Fisherman's Blues

Like attending a celidah at the village hall and watching her dance while I eat a scotch egg. She will never love me.

What is this? Who is this? 22 tracks?!?! Why are they just singing “Blackbird” in the middle of one song? Why is every album suggested so far overflowing with folk instruments? How many dudes are in this band?? Etc.

Think of the Pogues, but not cool.

I’ve been doing this project for over two years. Eight hundred and twenty-two days, to be exact. It has been a looong time since I had a record from the list that I was unfamiliar with that made me say “you’re goddamn right I needed to hear this record before I die”. The instrumentation on this record…phenomenal. It’s varied and rich; atmospheric, yet grounded at the same time. The Waterboys play these songs with tangible intensity and emotion. They are absolutely on fire here and it’s a contagious type of energy. Whatever you might think the descriptor of their sound on this page - “a mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music, and rock and roll” - might sound like, trust me, it’s not enough to prepare you for the scope of what it actually is. Fuck me, what great record.

This is two days in a row I've been served a Scottish band (last one was Orange Juice) but this is a completely different experience. The songwriting is excellent. Lyrical, nuanced, and nostalgic while remaining modern (for 1988) and relevant. Shades of Dylan meets Springsteen but with an undeniable celtic energy. Overall, a really intriguing and engaging album. It came out in '88 but holds up really well overall.

This is pretty cool, just Irish kinda rock. Only criticism is that it gets a bit old towards the end, like most other stuff in this genre I've heard before. I think the Irish pub rock scene could do with restraint - there's no need to add 60 renditions of folk songs onto the second half of every album. 3/5 all the same.

If they say too much of a good thing is bad then too much of a mediocre thing is just awful. This is that. It wasn't bad but by the end all the goodwill it gained in the beginning had worn thin. By the final ten tracks you're begging for it to be over.

The Good: a band which reminds us that we must stay hydrated! The Bad: not a single song that tells us to drink water... The Ugly: I was forced to drink whiskey with a massive hangover as a reward... Earlier this year, on a randomly generated Playlist on the Spotify, I listened for the first time to the title song of this album and fell in live with it. Not being familiar with the band, I went to Wikipedia and that's where I found out about this 1001 album list as, thankfully, it was mentioned that this album is on it... So, today, album 201, is the cause of my little adventure here... I can listen to this album over and over, understanding that it isn't a masterpiece, yet, for me, it is very very special, and thus deserves all the praise I can give. Here's to 5* bumping up the average score of this lovely album

Are you seriously trying to tell me that you couldnt find 1001 albums that were better than this one? This is egregiously mediocre. No, I suspect that this is on this list merely because its another white UK band. Really, this list should be "1001 british-published albums that need promotion." 1/5

Jesus that's a of of fiddle.

Dylan meets Dave Matthews

God help anyone who rated this 5*

I love this album. Side 1 is by far the best moment of The Waterboys career. From the epic opening track to the dissonant fiddle that dominates We Will Not Be Lovers, to the beautiful accoustic turn of Strange Boat, the start of this album is as good as it gets. The band then rocks out with danceable World Party and closes side one with a gorgeous take on the Van Morrison classic Sweet Thing. Unfortunately side 2 pales in comparison (how could it not?) With the only standout track being And a Bang on the Ear. The underwhelming second half keeps this from being a 5 🌟 classic. 4.5 🌟

2.6 - This record reminds me of a pack of bourbon flavored gummy bears I was once gifted. I like bourbon on its own and gummy bears on their own as well. Merging the two, though it might seem like a good idea, proved underwhelming. Similarly, this album is an underwhelming combo of Irish/Scottish folk and adult contemporary rock. Listening to it seems utterly pointless to me. The only place I could ever imagine hearing this would be at an Irish pub or a St. Paddy’s day parade or an Irish pride event or some other Irish-themed venue. “Sweet Thing” is one cool track - the fiddle actually works on this and doesn’t feel like a distraction as it does for much of the rest.

I’ve never heard of them, but I like the description on Wikipedia of folk-rock. I tend to like that, so I anticipate that I will like this one. I really like this one. I would buy their albums.

So loving this album. 4 songs in and I think I've added 3 to playlists. Great sounds: piano, strings, driving base, catchy guitar. Vocals are solid aswell. Driving, ensemble rock with lots of instruments/variety of sounds with folk roots - but more rock than anything else. Piano theme, and horns in 'World Party' are incredible. Strings create a great feel to the song. Every song has so much great feel. this is likely going to be my first 5 star. some nice authentic feeling songs on the second disk. The final song, 12 min long, Soon As I Get Home builds to the most pumping crescendo in the second half of the song. definition of a full on jam session. yes a 5 star album.

