Will Sergeant

The swirling guitars of Will Sergeant has been one of Echo and the Bunnymen's distinguishing characteristics since the band's inception in 1978. Initially only playing a one-string guitar, Sergeant was inspired by the punk movement's minimalist approach to music. However, Sergeant was also enamored of '60s psychedelic rock and the marriage of the two spawned the brittle, otherworldly guitar sound of Echo and the Bunnymen's 1980 debut LP, Crocodiles. On Crocodiles, Sergeant unshackled his Love, Doors, and Velvet Underground influences and sharpened the edges, creating bleak, dreamy landscapes that countless imitators would feed from. Post-punk and new wave bands such as the Chameleons, the Mighty Lemon Drops, and the Ocean Blue intoxicated themselves on Sergeant's ethereal riffs. In 1982, Sergeant released a solo album of instrumentals, Themes for Grind. After vocalist Ian McCulloch departed from Echo and the Bunnymen in 1988, Sergeant recorded another Echo and the Bunnymen LP in 1990 without him. Entitled Reverberation, the album introduced singer Noel Burke as a replacement for McCulloch. The album was a commercial and critical flop. When Sergeant reunited with McCulloch as Electrafixion in the mid-'90s, grunge had conquered the alternative-rock scene; consequently, Sergeant cranked up the amps for Electrafixion. But fans didn't embrace Elektrafixion's hard rock touches; in 1997, Echo and the Bunnymen reformed with Sergeant, McCulloch, and bassist Les Pattinson. Sergeant has also released ambient music under the name Glide. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide