Songs to Learn & Sing
Encyclopedia
Songs to Learn & Sing is a compilation album
by Echo & the Bunnymen
which was released on 15 November 1985 (see 1985 in music
) and featured all of the singles the band had released up to that point. Released on LP
, cassette
and CD
by Korova
, WEA
and Sire Records
, the album received good reviews and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart
and number 158 on the U.S.
Billboard 200
.
, a cassette
and a CD
by Korova
in the United Kingdom
, WEA
in Germany
and Sire Records
in the United States
on 15 November 1985. The LP and cassette versions of the album have six tracks on side one and five tracks on side two. The album was also available as a limited edition
picture disc
and a limited edition album with a copy of the "The Pictures on My Wall
" single
. The album was reissue
d on 17 October 1990 by WEA
.
The tracks included on the album are in chronological order and taken from the four studio album
s that had been released up to that point as well including two non-album singles: "Rescue
" from the Crocodiles
album; "The Puppet
", a non-album single; "Do It Clean", the B-side
to "The Puppet"; "A Promise
" from the Heaven Up Here
album; "The Back of Love
" and "The Cutter
" from the Porcupine
album; "Never Stop", a non-album single; "The Killing Moon
", "Silver
" and "Seven Seas
" from the Ocean Rain
album; and "Bring On the Dancing Horses
" a new single.
" which was released on 14 November 1985. The single reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart
and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart
.
.
, Ian McCulloch
, Les Pattinson
and Pete de Freitas
.
Note: track timings taken from original LP's labels.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
which was released on 15 November 1985 (see 1985 in music
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
) and featured all of the singles the band had released up to that point. Released on LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
and CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by Korova
Korova (record label)
Korova is a record label, distributed by the Warner Elektra Asylum group of record companies.The imprint was founded in 1979 as an outlet for Echo & the Bunnymen, with its first album release being their debut Crocodiles...
, WEA
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
, the album received good reviews and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and number 158 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Releases
Songs to Sing & Learn was first released as an LPLP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, a cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
and a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by Korova
Korova (record label)
Korova is a record label, distributed by the Warner Elektra Asylum group of record companies.The imprint was founded in 1979 as an outlet for Echo & the Bunnymen, with its first album release being their debut Crocodiles...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, WEA
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 15 November 1985. The LP and cassette versions of the album have six tracks on side one and five tracks on side two. The album was also available as a limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
and a limited edition album with a copy of the "The Pictures on My Wall
The Pictures on My Wall
"The Pictures on My Wall" is the first single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen and was released in 1979 in a limited issue of 4,000 copies...
" single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. The album was reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
d on 17 October 1990 by WEA
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
.
The tracks included on the album are in chronological order and taken from the four studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s that had been released up to that point as well including two non-album singles: "Rescue
Rescue (song)
"Rescue" is the second single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 5 May 1980 and subsequently included on the Crocodiles album, which was released on 18 July 1980. It was the band's first single to chart, reaching number 62 on the UK Singles Chart...
" from the Crocodiles
Crocodiles (album)
Crocodiles is the debut album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 18 July 1980 in the United Kingdom and on 17 December 1980 in the United States. The album reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart...
album; "The Puppet
The Puppet
"The Puppet" is the third single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 14 September 1980.The single was released in the wake of the critical acclaim received for the band's first album, Crocodiles, which had been released earlier in the year. The main track itself was not on the album...
", a non-album single; "Do It Clean", the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "The Puppet"; "A Promise
A Promise (song)
"A Promise" is the fourth single by Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 10 July 1981. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and peaked at number 49...
" from the Heaven Up Here
Heaven Up Here
Heaven Up Here is the second album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen, released in 30 May 1981. In June 1981, Heaven Up Here became Echo & the Bunnymen's first Top 10 release when it reached number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also the band's first entry into the United States...
album; "The Back of Love
The Back of Love
"The Back of Love" is a single which was released by Echo & the Bunnymen on 21 May 1982. It reached number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart the same month. It was subsequently added to the album Porcupine which was released on 4 February 1983....
" and "The Cutter
The Cutter (song)
"The Cutter" is a single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen in 1983. It is the second single released from their 1983 Porcupine album.The single was released on the Korova label in the United Kingdom on 14 January 1983 as both a 7" and 12" single...
" from the Porcupine
Porcupine (album)
Porcupine is the third studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. First released on 4 February 1983, it became the band's highest charting release when it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart despite initially receiving poor reviews...
album; "Never Stop", a non-album single; "The Killing Moon
The Killing Moon
The Killing Moon is a single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on their 1984 album, Ocean Rain. It is one of the band's highest-charting hits, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart.-Lyrics:...