- fucking long - nice balence of trad / modern - strong themes, emotive. - some overly trad songs - odd flow of the album --> meet me at the station into soon as I get home. - good variety of styles and vibes

Emotive, impactful and uplifting

I presume the "Collectors Edition" cover was the only one available. I see lots of people complaining of the length. Yeah. Like all of these "Collectors/Expanded/Anniversary Editions" it's padded with the sweepings of the editing booth floor and is of interest to die-hard fans only... and possibly not even them. Enough on that. I missed out on The Waterboys in period. Some friends of mine liked them, but I was more into Zeppelin and the like at the time. Musical tastes change and evolve. Mine has, at least. I still like Zep but there's space for music of this sort too. I'll choose to listen to the original 13 track album; the first 13 tracks for those listening to the "Collectors Edition". That's excellent and has the benefit of already being in my collection. Great album, interesting lyrics, well produced, at times playful. Solid 4/5.

I put this off because I figured I wouldn’t like it, and you know what? Good instinct. It was sort of meh at the beginning but by the end I wanted to be bludgeoned. (ntm.)

I liked this way more than I thought I would.

I'm not against bonus tracks but here's a little hint for those of you who get this album assigned and balk at the length, check Wikipedia and just review the original album, in this case it's just the first 13 tracks, that's the Fisherman's Blues I know and it's amazing. This is one of those albums that I've listened to enough in my life that I would feel comfortable giving it a (five star) rating without first relistening, but I love this album so much that I'm putting it on as I cook dinner. My favorites are the opening/title track (which has been used in 63% of movie trailers that either take place in Ireland or feature Irish people,) a great cover of Sweet Thing (which I actually heard long before Van Morrison's original,) Strange Boat, World Party and one of my favorite songs ever: And A Bang On The Ear.

boss

Fantastic well crafted music! From relaxing and almost soothing to absolute foot stompers.

This is really good. As of the time of writing, this may be my favorite irish folk album of all time. Certain songs remind me of Springsteen, others of Tom Waits. This gives me country, folk rock, Irish folk, Americana vibes, with some Tom Petty mixed in. Really creative, but also easy to get into; familiar in a lot of ways. Very well arranged. This album had really good pacing. Almost an hour long, but never overstaying its welcome.

Love the folksy feel and Irish sounds. Like a Bob Dylan that can sing.

You know what? I’m at a 10. I’ll be the first person to tell you that this album’s length is its achilles heel – I think it would be a far more definitive 10 if it trimmed down just a few of the tracks & had a little more variety in the soundscape, but I simply enjoyed this far too much. It feels like the Pogues with more of a Springsteen-ish lean, allowing a lot more of the U.S. rock scene’s influence in the ‘80s to shape the album’s direction, while distinctly managing to keep a very Irish / Scottish feel to the whole thing. Sure, it can get a little tiring when almost every track has such a confident & jig-worthy energy, but if you can maintain the stamina to not get tired of this soundscape, I think you’ll really fucking enjoy this. Is it a little top heavy? Oh, absolutely – “We Will Not Be Lovers” fucking blew me away, and you can argue the album quite literally peaked at track 2. Thankfully, the descent from that peak is minimal, with maybe only “Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?” standing out as the black sheep of the track list. It’s not bad, but Mike Scott just doesn’t really have a country twang in his voice like that. Besides that, I really liked everything here. I think the lyricism is usually great, the instrumentation is consistently strong (& occasionally really dazzling, especially with that damn violin), and even if Mike Scott doesn’t have a country twang, he’s got a great voice otherwise. His delivery really ties a lot of these tracks together. My stamina after listening to this damn thing feels a bit shot, so in lieu of going track by track here, I’ll just cut to the chase – I think this is a REALLY great album, and I feel almost as blown away as I did after getting “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” back in October. I’ve never heard of The Waterboys before this, and apparently, their earlier stuff had way more of a “grandiose” rock lean behind it, which I kinda wanna check out for myself. It is a 10 for me, albeit one where I can see it possibly dropping down a little bit without that “first listen glow” behind it, but regardless, it’s somewhere above a 5, no matter what. This is a delightful discovery for me, and I’m very glad it’s on the list. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to listen to “We Will Not Be Lovers” about 10 more times.

