Songs to Learn & Sing

Last updated

Songs to Learn & Sing
Songs to Learn & Sing cover art.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Echo & the Bunnymen
Released11 November 1985 [1]
Recorded1979–1985
Genre Post-punk, new wave [2]
Length40:09
Label Korova, Sire
Producer Ian Broudie, Bill Drummond, David Balfe, Hugh Jones, Echo & the Bunnymen, Laurie Latham
Echo & the Bunnymen chronology
Ocean Rain
(1984)		Songs to Learn & Sing
(1985)		 Echo & the Bunnymen
(1987)
Singles from Songs to Learn & Sing
  1. "Bring on the Dancing Horses"
    Released: 14 November 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg link
Robert Christgau C+ [3]

Songs to Learn & Sing is a compilation album by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 11 November 1985 and featured all of the singles the band had released up to that point. Released on LP, cassette and CD by Korova, WEA and Sire Records, the album received positive reviews and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart [4] and number 158 on the US Billboard 200. [5]

Contents

Releases

Songs to Learn & Sing was first released as an LP, a cassette and a CD by Korova in the United Kingdom, WEA in Germany and Sire Records in the United States on 15 November 1985. The LP and cassette versions of the album have six tracks on side one and five tracks on side two. The album was also available as a limited edition picture disc and a limited edition album with a copy of "The Pictures on My Wall" single. The album was reissued on 17 October 1990 by WEA.

The tracks included on the album are in chronological order and taken from the four studio albums that had been released up to that point as well including two non-album singles: "Rescue" from the Crocodiles album; "The Puppet", a non-album single; "Do It Clean", the B-side to "The Puppet"; "A Promise" from the Heaven Up Here album; "The Back of Love" and "The Cutter" from the Porcupine album; "Never Stop", a non-album single; "The Killing Moon", "Silver" and "Seven Seas" from the Ocean Rain album; and "Bring on the Dancing Horses" a new single.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue number
United Kingdom11 November 1985 [1] Korova LP KODE 13
LP picture disc KODE 13P
Cassette CODE 13
Germany15 November 1985 WEA LP240,767-1
CD2292-40767-2
United States15 November 1985 Sire Records LP1-25360
CD25360-2

Singles

Although the album is a compilation album it included one previously unreleased single — "Bring on the Dancing Horses" which was released on 14 November 1985. The single reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart [4] and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart. [6]

Reception

Allmusic rated the release four and a half stars out of five and describes the album as "a solid and comprehensive collection of the band's material". [7] The album was listed in Rock Compact Disc magazine's list of 45 classic "British Indie Guitar Rock" albums. [8] The album was also reasonably successful with the fans which was shown by the album reaching number 6 on the UK Albums Chart. [4]

Chart positions

Chart (1985)Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart [4] 6
Billboard 200 [5] 158
Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] 57

Track listing

Note: track timings taken from original LP's labels.

All tracks are written by Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas.

No.TitleAlbumLength
1."Rescue" Crocodiles (1980)3:46
2."The Puppet"non-album single (1980)3:05
3."Do It Clean"Crocodiles (US version)2:43
4."A Promise" Heaven Up Here (1981)3:40
5."The Back of Love" Porcupine (1983)3:13
6."The Cutter"Porcupine3:55
7."Never Stop"non-album single (1983)3:29
8."The Killing Moon" Ocean Rain (1984)5:46
9."Silver"Ocean Rain3:17
10."Seven Seas"Ocean Rain3:19
11."Bring on the Dancing Horses"Previously unreleased3:56

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo & the Bunnymen</span> English rock band

Echo & the Bunnymen is an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.

<i>Crocodiles</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen

Crocodiles is the debut album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 18 July 1980 in the United Kingdom and on 17 December 1980 in the United States. The album reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. "Pictures on My Wall" and "Rescue" had previously been released as singles.

<i>Heaven Up Here</i> 1981 studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen

Heaven Up Here is the second album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen, released on 30 May 1981. In June 1981, Heaven Up Here became Echo & the Bunnymen's first Top 10 release when it reached number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also the band's first entry into the United States album charts when it reached number 184 of the Billboard 200. The songs "A Promise" and "Over the Wall" were released as singles.

<i>Porcupine</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen

Porcupine is the third studio album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. First released on 4 February 1983, it became the band's highest-charting release when it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart despite initially receiving poor reviews. It also reached number 137 on the American Billboard 200, number 85 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums and number 24 on the Swedish chart. In 1984, the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry. The album includes the singles "The Back of Love" and "The Cutter."

