Echo & the Bunnymen (album)

Echo & the Bunnymen is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Echo & the Bunnymen, their last with drummer Pete de Freitas, who died in 1989 in a motorcycle accident, aged 27. The album was produced by Laurie Latham; the sessions took place in Germany, Belgium, London and Liverpool, following an aborted attempt at recording the tracks without de Freitas and with producer Gil Norton. With Latham being an exacting producer, and lead vocalist Ian McCulloch receiving star treatment and drinking heavily, the recording was more difficult than the band had initially hoped. The album made more use of keyboards than their previous studio albums, which had been string-heavy. Three singles were issued: "The Game", "Lips Like Sugar" and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo".

Although Echo & the Bunnymen was successful in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser degree, the United States, it received mixed reviews from the music press following its release in July 1987. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In North America, it reached number 51 on the United States Billboard 200 and number 51 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums. In Europe, it stayed in the European Top 100 Albums for eight weeks, peaking at number 36 on its fourth week.