A great treat to discover! Yes, sometimes the songs tend to go on long, but it is still a fantastic listen overall. Best songs are "We Will Not Be Lovers" and "Soon as I Get Home"

This album is delicious. It has some great songs. And it is such a joyful and enjoyable album. I've loved listening to it. This kind of Irish folk/rock music is fantastic, and in this album there are pretty great musicians, and some interesting tracks too. It's a great experience, for sure.

The album opens with such an infectious energy it instantly caught my attention and held it. Its like someone buttered traditional folk music over a slice of contemporary rock. I loved blend of influences from across the British Isles and as the album went on I kept discovering more to get into. I was thinking throughout how much I would love to see them perform this live. I did think the energy, along with the quality, dipped slightly towards the end of the album, some tracks seeming maybe a little too caricatured. But I have to caveat that this was on the first listen of what I expect to be many, so I may grow to discover some hidden depths in these tracks also.

Can't believe I've never heard The Waterboys before, as this is exactly my shit. This album starts off incredibly strong, then sort of tapers off. But the start is SO strong that I'm violating my round-down policy and pushing this up from 4.5 stars, which is close to accurate.

The opening song and title track had a nice sound and great musicianship. But still. Do I want to listen to this right now? Then the second song, “We Will Not Be Lovers,” kicked in and arrested me. What a cool sound. One reviewer said he just listened to this song 70 times - not a bad approach. The album continued to alternate between the good and very good for me, which is why I think I’m caught between a 3 and 4 star review. I guess that makes it a solid 3.5. But, there are many worse ways to use your CD allowance if you time travel back to 1988 - trust me, I was there. So I’ll round up to 4/5.

The pivot to traditional folk music is done to perfection, so much so, that this may be the Waterboys best album. I don't know what this says about their earlier work, but their take on the old is masterful. It feels relevant and traditional at the same time - which is an accomplishment to say the least.

Super surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I guess I enjoy Celtic folk, when it’s beautiful strings and rocking and great yearning love songs and not gabbledy gook about fairies and magic and shit. Only one track got the raised eyebrow from me. Otherwise, this one is a solid hit.

Not as Celtic as I would've liked actually, but the influences were apparent. This was a nice amalgamation of styles/genres..Couple bangers I saved as faves. Great use of instrumentation and lyrics, and the vocals were excellent. But why the break into Beatles' Blackbird? That was weird. Did not listen to the entire Collectors Edition; ain't got time for that. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really liked this - knew this band but not this album in particular. Cool mix of sounds, in general I think I liked the ones that best straddled the line between the various influences here. Sweet Thing for me is the high point of the album - interesting beat, more Pogues-esque vocals (with a cool riff on Blackbird at the end) and a really need fiddle part. I think it slows down a little when it gets really traditional Celtic-style towards the end (nothing wrong with Celtic folk music, it's just not as interesting when played "straight" here) but Stolen Child has a great atmosphere as an almost-closer (odd choice to throw in a snippet of This Land at the very end?) Overall this was really good and will definitely have replay value for me.

Really enjoyed this one. I’d only ever heard the title track from it before and it’s a belter of a song. There wasn’t any tracks I would say I didn’t enjoy but there wasn’t enough I really loved for me to give it top marks. Top Track - When Will We Be Married

Beautiful folk. I like the violins. Kurt Wallinger was the keyboardist on the album but he left the band to do more important things, mainly making the Lin’s Bin theme song.

Today’s artist is another that I hadn’t heard of before. The album title has me wondering if it might be shanty music which would be interesting. I’m going in with an open mind, and am hopeful to hear a great band! Songs I already knew: This Land Is Your Land (although I don’t think I’d heard this version) Favourites: Sweet Thing, And A Bang On The Ear I was wrong with my genre expectations here. We’ve all heard Mumford & Sons, right? Well this sounds like it could be Mumford & Parents. It has a very folky, Celtic style throughout. I was surprised to reas online that the singer was Scottish, as he sounded very Irish to my ears. I did consider rating this album higher than I did, because there are genuinely no bad songs at all on this album. However, I didn’t find every song to be amazing, so I felt it would be overly kind to go higher. Regardless, it was still a very pleasant album that is easy to recommend.

Not every song on this album really takes me. But the way Mike Scott is into the music takes me always.

Pretty good, liked We Will not be lovers

If this album was totally crap except for We Will Not Be Lovers, probably the best breakup song I've ever heard and a couple of decades ahead of its time, it would still be a 3 star. The rest of the album isn't totally crap.

