Echo and the Bunnymen Ocean Rain

"We wanted to make something conceptual with lush orchestration; not Mantovani, something with a twist. It's all pretty dark." So said Echo & The Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant of the band's fourth studio collection, Ocean Rain. The 1984 Sire album is a bit of a departure from its post-punk/neo-psych predecessors; largely dispensing with synthesizers, the 35-piece accompaniment lures the Liverpool quartet into dramatic and melodic new territory. Highlights include "Silver" "Seven Seas" and Top Ten U.K. hit "The Killing Moon," but this is the kind of darkly romantic work best experienced as a whole. Featuring a strong set of songs and impassioned performances, the moody and majestic Ocean Rain is cited by many fans as the group's high-water mark.