Echo and The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

[littlecave]

It's been soooo long since I watched/listened to this video/song and....it's absolutely lovely.

[FilmPA1986]

jesus christ is there a version just like this but is slower during the middle to the end???

[Badsastard]

Beautiful, thanks for posting. RIP Pete de Freitas.

[therememate]

fantastic

[sugarandspice4815]

This is all-around amazing footage. He's endearingly awkward in the beginning (subbing the guitar, etc.), and I don't think the audience had a CLUE what awesome performance the band would put on next with Ocean Rain. That must've been magical, to see it live. Especially that note he hits at 4:33.

[RossiJenkins123]

5:24 nervous guy at the end.... class

[littlecave]

haha i laughed out loud at that guy



[bilicana]

wowww Simply heavenly....!!! Ian its God,and the band are angels around him. If one day i die,i wouldn,t mind come in the kingdom of heaven listen that song. Amazing ian.

[celticfc19671000]

perfection

[BigH0b0]

Great vocal. Typical of Mac that period. Solo vocals, no backing at all. Saw them live about 30 times between 81 and 87, mostly in Liverpool, where they were peerless. This song always reminded me of Roger Whittaker. Typical of the lacklustre stuff they recorded post 81. Perhaps 2 great tracks on this lp, Crown of Thorns and Silver. Compare with 1st 2 lps, all great tracks apart from Zimbo and Over the Wall. Last 2 lps, the best since 81. Live though, they were up with the gods till 87.

[mikeblue97]

Simply stunning. My first ever gig was the Bunnymen the Oxford Apollo the following year and i'm not sure anyone's ever topped it... There's some great music around still, but anyone this good at the moment? Not too sure.... The 80's may have been crap in many ways but there was some amazing music if you knew where to look...

[endemoniada75]

The Bunnymen are the best band in the world & anyone who disagrees is wrong

[Lancaster73]

One of their most emotionally charged songs of all time. If a song still gives you chills after roughly 30 years, it must be a masterpiece.

[4corse]

Fabulous and beautifully written. Reminds me of Rupert Brooke poetry.

[Rolfieh2008]

I remember watching this, I was 17 years old and this was the year I saw them at the Birmingham Odean for the first time. On Sunday I saw them at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, now my total is four. Later versions are classier but somehow this versions rawness encapsulates the time better.

[HuxleyWasRight]

great performance.

[bestiamalata]

magnificent

[imaalin]

I wish I had noticed this band earlier. I'm 17, and this is just my kind of music; beautiful and british. If it wasn't for Coldplay, I'm not sure if I would've ever heard about them,

[chestnut2333]

This is what happens when all of the stars are in alignment, pure musical genius!

[TheWonderDoc]

lol man, seeing Ians hair instantly brought back memories from 30+ yrs ago.

This album was definitely their opus.

[missjenzz]

somebody was happy..  ;)

[afro20man]

Love me some echo & the bunnymen

[wireless849]

ohhh this is superb.

ive got to that point in my life when you get bored with the culture you grew up with and go exploring. im loving it, its like being a teenager all over again! 

[valentina1313]

precioso, máximo, maravilla!

[hardmous]

brilliant. Is there a DVD of this?

[bighefjeff]

Thank god for footage like this being available on youtube. If you only listen to their albums, you'd never know how special this band was live. Saw Electrifixtion in 95', more people were there to see the dandy warhol and some other band I can't remember who were opening. Anyway, for the eighty or so people who stayed, Mac put on the best live vocal performance I've ever heard. And could do dead on impressions of morrison, sinatra and elvis.

[sugarandspice4815]

@bighefjeff Excellent point. At the beginning of this video he seems endearingly awkward (subbing the guitar, etc.), so I think the audience, despite whatever song(s) they had heard before, were totally unprepared for this performance. True gem.

[LIVIKIA]

השיר הכי יפה בעולם. צמרמורת של צער ויופי

[doctorwintercold]

F#*k P#!RL J@m !

[ar4216]

@doctorwintercold word

[monkeytennis1972]

Fucking hell look at Mac's hair! Pure class though!

[clubfukinfooted]

this one kills me. unreal

[chestnut2333]

Beautiful lyrics, brilliant musicians.... listen to it over and over, 80's ear magic!

[horseklopp]

haaarr nice i think i burst love this tune horido!!!!

[goducks20101]

beautiful; i get lost in this every time. thanks, cheesy

[guttersnype00]

Oh my god, this song means so much me, and signifies my '80s high school isolation.

A beautiful performance by one of the greatest bands ever.