I really enjoyed this! Like a precursor to Arcade Fire or a lot of other indie rock of the late aughts

6/10 From reading around, it’s noted that this album was a bit of a tonal departure for the Waterboys, leaning more into the Scottish and Irish folk music traditions, as opposed to their more dramatic rock sound of their previous work. You can definitely hear elements of that more stadium rock sound over the course of this record and it’s actually a fairly decent blend of the two, bringing some of the instrumental flourishes and folksy vibe of those traditional art forms and providing a richer rock production and focus to the tone of the sound. There are hints towards the sound of U2 in there, but I actually thought they were presented in a more palatable way than their more successful contemporaries. There were times when I quite enjoyed this album. The band are really tight and play with a really strong vibe, blending the styles in the music really well and there are some incredibly good pieces of instrumental work scattered across the record. Mike Scott’s a decent singer too, combining decent tonal control with a bit of earthy grit in a sound that compliments the fusion of genres really well. Unfortunately, despite those inherent qualities of the work, they did fall down quite a lot on the editing side of things. 55 minutes is way too long for this album and if they’ve been a bit more judicious with their editing, they could have created a really concise and engaging 35-40 minute record that would have done a far better job at maintaining momentum and engagement. As it is, you have to do a pretty good job to include four songs that are as good as 7 minutes long or even longer, and unfortunately the core of a lot of these songs didn’t manage to justify those lengths. Interestingly, they did manage to keep my interest more than I expected, as they worked quite well at bringing different instruments to prominence, playing with dynamic and tonal shifts, but the underpinning chord structures and rhythms were often just a bit too repetitive for my tastes. All that being said, the vibe of this album was pretty good and despite myself I actually enjoyed it more than I anticipated on first listen. It’s not one I’ll necessarily be hurrying back to, but I might check out a bit more of their work at some point. Fisherman's Blues - There’s a solid toe-tapping vibe to this. It takes a nice balance between upbeat rhythms and a more melancholic lilt to the tonal work, which is a cool compositional device. It’s pretty good stuff and has a power to the delivery, with the lead vocal injecting emotion that develops as it goes. Great performances all round and a fairly strong start. We Will Not Be Lovers - Another decent groove underpins this, although the bass seems slightly oddly recorded, sounding a bit ragged at least during the intro. This leans a little more towards a stadium rock sound over the top of that more traditional core, and reminds me a little of U2, although I actually prefer this to the U2 that I know. It’s pretty persistent and lacking in much range and variety unfortunately, which isn’t great for a seven minute track. They do take a few dynamic changes here and there, but the underlying musical base for this is just too repetitive. Strange Boat - This is a fairly pleasant number. The subtle beat and rhythm from the guitar create a nice rhythmic bed and the violin is really nicely played and recorded. I quite like Mike Scott’s vocal delivery in that it has a bit of punch to it, but feels quite honest in its delivery. This is not the most interesting of songs, but it’s nice enough, although the fade out feels quite abrupt. World Party - We’re back to something with a bit of punch again. The rhythm and flow of the bass is good here. As with the rest of the album so far, I think this is decent if a little repetitive. The groove is solid, the blend of traditional tones with a more rock sound is well balanced and it’s really well produced. There’s an extra layer of drama here with the broader orchestration and there are some great bits of drumming there that augment the solid rhythmic base. Sweet Thing - Things are getting a bit dull now, this is another overly long song that isn’t bad, but doesn’t have a vast amount that differentiates it tonally from the previous track and then drags on for over 7 minutes. The instrumental work is good, it has decent pace and feel, but the core idea that they never stray far from just doesn’t offer enough to support such a long song. They do play a bit with dynamic here and there, with some nice stripped back sections and a few bits of fun instrumental work, but there’s just not enough musical range in there to keep me interested, despite the fact that the vibe itself is pretty good. Jimmy Hickey's Waltz - Strange that they’ve seemingly added a track that sounds like it was recorded in a half empty pub, because they’ve kept in the sounds of people chatting and then applauding at the end. It’s nice enough, but just feels a bit of an odd diversion. Maybe they just thought it was a good idea to break up two very long tracks with something throwaway. And A Bang On The Ear - This goes back to more of that traditional celtic sound. It’s pretty good to begin with, but it’s going to need to do some work to justify being over 9 minutes long. It’s really well performed and produced, with a full, coherent sound. The groove is good, if a little persistent, but I’m now 3 minutes in and we’re still more or less doing the same thing that we’ve been doing for all that time. I do quite like it, but 9 minutes is a long time. There is at least some good instrumental breaks when the band gets to show off a little bit and it’s not as relentless and dull as I was expecting. Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? - The pace has dropped quite a bit now. There’s a decent enough vibe to this, but it’s a little plodding. As with much of the album, it’s decent enough, biut also a little unremarkable. There’s some nice bits of instrumental work, with some of the piano and violin moments standing out, but overall, this is just a bit dull and rhythmically flat. The chorus is probably the worst part about this, which is a shame. It’s just a bit too slow and stilted. When Will We Be Married? - This continues on from the last track, it’s just a little bit dull and in this case, it’s quite instrumentally thin too. There’s just not enough there to hook me in, although it does build a bit of intensity right at the end. It has that feel of a more traditional celtic song, but there’s not much there to grab on to really. Again, well performed, but just a little limited. When Ye Go Away - Another that continues on the theme. It’s got a bit more going for it here, but it’s not particularly interesting. I had predicted that this album might be a bit touch going at 55 minutes, but it’s managed to hold me a bit better than I’d imagined. Again, there’s some great playing here, therhythms are nice, but it’s all a bit repetitive and this one feels a bit meandering too. Dunford's Fancy - This is a better pause than Jimmy Hickey’s Waltz was earlier. Some great playing that’s pretty engaging and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Not bad. The Stolen Child - This starts off fairly promisingly, but it doesn’t offer a vast amount of development and variation, again becoming pretty dull due to the length and repetition. I quite like the vibe and feel of it, but it’s just a bit too bland and unchanging at it’s compositional core for my tastes. There are bits and pieces of nuance in there, and some strong bits of instrumental work, so it’s a bit of a shame that the core of it doesn’t offer anything more to highlight those parts. Like much of the rest of the album, it’s something that I quite like the vibe and performances of, but ultimately doesn’t quite do it for me, despite getting close. This Land Is Your Land - Another little pub ditty to close us out, but there’s not really anything particularly noteworthy about it.

