For the month of October, I’m taking the #OctAtoZBandChallenge challenge. The premise is simple. Pick a band starting with the day’s assigned alphabet letter and then choose a song from that band.
Day 5
Echo & the Bunnymen may be considered by many to be one of the preeminent post-punk bands. But in some ways, they didn’t sound anything like a post-punk band. The biggest influence on their sound is obviously The Doors. Much of the LA rock legend’s blues-inspired sound, organ hooks and vocal crooning were passed on to Echo. In fact, the band has even covered Doors classics, including “Soul Kitchen” and “People Are Strange”. But “Do It Clean” may be the perfect example of inspiration and originality.
It starts off with a heavy, urgent dose of guitar and bass with a 70s rock vibe before settling into its confident, rolling mid-tempo. McCullough doesn’t sound like the second coming of Jim Morrison. He comes off like a frontman with his own distinct identity and agenda. But if that organ riff doesn’t remind you of Ray Manzarek, I don’t know what will. One of the first few Echo songs that I had the fortune of discovering through WDRE/WLIR, “Do It Clean” is a reminder of how good we had it with local alternative rock radio.
“I had a handful of this. What did I do with it? I had a barrel of this. What did I do with it?”