[nath909]

@blondegem420

Very

[blondegem420]

I see a lot of David Bowie influence in this, is that wrong??

[ajittffcure]

@blondegem420- I don't think it is wrong. But I personally think David Bowie is an overrated artist.

[siouxise82]

@ajittffcure : You are right! Totally overrated!

[dibblemansun]

@blondegem420  i went to school with ian and bowie was his ultimate icon [ and lou reed ] so , no , youre not wrong , id say well spotted

[tabnnadya]

so so so beautiful still. so glad i saw them twice in the 80s and again this decade with the psychedelic furs. nice, meditative.

[sugarandspice4815]

@tabnnadya Echo & the Bunnymen, *and* the Psychedelic Furs--at the same concert? I envy you!

[GriefTourist]

All hands on deck at dawn

[djzestman]

awsome track recommended to me this love the band some really good and heart rendering comments here too, feelin it 4real

[craptastic74]

Wonderful!

[craptastic74]

:0

[A21web]

Fantastic to hear this song again, I forgot how good they were - the album Ocean Rain is one of the best EVER !

[t4314rd]

I saw them 20 yrs apart 1984 and 2004. Both times this was the best song in the set. Great video. RIP Pete de Freitas.

[IvanAgram]

what a song... great...

[rubenStipe]

I think U2 drank from this song to compose "The unforgatable fire" ¿dont you think?

[theknickers]

Saw them at TITP 2010 still a great band 

[atlantafilly]

True Art

[osvaldopiggy]

That is the mostly great pop song of 80's

[ajittffcure]

What a fantastic band and a brilliant performance!

[TheObimara]

Wow the last 30 seconds are unbelievably exquisite...

[RainmanCT]

wow! i forgot how great they sound live! thanks for posting!

[dphill33]

amazing recording. I can't believe i just stumbled across this. I love Youtube and I love Dr.CHeese01 for sharing this.

[lespaul59burst]

A band that never really got the full due it deserved.

[chalklava]

Gorgeous!! (the song and Ian)

[nick1137]

is ian wearing lipstick

[samit71]

Much love !

[clinpsydoc]

Awesome....

[XxxBondagexxX]

This is the best version of this and one of my all time favorite songs in this world.

[0219brixton]

I lost my dog...she died in my arms during this song...my Nellie...what a dog, what a song, Timeless, both.

[kymjeff]

I loved this band back in the 80's and I love them now even more. Timeless.

[dascotton]

Saw them at the Barrowlands in Glasgow in the last concert before Pete D Freitas was killed. It had been delayed for 6 months after Ian broke his leg when he fell off stage in America.

20 odd years ago now but still one of the best gigs i've ever been to. They are such an inspiration.

[flippyflyer]

used to fall asleep to this

[MrClivethered]

The greatest for sure!

[zeppelinrock]

This is amazing, and i've never heard it before!

[1970Spartaco]

Ocean Rain is my all time favorite album...f*cking timeless!

[nealtracy]

Saw these in 1984 at Leicester De Montfort Hall.....Utterly amazing......never saw so much dry ice in my life!....McCulloch said only 7 words all night!....."Thanks alot!....Have a safe journey home!"............Will never forget it!....Such a night!

[birdalone0]

Awesome

[rockaires]

Brilliant band!

[sugarandspice4815]

I love the buildup of the song.

[michaelwandel]

потрясающе

[abrakabara]

haunting paragon sceaming beneath the waves

[locoportuamor0007]

El tema de new wave es buena para la gente que sabe escuchar

[pmss68]

Saw them in Lisbon 84. went on the piss with them and I'm pretty sure they (or at least Ian) still remembers that night. Sorely missed band

[hassenav]

Ian McCulloch, the most beautiful, touching, nuanced voice I ever heard.

[Cunctando]

Pete de Freitas' drums were the driving force behind many of The Bunnymen's songs, not the same without him. They were a perfect four-piece combo.

[alkilp]

Saw them in Glasgow Barrowlands in December 1986 - they brought the house down (which takes some doing) - it's still the best concert I've ever seen.

[VashStampeeede]

spooky good vocals man, when ian wasnt fucked up he was incredible

[dreyfusfunkt]

beautiful song

[MrLoomboy]

Yup...Greatest Band ever!

[track2now]

not many bands these days can craft together a tune like this lot "ang on sod this guitar"...nice clobber too

[track2now]

not many bands can craft a song like this so sublimely these days

[stijc]

Saw them at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, 1988. Ian passed out during the 2nd song. I still like them even after they wasted my money.

