Reviews (page 2 of 9)
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
Great album!
pretty good for never heard of
Sort of an Irish “Darkness On The Edge of Town”, this album combines anthemic rock with traditional Irish music touches, merging the two in some places but also adeptly drifting between the two styles from track to track. Remarkably, it all works and is aided by strong songwriting and fantastic and emotionally rich performances that pop off the record. The album and many of its tracks are overly long - 57 minutes overall and a few individual tracks in the 7-9 minute range. That overindulgence aside, this is a remarkably affecting and well-crafted record.
In my all time top 20.
Man, this is definitely one of my favorite discoveries on this project. I’m giving it 5 stars despite only listening to it twice. This band, who I had not heard of before this, nails in this record all of my peak interests in a great album: great lyrics, emotive vocals, well played and varied musicianship, and a distinct sound. The opening title track is incredible, as is the epic following track We Will Not Be Lovers. Starting with two heavy hitters like this would set up most albums for imbalance, but every track following these are of fantastic quality. This record reminds me of Wilco’s Being There album in many ways. I look forward to discovering more of the Waterboys.
I really enjoyed this. Felt I was listening to Irish music and DMB at times.
Åpningslåten er en klassiker. Hele albumet gir deg én følelse av å være på live konsert med god stemning og med utøvere med spilleglede og overskudd 👍🏻
Loved it from start to finish feels some how refreshing yet familiar. Never heard of this band before but loved the use of folk music making it stand out from lots of other on this list and made a refreshing change of pace. It also worked perfectly as work music keeping me upbeat and energetic.
Now THIS is my speed. What a phenomenal album, I feel like it was made for me just to discover 40 years later. I love the Celtic folk rock style, it’s so fun and so interesting. Makes you vibe, makes you feel, and makes you just enjoy music and life altogether. This albums immense length is both a great strength and a great weakness as I’m not sure how often I’ll be returning to this album in full, but it did mean there was that much more superb content to enjoy. What a surprise and amazing discovery, 5 stars to make sure I don’t forget this gem.
This is not too far removed from Will the Circle Be Unbroken by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The songs are really good. If you would have told me that this was some kind of offshoot of The Smiths, I might believe you. 1 extra star for how the bass guitar sounds in the mix.
First half was perfect, second half does drop off a bit but still enjoyed it. I could listen to them and Pogues all day Rating: 4.7
I found this album some time after high school, and I've loved it since. Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party, And a Bang On the Ear... Those are enough for me the 5 tbh, I like it all the though.
This was a very good listen to driving. Stand out song - A bang on the ear
A wonderful journey that tails of the 80s with back to from stone cold classics.
Banger after banger
Class by a class band. Loved Strange Boat
Really great album. Can't believe I'm enjoying something with folk tunes and a fiddle so much. maybe I'll learn to love Bob Dylan by the end of the 1001 too. Fisherman's Blues is a classic sing-a-long track and a great opener to the album. Mike Scott is 10x the singer Bob D is too, which helps. We Will Not Be Lovers is the standout though, loved the interplay between the violin and fretless (or double?) bass in the intro - really creates tension. Only two chords (A minor and F for those playing at home). Keeping the 5* run going is World Party, which spawned a pretty cool band too. Sweet thing slows things down somewhere, but it's a lovely song. Pleased to hear a 'bang' on the ear means a 'kiss'. There's a few not so great tracks later in the album, but I'm going 4.5 stars, rounded up.
I needed this album today. A sad and emotional day, and then this popped up. An album I absolutely love because of a handful of joyous songs, but today it’s the sad and reflective songs that speak powerfully. The Waterboys dynamic is quite unique, and a ‘go to’ for me when I feel a certain way. Today, ‘When Ye Go Away’ hit the mark, and as I was listening to the Collectors Edition I also got the pleasure of ‘You in the Sky’ and ‘Let Me Feel Holy Again’. RIP Uncle John. Your legacy as a much loved husband, father and grandfather is an inspiration 🩷
This is the kind of music I love!
