The Back of Love
The single that reworked a Peel session track and set up Porcupine.
Echo & the Bunnymen, from Porcupine (1982)
- Written by
- Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson, Pete de Freitas
- Released
- 21 May 1982
- Length
- 3:14
- Album
- Porcupine
Released on Korova and WEA on 21 May 1982, it was produced by Ian Broudie as Kingbird. The A-side was recorded at Trident in London and the B-side at Square One in Liverpool. It is a re-recording of a track from a John Peel session. The cover art is Henry Scott Tuke's painting The Promise, held at the Walker Art Gallery.
It reached 19 in the UK and 24 in Ireland. Burning Airlines covered it on a 1998 split single with Braid. Pitchfork's Joe Tangari called it the astonishing highlight of the group's career in his 2004 review, describing frenetic drumming, laser-focused bass, Sergeant's choppy, delayed guitar chords, and a synthesizer groan behind McCulloch's frantically shouted chorus.
Covers and versions
- Burning Airlines (1998) On a split single with Braid.
More songs by Echo & the Bunnymen
The Killing Moon, The Cutter, Rescue, Lips Like Sugar, Bring On the Dancing Horses
Sources
- The Back of Love, Wikipedia
- Echo & the Bunnymen song statistics, setlist.fm
- Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here / Porcupine / Ocean Rain (reissue review), Pitchfork (2004-03-02)