[gankball]

Great Voice and Hair-Do on Ian

[louisorleans]

What , the Bunnymen being influenced by the VU?? Shock, hold the frontpage!

[whitelotusbc]

not unlike Procol Harum's 'A Salty Dog". Ocean Rain is a great recording. Stripped down sound with minimal production. Haunting, great writing.

[frankbough1955]

geriatrics now eh?

[louisorleans]

Not out of tune Adam Peters always sounds like that! I love his string work, check the Triffids on 'The Tube' for more of his excellent work..

[NewGods101]

@louisorleans Seems like a pretty obvious John Cale/VU homage on the strings.

[TheRanTanWaltz]

apparently we sound a bit like bunnymen. you can us on our youtube page. would be interesting to know what people think. cheers

[DianaDiazSinger]

Les is cool as a cucumber. Looks like he's on holiday with his acoustic bass. The strings are out of tune. Makes me wonder if they just weren't used to tuning against a rock band.

[orbinspace]

Ian's mum was a "Home Help" to the blindman that lived next door to me : Does this make me in any way famous ? :o

[ryantep]

ians mum help wow how fucking rule!

[vatoencabronado]

It wouldn't have been nice if they'd tuned that bass. although, a slight dissonance sometimes sounds interesting :)

[vatoencabronado]

not a musician, eh? cool..

[peecogs]

3 days of pure bunnymen at the o2 liverpool happy days 1 down 2 nights to go

[nikismanson]

Ian's voice in this song is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

[xXxBurritoBanditoxX]

this reminds me lots of interpol

[telemat]

It's true ! The Interpol song "New York" is pretty close, especially the end, if I remember well...

[bunnEgirl]

Love Interpol! My second favorite band. Never heard them cite the Bunnymen as an influence, but suppose it's possible.

[signeponge]

Did you realize it's the other way around?

[Hemulen40]

Classy ! WhenI saw dem in Stockholm abt -83 dey were only playin Doors songs . Hey , but dat´s classy too !

[jagill2]

ah pete.

[ssnowmon]

This sends a chill down my spine, excellent.

[fantonel12]

This was my senior year in High School and Echo was HUGE to those in the know. They influenced so many bands in the era and of course beyond. I would find it very hard to believe that Morrissey and Marr weren't listening very, very closely.

[toughsoft]

This song is epic! Headphones are required.

[p5ychbabble]

Sat and watched this at my best friend Dom's house one Friday evening 1983. Mesmerising and powerful to a 15 year old boy. The Tube was the start of the weekend and the most influential music programme of it's time..

[the2leggroovemachine]

beautiful

[boredgrrl04]

my favorite echo song. so beautiful.

Livikia you said it all

[mastercoc]

This band is just outstanding, so much so I'm going to see them in Atlanta next month!

[LIVIKIA]

amazing band

ian forever

so beautiful

i want to cry

no more songs like thant anymore

and the hair.....

[SteffySue]

hahaha, "It's a Slowie", that's pretty good...I LOVE this song! Thanks for posting this!

[Fryersmuck]

This Is Way Beyond Beautiful! It's never easy To bare Your Soul Before the Masses!

These Boys are a Class Act.

[MrDLOC11]

the perfect band to call your heroes when you're fourteen....we had good taste! too bad fourteen today is the jonas bros or worse kanye west & taylor swift! NOT perfect or heroic im afraid....ECHO=ICONS

[yyy2012yyy]

Seems back in the early 80s there was some popularity from late 50s and early 60s rock-a-billy music. Now we seem to be experiencing the same retro comeback of the bohemian sounds of the postpunk period. My youngest daugher who is 10 has a photo of Joy Division on her bedroom wall and they both love Echo and the Bunnymen. I didnt push it on them either, They always come in my room and ask what im listening to. They like Bowie too.

[sergegrone]

this 5 minutes are the meaning of true beauty.

[Fryersmuck]

You have Great taste my friend!

This Is Special, Very Special.

Live on the Tube Way back then When things Seemsd a Lot More straight Forward.

[LIVIKIA]

she's ten years old and has a joy divison picture in her room???? dark cold and suacidial?????? another dark Ian

therrible

bratz is much better at that age

she musn't know there is so much pain and atrochity

[EnterTheMold]

awesome hair!

[finners99]

Certainly one of the top 10 bands of the past 40 years. Awesome music. Saw them play Oxegen 08 and Ian's voice was sublime.

[MishuTaste]

I would've waited for him to tune his guitar.