Another big surprise - I know the Waterboys from Whole of the Moon and a few other tracks but this album is excellent. It’s like they saw what Dexy’s had done with traditional Celtic folk instruments and thought “We could do this so much better” even down to the Van Morrison cover, “Sweet Thing” which incorporates “Blackbird” by the Beatles. It’s like prog folk and I wasn’t expecting it.
I had a CD of this back in the day. I really like the song writing and the production that allows it to sway effortlessly between eighties bombast and folky intimacy. A tour de force.
Love their sound! They would be so fun to see live. The blend of rock and country, Irish and Scottish...it all just works. And there's something about Irish music that makes me feel warm and fuzzy in general. There are so many great songs, hard to pick a favorite. Meet Me at the Station is awesome. World Party is super fun. The Stolen Child is really beautiful. LOVE the sax in You in the Sky. Easy 5 for me.
I loved this album when it came out but kind of forgot about. Stellar album.
This has to be in that quirky position of an album that I know backwards but don't own. Quite brilliant, and aged far better than their 'Big Music' era IMHO. On the relisten standout tracks are Strange Boat and The Stolen Child, When Ye Go Away joining the title track and Bang On The Ear.
Do przesłuchania jeszcze raz
"Don't judge a book by its cover" ahh album. Bruh 💀
A band I discovered properly via The War On Drugs who covered A Pagan Place, they also owe a lot of their sound in general to The Waterboys. Have seen them live three times now and they are incredible, as is this album, worthy of its place in this list and then some
5/5. I love the energy in each of these songs, kind of inspired by stone roses and Oasis with some pretty strings throughout, giving a more down to earth vibe. The longer songs are definitely the highlights, with beautiful arrangements. This is a repeat listen for me for sure, just each song has a big sound in it as well while feeling so personal. Best Song: We Will Not Be Lovers, Sweet Thing, Fisherman's Blues
This was my intro to Mike Scott, who I feel is one of the greatest poetic songwriters ever. How he can use his voice and words to convey such pure emotions is staggering. 5 stars, no question, and this album is groundwork of my love of Ireland too
Wow. Surprise! Had heard some over the years but this brings it all together. I am Irish and I am proud to be so. But-this is not like Irish jig dancing in the pubs. It’s thoughtful. 5 stars and will be added to my list of favorites ☘️
A really fantastic album, I love the rock music with folk instrumentation. It's very hard to pick a favorite, but each of the first few tracks are a contender.
stellar great
Great folk music. Some of the songs where a little long for me. But overall loves this album. I could hear their influence in so many other bands I listen to.
I really liked this one. Definitely worth listening to again.
Excellent! It would have been 4.5 I wish it was less darn long, but it was so good! Musicianship was great, and it made me happy to listen to such a happy bunch of songs. I liked how the drums sounded too.
I really enjoyed this one! It got a bit long at the end with the extended edition, but... damn, it made me smile and feel, so it succeeded as a great thing I will return to!♥️
A folk rock supergroup debut that is super.
Wow! Fantastic soul, blues, rockabilly, and Irish music. This is a gem.
I've never heard this band or album before. It's a banger and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the type of album I was hoping to discover from this list. Dig the music, dig the vocals, dig the Van Astral Weeks tune. Kick ass.
cool
Joyful
Funky folky rocky. Class album
a journey. blues to irish to trippy
Loved this! Not sure I'd listen to disc 2 tracks much but the first half is fun.
I’ve given this a few listens and each time I love it more and more. Just a joy to listen to
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
Fantastic album. Classic Irish-Folk-alternative from the 80’s
I've never heard of The Waterboys, but I will check them out! I love the Celtic sound.
What a pleasant surprise. I'll be listening to this a ton.
[[ 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
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.
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.
4.5, really surprised me, only issue is some songs carry on a bit too long
4.9 - I love this album, listened to it loads already
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.
Folk rock. Me ha gustado. Vinilo.
Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.
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.
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.
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.
Well. This is just excellent.
Nice bluesy
loved them ever since I saw them at glasto
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.
