About the time New Wave was fizzling out, the second British invasion was getting underway--and leading the charge were the big three: The Cure, The Smiths, and Echo & The Bunnymen. For about five years in the mid 80's, these three seminal bands held sway in the "alternative" kingdom, even eclipsing such giants as R.E.M. and U2.

My favorite was Ian McCulloch's creation, Echo & The Bunnymen. I've seen all of the bands mentioned above in concert on more than one occasion and I've never seen anyone with more natural grace and commanding stage-presence than McCulloch (Mac to his friends). He possesses a voice so rich and smooth that he could sing "Happy Birthday" for two hours and no one would walk out. What's more, he was an absolute original--the only artist I've ever heard him compared to was Jim Morrison, and I think that has more to do with the fact that Echo covered "Soul Kitchen," in concert and recorded "People Are Strange," for the soundtrack to Lost Boys. And, whereas, The Cure and The Smiths' music never translated well beyond the 80's, Echo was timeless in their prime, and sound just as valid today.

The Bunnymen reached their finest hour and their swan song at about the same time, with the release of their '86 eponymous masterpiece. With songs like, "Lips Like Sugar," "Bomber's Bay," and "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo," it ranks among the very best records of the 80's. During the tour, drummer Pete De Freitas was killed in a car accident and Echo & The Bunnymen went into hibernation for nearly a decade. In the interim, McCulloch released two solo albums, Candleland and Mysterio, as well as a side project called Electrifixion. All of which were pretty good, but were mere scraps for hungry Bunny fans. By the time they finally got around to recording Evergreen in '97, they'd more or less lost their audience.

The chances of their new release, making much of an impact in an alternative climate dominated by acts like Korn and Limp Bizkit is unlikely. What Are You Going To Do With Your Life is a mellow contemplative affair, gone are the up-tempo rockers of old. But for us old-school alternative fans, hearing Mac return to form is like putting on your old baseball mitt--all the old grooves still feel just right.