[losghost]

Its very strange, I find myself listening to this song and gong to the beach tomorrow, as I did 25 years ago listening to this song. Can't believe how fast time goes. This is a good version of it too.

[dreamcrusher5]

amazing. period.

[craigthomas86]

brilliant song, brilliant band

[towipo]

The greatest band ever? Yeah, probably. They get my vote.

[marywalsh0903]

@towipo mine too!!!

[superbawestside1]

Extremely rare...This song was not played that much live.....!

[bulletstospare]

Great great band..Ian wrote some of the best lyrics!

[titinetitine69]

merci ...

[newinfrance2001]

echo at their very best!

[BunnyFan88]

I tried to find some words...but simply I can't explain how i feel hearing this...

THE BEST BAND EVER!!!!

[BillionYearSP]

This album is one of the most brilliant of all time. Pete (R.I.P.) did the whole lp using brushes.

[greenspaceship]

Absolutely unbeliveable vocals,best band I've ever seen.

[evillttlimp]

I adore this song... I really can't adequately express this

[bilicana]

only with his voice to capella exceeds,without any instrumen. Absolutly brilliant.

[ajittffcure]

This is a priceless footage- "This guitar is not in tune. I'll put down this guitar... still it's Ocean Rain" :))

I must see Echo and the Bunnymen live!

[MeatisMeaty]

Wow, he's way sexy when he sings this one. Love this live version, how it's sped up and has a rhythm not in the recording (though the recorded version is lovely).

[peecogs]

this is just one of so many class songs from the bunnymen

[Marquinhos32]

CLASSICOOOOOOOO!

[jcsbrasil1969]

escuto essa musica umas cinco vezes por dia!!

tesão de musica!!

[rimmel65]

Let's get 100.000.....bunnyfan,where are you all?

[chapeaumelone]

They were abolutely at their best around this time and Ian was at the peak of his beauty..

[angelbe88]

Everytime I've seen echo live it has been a joyful, awe inspiring experience. I feel their songs in my soul.

[pirralo]

esto es antologico ,grupo emblematico de los 80.

[macaronimary]

favorite album

[marknificent88]

does anyone reckon U2 where Influenced by this?

[OSLAINTE123]

Every song on their first 3 or 4 albums is a classic.. People forget just how good they were.. Bring on the dancing horses still makes me weep everytime..

[Gdev02]

I feel in love with this song years ago.....that love has been rekindled again <3

[rimmel65]

The most uncompromised and underated band of ever...and the greatest

[waspin69]

They played this on the tube in the build up to the release of ' thebest album of all time'. I like this album. But I like Crocodiles better. They were underated most of the time. But sometimes they were definatly overrated. But I still love this band for their honesty. Worts and all, I love them

[concordelord]

Coldplay=the worst shit in the whole world. Fucking retarded nerds.

[electrouncle]

why do we listen to coldplay? this is bigger, bigger, bigger

[twigfig]

this is one of me fave bunny men songs..haha - all hands on dick at dawn...

[stillwaiting4godot]

cheers, good post and a chuffing gr8 song, n1

[melancholicgirlie]

thanks to my older sister, i love this song en mac's voice since the age of 12

[kieran9093]

thanks

[bentrod]

The uk has produced some of the greatest bands of all time echo and the bunnymen,the cure,and the smiths and the newer generation produced radiohead ,doves and elbow.Among countless other bands.THANK YOU.

[heymarlarae]

how fortunate the guitar was out of tune!

[utpunkster]

The memories come flooding in.

[utpunkster]

I had forgotten how amazingly raw they were live. Youtube has made it so easy to remember all the great 80s bands and even get introduced to a bit of the new tunes. Keep tuning in.

[jrbd01]

Buen video, a los fans mi mail is jraulbuelna@hotmail com vivo en Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

[gustavour73]

Simply unbeliveable!!! They are great! Incredible voice from Ian. We are very lucky that they still composing and playing in these times of playbacks, rappers and poor singers...

[dread216]

hey stuntpea"that fella"shouts"gabba" not "shabba"..clean your ears out!

[SARDINIA1963]

I was huge fan, I thought this performance was awesome but the album didnt capture the intensity and disappointed.

[KeyaBrown]

Brilliant...... excellent article in the December Mojo .........

[fjbaigorri]

Simply incredible. Then bands had to show their ability live, now it is all play back. What a shame.

[PaulBrown1967]

can't believe it's 25 years old!!!

[aquestionofkelly]

I really cannot either...it masters much of the bull other musicians attempt these days.

This owns everything, including my heart and respect.

[rimmel65]

When you say bunnymen you say pure class...That's all