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
Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.
Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.
I don't know how I missed this band in the 80's !! Awesome LP !!!!
Excellent Album when in the mood
Vanvittig!
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.
Near flawless album.
What a jewel. Every song was a joy. The fiddle playing - outstanding
Fajne
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)
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!
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
Mencanta.
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 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!
круто, что слышно этнические мотивы - что-то от ирландских баллад (группа ирландская, собственно) любимое: stolen child
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
Excellent
The blend of 80s music with traditional Celtic sounds and instruments is well done. Really fun listen.
Like it. Very listenable.
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).
beautiful. 10/10 mystisch, feenhaft, gibt ein feeling für den kommenden sommer. hat mich sehr bewegt.
Folk rock. Me ha gustado. Vinilo.
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.
This was surprisingly great, really reminded me of early dropkick murphys
really fun!
Great folk-rock with sounds of traditional Irish and Scotish music. Waterboys' best selling album. Must be listened!
So good 4.5
This is pretty cool. Really interesting instrumentation, bright clear production, good lyrics & vocals.
Didn't hate it, but I wavered between 'this is great' and 'this is annoying' regularly throughout. Appreciated the blending of genres, but didn't necessarily love any of them. Some pretty catchy tunes in there though. I feel like it's one I'd love after several listens. Edit: I ended up listening three times and by the end I really loved it. Think it took me a while to get into what they were doing, but by the end I even enjoyed the more twee folky ones like Carolan's Welcome (felt like the soundtrack to a really great playstation game). Agree with Stef, Fisherman's Blues and And a Bang on the Ear were highlights.
Leuke muziek met veel vrolijk fiddle-deuntjes! Zeer mooie verrassing!
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
Muy folk y con mucha melodía. A mantener en el tiempo.
Canción versionada por Celtas Cortos. Ya la conocía y estaba entre mis favoritos.
Loved it, surprising good
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
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.
An absolutely fantastic album. Love the strings
Sjefe greier
Banging
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.
Really enjoyed this!
Wonderful
ши.кар.дос. интересный фолк с элементами народных инструментов из Великобритании и окружающих островов. звучит красиво.
Just a fantastic piece of folk rock history.... it’s a classic!
'Now your eyes are like tortures / Your presence is bliss / I never knew time / Could speed & zip like this.' I love the green cover & the gold lettering, & I love how seriously unserious they take themselves, & I love that they're of no apparent age at all, & I love them instrumentally as well as lyrically, but I love nothing more than the fact that they're so eager & yet so punctuated. The Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues is both untamed & placid, exhibiting a savage control of medium & attitude. True, it's a bit long, & not every song shines absolutely, but if you can pull off a proper cover of 'Sweet Thing,' you've got my attention. Representing a gorgeous transition between Liam Clancy & The War on Drugs, The Waterboys are a stunning reminder of life.
Pretty good for sure, I'll revisit this and more of their work
I always enjoy a good fusion of Celtic trad with rock. This is a good fusion.4 stars.
Very good album that blends traditional celtic folk and late 80s rock in a very satisfying way. In particular the first half is notably excellent. I do feel the album starts to drag past the halfway mark, but that could be due to personal taste. Length aside this is an album worth experiencing. Top tracks: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party
Had no idea what to expect from this. I've never heard of this band before. I really enjoyed it.
Extra points for being relatively unique. Title track is a banger. Good stuff.
What a great opening song and overall vibe of this album. I really enjoyed this.
Thought this album was just going to be an Irish jig, same song, every song. But I was pretty impressed with it. Thought the instrumentation was great, and had a little bit of variety. Rating: 8/10 Favorite Song: Will Will Not be Lovers
4 out of 5. This album's second half isn't as bad as people here are making it out to be.
