Album Anniversary - November 15, 2015

Today is the 30th anniversary of Songs to Learn and Sing, the singles compilation from Echo & The Bunnymen.

Video: "Bring on the Dancing Horses"

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 63

Echo & the Bunnymen - "Bring on the Dancing Horses"



(Single Release: November 1985)
Ta-da! Here now is the last entry in my survey of great songs from 1985. In my opinion, I saved the best for last. I have already mentioned this band as one of my holy triumvirate, along with the Smiths and New Order, which completely opened my world to a brand new kind of musical experience. Not that this is some kind of transcendental thing, but I suppose it is as close as pop music comes in my personal experience. Though I am not really one for nonsensical lyrics, "Bring on the Dancing Horses" is an exception, especially because they seem to be literary, either metaphors for another experience, or allusions to past material (it always makes me think of Equus). I have not tried that hard to find an interpretation because I think it might be ruined for me. Whether it's about the realization of the end of a relationship or about drug abuse (as nearly every commenter on song lyric sites seem to think about EVERY song), it doesn't seem to matter to me. I'd rather listen to this gorgeous song in blissful ignorance, then sing along with "Shiver and say the words / of every lie you've heard / First I'm gonna make it / Then I'm gonna break it / Till it falls apart / Hating all the faking / And shaking while I'm breaking / Your brittle heart." I first heard this track as I was just discovering Echo. I picked up their compilation album, Songs to Learn and Sing and it shook me to the core. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" was not only a brand new single, but it was also included on this compilation. It was originally recorded specifically for the John Hughes film (a running theme), Pretty in Pink, but the band released it four months early. I have saved this song for last as it pretty much defines 1985, and most of 1986 for me. It is a musical shove beyond Top 40 radio and into what was then called either college rock or alternative. I ended up seeing Echo & the Bunnymen perform twice, and they have remained one of my go-to bands over the successive years. For some, the inclusion of just one new song on a compilation album of past singles might have been a gimmick, but for me, in this instance, it was a touchstone and a symbol of what would be a lifelong passion. "Bring on the new messiah / Wherever he may roam."

Highlights from My Vinyl Collection, Part 8

This is the eighth installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small few select gems might appear every now and again.



Echo & the Bunnymen - Songs to Learn and Sing

While I'm surveying great songs from 1985 through this blog, I might as well highlight albums I bought in 1985, as well. Songs to Learn and Sing is the first "greatest hits" compilation from Liverpool band, Echo & the Bunnymen. I've written before about how 1985 introduced me to a whole new world of music and Echo was part of that new world. I was so green in my knowledge of Echo, that I had no idea this was a "hits" album, nor that they had four entire albums under their belts. I normally avoid compilations, but they become magical when they open up an entirely new catalog to explore. One new song brought me to this album, that being one of my favorite songs that year, "Bring on the Dancing Horses." To me, this track rivaled "How Soon is Now," "Blue Monday," and "People are People" in terms of being one of the best songs of that era. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" even transcends that era, still remaining a personal favorite. But, Songs to Learn and Sing also introduced me to "Rescue," "Do it Clean," "The Back of Love," and above all, "The Killing Moon." I'd say that every song on the album is great, but I suppose that's to be expected from a greatest hits collection. On top of that, there is the incredibly gorgeous cover image, as photographed by Anton Corbijn. That record cover has graced my wall for the last five or so years, and it comforts me every time I look at it.