A one-off project rejuvenates the music for two British musicians
One of my favorite musical periods is the post-punk/New Wave records of the early eighties. When it was happening, I found it to be incredibly exciting. Partly, it was my age—I turned eighteen in 1980—but it was the spark, and especially the attitude in the music, that ‘70s rock could never match. I couldn’t get enough, and I spent my meager funds on records by every British band I heard on KROQ or read about in Trouser Press. Then, in 1986 and 1987, the music seemed to hit a wall. The bands I loved began playing it safe and were losing their edge. Maybe it was MTV or the allure of becoming a Top-40 band; I’m sure they all craved U2 success. Whatever the reason, something was amiss. I remember reading a 1987 interview with Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs where he talked about how “crazy” the band was in their early days. I knew then it was over. Punk influence, and the attitude, was fading away.
One disappointing LP of this period is Echo & the Bunnymen’s self-titled fifth album. Released in 1987, it became the group’s best-selling album to date. Still, the music lacked punch, and I found most of it dull and uninteresting. Was the band “playing it safe” or were they just burned out? It was another poor effort by a great band that sounded out of gas. Apparently, singer Ian McCulloch thought so too, telling The Big Takeover in 1990, the album didn’t have “enough friction in it.” In interviews, band members pointed to a bad mix or said it was over-produced, but it was probably closer to what Peter Buck gave as an explanation for R.E.M.’s dismal Around the Sun (from nme.com): “It sounds like what it is, a bunch of people that are so bored with the material that they can’t stand it anymore.”
Mac left the band right after to make solo records and guitarist Will Sergeant trudged on, putting out one more Bunnymen album without him. The two bandmates who started the group in 1978 with bassist Les Pattinson, didn’t speak for five years. Then, in 1994, things began to change. Initially, it started with a project for Mac and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr. Eight songs were written, and some recorded, and then, mysteriously, the tapes were lost or stolen from a courier van. Instead of a do-over, the record was scrapped. Mac and Will were both looking for something new to do, so they patched things up and formed Electrafixion. A four song EP was released with a reworked version of the Mac and Marr penned “Lowdown,” followed by a full-length album Burned in 1995. Electrafixion also included Leon de Sylvia on bass and Tony McGuigan on drums. Original Bunnymen drummer Pete de Freitas had died in a motorcycle accident in 1989 and Pattinson somehow missed the party.
Burned came out in the thick of grunge and Britpop and it doesn’t fit into either. A collaborative effort for Mac and Will, they co-wrote all the songs, including recast versions of “Lowdown” and “Too Far Gone” from the Marr sessions. Mac is playing guitar again and his singing is fiery. And the music is heavy—no one can accuse this album of not having “friction.” The five years apart had cleared their heads and did both of them some good. Two years later, Mac and Will relaunched Echo & the Bunnymen—with Les Pattinson in tow for one album—and it’s where they’ve remained.
Record Store Day 2024, included a vinyl reissue of Burned. It arrived during a promotional blitz for Echo & the Bunnymen, publicizing Will Sergeant’s second memoir and a 2024 Bunnymen tour of North America. Revisiting Electrafixion three decades later, it’s clear the band was not a reunion or a regroup, and it can’t be compared to Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant’s other work, together or apart. It’s a place and time and a singular statement all on its own.