Back a little bit further in time today - between 1981 and 1990 to be precise with the Best of The Waterboys picked up recently in a three for a pound deal.
Possibly because of their Celtic folky sound many folk initially have them down as an Irish band.They are wrong there as they were founded in Edinburgh in the early 80's by Mike Scott who hails from the Scottish West Coast seaside town of Largs
A banging track from each of their two most famous albums Don't Bang the Drum from 1985's This is the Sea and A Bang on the Ear from 1988's Fisherman's Blues
Mike Scott claims that The Waterboys have had more members than any other band in rock history. That honour however must surely go to The Fall
The Waterboys - Don't Bang The Drum
The Waterboys - And a Bang on the Ear
Not bad for 33 and a third pence. Don't Bang The Drum is a splendid song. As is the 2nd track here. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteBargain! It's always a treat to revisit The Waterboys.
ReplyDeleteForty two members of the Fall at my last count. I could have missed a few
ReplyDeleteMy mate and I used to sing And A Bang On The Ear very loud at festivals with me playing mandolin. We were usually rather drunk and/or stoned...
ReplyDeleteI have tried....honestly, I've really tried, to understand why it is that The Waterboys are so well liked by so many. I've listened to their records while sober and while drunk, but all to no avail.
ReplyDeleteReport card reads - must try harder!
DeleteFisherman's Blues is as far as I ever ventured, but I love the early stuff. Gonna listen to Church Not Made With Hands right now.
ReplyDeleteJC - The Waterboys is Big Music without pretence. It's Big Music that comes from the heart even more than it comes from the mind of MIke Scott. What I always admired about Mike Scott and his revolving door band was that it was the audience that caught up to the music rather than the music ever changing to find an audience.
ReplyDeleteA real treat - Love the intro on Don't Bang the Drum. Reminds me of when I first came to live in The Highlands as they, and others like them, were really popular around here during that late '80s period.
ReplyDeleteMike Scott ended up in Findhorn for a while
DeleteDidn't know that - we often go through. Don't know if you've been recently but the houses in the Findhorn Community part look like those in Hobbit-land, The Shire. Amazing place!
DeleteWe've been a couple of times. Mrs CC is a big fan
DeleteNot a huge fan but I love And A Bang On The Ear. Story telling, narrative, good rhymes and lines, easy to identify with.
ReplyDeleteAh, late to this and in the shadow of such wanton waste of life these comments are trite, but ...Three for a pound? Even in a charity shop...I just dont get it. Surprised others haven't mentioned other stellar tracks, e.g Is Whole Of The Moon so passe as to not merit a single mention? Spirit and Old England are great tracks from This Is The Sea which is their 'big sound' album breakthrough. This Best Of skates pretty thinly over their early career so I suggest This Is The Sea and Fisherman Blues are essential purchases. I've stuck with Mike Scott through to the present day but I fear his early genius has deserted him (like so many others it has to be said) Take nothing away from his 80s/90s output though.
ReplyDeleteHave both on vinyl Spence but nothing else til now
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