The Waterboys Albums (12)
What The Critics Say
Mike Scott recorded his ninth Waterboys record live in the studio, bringing along some old friends and re-igniting a fire that had been burning awfully low since 2003's deeply introspective and inconsistent Universal Hall. Opening with Book of Lightning's finest four minutes, the gorgeous "Crash of Angel's Wings," fueled by the instantly recognizable laser sweep of longtime Julian Cope collaborator Thighpaulsandra, Scott doesn't just breath life back into the band, he makes it sound like a band again. This is the amiable and slightly mischievous Waterboys of old, as evidenced by the tight, Beatles-inspired "Nobody's Baby Anymore," which takes a winking look at age, success, and longing for the day where "Peacocks danced around my eyes" and "I kissed riches/Strode tall in my britches," but that's not to say that the weighty themes of life, loss, faith, and hope aren't still the bedrock on which Scott builds his sonic temples. "Strange Arrangement" echoes the more soulful, R&B-influenced ballads from Room to Roam, the aching "Sustain" relies heavily on Vancouver backing band Great Aunt Ida's dynamic, tide-like construction and longtime trumpet collaborator Roddy Lorimer's steeple-high runs, and Scott revisits the "Big Music" of the Pagan Place era on "It's Gonna Rain," a rousing, vaguely apocalyptic romp that echoes "The Whole of the Moon." This time around, the soul-searching feels like part of the process rather than the mission itself, and even the somewhat manipulative "Everybody Takes a Tumble," which is nearly a carbon copy of "Fisherman's Blues," feels like a campfire full of good-natured charlatans on a stormy night, just waiting to talk the ear off of some lucky (or unlucky) traveler. [Book of Lightning is also available with a bonus DVD called The Travels of the Waterboys.] ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 2001, Mike Scott decided to return to recording and performing under the Waterboys moniker. He released his first new-era Waterboys studio record, A Rock in the Weary Land, a good seven years after 1993's Dream Harder -- with some small contributions of some the more permanent Waterboys of the '80s and '90s. In between those records, Scott had recorded and performed solo in two different incarnations: one as an acoustic singer/songwriter (Bring 'Em All In), and one as a bandleader (Still Burning). And on 2005's Karma to Burn, the first ever official Waterboys live record, it's these two sides that he wants to capture. Where 1998's bootleg Live Adventures revealed a Mike Scott fronting a full band back in 1986, wanting to grasp the stars in the sky, Karma to Burn is, partially, a much more quiet affair. Culled from tours Mike and company made in 2003 and 2004, half the songs have a piano (Richard Naiff), acoustic guitar, and fiddle (Steve Wickham) setup, while on the other half the three core members are backed by then touring drummer Carlos Hercules and bass player Steve Walters. As a result, the record is a two-faced one: there's the rock band playing old and new Waterboys songs, and there's the acoustic trio playing material from Dream Harder, Universal Hall, and Scott's solo work. There are also two covers. Unfortunately, the record is too short too really show the two sides of the Waterboys: it plays off as just a rock show with some quiet tunes thrown in for good measure. It would have been wiser for Scott to release a double album, with one disc given wholly to his quiet side and one to his rock band persona. The 13-plus-minute guitar-heavy version of "The Pan Within," for example, is now followed by an intimate reading of "Open." As a consequence, both songs feel out of place. Hopefully, the next time around (be it an archival release or new recording) Scott will give his music the space it deserves, and have a clearer idea about what he wants to release. Nonetheless, the record kicks off with a strong rendition of "Long Way to the Light," sort of a retelling of Scott's life up until the end of '90s, and it sounds very inspired. And "The Return of Jimi Hendrix," finally, also makes a good appearance with Wickham's fuzz fiddle stealing the show. "Peace of Iona" is played in all its heartbreaking beauty, too. ~ Philip D. Huff, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mike Scott begins his eighth proper Waterboys record with the kind of laid-back intensity that fueled the group's 1990 Celtic rock classic Room to Roam. "This Light Is for the World" is the inspirational headlight on a devotional train hauling 12 tunes through the heart of northeast Scotland. The album was named after Universal Hall, a theater run by the Findhorn Foundation, a spiritual community that Scott joined in 1992 and where he has continued to visit, write, and perform. The recorded Universal Hall is an entirely different vehicle than the