[.ca] Porcupine

Got them on MTV:
"Porcupine" got the Bunnymen on MTV in the early '80's with the video of "The Cutter". This reamins the standout track on the album. "Back of Love" is also a "best of..." track, deserving inclusion on any retrospective of the band. "Never Stop - Discoteque" their follow-up stand alone single after Porcupine, is a great inclusion as a bonus track. the digital version is well worth having and the artwork is great, but other than the 3 tracks I mentioned it's still a hard listen. 3 stars and a must-have if you're a fan of the band. If not, skip to a best of collection.

Flawed reissue of a great album:
'Porcupine' is the "difficult" third Bunnymen album, which saw them moving away from the open spaces of their previous records into a claustrophobic sound. A dense guitar mesh is laid over every track, augmented by Shankar's electric cello. Listening to these songs is like taking a machete to a jungle of vines -- every slash reveals something new, but you risk getting trapped in the foliage. There are five vinyl b-sides from this period, all included on the boxed set. Sadly, only one is present here, the wonderfully moody 'Fuel', which in sonic texture is more in keeping with 'Heaven Up Here' material. Then follow five alternate versions of album tracks, one of which was issued in the boxed set. (The sleeve says only three are previously unreleased, but this is an error I believe.) I was excited to hear these, as the Peel Session versions and the b-side 'A Drop In The Ocean' show a group coming to grips with an sound even darker than what made it to the final album. Sadly, the versions here on display are similar but weaker to the album takes, though 'Ripeness' does make it more obvious what McCullough is singing about -- nothing too uplifting I can tell you! Finally, the Discotheque version of 'Never Stop' is tacked on the end of the CD. Which means that the very different 7" mix is neither here nor on the boxed set. What is missing from this disc is the monolithic 'The Subject', the 'Summer version' of 'Heads Will Roll', the fascinating live recording of 'Zimbo' made at WOMAD with The Royal Burundi Drummers, and the wonderful 'Way Out And Up We Go'. It is criminal that we can re-purchase these albums (the third time over for many of us) and *still* have to buy a boxed set for a handful of tracks. They belong here, in proper chronological sequence. Maybe on the fiftieth anniversary?

A fine transitional album:
Porcupine was my favorite Bunnymen album for the longest time. The power of the opening tracks "The Back of Love" and "The Cutter" made an immediate impact on me. It's clear that bands like The Doves have been listening to this album and "Heaven Up Here" quite a bit. The only bonus tracks here that was previously released on the boxed set is "Gods Will Be Gods" (Alternate version)and the discotheque version of "Never Stop". It's a pretty powerful album and sets up the stage for the band's next development with the powerful, moody and magnificent "Ocean Rain". The sound is exceptional and puts the previously issued CD to shame. The liner notes are also very good as well although they do recap some of the points from the boxed set. Lyrics? Well you'll need to wait for the next reissue for those.

"Am I the half that's whole?":
How you liked your British new wave probably influenced your thoughts on "Porcupine" when it first came out in 1983. If you liked the brooding, near gothic sound of Echo via "Heaven Up Here" and the pessimistic bands that flourished at the time (think earlier Cure), you likely viewed "Porcupine" as a sell out. On the other hand, if you were into anthemic driving songs with choppy guitar (ala U2 and the Edge), the "The Cutter," "The Back Of Love" and "Clay" probably had you frothing at the mouth. You can put me in the later camp. I was disappointed by "Heaven Up Here," thinking that Ian McCulloch's Doors obsession and ego had sunk an OK album. But "Porcupine," with the addition of Shankir as influence and guest dynamited the Bunnymen out of their quagmire and made the first half of this album almost overwhelming in its desire to prove its greatness. (I often thought the similarities to this albums glacier cover photo and U2's "War" were completely intentional.) McCulloch was determined to prove that he and his mates were as good as anything proclaimed godhead in the ever fickle British press. The remaster bolsters a lot of their bravado. "The Cutter" and "The Back of Love" have got to be two of the hardest rocking singles the band (or any other band of the period) ever produced. For sheer youthful energy, "Porcupine" rates with the band's debut. It's even more worth it for their excursion into dance-rock, "Never Stop," which is as fine a single as the genre ever produced, and foreshadows songs like "Lips Like Sugar" from the "Gray Album." (Though I may be one of the few who would have preferred the seven inch version.) The Bunnymen were on a roll, and their next project, "Ocean Rain" would show that they could harness their exuberence into other, more mature, skills. These two albums were the showcase of a band at their peak.

• Cutter
• Back of Love
• My White Devil
• Clay
• Porcupine
• Heads Will Roll
• Ripeness
• Higher Hell
• Gods Will Be Gods
• In Bluer Skies
• Fuel \o*\c
• Cutter \oAlternate Version\c\o*\c
• My White Devil \oAlternate Version\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Porcupine \oAlternate Version\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Ripeness \oAlternate Version\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Gods Will Be Gods \oAlternate Version\c\o*\c
• Never Stop (Discotheque) \o*\c