The overcast skies on the cover of Heaven up Here accurately reflect the gloomy post-punk of Echo & The Bunnymen’s second album. Co-produced by Hugh Jones, the 1981 Sire set has a disconsolate vibe akin to Joy Division but leavened with what frontman Ian McCulloch termed a “spikey edge.” While such songs as “Over the Wall,” “A Promise” and the title track may be less familiar than later hits, they nonetheless helped make the collection a Top 10 success in the group’s native U.K.; the album also reached the Billboard chart in the U.S., a first for the band. Heaven up Here was named by both Rolling Stone and NME as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
