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Echo and the Bunnymen
Built to last, Ian McCulloch and friends came out of the 1978 post punk scene in Liverpool. Three decades on and with a fanbase showing no sign of fatigue, Sunday's set on the John Peel stage could be one of this year's most memorable performances.
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Reading the review of Ocean Rain I now know why I never liked that album that much. When it was released it felt like it was going to be their "last truly great record" even before it proved to be. You had bad feeling it was the beginning of the end for them.
I can sympathise with the idea that Ocean Rain has to be regarded as "the great album", but personally I rate Crocodiles as their last truly great album.
I really tried to like Heaven Up Here, but I could never get into it that much. Porcupine and Ocean Rain seem like commercial efforts of their time. For me, Crocodiles is the classic.
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Why have BBC decided not to show the John Peel Stage on Red Button tonight? Why are we missed Echo and the Bunnymen and the Wombats to see s*** like the Black Eyed Peas? Youve made a mess of tonight
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Why was this band not on TV this is a legendary British band, i am upset with you BBC
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Why are the choices now Madness and Franz Ferdinand? AGAIN! Why not show Echo and the Bunnymen - are they going to be on the hilite shows in the week?
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Shocking. While flicking through the channels and BBC6, the Beeb's presenters said something like "Blur are playing on the main stage", "Prodigy on the Other stage", "Black Eyed Peas on the Jazz Stage". Not a dickie bird about Echo & The Bunnymen on the Peel Stage at the same time. No coverage at all. The great, late John Peel must be turning in his grave. Instead, we get Blur on BBC2, Black Eyed Peas on BBC3 and then the red button, Bruce Springsteen (again), Madness (again) or Tom Jones (again). Why no Bunnymen? Regina Spektor reduced to online highlights. Bat for Lashes briefly late on the red button. Beeb your coverage of Glastonbury has been diabolical.
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I was really looking forward to seeing this iconic British band. The line-up at Glastonbury was pretty poor in my humble opinion, but The Bunnymen would have been the highlight of the festival for me and probably a lot of others. I sat through some really poor acts, with precious little to offer, waiting for some magnificent tunes from The Bunnymen. Overall the coverage of the festival was ok but what a terrible choice not to show these icons of the 80's.
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Absolutely appalled that the bbc chose not to show anything of the Bunnymen. Why was this? Not even any video on this site...shocking.
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Disappointed there was no coverage of Echo and the Bunnymen, and now I find there's no video of the set either !
Come on BBC, this is beyond poor, give us the Bunnymen PLEASE !!!!
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why no Bunnymen? what a cock up far to much time watching presenters telling us what a fantastic time they were having ,ooh yes lets show a bit of music as well.
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To say I'm disappointed would be un understatement. I have just searched for some highlights of The Bunnymen at Glastobury only to find ... well nothing ... just a growing group of other disgruntled people venting their feelings at the BBC's complete misjudgement on this omission.
Perhaps the person responsible for this debacle was not born in time to witness the Liverpool quartet at their prime in the early 1980's, but that is no excuse for the exclusion of any available footage in 2009.
I haven't seen them perform since I saw them live at the Albert Hall in 1983 ... looks as though I will have to seek them out live again if I'm to hear some of their classic songs.
BBC will not be coming to our 'Rescue' it seems.
2/10
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BBC what are you playing at!! I have enjoyed watching Glastonbury this weekend. (Although there was too much of the headline acts -repeated several times)!! After being blown away by Madness, I was waiting to see Echo and the Bunnymen to top the weekend off perfectly! I searched the listings, the red button, the internet -no nothing at all! So disappointed!
Glad too see that I am not on my own and other people feel short changed too!
Give us some Echo!!!!!!!!!!
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Very disappointed about the lack of Echo and the Bunnymen coverage, both live last night and now on the website too - so much for the BBC report that "Sunday's set on the John Peel stage could be one of this year's most memorable performances."
How will we ever know? Where is the video? Will we get to see any highlights at all?
Come on BBC. This is pretty poor.
