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.

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.

Think of the Pogues, but not cool.

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.

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.

Dylan meets Dave Matthews

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 🌟

Jesus that's a of of fiddle.

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.

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.

- 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

boss

Emotive, impactful and uplifting

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

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.

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

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

Pretty good, liked We Will not be lovers

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

God help anyone who rated this 5*

vi kallar detta för indiefolk.. Brittisk indiefolk så att säga heh.. lite för många låtar nästan fumblattinn fumlade bag så att säga heh... men ändå så många bangers att man inte kan göra någonting. kan inte klaga för mycket när den här brickan spelas med fifflande och skitsång, matas med en silversked i halsen Jag tar gärna emot Jag accepterar det här är läckert fisherman blues

The Waterboys - wow, rock and roll, country, quality, lyrics, arrangements, production quality, album layout - just enjoy the wholeness, sound and meaning.

Leuke muziek met veel vrolijk fiddle-deuntjes! Zeer mooie verrassing!

4.5, really surprised me, only issue is some songs carry on a bit too long

From the exclamations of “hoooo!” at the start of the opening title track, it was immediately clear that this album was going to be a pleasant surprise. It only got better with “We Will Not Be Lovers,” which never made me regret a bit of its seven minutes. There were a couple of missteps, as “And a Bang on the Ear” did drag on too long, and the country-western tinge of “Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?” didn’t fit with the traditional Irish and Scottish flavor and high energy of the rest of the album. Thankfully, an actual traditional song, “When Will We Be Married?” quickly brings back the violin. I’ve seen members of our group and on r/1001AlbumsGenerator on Reddit appreciate finding new favorites through the list, but ¾ of the way through I had been feeling that far too infrequently. Things I had no prior knowledge of too often seemed like duds. But The Waterboys broke through the mire. I checked out some of their songs from their previous album, reputed to be more rock-oriented, and found several great tracks. Pretty interesting to see them come up in the same setting as U2 only to diverge in a different direction. The missteps in the middle of the album might make this a 4-star album, but I’ve got to give it a 5-star review.

4.9 - I love this album, listened to it loads already

Really enjoyed this!

I really enjoyed this album, exactly my type of thing. From what I understand, this album is a departure from the band's usual post-punk stuff so I'll have to check that out too.

Initial thoughts: 1. This album is way too long if it's actually 1:42. 2. The mandolin and violin go ballistic in the first song. If this energy is carried throughout, we are going to have a proper good time. We just missed these guys come to the 9:30 Club on October 22, 2013... damn. I ended up having my last song be "This Land is Your Land" for the purposes of this review as that's the last track according to Wikipedia. I will probably continue to listen to the rest of the songs. There's definitely some really high highs in this album. The mandolin and violin continued to go hard, but I appreciated some of the more mellow parts of the album. I had a proper good time.

Wonderful to see the influences they bring to the table, from country to blues to scottisch/gaelic folk. They put out a masterpiece with themes in wide range so there's something for everyone to love. They accompany their unique brand of music mix with clever and raspy vocals that fit their respective themes well.

Me gustó tanto este álbum que hasta me atreví a escuchar toda la versión extendida. Fue una buena decisión, siento que conocía a los Waterboys de nombre, pero nunca los había escuchado. Joyas. Eso de meter sonidos escoceses (espero que sí lo sean) resulta muy acertado, pensé en una onda medio Nick Cave, pero también Belle and Sebastian y gente más rockera. Hubo una canción que me encantó: "We Will Not Be Lovers". Las otras favs fueron: "Sweet Thing", claro "Fisherman's Blues", "You in the Sky" y "When Will Be Married". <3 10/10

Much more melodic than what I was expecting, really ended up liking this one! I was worried when I saw 9-minute songs but nothing felt overlong.

What a record. Extraordinary playing throughout, with near-punk intensity on the early cuts and utter (and uniquely Irish) soulfulness enriching the mood. Title track is a fantastic opener and bleeds straight into "We Will Not Be Lovers" for a major power play, a sustained crescendo. "World Party" is great, too. The Yeats and Van homages are extremely well done. The second side dips a bit in power – how could it not? – but still offers charms aplenty ("Bang On the Ear" and "When Ye Go Away"). Has anyone ever used strings to better effect on a rock album? This is among the top few Irish albums of all time.

Well. This is just excellent.

