Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The darkness between light is often painted as one of unescapable torture, of anguished emotions heightened by drama and ongoing threats against the soul. Black is a dichotomy, it is regal, it is the symbol of elegance, and it is the void we look in to when the absence of other colours starts to make our minds panic at that which it cannot fathom, that it feels compelled to be drawn to.
Place that feeling against the Evergreen, that which flowers and keeps its radiance of colour across the divides of seasons, black may be a void, a construct of opulence, but the evergreen is that in which gives hope, which bookends the darkness as it stands out, as the eyes are drawn to that which could have been indefinite.
The Evergreen is triumph over adversity, of understanding that even in darkness, what must prevail is renewal, that silence must be broken by the restoration of the spoken word, the questions, the answers, the determination to beat back the cruelty of suppression, and instead look back on the periods either side as that of continuation at rest.
It is in the 25th anniversary of Liverpool’s Echo & The Bunnymen’s return and in the triumph of Evergreen that a period of darkness, of loss, and the renaissance that followed is perhaps keenly felt for one of the city’s much-loved bands.
Appreciation after the fact is all too common, but as the 25th anniversary of the 1997 album flows, as it takes the listener on a voyage of rediscovery and intense emotions, the clamour of the heart is extended, buoyed by extras and meaning as b sides, radio sessions, and unreleased live tracks make it one of the most comprehensive of all the band’s extended versions.
A simply stunning 33 tracks long, and one that does not detract from the abundance of material available, nor from its original plan, the sense of growth and rebirth in the same musical statement is a thrill, it is a scene created from possible ashes, and whilst the single Nothing Lasts Forever was in itself another dichotomy of the black between forever greens, it would prove to be a restoration of excellent and fierce belief, one that managed to pay respect to the loss of drummer Pete de Freitas, but honour the fans in the same scintillating breathe.
The tracks are well versed, but the reissue more than exemplifies the brilliance of I Want To Be There (When You Come), Just A Touch Away, Empire State Halo, and the huge input of live tracks such as The Killing Moon, Lips Like Sugar, and Baseball Bill, itself taken from a live broadcast by the B.B.C. at the Kilburn National, and the result is one of drama, of controlled renewal, of a memory caught in action and illuminating a sense of continuation.
Evergreen – 25th Anniversary Edition is a gift to the fan and public alike, a group that were as individual as possible, but to whom made the difference when they came together, in any form, in any situation…timeless.
Echo & The Bunnymen’s Evergreen – 25th Anniversary Edition is released on November 18th.
Ian D. Hall