I played the song "We Will Not Be Lovers" 74 times today and it got better each and every time Best Song: We Will not Be Lovers Rating: 5.5/10 Stars: 3/5

this was mostly inoffensive, but the songs really tended to drag, especially the longer ones. baffled by the "blackbird" drop in the middle of one track. i was ready for it to be over.

I felt a little water boarded by this lot by the end of the second CD (special edition version).  I think the problem I have is the genre is not my preferred so more of an effort to slog through it despite its obvious charm in parts. It's clearly decent and many elements I engaged with, but it always felt off center for me personally. A symptom perhaps where traditional music ceases to thrive.  I struggle to explain this, but I refer it to being like a cultural drag when the modern fusion misses the mark.  Like when you see things historical as slightly silly or it signals some stereotype like "Ireland" or the "Shire".   When the energy level rose, I did find I was more intune with it and the fiddle in particular was cool in some songs (and whatever that weird guitar thing was).  I do like a flute but this use case ended up giving more mystic meg vibes for some reason going back to my cultural drag remark that I cant explain fully. I think I would need to work on this to digest it.  I think this is worthy of some investment, but my gut is telling me to move on.  I think this kind of musicianship is better suited to the pub or live music venue.

Fisherman’s Blues I liked this, combining the drums and bass of their expansive 80s rock with traditional British folk songs and sounds, making an enjoyable celtic-rock album, albeit one that doesn’t stick really too long in the memory. It’s a bit like The Pogues but with all the edge and chaos sanded off into smooth child-safe corners, and even with the cover of Sweet Thing it also eschews any pretence at cosmic Irish mysticism, falling safely in the middle, existing on its own plane of pleasantness. I’ll go 3, it's perfectly fine and I’d be happy to listen again, even if I’m not completely enthused by it and it does drag a little by the end. 🎣🎣🎣 Playlist submission: We Will Not Be Lovers

