Songs to Learn & Sing
Greatest hits album by
Echo & the Bunnymen
Released11 November 1985[1]
Recorded1979–1985
GenrePost-punk, new wave[2]
Length40:09
LabelKorova
ProducerIan Broudie, the Chameleons, Hugh Jones, Echo & the Bunnymen, Laurie Latham
Echo & the Bunnymen chronology
Ocean Rain
(1984)		 Songs to Learn & Sing
(1985)		 Echo & the Bunnymen
(1987)
Singles from Songs to Learn & Sing
  1. "Bring On the Dancing Horses"
    Released: 14 November 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Robert ChristgauC+[3]

Songs to Learn & Sing is a compilation album by English rock band Echo & the Bunnymen, released on 11 November 1985 by Korova. Featuring all of the singles the band had released up to that point, the album received positive reviews and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart.[4]

Releases

Songs to Learn & Sing was first released as an LP, 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 album was also available as a limited edition picture disc and a limited edition album with a copy of the "Pictures on My Wall" single.

The album includes songs in chronological order taken from the band's four studio albums that had been released up to that point, as well as the previously unreleased "Bring On the Dancing Horses", slated for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink (1986).[5] It also includes the non-album singles "The Puppet" and "Never Stop". "Bring On the Dancing Horses" was released as a single on 14 November 1985. It reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart.[6]

Reception

MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic rated Songs to Learn & Sing four and a half stars out of five and described it as "a solid and comprehensive collection of the band's material".[7] The album reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart[4] and number 158 on the US Billboard 200.[5] In 1993, it was featured in Rock Compact Disc magazine's list of 45 classic "British Indie Guitar Rock" albums.[8]

Track listing

All words by Ian McCulloch. All music composed by McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas.

Side one
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
1."Rescue"Crocodiles (1980)3:46
2."The Puppet"Non-album single (1980)3:05
3."Do It Clean"Crocodiles (US version)2:43
4."A Promise"Heaven Up Here (1981)3:40
5."The Back of Love"Porcupine (1983)3:13
6."The Cutter"Porcupine3:55
Side two
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
1."Never Stop"Non-album single (1983)3:29
2."The Killing Moon"Ocean Rain (1984)5:46
3."Silver"Ocean Rain3:17
4."Seven Seas"Ocean Rain3:19
5."Bring On the Dancing Horses"Previously unreleased3:56

Personnel

Echo & the Bunnymen

Technical

  • Ian Broudie – producer ("Rescue", "The Back of Love", "The Cutter")
  • The Chameleons (David Balfe and Bill Drummond) – producers ("The Puppet", "Do It Clean")
  • Hugh Jones – producer ("A Promise", "Never Stop")
  • The Bunnymen – producers ("The Killing Moon", "Silver", "Seven Seas"); associate producers ("A Promise", "Never Stop")
  • David Lord – engineer ("The Killing Moon")
  • Laurie Latham – producer ("Bring On the Dancing Horses")
  • Anton Corbijn – photography
  • X=X – design

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue number
United Kingdom 11 November 1985[1] Korova LP KODE 13
LP picture disc KODE 13P
Cassette CODE 13
Germany 15 November 1985 WEA LP 240,767-1
CD 2292-40767-2
United States 15 November 1985 Sire Records LP 1-25360
CD 25360-2

Chart positions

Chart (1985) Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart[4] 6
Billboard 200[5] 158
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 57

References

  1. 1 2 "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 August 2009. Note: User needs to enter "Echo & The Bunnymen" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
  2. ↑ MacKenzie Wilson (15 November 1985). "Songs to Learn and Sing – Echo & the Bunnymen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Echo & the Bunnymen". Robert Christgau.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. 1 2 3 "November 1985: Echo & the Bunnymen Release SONGS TO LEARN & SING". Rhino Entertainment. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". IRMA. 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  7. ↑ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Songs to Learn and Sing - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Patterson, Sylvia (April 1993). "State of Independents: British Indie Guitar Rock". Rock Compact Disc. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  9. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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