude’s haircut beat Martin Gore to the punch by a couple years too. I didn’t think that song was great, though. The sampled quote at the end is stupid too.

Echo And The Bunnymen:

Crocodiles (1980): This was one of the very first albums I relistened to when I started doing the “five relistens” posts. It’s got a great speedy tinny 1960s-style rocker called “Do It Clean” and a couple other okay songs, and the rest of it is forgettable primitive shit.

Heaven Up Here (1981): A big leap forward, crossing Joy Division’s darkness with heavy chilly atmosphere and an arena-rock-ready stomp to it, with only a hint of “60s influence” left behind. It’s even a bit hard of a nugget to chew on. “Show Of Strength,” “With A Hip,” “Over The Wall,” “A Promise,” “The Disease,” “All My Colours,” “Turquoise Days” and “All I Want” are all strong tunes.

Porcupine (1983): This is Echo replacing a dark doomy minor-key stomp with a lot of speed-demon rrrrrrrrawking. It sags in the middle and is slightly less consistent than its predecessor, but “The Cutter” and “Heads Will Roll” are great barn burners, along with “In Bluer Skies” at the end for something more midtempo.

Ocean Rain (1984): Touchdown. This album remains an all-time five-star favorite of mine since 2005. Contains the smash hit “The Killing Moon,” the only song by this band that the last few generations are likely to have heard of, because it’s popped up in several movies since 2000. “My Kingdom,” “Seven Seas,” “Ocean Rain” and “Silver” are great songs too, but really the whole thing is good, updating Doors-y dark atmosphere (minus the tinny organ) for the early 80s alternative crowd AND the MTV crowd. Smart move. One of the best albums of 1984.

I’m guessing you mentioned “81-82-83-84” as a reference to the fact that I’m listening to Simple Minds now; a Prindle poll had some guy claiming he had a friend who liked to replace “you” with “Jew” in song titles, so we got “Jew Gold Dream (eighty-one, eighty-jew, eighty-three eighty-four!)” I’ve only got through their first album, though. Coincidentally, the reissues I have of those Bunnymen albums take several pot shots at Simple Minds, calling them “aptly named” and claiming the Bunnymen deserved the “Wembly Stadium audience” that went to Simple Minds and U2. This was from whoever wrote the liner notes (wonder what that gig pays these days?) but it mirrors Ian McCulloch’s own persona, which was probably even douchier than Morrissey (although Ian has never been accused of racism like Stephen Patrick M. has–nonetheless, Mike D once posted a message entitled “Does Ian McCulloch like ANYBODY?” on this very board some decades ago.) On the flipside, whatever else could be said about his ego, Bono kindly said of U2’s early work that U2 were trying to be like The Teardrop Explodes and the Bunnymen, “whom we knew were better than us.” (I don’t remember what interview this was in, but I know I read it somewhere.) Have the two been photographed together?!?