My mate Dave keeps trying to get me to come to the Canberra Folk Festival with him. "It's great," he says, "after hours, you can just wander into any tent and there will be a bunch of musicians playing standards and you get to hear an eclectic bunch of musos, some amateur, some the best players you've ever heard, jamming it out." He has never managed to convince me, though. I'm not a huge folk fan, especially the heavily Celtic brand of folk that is commonly played in Australia. I suspect 'Fisherman's Blues' is exactly what I fear that those after hours sessions would sound like; any muso who ever picked up an instrument bashing out never ending versions of songs that are all pretty similar, trying to sound a lot more Irish than they really are. It's the interminable thing that really gets me. Did you see how long some of these songs are? There are three songs of 7 minutes each and one 9 minutes long! Mike Scott can write a fair facsimile of a folk tune, but they are not long enough to sustain my interest for that long. Seriously, if all the songs on here were edited down to closer to 3 minutes each, I would have a lot more patience for this. I might even like it. Seriously, I started listening to the opening track and thought "yeah, this is alright, I quite like this", but by the time I was five minutes into 'We Will Not Be Lovers', I was a broken man. The 9 minutes of 'And a Bang on the Ear' was like a retreat from Moscow -- thousands of dead soldiers in the snow by the side of the road. I believe you can buy a 7CD box set well with over 100 songs they recorded for the album but didn't include on the original release. God help us all. I've been pretty sarcastic here, but this really isn't a bad album. The songs are pretty good and his voice is compelling -- Mike Scott is not actually Irish, but does a reasonable job of pretending he is. The band is pretty great, although there are times where I would prefer less fiddle all over everything. It just needs some judicious pruning. I am also a massive fan of ex-Waterboy Karl Wallinger, who left prior to this album to form World Party, and his presence is missed (although I'm sure it would be a _very_ different record if Karl was involved). I'll bet Dave will give this album an extra star for the prominent use of the mandolin. Three stars.

7/10, when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed when will we be married molly when will we be wed when will we be bedded in the same bed

Reminds me of a band that I would find walking into a pub in a rainy night, trying to talk to friends but the band is just jamming nonsense in the back ground... too loud, too into themselves fir their own good.... and relying on the fiddle way too much. Needless to say, me and my mates leave to face the rain and find a quieter venue...

Johnny! Stop fiddling yourself!

Not anything that I'd likely play again, honestly. I did like some of the songs styled in a traditional Celtic way with their instrumentation, but beyond that, not a fit for me. The songs I did like were Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party, Sweet Thing, and When Ye Go Away.

Never got around to listening to the Waterboys before, so I was looking forward to hearing what I've missed. Sadly, I found the album very uneven. Some amazing tracks like "Sweet Thing", which turns into a weird Beatles cover (and itself received an odd hardcore punk cover by Comadre, which sadly isn't on the site). Some tracks that are at least memorable, if not my cup of tea, like "We Will Not be Lovers". However, from track 6 on it's mostly generic Irish folk-rock that any pub rockers in Ireland could probably play equally forgettably. I'm not a huge folk-rock fan (or a big listener of Irish music), but I don't think I'm being biased in saying the album falls drastically short of the standards set by its own high points. Edit: also a shit album title, since there's nothing nautical or bluesy here. 2.5

A weird melange of Simple Minds stadium rock and Celtic folk sensibilities. Unfortunately, there are many better stadium rock acts, and many better folkies, and this falls between the cracks.

i’m into it

Excellent.

This is not a perfect album. It's way too tame in places. I really, really enjoy Scottish trad music, and there's not very much of that on this list. In fact, this might be it, although I suppose we can broaden the definition and include The Pogues as well. Modern trad bands – Trail West, Mànran, Skerryvore, Beluga Lagoon and the likes would do stuff like When will we be Married? in a much wilder way. And it'd be better for it – add in a box for sure, maybe some pipes and that'd be a real banger. Here, it's just a bit too tame – the bonus version sounds better until the vocals kick in. I think I probably had someone tape some of the tunes from this on to the end of the copy of Waiting for Bonaparte they taped for me back in the late 80s (the best The Men They Couldn't Hang album, fwiw, and well worth checking out). I know we had a copy of the Best of album that came out a year or so afterwards. So, I'm familiar enough with some of the tunes from here – the title track, And a Bang on the Ear etc... And I enjoy them. And I'm familiar with the band's earlier stuff – the Big Music era. And you can hear some of that on here – as an album, this can't really decide whether it's going to go in on the folk stuff or keep with the Big Music. And it never really goes for the trad element – there are some fine ideas here (Dunford's Fancy and so on) but they're never really realised in the way that they could be for me. Which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy this. I listened several times over a few days and would happily add some of these tunes to a trad adjacent playlist. And will. But it never quite fulfilled me. There are moments of real hope. Tómas Mac Eoin's Galway accent is gorgeous on The Stolen Child, but as a song, I'm not so sure. All of which is very frustrating, because there's so little trad music on this list – it really is a genre that's been ignored. So I kind of want to give this a 5 just for being on the fucking list. It's really a 4, but, yeah, fuck it: it has to be a five just because.

music is love

A folk album with heart. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

One of the most pleasant surprises I've come across on this list. Phenomenal.

