When
Ian McCulloch and
Will Sergeant got an offer from BMG to sign
Echo & the Bunnymen to a recording contract, the label had a plan for them to re-record their old classics with an orchestra.
McCulloch thought it was a fine idea, as he wanted to sing the songs from the perspective of an older and wiser man. By the time
The Stars, the Ocean & the Moon was released, though, it had become something a little different. While some of the songs were done with piano and strings, many were given arrangements that sounded very similar to the originals, and there were two new songs mixed in among the timeless tracks. The songs that take liberties with the arrangements are most interesting. For example, "Nothing Lasts Forever," a track from the mostly overlooked
Evergreen, makes fine use of strings, marimba, and organ, creating a melancholy bed for one of
Mac's updated vocals. The two new songs -- "The Somnambulist" and "How Far?" -- are fine late-period
Echo. ~ Tim Sendra