Guide Note:

British alternative rock group Echo & The Bunnymen formed in 1978 in Liverpool. After breaking up in 1990, the band has regrouped on several occasions, and will release a new album, The Fountain in summer of 2008.

Fast Facts:

1. Formed in 1978 in Liverpool, England
2. Members: Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant
3. Record Labels: Warner Brothers Records, London Records
4. Drummer Pete de Freitas killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident

Albums

1. Crocodiles (1980)
2. Heaven Up Here (1981)
3. Porcupine (1983)
4. Ocean Rain (1984)
5. Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
6. Reverberation (1990)
7. Evergreen (1997)
8. What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (1999)
9. Flowers (2001)
10. Siberia (2005)
11. The Fountain (2008)

The Name

Because the band initially played with a drum machine, many early fans assumed it was named "Echo" and the band was "The Bunnymen." Guitarist Will Sergeant explained later that this was not true, and that the band's name was merely a nonsense term suggested by a friend named "Smelly Elly." Other potential names included "The Daz Men" and "Glisserol and the Fan Extractors."

Early Career

Singer Ian McCulloch started Echo & the Bunnymen in 1978 with guitarist Will Sergeant after being kicked out of the punk band A Shallow Madness. They released their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles, joined by drummer Pete de Feitas. It spawned the first of a number of hit singles in the UK, "rescue."

Porcupine and Ocean Rain

The band's 1982 album Porcupine proved their first major crossover success, and included the singles "The Back of Love" and "The Cutter." This was followed by the even more successful Ocean Rain, which featured the band's biggest single to date, "The Killing Moon." The song has since appeared on the soundtracks for the films Gia, Donnie Darko and Grosse Pointe Blank and has been covered by Pavement, Nouvelle Vague and Grant Lee Phillips.

Breakup and Reunion

McCulloch quit Echo & the Bunnymen in 1988 after the band released a self-titled album that would become their only significant success in the United States. Drummer de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident the next year. The group reunited in 1997, initially recording as Electrafixion before switching back to their original name.