#AlternateFridayMusic
April 25 2025
The prompt is Insect
Echo & the Bunnymen, “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo” 1985
With this track, originally released as the B-side to their single “Bring On the Dancing Horses," #EchoAndTheBunnymen wear their Doors influence on their sleeves. When they rerecorded it for their eponymous full length release two years later, #RayManzarek himself added organ and it fits perfectly. Many prefer the earlier, leaner version, the last recording with that fresh, earnest (lower budget?) Bunnymen charm, but I also love the way the arguably more commercial 1987 Bunnymen came roaring out of my speakers, and find it hard to pick.
After initially dismissing the lyrics as delightful nonsense, I've come to think there’s meaning lurking here (Colonization, anyone?) but I often listen untroubled by analysis, just letting the swirling Liverpudlian post-punk incense and peppermint wash over me.
