"The Cutter" is a single released by the English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...
in 1983. It is the second single released from their third studio album, ''
Porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
'' (1983).
Release
The single was released on the
Korova label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...
in the United Kingdom on 14 January 1983 as both a
7" and
12" single. The 7" was available as a
limited edition which was packaged with a
cassette containing tracks from their August 1979
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
session which featured the
drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
that was rumoured to be called "Echo". The extra track on the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of the 12" release, "Zimbo", is a live recording from the first
WOMAD
WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.
History
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...
festival in July 1982 and features the
Royal Drummers of Burundi. 12" single available with limited edition free poster
The song was ranked at number 14 among the "Tracks of the Year" for 1983 by ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''. In a retrospective review of "The Cutter",
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
journalist Tom Maginnis wrote: "Echo and The Bunnymen successfully wed the Eastern influenced
psychedelic sounds made famous by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. The Eastern strings re-enter at strategic points, filling in space between verses and
Ian McCulloch's esoteric pleas to 'spare us the cutter!'. The track never loses steam, cruising through each section with power and grace."
The song was
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
by the Dutch musician
Solex on the 2001 compilation album ''Matador 2001: Draw Me a Riot'', which came free with the April 2001 edition of ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
'' magazine.
A version of the song, performed by Lagartija Nick, is included on the 2005 Spanish tribute album ''Play the Game: Un Tributo a Echo & The Bunnymen''.
Formats and track listing
All tracks written by
Ian McCulloch,
Will Sergeant,
Les Pattinson and
Pete de Freitas except where noted.
;UK 7" single
(KOW 26)
#"The Cutter" – 3.53
#"Way Out and Up We Go" – 3.57
;UK 12" single
(KOW 26T)
#"The Cutter" – 3.53
#"Way Out and Up We Go" – 3.59
#"Zimbo" (live with the
Royal Drummers of Burundi) – 4.52
;UK cassette
(KOW 26C)
Limited edition free with the UK 7" single (KOW 26).
#"The Cutter"
#"Villiers Terrace"
#"Ashes to Ashes" ("Stars Are Stars")
#"Monkeys"
#"Read It in Books" (McCulloch,
Julian Cope
Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...
)
;Belgium 7" single
(24.9919-7)
#"The Cutter" – 3.52
#"Way Out and Up We Go" – 4.01
Chart positions
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutter (song), The
1982 songs
1983 singles
Echo & the Bunnymen songs
Songs written by Ian McCulloch (singer)
Songs written by Will Sergeant
Songs written by Les Pattinson
Songs written by Pete de Freitas
Song recordings produced by Ian Broudie
Korova (record label) singles