Another repeat posting from way back in time, once again on the basis that I can’t better what was written before. This is from October 2013, when the then 50-year old me was thinking back to an era when I was slimmer, more energetic and had a fine head of hair. Oh, and a half-decent fashion sense. It was give the title of LAY DOWN THY RAINCOAT AND GROOOOOOVE…
Back in the early 80s, I spent almost every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night within the student union at Strathclyde University, I wasn’t a fashionista – I probably had about ten different shirts to choose from (five of which were black) and maybe three pair of jeans (two of which were black). But no matter what clothes were nearest to my skin, I never went anywhere without my fabulous olive-coloured raincoat that I’d persuaded my dad to give me….
The raincoat was in homage to Ian McCulloch who I thought was one of the coolest men on the planet. He, along with his bandmates, always seemed to be photographed wearing some sort of coat, although thinking back that’s probably more to do with them insisting their photoshoots take place in the likes of Iceland.
Without fail the student union ‘disco’ would feature at least one Echo & The Bunnymen song during the course of the evening and without fail it was cue for me to get up on the dancefloor and do my thing. Sad poseur that I was, I inevitably tried to dance while wearing my raincoat. It might have been draped over a chair or wrapped under a nearby table, but the second a Bunnymen track began to blast out, I’d race to where the coat was and put it on. I now accept that I must had looked like a dickhead…..
Then in 1983 I saw the video to the new Bunnymen single, and wouldn’t you know it, Mac was on the stage of the Albert Hall doing his thing – but without a coat. From that moment on, the raincoat never again was seen on the dancefloor….
All of this came back to me the other day when the single from 1983 came on via shuffle as I sat on a train heading to the football. I smiled at the memories. It was also a sharp reminder that it’s a belter of a track:-
mp3 : Echo & The Bunnymen – Never Stop (Discotheque)
That’s the 12″ version which I bought on vinyl at the time and still have all these years later. The b-sides were a different version of a track that had featured on the 1982 LP Porcupine as well as what I assume is an early demo-type version of what would later become a hit single:-
mp3 : Echo & The Bunnymen – Heads Will Roll (Summer Version)
mp3 : Echo & The Bunnymen – The Original Cutter
I’m very fond of Heads Will Roll, so I thought I’d also add the LP version to this posting.
mp3 : Echo & The Bunnymen – Heads Will Roll
Admit it. It does make you want to dance.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Some things bear repeating and this post and EP prove it. Thanks, JC
I was that same coat-wearing ‘dickhead’ around the same time, about 40 miles east along the M8. Got my Bunnymen coat from a 2nd-hand shop on the Cowgate, and wore it solidly for a year or so, until it gave way to a baggy shirt and beads combo, associated with another band from the north-west of England . . . Anyhow, fashion cul-de-sacs aside, this was a great single, although I’d place it right at the end of the Bunnymen’s imperial phase, before their addiction to overblown string sections became excessive.
We can laugh about it now but that level of dedication should be commended in equal measure. That it meant so much. Was never much of a fan of them bunnyboys, although they sound alright now many years later: them coming on in the discos back then would be met by sparking up sullen cigarettes.
Winterinmaypark
I think the two alternative versions are from the first go at recording Porcupine.
Driving Will to get his train in Perth after his Dundee book event, I remembered to ask him how many songs they’d recorded before the company rejected the songs. He said there were only a few. It’s going to be interesting reading about that period in book 3, which can’t be too far away. Hopefully.
Also interesting that the alternate versions that appeared on the Porcupine bonus tracks hewed much closer to the final versions than the two songs above.
Over here this was sold as the Bunnymen’s “Blue Monday”. It took me a good while to overcome my disappointment and take it for the good song it is, albeit it’s not a Blue Monday.
A decent song, but I don’t remember ever dancing to it.
Always loved the Discotheque version of Never Stop. And yet this is the first time i noticed you can hear the tape splice on the bowed instrument in the intro!! This just makes me love it even more!!
Arguably EATB ‘s best non -LP single! Instantly brings back memories of cat-like dance moves and the dance floor filling at clubs like Danceteria, Peppermint Lounge and The Ritz. Post Punk -Beatnik-Orchestral-Dance Party classic!!
Arguably EATB ‘s best non -LP single! Instantly brings back memories of cat-like dance moves and the dance floor filling at clubs like Danceteria, Peppermint Lounge and The Ritz. Post Punk -Beatnik-Orchestral-Dance Party classic!!
“But no matter what clothes were nearest to my skin, I never went anywhere without my fabulous olive-coloured raincoat that I’d persuaded my dad to give me…”
Love this line.
My dad had a brown raincoat that he wore to church. I requisitioned it (with his blessing), added a New Order badge and it became my mid ’80s go-to jacket. Went really well with the brown suede Hush Puppies.
Keep up the great work on the site!