<i>Reverberation</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen

Reverberation is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Echo & the Bunnymen. The album was released amidst a line-up change for the group, due to the departure of vocalist Ian McCulloch and the death of drummer Pete de Freitas. The remaining members, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson, were joined by ex-St. Vitus Dance singer Noel Burke, keyboard player Jake Brockman and drummer Damon Reece. The album was produced by former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England, and had a more pronounced psychedelic sound than the group's previous releases.

<i>Evergreen</i> (Echo & the Bunnymen album) 1997 studio album by Echo & the Bunnymen

Evergreen is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Echo & the Bunnymen. It is their first album since reforming after they disbanded in 1993. Vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant had previously worked together as Electrafixion before they were rejoined by bassist Les Pattinson under the name Echo & the Bunnymen in early 1997. The album was recorded at Doghouse Studios in Henley-on-Thames and was produced by McCulloch and the band's manager Paul Toogood but was credited to the whole band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo & the Bunnymen discography</span>

The discography of Echo & the Bunnymen, an English post-punk band which formed in 1978, consists of thirteen studio albums, ten live albums, nine compilation albums, eight extended plays (EP), and thirty singles on Zoo Records; WEA and its subsidiaries, Korova, Sire Records, London Records and Rhino; Cooking Vinyl; and Ocean Rain Records, as well as five music VHS/DVDs, and twenty-two music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rescue (Echo & the Bunnymen song)</span> 1980 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Rescue" is the second single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 5 May 1980 and subsequently included on the Crocodiles album, which was released on 18 July 1980. It was the band's first single to chart, reaching number 62 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also their first release on the newly formed Korova label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Puppet</span> 1980 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"The Puppet" is the third single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 14 September 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Promise (song)</span> 1981 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"A Promise" is the fourth single by Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 10 July 1981. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and peaked at number 49. Apart from the Australian-only release of "Over the Wall" later in the year, "A Promise" is the only single to have been released from the band's second album, Heaven Up Here (1981).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Back of Love</span> 1982 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"The Back of Love" is a single which was released by Echo & the Bunnymen on 21 May 1982. It reached number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart the same month. It was subsequently added to the album Porcupine which was released on 4 February 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Stop (Echo & the Bunnymen song)</span> 1983 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Never Stop" is a single which was released by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen on 8 July 1983. It reached number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart the same month. The title track on the 12-inch single is a remixed version called "Never Stop (Discotheque)" and is another minute and fifteen seconds longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver (Echo & the Bunnymen song)</span> 1984 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Silver" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 13 April 1984. It was the second single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks, reaching a peak of number 30. It also reached number 14 on the Irish Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Seas (song)</span> 1984 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Seven Seas" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 6 July 1984. It was the third single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the Irish Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring On the Dancing Horses</span> 1985 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 October 1985. It was the only single from their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing, and was recorded for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game (Echo & the Bunnymen song)</span> 1987 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"The Game" is a song by Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 1 June 1987 as the first single from their eponymous album of that year; this reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lips Like Sugar</span> 1987 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"Lips Like Sugar" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in August 1987. It was the second single from their 1987 eponymous album.

"Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen that was released in 1987. It was the third single from their 1987 eponymous album. The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single by WEA Records and by Sire Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want to Be There (When You Come)</span> 1997 single by Echo & the Bunnymen

"I Want to Be There (When You Come)" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in September 1997. It was the second single released after Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson reformed the band. It was also the second single to be released from their 1997 album, Evergreen. It reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, number 26 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number 16 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart.

<i>New Live and Rare</i> 1988 EP by Echo & the Bunnymen

New Live and Rare is a compilation EP that was released in 1988 of songs recorded by Echo & the Bunnymen. The EP was released on CD by WEA in Japan.

References

  1. 1 2 "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 August 2009. Note: User needs to enter "Echo & The Bunnymen" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
  2. ↑ MacKenzie Wilson (15 November 1985). "Songs to Learn and Sing – Echo & the Bunnymen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Echo & the Bunnymen". Robert Christgau.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. 1 2 "Echo & the Bunnymen > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". IRMA. 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  7. ↑ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Songs to Learn and Sing - Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Patterson, Sylvia (April 1993). "State of Independents: British Indie Guitar Rock". Rock Compact Disc. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.