group's last offering, the noisy, dark, and aptly titled, A Rock in the Weary Land. Focusing on life, light, and sense of place, Scott, who describes the record as "full of love and fire," has no qualms about his renewed religious fervor. In the sparse "The Christ in You," he tells the listener, "I'm gonna look twice at you/Until I see the Christ in you." Not everything is so heavy handed, though, and the tunes range from fun (Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired") to gorgeous ("Peace of Iona") to psychedelic ("Seek the Light"). Lyrically, Scott has simplified, focusing on inspiration rather than conversation, often repeating the title of the song, as in the Nick Drake-cloned, "Every Breath Is Yours." On the previous two records, Scott depended upon a rotating lineup of studio musicians to fill the holes he could not, which had a tendency to deflate the intimacy of his songwriting. The return of fiddler Steve Wickham is a welcome one, and he sneaks his way into every piece with delicious results. His gifts are most apparent on the epic title track, a tendril of wind that nearly achieves the tornadic catharsis of the mid-'80s, This Is the Sea-era Waterboys. Fans who yearn for those anthems of yesterday may find themselves cursing the enigma that is Mike Scott, but there's no denying his vision. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'The Fisherman's Blues, Pt. 2'
Release Date 7/9/2002
Tracks 15
Label Razor & Tie
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What The Critics Say
For anyone who loved the Waterboys' stripped-down approach on Fisherman's Blues, the release of another album of material from these same sessions is quite an event. In a way, the songs on Fisherman's Blues, Pt. 2 are the kinds of bonus tracks one expects to show up on a reissue. The difference here, though, is in the quality of the material. Mike Scott kicks things off on a characteristic spiritual note with "On My Way to Heaven," a gospel-drenched tune that ends with an appropriate evangelical flurry. An intense, tuneful "Higher in Time" and the soulful, searching "The Ladder" make way for "Too Close to Heaven," one of the album's highlights. Steve Wickham's fiddle adds an almost traditional feel to the tune, while Anthony Thistlethwaite's sax throws in a more urban touch. Together, these seemingly incongruous modes create a lovely backdrop for Scott to deliver a fully committed vocal. A similar effect is achieved on "Blues for Your Baby." These soulful, searching tunes lead into a bit of historical revisionism on "Custer's Blues," a musical restaging of the Battle of Little Big Horn. While the arrangements are pretty simple on the album, various combinations of guitar, piano, fiddle, mandolin, and sax keep the material fresh. Fisherman's Blues, Pt. 2 offers a fuller view of the sessions that produced the original album, and fans will welcome these treasures from what many refer to as the band's best period. A bonus CD also includes versions of "Higher in Time," "Ain't Leaving, I'm Gone," "Lonesome and a Long Way From Home," "The Good Ship Sirius," and "Too Close to Heaven." ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide
'Too Close to Heaven'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 10
Label BMG International
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What The Critics Say
Expectant fans anticipating more of the roots sound found on the Fisherman's Blues album may be disappointed that this collection doesn't capture the magic of that classic album as much as it recalls the band's earlier big sound. That doesn't necessarily make this hard-to-find import set any less amazing. It's captivating to hear the band's transformation from punk bombast to subtle, visionary brilliance. On these ten inspired tunes, bandleader Mike Scott followed his spiritual muse as far as it would take him, just failing to find musical perfection. Knowing that his journey would eventually lead Scott and the band to create one of the best albums of the '80s makes this belated disc of experiments and outtakes an exciting listen. Just don't expect more of the roots-based music this album's subtitle suggests. ~ Brian Beatty, All Music Guide
'A Rock in the Weary Land'
Release Date 11/7/2000
Tracks 12
Label BMG International
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What The Critics Say