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Let's face facts. I'm guessing the BBC can only cover 3 stages simultaneously, so it's a toss up between Bunnymen and Black Eyed Peas. The BBC would have been slated more if they'd not covered the Black Eyed Peas. The only way the Bunnymen would gave been covered was if they had headlined Saturday instead of the arguably more iconic Jarvis Cocker.
The problem seems to be in using what is essentially a TV/radio broadcaster to "cover" the world's biggest most diverse music/arts event.
Surely the greatest benefit would be to reduce TV coverage and spread the production budget across more radio channels via the Internet. Then more people would get to hear their favourite artists and discover new ones.
But if anything, I get the impression the BBC is covering less stages than it used to.
I'm hoping the BBC will give its point of view is on this.
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I too am disappointed that the BBC did not broadcast the Bunnymen gig. I was there and it was even better than 2005, when they played the Other Stage at Saturday tea-time. Bunnymen are best late at night. It was a marvellous, triumphant performance, not just Ocean Rain but also a good smattering of classics such as Rescue.
I was really looking forward to watching some highlights.
The person who said that Heaven Up Here was a poor album is an idiot. It's surely in the top 50 albums of all time.
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njw3000
Chill out man, not exactly Glastonbury is it? It's easy to be offensive when there are no consequences.
Check your facts. No-one said Heaven Up Here was a poor album.
Is Heaven Up Here a Top 50 album? Google says no, but if it means you 'll stop being offensive, then I'm absolutely with you on than one man!
Does anyone think Ocean Rain is over hyped at the expense of their other albums?
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On the subject of the missing coverage, see the BBC Music Blog by the BBC's Exec Producer for Glastonbury, Mark Cooper:
"Neil Young on the BBC"
This blog defends the disappointing coverage of another headline artist. It has attracted comments from disappointed fans of other headline artists like The Streets, so it seems like a good place to air any complaints about E&BM.
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Excellent performance by Echo and The Bunnymen one of the highlights of Glastonbury 2009 - very disappointed to see no video or Audio on the BBC site, seems like I am not the only one !
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Yes where is the BBC coverage of E&TB? 400 staff the BBC sent there and three channels to transmit on. What went wrong?
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Avoided Blur to see the Bunnymen on Sunday night. I've never followed them or bought their albums but my boyfriend is a fan. I was totally stunned at how good they were - Ian's voice was incredible. Can't believe there have been no reviews or coverage of them. There was no evidence of BBC crew at gig and doubt it was filmed.
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i was absoloutely appalled at the fact that the iconic echo and the bunnymen were not featured at all at Glastonbury. they have been a part of the music scene for 30 years and as such deserved some air time. i recorded every programme in a bid to catch them but was sadly dissapointed. i have followed this band for years and they are the best.
BBC you made a big error in this
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Same here, recorded as much as I could then trawled the website and nothing, which is an absolute joke, especially considering some of the artists given air/web-time.
Such an influential band as well, whoever put together the play lists should be ashamed of themselves and are earning money under false pretences by working in a music environment?....Muppetts!!!
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An absolute disgrace. Even an uneducated idiot would devote some air time to the John Peel Stage headliner.
BBC you cut off my hands when I wanted to twist!
Sort it!
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Echo and the Bunnymen are a true / traditional Glastonbury style band and it is in deed a travesty that they were not featured.
It would seem that they have fallen foul of the BBC's notorious PC attitude and chose to show utter rubbish such as Dizzee Rascal and Roots Manuva instead (non Glastonbury style bands in many's view). BTW Roots Manuva didn't sound like Jazz to me.
Is it any wonder that people are moving away from radio 1 and listening to XFM, Absolute, Kerrang and Planet Rock etc, who all play a much wider choice of music. Pander to the minority and the majority will vote with their feet / tuning button.
Rant over and very disappointed with the BBC!
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..and 20 yr anniversary since Pete De Freitas sadly departed.. forever... . pay mi license fee for you . you phuckin tossers. we all should, and would stop payin' you....