5 stars on the strength of the start. Admittedly it fades, but those first few tracks are all time favorites.

I had probably never heard of these guys, but loved this album. Definitely heard echoes of U2 in here as well as Dire Straits. The blend of Celtic folk, bluegrass, and rock was completely my jam

Loved it...wonderful mix of traditional Irish instruments and late 80s early 90s indie/folk. Heartfelt and uplifting. Needed this one today.

I know and adore 'Fisherman's Blues' from Waking Ned Devine, but it was a pleasure to listen to more Waterboys music. I love the combination of traditional Irish sound and more contemporary rock!

went in expecting some perfectly fine irish folk music, a genre i have great respect for but dont genuinely go out and listen to, turns out i probably should because this knocked me on my ass. genuinely really grand and stirring in a way i wasn't expecting it to be.

First heard the song Fisherman’s Blues covered by The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and really loved it. Happy to hear the original. These folks are good!

wow another stacked album full of bangers. this is my kind of music. i listened to disc 1 like four times and disc 2 once for funsies. nuts to the haters, this is a 5 from me dawg. favorites: tracks 1-5, 8-10, and 12-13. also carolan's welcome from disc 2 because why the fuck not

Not quite as good as This is the Sea, but still a masterpiece that is one of my all-time "Why wasn't this an absolutely enormous commercial hit? Hmmm, probably because these people have no fucking taste" albums.

This was great. First one obviously a stand out but so many other great tracks on this. I love the blend of styles here and the Celtic vibe shining through. Plays a little long but flys by quickly in the groove of working around in the garage. High 4 but I’ll give it the round up. 4.5/5

The title track alone is an all time banger. I remember actually hearing it on Dallas’ famed Q102 rock station and I was stopped dead in my tracks. And I loved it. I couldn’t believe this was the same band that had previously produced such great albums like Pagan Place and This Is The Sea. It was such a pivot in sound. And this Celtic/folk/rock combo would become a huge influence on me and my own musical career. The collectors addition is definitely long in the teeth, but the original release is just an amazing record.

An album I've spun many a time which I love. The title track, Fisherman's Blues, Strange Boat and And A Bang On The Ear are all standout tracks. The Waterboys have such a great sound, it's a blend of contemporary and traditional Celtic, I really enjoy their full discography. A true classic.

I will not include disc two of the Collector's Edition in this review. I started checking out The Waterboys within the past year. They're a folk rock group that transcends Scottish and Irish music, fronted by singer-songwriter Mike Scott. I was surprised to find not only an album of theirs in the 1001 Albums series, but it does not have their arguably biggest hit, "The Whole of the Moon". Apparently, The Fisherman's Blues is noteworthy for a stylistic shift in the band, foregoing the more grandiose anthem rock sound of their earlier efforts in favor of a mixture of traditional music, country, and rock and roll. But by jove, they cooked up a delicious melting pot of sounds for this one. From the get-go, with the prominent violin and bouzouki, it's clear that the band sought to incorporate more traditional instruments into their folk rock sound, complete with Trevor Hutchinson's supple bass, the well-accented percussion, and Mike Scott's wistful delivery. There's such an impeccable bounce to the compositions on this record, while the production sounds so crisp and full that I can distinctly hear the individual instruments played. It's this kind of care towards the sound that makes even longer arrangements like "We Will Not Be Lovers", "And a Bang on the Ear", and the adaptation of the William Butler Yeats poem "The Stolen Child" engaging all the way through. There is genuine passion on display here, as Mike paid tribute in his lyrics and choices of covers to his Scottish and Irish roots alongside Western greats like Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams. This album maintains the feel of going to see a Celtic pub band that keeps the patrons' spirits up without overstaying their welcome. Even the instrumental interludes, "Jimmy Hickey's Waltz" and "Dunford's Fancy," felt like they belonged in this celebration of heritage and whimsy. Honestly, I have nothing else to say, as Fisherman's Blues was the heartfelt harkening towards The Waterboys' roots that felt timeless in its performance and songwriting. Their sound would continue to evolve over the years, but for this, it all just worked.

Waterboys with variety and some fun. I have to give it 5 cause there is nothing I hate, they bring horns, and they show they gave their own sound.

I'll be honest, this one hit me in a totally unexpected way, and I'll happily add this to my collection list

This album hits a really weird sweet spot between U2, Dexys Midnight Runners, Tom Cochrane and Bruce Springsteen but it works! I’d never heard of this one but man do I love soulful folk rock about the blue collar working man with the odd waltz thrown in for good measure. And they can sure diddle a fiddle!