", "Silver
Silver (song)
For the song by Moist, see Silver "Silver" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 13 April 1984. It was the second single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks, reaching a peak of number 30. It also reached number 14 on...
" and "Seven Seas
Seven Seas (song)
"Seven Seas" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 6 July 1984. It was the third single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the Irish Singles Chart.-Overview:...
" from the Ocean Rain
Ocean Rain
Ocean Rain is the fourth studio album by the British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 8 May 1984 and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, number 87 on the United States Billboard 200, number 41 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums and number 22 on the Swedish chart. Since...
album; and "Bring On the Dancing Horses
Bring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
" a new single.
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
15 November 1985 | Korova Korova (record label) Korova is a record label, distributed by the Warner Elektra Asylum group of record companies.The imprint was founded in 1979 as an outlet for Echo & the Bunnymen, with its first album release being their debut Crocodiles... |
LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
KODE 13 |
| LP picture disc Picture disc Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:... |
KODE 13P | |||
| Cassette Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel... |
CODE 13 | |||
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
15 November 1985 | WEA Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
LP | 240 767-1 |
| CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
2292-40767-2 | |||
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
15 November 1985 | Sire Records Sire Records Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a... |
LP | 1-25360 |
| CD | 25360-2 |
Singles
Although the album is a compilation album it included one previously unreleased single — "Bring On the Dancing HorsesBring On the Dancing Horses
"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
" which was released on 14 November 1985. The single reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
.
Reception
Allmusic rated the release four and a half stars out of five and describes the album as "a solid and comprehensive collection of the band's material". The album was listed in Rock Compact Disc magazine's list of 45 classic "British Indie Guitar Rock" albums. The album was also reasonably successful with the fans which was shown by the album reaching number 6 on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
6 |
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
158 |
Track listing
All tracks written by Will SergeantWill Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
, Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
, Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
and Pete de Freitas
Pete de Freitas
Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
.
Note: track timings taken from original LP's labels.
- "RescueRescue (song)"Rescue" is the second single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 5 May 1980 and subsequently included on the Crocodiles album, which was released on 18 July 1980. It was the band's first single to chart, reaching number 62 on the UK Singles Chart...
" – 3:46 - "The PuppetThe Puppet"The Puppet" is the third single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 14 September 1980.The single was released in the wake of the critical acclaim received for the band's first album, Crocodiles, which had been released earlier in the year. The main track itself was not on the album...
" – 3:05 - "Do It Clean" – 2:43
- "A PromiseA Promise (song)"A Promise" is the fourth single by Echo & the Bunnymen and was released on 10 July 1981. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and peaked at number 49...
" – 3:40 - "The Back of LoveThe Back of Love"The Back of Love" is a single which was released by Echo & the Bunnymen on 21 May 1982. It reached number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart the same month. It was subsequently added to the album Porcupine which was released on 4 February 1983....
" – 3:13 - "The CutterThe Cutter (song)"The Cutter" is a single released by the band Echo & the Bunnymen in 1983. It is the second single released from their 1983 Porcupine album.The single was released on the Korova label in the United Kingdom on 14 January 1983 as both a 7" and 12" single...
" – 3:55 - "Never Stop" – 3:29
- "The Killing MoonThe Killing MoonThe Killing Moon is a single by the band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on their 1984 album, Ocean Rain. It is one of the band's highest-charting hits, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart.-Lyrics:...
" – 5:46 - "SilverSilver (song)For the song by Moist, see Silver "Silver" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 13 April 1984. It was the second single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks, reaching a peak of number 30. It also reached number 14 on...
" – 3:17 - "Seven SeasSeven Seas (song)"Seven Seas" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 6 July 1984. It was the third single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the Irish Singles Chart.-Overview:...
" – 3:19 - "Bring On the Dancing HorsesBring On the Dancing Horses"Bring On the Dancing Horses" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 14 November 1985. It was the only new single to be included on their 1985 compilation album Songs to Learn & Sing...
" – 3:56
Musicians
- Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (singer)Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
– vocals - Will SergeantWill SergeantWill Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Les PattinsonLes PattinsonLes Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Pete de FreitasPete de FreitasPete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Ian BroudieIan BroudieIan Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
("Rescue", "The Back of Love", "The Cutter") - Bill DrummondBill DrummondWilliam Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
– producer ("The Puppet", "Do It Clean") - David BalfeDavid BalfeDavid Balfe is most notable for playing keyboards with The Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of their number one hit - "Country House".-Biography:...
– producer ("The Puppet", "Do It Clean") - Hugh Jones – producer ("A Promise", "Never Stop")
- The BunnymenEcho & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
– producer ("A Promise", "The Killing Moon", "Silver", "Seven Seas") - Laurie LathamLaurie LathamLaurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
– producer ("Bring On the Dancing Horses") - Anton CorbijnAnton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...