After the release of their debut set, Crocodiles, in 1980, Echo and the Bunnymen’s second album, 1981’s Heaven Up Here, firmly established them as a major force, being voted album of the year by readers of the NME. Their manager Bill Drummond summed up the mood and mythical qualities of their songs at this time when he wrote in the Face magazine: “They represent cold, dampness, darkness. Echo is, in my crazy daydream, a ghostly God - and the Bunnymen are his followers.”
It was a major piece of work, a definite step on from Crocodiles and established them as a force to be reckoned with.
Among other tracks, the album included such strong songs as The Disease, Heaven Up Here, Turquoise Dogs, Show Of Strength, It Was A Pleasure and No Dark Things. Echo and the Bunnymen were being variously compared with the Velvets and the Doors, and appeared the band most likely to succeed in donning the mantle of greatness that those legendary outfits had created.
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