It’s right up my alley at this time, so it is difficult to be objective. While I enjoy its sound, it does make me think that it would sound repetitive over the length of the album. Or maybe I should stop being a critic and just enjoy it. 4/5
great - 80s vibes
I liked it, not as much as their other album though
Really liked the first 5 tracks, title track opener was interesting and had me perk up, We Will Not Be Lovers was powerful jam, World Party fun, and a cool version of Van Morrison's Sweet Thing, but I still like the og better. Then the album took a sharp turn for the boring, there was some beauty to be found in When Ye Go Away and the closer The Stolen Child was a pretty poem/song mash up. Overall I really liked the good moments, and will return to the parts I liked
This hit such a spot for me as a former contradancer. Lots of beautiful reels and waltzes in this. Carolan's Welcome and Killing my Heart were solid
Despite some strange and off-kilter moments, this album largely impressed me. It was cool hearing this sound further along in it’s evolution, and much of the instrumentation was just wonderful. The band offers so many fun grooves and punchy energy, it’s hard not to enjoy. That primarily goes for the first few tracks, however, as it does trail off a tad after that. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: We Will Not Be Lovers, Title Track, Sweet Thing, World Party
This one surprised me in a good way.
It seems that Mike Scott made this sleeve himself, which, compared to the ones created by graphic designers, is very apparent. It's a generic route, ok but not great. After The Whole of the Moon and This is the Sea, Fisherman's Blue follows the same recipe but not as tasty. All of The Waterboys' music is very enjoyable and great to have spinning on the turntable; however, if we are voting for great albums this is an also-ran.
First two songs are so energetic and unique with amazing rhythm and strings. A super strong start to this album. 3 song reminds me of a Springsteen ballad. Another good song. 4 while it gets better is less special than the previous. Sweet thing is a nice cover but doesn't reach the hights of Van Morrison's version. The quotation from Blackbird is pretty cool though. 7 is lovely. My favorite so far. 9 is very cool and bouncy. 10 is so so beautiful. Another highlight. The stolen child is a very ambitious way to practically close out the album, before a quick rendition of This Land is Your Land. What a great one. Would surly come back to it. As with some other 90's albums, I think the medium of the disc tempted the artists to add three or four extra songs that shouldn't be there. But overall its a very special album and should definitely be here. It's a 4
This was a fun change of pace
Never heard of this artist but enjoyed!
I loved the first half much more than the second, but still, this was a great surprise. Solid stuff.
A bunch of good jigs
This was surprisingly good. Those dudes have energy.
Solid Irish inspired folk-rock record with sing-along jams perfect for a bar and poetic, introspective cuts inspired by traditional Irish art. I enjoyed the emotional and expressive energy throughout the record, particularly the early cuts where the violin player absolutely trashes the instrument while the rest of the band goes into a frenzy. There need to be more records on this list with that sort of intensity. For that alone I place this album a bit higher than most so far.
Didn’t think I’d dig this but alas I did.
Love the violins
The first two songs are perfect. Drops off a bit after that, but still a good listen
Ok, i love Celtic music, but i couldn't wait till this 100 minute long double album was done. I was exhausted. If Dave Matthew's band was David McArthurs band, this was them. And yes you can hear the influences...even if there is no evidence of direct influences. I also get the BNL vibes here too. Most people will not like this as much as I do. But next time....how about only 45 minutes?
Riktigt bra skiva. Fina melodier och harmonier. This is the sea är min favorit av Waterboys men denna kommer strax efter. Titellåten, Strange boat och A Bang on the ear bäst.
I’m familiar with this album, or at least the concept of its existence. Good ol’ Celtic rock. One of my close friends is proudly Celtic, and I’m always down for some folksy rock vibes. Lots of 7-ish minute songs here, which is annoying, but I’ve heard longer songs, and longer albums. As I understand it, this was a pretty major pivot to folk stuff for this band, which is interesting. The title track is obviously incredible, and so is the second track, two of the better songs in that vein that I’ve heard, and there are a couple of other really nice tracks too, such as “And A Bang On The Ear,” a LONG, bittersweet ode to each of the singer’s past lovers, “When Will We Be Married?,” a cheeky yet actually really pretty and well-composed song, and “When Ye Go Away,” another really pretty song. Sadly though, there is soooooo much filler on this album it kind of hurts. “Strange Boat,” “World Party,” “Sweet Thing,” and “The Stolen Child” aren’t too bad by any means, but the time adds up, and it just isn’t needed. It doesn’t add enough to the album to have them there. That being said, I think I’ll go back to this album plenty, what with its highs, and with its energy, and with its tunes. I like it a whole lot!!! 7.8/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES WHY: great example of a high-quality Celtic-influenced album.