One of my all time favourites. Maybe a joint #1. Every song resonates and I never get tired of listening to this album.

Love this band after a roommate turned me on to them.

Loving this! The Waterboys are a new discovery for me. Definitely a discography I want to continue to explore.

The quality continues unabated from the lilting melodies of 'Strange Boat' (almost touching on Kenny Rogers pop), the surprisingly great Van Morrison cover of 'Sweet Thing'. 'Jimmy Hickey's Waltz' is recorded like it's in a pub in the Olde Country; it's a great romantic touch, whilst retaining that cheeky pub feel, like a Blur instrumental. 'And a Bang on the Ear' at nine minutes flies by. Interesting to hear about all the girls he's biffed too. These songs lend themselves to be played and infinitum, without getting dull, despite the fact the album run time approaches an hour. 'Stolen Child' is based on Yeats but avoids pretension but being so captivatingly melancholic. The album undulates from Celtic pub rockers to lilting waltzes ('Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?' which feels classic country) to footappers in between ('When Ye Go Away'). Derivative no doubt, but these tunes feel authentic to me, as a non-Irish.

A band I didn't know bit I liked a lot. Folk, blues, and lots of Irish vibes

i really liked this album! what a lovely surprise!

Not what I expected! I enjoyed the covers.

A great surprise, a new band for me.

Must have listened to Fisherman Blues over 1000 times in my life. One of life greatest pep up songs. Adore. Did not realise there is 1 hour 42 minutes of the 2 disk album to follow! Can’t knock some Irish folk though, all feel good.

I can tell I’m going to listen to this album 1000 more times now that I know this album exists.

Super fun and wonderful!

oh good old blues, the genre i love the most. The violin on the second track "We will not be lovers" is just perfect and the lyrics, it remind me of my failed situationship which we both put ourselves into this deep hopeless romance melancholy which is sad.

I very much liked the blackbird cover on Sweet Thing. Woah. What a new voice on The Stolen Child. When will we be married has me bouncing in my chair. This album rocks.

I've been a fan of The Waterboys since the mid-80s. My first listen to this album, shortly after its release in '88, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I already liked some Celtic folk music, but it was a huge departure for the band whose previous releases were far more typical alt-rock. Over the next bit of time, and several more listens, it quickly became a favorite and has remained one of those always-go-back-to albums in constant rotation. I could go on about each and every classic song, but I'll stop at "an easy 5 stars from me."

So you start this and you don't see The Whole of the Moon and you go 'This'll be shit, this.' Turns out you're absolutely wrong and should feel bad about it. Absolutely wonderful album. Five stars.

Another favorite from my high school days. This album always just makes me smile and want to fish... Just finished Bodkin on Netflix, which somehow fits for enjoying this album. Good show, btw, if you haven't seen it.

I'm surprised to see so many reviewers complaining about this album's length. This is because the only version of this album available on streaming is the "Collector's Edition" of the album, with a whole other disc of bonus tracks and stuff that regular people wouldn't be interested in. You only have to listen to the first thirteen tracks on the album (up to "This Land Is Your Land), and what an enjoyable thirteen tracks they are! This is definitely my kind of music, and it makes me want to check out more stuff from The Waterboys. (Originally gave this album four stars, but screw it, I'm giving this a five).

Loved this album! Loved the Scottish/Irish folk music and Can Morrison vibes. Their Sweet Thing cover is my new favorite. Only complaint is that it’s the length of a feature film and not very conducive to this experiment.

Magnificent! I’ve loved every Waterboys album. The music has the ability to bypass all intellectual reasoning and pierce my soul. Mike Scott’s voice is heavy with emotion and affects me with every track. Fisherman’s blues and we will not be lovers are such heavy hitters. Those violins are magical and the rest is just as rich.

This album is as joyful as a pint of Guinness in a pub in Doolin when the crack kicks in. I love this album. I love the Waterboys' new take on traditional Irish music while still feeling very much like an album from the 1980s. Best version of Yeats’ classic!

Yndisleg plata, gæti hlustað á hana endalaust.

I'm an east coaster so this obviously landed well.

Like seeing your hometown band down the local pub, and they're your dad and your dad's mates, and they're crammed together on the smallest stage you've ever seen, and half of them are pissed and playing instruments you've never seen, and you're drinking a guinness, and sharing a dance with the local lass you fancy, and sharing a laugh with your mates, and life is good. 5 Stars. And This Is The Sea should be on this list as well.

Frenetic and fun throughout. Rockfolk at its finest