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I was very disappointed and frankly bewildered by the decision not to broadcast Echo and the Bunnymen's performance; the total lack of coverage of it is bizarre, particularly as the trailer for Glastonbury on Radio 2 included E&TB's song 'Silver'!
Echo and the Bunnymen are a brilliant, influential band, with so many great songs, and after all these years they are still excellent live. They were the only act playing Glastonbury this year that I was really looking forward to seeing. I can't believe that the BBC sent 407 staff to Glastonbury and failed to cover the Bunnymen. What a joke.
I understand that you are obliged to show performances by Blur, etc on the main channels, but the Bunnymen, at the very least, should have been shown via the Red Button service. Surely the whole point of digital TV is to give viewers a greater choice?
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And yer mann, throbbo, back there is clearly a knob.. who had a crash course in the bunnymen, play this and say summat.... DOES NOT WORK,
SO angry with u beeb, 400 staff and not even a mention. worse still.. u do not seem to understand exactly what is wrong here.
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The BBC really missed out with coverage. The greatest band of all time and the greatest newish band going.
Not a glimps of Echo and the Bunnymen or Brand New
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What? No Bunnymen at all? Nothing on the highlights? Headliners on the John Peel Stage..... I think I speak for all music lovers when I say that we want to see less of the inane banter from the presenters and more music.
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It was a travesty, really, that the Bunnymen were slighted by the BBC. I didn't see any of it because i am in the US but checked BBC online to see highlights and found there were none. : (
Did anyone over there really want to hear/see Bruce Springsteen? I wouldn't walk across the street to see him for free. The Blackeyed Peas? Nothing but noise.
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I am also VERY disappointed that the BBC did not show Echo and the Bunnymen on their coverage!
It was a terrible lack of judgement especially as they HEAD-LINED the JOHN PEEL stage!!!
I agree with others that surely the Red button could at least have shown them. Failing that then why is there nothing on the BBC Glastonbury site?????
More time could have been devoted to great bands
instead of hearing endlessly how there is so much to do at Glastonbury.... and how much the presenters were enjoying it......
Instead of repeating acts such as Lady? Gag Gag and Titty Allen over and over we could have had real music like Echo and the Bunnymen, Jarvis and The Horrors...
I have always enjoyed the BBC coverage but not this year.....
Black Eyed Peas shown instead of Echo and the Bunnymen?? John Peel must have been turning in his grave.... :-(
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Not only was the non-coverage of the Bunnymens set a disappointment to fans around the world, its a big disgrace to the legacy that John Peel and the Bunnymen have created over decades. If John Peel was still here, he would have made sure it was covered. Glastonbury also recognized them for their achievement, why didnt you?
BBC, you should be ashamed of yourselves for depriving fans from 2 great legends. You chose mediocre over substance. Theres no excuse for that.
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...so much lauding about the band and the no such coverage??? Shame BBC...
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
arrived home after watching a great set from the bunnyment at Glastonbury, wanted to show my wife and family what a great performance they had given.
logged into the BBc site , did a search for the Bunnymeny ..... nothing except old news reports ,
did theyrun out of cameras or was it because it was Sunday and all the camera people gone home early ?
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shame maybe next year
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Echo & the Bunnymen are in excellent form at the moment and headlining the Glastonbury John Peel Stage should have meant automatic coverage from the BBC.
Instead there is not even archived video footage on the BBC website and during the three days the BBC seemed happier to replay a handful acts over and over again.
What a shambles.
To make up for this spectacular own goal the BBC could consider giving airtime to Bunnymen's recent Ocean Rain gig filmed in Liverpool last year. Or cover one of the gigs coming up this year.
And let another broadcaster cover the John Peel Stage next year ....
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I've been photographing at Glasto since 1990 and working for the official website for the last few years. Echo & the Bunnymen's set on the John Peel Stage was probably the best headline set I've ever seen there and yet there were no TV cameras and a far smaller audience than the band deserved. Shame on you BBC - this will go down in history as the gig most people regret not seeing. If anyone would like to see some of the photos I took, here's a link to my Myspace:
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=27710511
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