This was a pleasant surprise. The first half was really good, particularly the first two tracks; the second half tailed off a bit and became a little bit contrived at times. The spoken word track initially bemused me but it turns out that it is a traditional Irish vocal styling of a WB Yeats poem, so I forgave it.
Something about this really appealed to me. From the opening track with its mandolin (which I’m something of sucker for) and quite lovely melody I found d this an enjoyable album of folk influenced alternative rock tunes - can definitely hear a thread of this through to other acts like R.E.M. of there is a criticism it’s that the album itself is a little bloated, but on the whole a really pleasant experience and glad that I didn’t write The Waterboys off as only being ‘the ones that sang whole of the moon’.
This was a pleasant surprise. A pleasant mixture of folk, rock and country that had a decent amount of variety to it. We Will Not Be Lovers and World Party are both real catchy and replayable, while The Stolen Child is very ethereal and somewhat sad.
saur good
I don't know who felt the need to ask "What if we took U2, took away their Irish citizenship, and then made them more Irish?" but whoever asked that got the exact answer they were looking for. It's a pretty good album, although I can't help but feel like a UK band making an Irish album after The Troubles is a very strange choice. There are some incredible songs on here, though. I love the jam part at the end of We Will Not Be Lovers and some of the more standard folky songs are pretty nice. It's also just cool to see a band with a double-digit number of people in it.
Okay this was much better than expected, I was living my woodland fairy fantasy
What an opening song!!!
Celtic Springsteen.
Day two of catastrophic flooding and albums related to flooding or water. Still not amused by any of it. The Waterboys helped though. I’m still processing how enjoyable the album was, definitely a pleasant surprise.
I see these guys compared to U2 but I’m not really getting it. This album feels stripped down, unpretentious, and earnest. “We Will Not Be Lovers” is a fun romp, the “Sweet Thing” cover fits their style well despite its unfortunate and needless interpolation of a different tune, and there’s a decent amount of enjoyable fiddlin’ folk sprinkled throughout. The production feels rich and warm, a nice counterpart to the sparser arrangements.
FUCK YEAH CELTIC ROCK LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO
When We Will Be Married 🌟
good
jag blev charmad!
Folksy British-English done well; catchy, deep, & soulful.
A warmly welcome surprise.
These boys like it wet
I think I own this album on CD somewhere. Always liked the title track and the closing track, Carolans Welcome is really good. Its a decent modern take on Scottish and Irish folk and has brilliant musicians on it. You don't get much Celtic trad in this list so nice to see it included. Not everyone's cup of tea, I understand, but 4/5 for ambition and brilliant trad musicianship.
A very good album—it was fun to listen to—but it was a bit too long; all those different versions could have been left out.
Number: 190 Familiarity: Well-versed (4) Rating: 4 I am very familiar with The Waterboys though I don't think this is my favorite album by them. That would probably be This Is The Sea. Also, I think the original version instead of the collectors edition would have been plenty for this list. I think they did a great job covering Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing".
Awesome album. I've been trashing covers on here lately, but they absolutely make the covers their own. The non covers are just as great.
Banger
This was quite good.
Really enjoyed this
I enjoyed this as something different than most of what comes up on this list. Certainly not the first or only ones to combine Scottish folk , rock and county sounds together but they do a great job of it. Fisherman's Blues is a jam, the rest of the album does loose a bit of speed after that first track. I did like this one though and happy to add it to my listening catalog.
I had never heard of these guys, but this was a great time! I’m generally a fan of folk rock and the traditional Scottish/Irish folk elements really worked well.
