Ocean Rain [Bonus Tracks]

1	Silver 3:20
2	Nocturnal Me 4:57
3	Crystal Days 2:24
4	The Yo-Yo Man 3:10
5	Thorn of Crowns 4:55
6	The Killing Moon 5:47
7	Seven Seas 3:20
8	My Kingdom 4:05
9	Ocean Rain 5:24
10	Angels and Devils Bonus Track 4:24
11	All You Need Is Love Bonus Track 6:45
12	The Killing Moon Bonus Track 3:27
13	Stars Are Stars Bonus Track 3:05
14	Villiers Terrace Bonus Track 6:00
15	Silver previously unreleased / Bonus Track 3:25
16	My Kingdom Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track 3:58
17	Ocean Rain Live / previously unreleased / Bonus Track 5:18

Barnes & Noble

Released in 1984, Ocean Rain may not have been Echo & the Bunnymen's most successful album (see their 1987 eponymous "grey album"), but their fourth LP was indeed their crowning achievement, representing a softening of their post-punk angst and their continued openness to new sounds. It's all on display on "The Killing Moon," which singer Ian McCulloch modestly describes as "the best song ever written" in the liner notes. That may be a slight exaggeration, but there's no denying the song's dramatic and enchanting mood, carried by McCulloch's pining, philosophical lyric, sweeping strings, and a sweet tangle of psychedelic guitars. Other high points include orchestrally lush, musically optimistic songs such as "Silver" and "Crystal Days," the noisy acoustic guitars on "My Kingdom," and the elegiac, album-closing title track. Part of Rhino's deluxe Echo reissue series, this 2004 edition adds eight bonus cuts, starting with the Doors-reminiscent B-side "Angels and Devils," colored by tambourine and harpsichord. Also included are five songs recorded for the film Life at Brian's: All are low-key recordings with an emphasis on acoustic instruments. A version of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" displays the Bunnymen's reverence for the band that ushered the sitar into pop music -- while an alternate "Killing Moon" bares the song's strengths even without all the sweeping strings. Two live tracks, from a May '84 concert in their hometown of Liverpool, cap off the album on a fine note, Ian & the boys performing at the very apex of their artistic powers. Twenty years on, it's still breathtaking. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

Channeling the lessons of the experimental Porcupine into more conventional and simple structural parameters, Ocean Rain emerges as Echo & the Bunnymen's most beautiful and memorable effort. Ornamenting Ian McCulloch's most consistently strong collection of songs to date with subdued guitar textures, sweeping string arrangements, and hauntingly evocative production, the album is dramatic and majestic; "The Killing Moon," Ocean Rain's emotional centerpiece, remains the group's unrivalled pinnacle. [The 2004 reissue of Ocean Rain features improved sound, new liner notes, loads of photos, and a wealth of bonus tracks. The bulk of the bonus tracks is made up of the Life at Brian's sessions, which found the band playing some of their "hits" like "The Killing Moon," "Stars Are Stars," "Silver," and "Villiers Terrace," as well as a faithful cover of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" in a relaxed, acoustic but still very dramatic setting. Also included are two live cuts from the band's Crystal Days extravaganza in May of 1984 ("My Kingdom" and "Ocean Rain"), and the Velvet Underground-inspired B-side to "Silver," "Angels and Devils." The bonus material is nothing less than superb, and makes the band's best album even better. The only minor fault would be the lack of space to include the extended version of "The Killing Moon."] ~ Jason Ankeny & Tim Sendra, All Music Guide