Through the years, the Waterboys have adopted whatever persona or fancy Mike Scott held at a given point in time. Hence, this band has fluctuated from the pop/rock of the early- to mid-'80s to the ensuing folk period to the aimless early '90s, which yielded Dream Harder. That was their swan song, which alienated Waterboys fans who grew to cherish the previous two releases, Room to Roam and Fisherman's Blues. That apparently didn't concern Scott too much, since he equates the individual (himself) with the band in no uncertain terms: "[T]o me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions." Appropriately, A Rock in the Weary Land fuses the complexity, grandeur, and simplicity that have characterized Scott's music in the past. This is the recording that the homogenous Dream Harder failed to become. It's ambitious, moody, surreal, and relevant. Scott terms the renewed sound of the Waterboys as "sonic rock," in which he incorporates all of the elements and possibilities of modern rock (which he finds compatible) into a uniform, technically updated body of work. Various distorted and synthesized effects are utilized throughout this album, but typically so are the psychedelic tendencies that Scott has always held dear. John Lennon influences seem to surface frequently, both vocally and compositionally, most notably on "Is She Conscious." And, as virtually all Mike Scott projects (both solo and group) will reveal, much of the content revolves around the struggle, confusion, and inspiration that his growing faith elicits. ~ Dave Sleger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After two albums of neo-traditional Irish music, Mike Scott brings The Waterboys back to the big rock sound of earlier albums like This is the Sea. Coming after the remarkably accomplished Fishermen's Blues and Room to Roam, Dream Harder is a bit of a disappointment. Its best material doesn't carry the same weight as compositions from Blues -- compare the simple beauty of Fishermen's Blues' "Has Anyone Hear Seen Hank" to Dream Harder's overblown "The Return of Jimi Hendrix." Scott can still bang out some good songs, but on Dream Harder there aren't as many as on previous efforts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Expanding the epic, multi-layered sound of A Pagan Place, This is the Sea is a more ambitious yet a more successful record, since it finds Mike Scott at his melodic peak. Consequently, the album has enough strong, accessible moments to make his indulgences forgivable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Room to Roam'
Release Date 9/17/1990
Tracks 17
Label Ensign/Chrysalis
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What The Critics Say
The Waterboys' departure from the self-described "big music" of the early to mid-'80s into the more pastoral Celtic folk-rock landscapes of Fisherman's Blues frustrated many longtime fans who thought that the group belonged in the same arenas as contemporaries like U2 or the Alarm, but it also brought in a new set of listeners who were looking for a young Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span. Taking its name from a passage in Scottish author, poet, and minister George MacDonald' fantasy novel Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, Room to Roam extends the scope of the group's previous effort by integrating that album's Irish and Scottish folk elements further into the rock and pop nether regions. If anything, Room to Roam captures head (and soon to be only) Waterboy Mike Scott at his most unabashedly Beatlesque, stringing together whispery interludes, pub-style jam sessions (of the traditional folk variety), sound effects, and genre-defying forays into soul ("Something That Is Gone"), country ("How Long Will I Love You?"), traditional folk ("Raggle Taggle Gypsy"), and full-on rock & roll ("Life of Sundays") -- the latter cut even dissolves into a group singalong of the Fab Four classic "Yellow Submarine." Of the two albums, Room to Roam balances these two worlds the most effectively, and while the more focused and nuanced Fisherman's Blues is the superior record, it lacks Roam's amiable, schizophrenic, and pioneering spirit. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Fisherman's Blues'
Release Date 7/20/1989
Tracks 13
Label Ensign/Chrysalis
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What The Critics Say
Mike Scott had been pursuing his grandiose "big music" since he founded the Waterboys, so it came as a shock when he scaled back the group's sound for the Irish and English folk of Fisherman's Blues. Although the arena-rock influences have been toned down, Scott's vision is no less sweeping or romantic, making even the simplest songs on Fisherman's Blues feel like epics. Nevertheless, the album is the Waterboys' warmest and most rewarding record, boasting a handful of fine songs ("And a Bang on the Ear," the ominous "We Will Not Be Lovers," "Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?," and the title track), as well as a surprisingly successful cover of Van Morrison's breathtaking "Sweet Thing." [Fisherman's Blues was reissued in 2006 with a bonus disc containing fourteen outtakes, alternate versions and late-night studio jams. The re-mastered original included extended versions of "And a Bang on the Ear" and "World Party."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
