Album of the Day

Echo and the Bunnymen's superb debut, CROCODILES, had one foot in the past and one in the future; while listeners could detect the influence of '60s psychedelia and bands like The Doors, the 1980 album was also steeped in the darkness and anguish for which goth and post-punk would soon be known. Its dozen songs were exceptionally strong, and featured the group's first two singles (a rerecorded “Pictures On My Wall” and “Rescue”) and soon-to-be concert staple “Do It Clean” (which had been left off the original U.K. pressing in the mistaken belief that it contained expletives). While Echo and the Bunnymen originally featured a drum machine, by the time of CROCODILES the band had acquired a live drummer in Pete de Freitas, who was born on this day in 1961.