Loved it, surprising good

Som virtuoso, mistura de rock alternativo com instrumentos folk, top

Today's album is a Celtic rock/folk album, which is right in my wheelhouse! The Waterboys are from the UK. This is their fourth studio album, and the first of their albums to feature Celtic folk. Prior to this album, they were just a rock band. With this album, they introduced the Celtic influences, which I love! The rock side of this band reminds me of the Canadian band Headstones, while the Celtic side reminds me of Irish Rovers. Just like you would hear guitar solos in traditional rock music, you hear fiddle/mandolin solos on this record, which is awesome! This Land Is Your Land is a snippet of a Woody Guthrie song, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank is a tribute to Hank Williams, The Stolen Child is a William Butler Yeats poem that the band put to music, and Sweet Thing is a cover of a Van Morrison song (the band breaks into a rendition of The Beatles song Blackbird right in the middle). Fisherman's Blues was used in the TV Series Lights Out, as well as movies: Good Will Hunting, and Waking Ned Devine. They get super experimental with the fiddle on this record, pushing it to its absolute limit to extract sounds out of it that were never heard before. The 7-9 minute songs on this record are really special, because that's where the band is just dabbling with their instruments, and some really cool moments occur (they feel like a jam band during these songs). The Spotify link for this album connected me with the Collectors Edition of this record, which is 1 hour, 42 minutes, and I listened to every second! There are some really fantastic songs in this extended version of the album, like: Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, And Meet Me At The Station. Overall, this was an amazing album today, from a band I'd never heard before. I will definately revisit this album, along with the rest of their discography. Albums like this is why I love this generator! Favourite songs: Meet Me At The Station, Fisherman's Blues, Dunford's Fancy, Carolan's Welcome, When Will We Be Married, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, And A Bang On The Ear, Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, We Will Not Be Lovers, Killing My Heart, World Party, You In The Sky, Sweet Thing, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?, Strange Boat, Let Me Feel Holy Again, When Ye Go Away, The Stolen Child Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Soon As I Get Home 5/5

I liked this way more than I thought I would.

really fun!

Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.

Excellent Album when in the mood

Vanvittig!

What a jewel. Every song was a joy. The fiddle playing - outstanding

Fajne

Muy folk y con mucha melodía. A mantener en el tiempo.

Great folk-rock with sounds of traditional Irish and Scotish music. Waterboys' best selling album. Must be listened!

I’ve given this a few listens and each time I love it more and more. Just a joy to listen to

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.

Mencanta.

I can't provide an unbiased review of this album because it was formative to my musical development. I was obsessed with it from at least the early 90s and listened to it regularly for 10+ years. Hearing it again for the first time in 20 years, it holds up well! I had forgotten how long the album is, there is definitely some filler in there, but also some great tracks mixed in right up to the end. I love the diversion into Yeats towards the end. I still have a soft spot for folksy rock. A beautiful, rich, complex album that formed my tastes. 5/5

ah, how much do i love this album... let me count the ways. I remember saving up my pocket money and buying the tape in Golden Discs on Grafton Street after seeing them on TOTP.

[[ I've been wondering what I was gonna do when a double album came up. Hope I can find the time to listen to the whole thing - 22 songs, 1 hour 42 minutes. ]] I have enjoyed some of these songs for years, especially FISHERMAN'S BLUES, which most people have likely heard. I'm embarrassed that I was unaware of the relationship between the Waterboys and World Party (Karl Wallinger), but listening and thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. A lot of the music feels like it was recorded live, as a full band, with spontaneous surprises allowed and kept on the final product - see SWEET THING, a Van Morrison tune "interrupted" by The Beatles ' BLACKBIRD. A BANG ON THE EAR is a terrific song. I was concerned about exactly what a “bang on the ear” meant - apparently, it's slang for “say hello to her for me”. This reminds me of The Pogues, but, while it's loosey-goosey and traditional-based, it's not as wild or drunken. THE STOLEN CHILD is wonderful. Includes spoken word and great instrumentation in a minor key. More violin than fiddle, if you know what I mean. Heartfelt. Best song on an excellent album. 'Come away, O human child To the waters and the wild With a faery hand in hand For the world's more full of weeping Than you can understand' Disc 2 including alternate versions of FISHERMAN'S BLUES and WHEN WILL WE BE MARRIED, both of which are very, very good. Final tune, SOON AS I GET HOME, is a 12-minute banger - where a typical R&R band would include a screaming lead guitar we find sax and fiddle battling it out. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ __________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 24 🎧 LPs left to review: 977 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 6 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list: 8 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine: 7

What a pleasant surprise. I'll be listening to this a ton.

