Here’s an intriguing question: should art be left as it is, unaltered and unedited to stand the test of time? To be a moment in time or to disappear into the maelstrom?
Or should it be the artist’s prerogative to make any adjustments as and when they see fit? When George Lucas tried it, it was reviled. In music, the ‘rules’ are a little less clear but have largely had a muted response. Perhaps it’s because songs aren’t so immutable; any musician worth their salt will expand a song when they play it live, and who can blame them? Surely The Rolling Stones have every right to edit (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction as they see fit – they are the ones who have played it literally thousands of times after all, and will have to continue to play it until they drop.
Yet laying it down in the studio again is a different proposition. Notable attempts have come from Paul McCartney, who ironically stripped Let It Be of the more saccharine aspects of Phil Spector’s production, in doing so revealing it to be a long-term itch which Macca had to scratch, and an answer to the question was perhaps found when he proved to be the only one that was bothered.
U2 re-recorded certain tracks from the damp squib album Pop for a Best Of a few years later, and polished a few turds. So overall it takes a brave man to try this sort of thing, but then Ian McCulloch is nothing if not confident.
Actually, confident doesn’t do The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon justice; rather than tweak a specific album, or certain songs, he has ‘re-imagined’ the best known slices of the Echo & The Bunnymen catalogue, with two new offerings. In truth, these aren’t huge, wholesale changes so this album resembles a greatest hits. The songs themselves aren’t re-arranged, just added to withstrings or keyboards. Bring On The Dancing Horses loses a bit of life with less guitar emphasis and the dramatic harmonies, but a great song is a great song. Lips Like Sugar puts the bass higher in the mix – justifiably as it carries the tune. Angels & Devils features a new drum-beat which manages to sound new, but Nothing Lasts Forever now sounds somewhat plodding.
One notable difference is McCulloch’s voice, which is more warm and textured having been through the rigours of time. It particularly adds a gravitas to the already sparse atmosphere of Zimbo. Stars And Stars also benefits from more nuance, and Seven Seas has been reworked as a John Cooper Clarke reading. Of the two new songs, The Somnambulist stands out with its spirit lifting quality and sits comfortably with everything else here. How Far?, meanwhile, is ironically the most guitar-heavy track on the album.
Given their longevity, it would be churlish to begrudge Echo & The Bunnymen some self-indulgence. On quality of songs, The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon would be album of the year. Any album containing The Cutter, Lips Like Sugar and The Killing Moon has to be.
Although the less said about this version of The Killing Moon, the better.