CD: COOKCD223
RELEASE DATE: 2002
LABEL: Cooking Vinyl

01. Rescue
02. Lips Like Sugar
03. King Of Kings
04. Never Stop
05. Seven Seas
06. Buried Alive
07. Supermellow Man *
08. My Kingdom
09. Zimbo *
10. All That Jazz
11. Eternity Turns
12. Back Of Love
13. Killing Moon
14. The Cutter
15. Over The Wall
16. Nothing Lasts Forever
17. Ocean Rain

* bonustracks not on Liverpool DVD !

A two-night return to their hometown on their 2001 tour for Flowers yielded this 21-cut concert document of the Bunnymen. Liverpool begins as more of a stroll than the storming rush of the '80s concert recordings exhumed for the Crystal Days box set. But by its fourth track, "Never Stop, " frontman Ian McCulloch's slight cig-induced rasp and lowered register seem less signs of diminished capacity than drivers for emotional vitality. From there, the balance between intense hits like "Back of Love" and "The Cutter" and moodier pieces such as "Eternity Turns" makes a case for the group as something more than a nostalgia act. As do convincing recent compositions such as their (latest) Doors homage, "King of Kings, " and the stately "Nothing Lasts Forever." For even the casually committed, Live in Liverpool is a tasty alternative to any of the preceding Best Of compilations, not only offering those cornerstone moments of monochromic sleepy-eyed psychedelia ("Zimbo") and nautically-inspired nonsense ("Seven Seas") but such items of gloriously dark pop as "Rescue", "Lips Like Sugar" and the stealthy, surf-guitar strewn, cloak-and-dagger drama of "Killing Moon". This DVD comes with 6 extra livetracks and 4 videoclips that are not on the live-CD and is a must have for fans. Those who haven't heard or seen Echo & the Bunnymen in a while might be struck by its cohesiveness.