I've never heard of The Waterboys, but I will check them out! I love the Celtic sound.

This was surprisingly great, really reminded me of early dropkick murphys

Fantastic album. Classic Irish-Folk-alternative from the 80’s

Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.

Una grata sorpresa. Me gustó mucho todo el disco. Las instrumentaciones son variadas, conmovedoras y llenas de textura, uno se imagina que es otro disco folk y ya, pero es como si pidieras unas papas chicas y te dan unas extra grandes. Favs: The stolen child, el interludio celta Dunfords Fancy, We will not be lovers y Carolans welcome. Mood: grito sad de banshee

Folk rock. Me ha gustado. Vinilo.

Excellent

This is pretty cool. Really interesting instrumentation, bright clear production, good lyrics & vocals.

OK. Didn't know of this album but I was busy falling in love with its wonderful folk/rock when I heard When Ye Go Away. It has a glorious combination of celtic fiddle and voice which contrasts and complements this laidback country-ish guitar. So lovely, so clever. That sold the deal.

I fell in love with the mandolin with this album. Wish the mandolin was in more things. VOTE YES to have mandolins in EVERY song! 10/10

Enjoyed the Waterboys! After listening to Sinead O’Connor’s “I Do Not Want…” album, a Waterboys song played next as Spotify often chooses a related artist’s song. Well, they are Irish. And British. And Welsh. And Scots so… This album is a great amalgam of Irish folk tinged rock and roll. Favorite songs with “Fisherman’s Blues” (including the alternative version) "And a Bang on the Ear". Despite being awfully long, it’s a great album.

This album is one of the reasons people drink. It's a fun-filled exploration of hanging with your friends at a bar, living your live to the fullest, and singing at the top of your lungs. I forgot how good this album is.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Fisherman’s blues, We will not be lovers, Strange boat, World party, And a bang on the ear, When will we be married, The stolen child

The blend of 80s music with traditional Celtic sounds and instruments is well done. Really fun listen.

Like it. Very listenable.

loved them ever since I saw them at glasto

I don't know how I missed this band in the 80's !! Awesome LP !!!!

Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.

Nice bluesy

Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.

Near flawless album.

beautiful. 10/10 mystisch, feenhaft, gibt ein feeling für den kommenden sommer. hat mich sehr bewegt.

This is an amazing album. It's blend of rock and roots, especially Celtic, was common at the time but also superior to other albums. Only the Pogues were really comparable but their Punk leaning made them very different. The songwriting is superb. I bought this in 1988 and still listen to it with regularity.

Never heard of The Waterboys before but I instantly was very interested in the prominence of the squeezebox and the fiddle. I really loved this! The bonus disk is also really great too!

Прекраснейший кантри-альбом, один из лучших в мире. По больше части выделяется он засчёт своего уникального звучания - начиная от чувственного пения и глубоких текстов, заканчивая нетипичным для жанра инструментала, в котором очень часто используется электрогитара и невероятная скрипка, которая определённо придаёт больше эмоциональности каждому треку. На самом деле трудно как-то ещё описать этот альбом, здесь очень много моментов, которые хочется хвалить до бесконечности, но все эти мысли не умещаются у меня в голове, поэтому я просто советую вам послушать и самим прочувствовать этот альбом. (9 - 9.5)

круто, что слышно этнические мотивы - что-то от ирландских баллад (группа ирландская, собственно) любимое: stolen child

Listened to te Collectors Edition a few times today, but will give a vote for the original album from 1988, which I had listened to a lot in the past: one of the best albums of The Waterboys and a clear 5* album. The Waterboys should appear a few more times in the list - again an example of a band whose music was more than the sum of its parts (also illustrated by the extra songs on the Collectors Edition, which are great too).

So good 4.5

Banging

An absolutely fantastic album. Love the strings

Just a fantastic piece of folk rock history.... it’s a classic!

ши.кар.дос. интересный фолк с элементами народных инструментов из Великобритании и окружающих островов. звучит красиво.

Loved this! Not sure I'd listen to disc 2 tracks much but the first half is fun.

I honestly don't know how I've gone 30 years in this earth without hearing this album. Love the fusion of folk and rock. It's awesome.

Wonderful

I didn't have time to listen much, but from what I heard, this is why this website exists! Awesome music that I would never have heard otherwise!

Folk rock. Me ha gustado. Vinilo.