This was a varied and diverse set of styles on this album. I really liked the switching from Rock to Celtic to English Folk back to Rock. This is 3 1/2 star so had to decide which way to go on this and finally decided to bump it up.
Trying to overlook that the album felt about 15minutes too long. I always give bonus points to albums that adopt additional strings and brass and even more points when it's done in an engaging way. The concept of the album of being an optimistic yet heartbroken fisherman finding solace far from land is one I hadn't previously considered but now find it to my fancy.
This is a good band. It would be 5 stars if the vocalist wasn't trying to imitate drunk Dylan.
Honestly I was a little distracted. Will probably need to listen again. I really liked what I paid attention to though, so it gets a 4.
A very good album of this genre. 4 stars or B.
Amazing listen here. Love the telltales in the lyrics of the songs and i specially value the celtic songs. Amazing!
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Fantastic title track, and even if the album doesn't always reach those heights there's enough life and craft here that it didn't wear out its welcome, even over the long double album.
Really not bad at all
I've been a big fan of the Waterboys for the last year and a half now. My favorite album of their's is "This is the Sea" but this one would be my next pick. I'm happy these lads got represented on this list one way or another. Favorite track: We Will Not Be Lovers 4.5/5
Not my fav one, but I like it. World party is my fav song off of this album
I hear they got criticized for changing their sound for this album. But having never heard them previously, I don’t know what they sounded like before, and I do know that I like this sound. This is traditional-but-tough-sounding Irish-derived music without a single reference to the bathetic “Danny Boy”. What’s not to like?
Major props for having an original sound. I'll def throw this on again
His was a fun, fresh album. I enjoyed it throughout and now want to explore their other music. Very good
This seemed very familiar; I think my uni house-mate liked it, and dragged me to see The Waterboys on this tour (she conveniently worked on the Ents team). I wasn't a massive fan, and I remember some dismay about them moving away from their artier sound. However, truthfully, I thoroughly enjoyed this today. There were one or two moments where he went a bit too "Bob" in the vocals, but it's a really good album, conveying sincere emotions. It's quite melancholy, but that suits my mood today. I'm happy to have journeyed back.
I listened to this album at 1 AM while high as kite and playing chess.
4.5 Only knew whole of the moon before this which is one of my faves. This was a really interesting album, a few weaker tracks like on most of the albums on this list though to be fair
Fand ich tatsächlich super chillig. Mehr Mitglieder in der Band als ich Freunde habe
After just a few tracks I was genuinely quite surprised by how much I was enjoying this record. Draws from traditional folk styles without being completely beholden to them, a really fantastic sense of pacing and dynamism to the instrumentals. Maybe drags a little towards the end, but definitely one of the stronger folk-rock records I've heard doing this.
First listen was okay. On the second listen I kind of fell in love. This is great!
Violon commence a gosser a fin mais overall vrm bien
I was playing a video game so I wasn't super listening to this but I enjoyed it more than I expected
Didn’t know what i was expecting but i was pleasantly surprised, it was very pretty, i guess its an irish inspired folk album? Side A is much stronger i will admit, but Side B still is very pretty and traditional. Standouts are we will not be lovers, world party (coolest thing to make a self titled track to your own band in an album by another band, best track too), sweet thing (beautiful cover) and The Stolen Child.
Enjoyable.
This album came out of nowhere and really blew me away. A bit too inconsistent to get five stars, but will definitely be checking out more by them.
3.5/5
I enjoyed this
Well fiddle di dee and slap my knee. What a lovely album. Shame that they seemingly forgot how to end it. 10 tracks too many.
yeah it's good
4 stars, but actually 3.5 could be appropriate. I should say from the outset that Apple Music had the original 13 song album so no endless outtakes and alternate versions. I listened to this CD a lot when it came out (I was in college) and always have had a fondness for Celtic trad music. Is some of it hokey? Yes. Did it age well? Some songs more than others. But the song “We Will Not Be Lovers” is a great one
Never really listened to the Waterboys. Long ago, I had a roommate who had a few of their cd's. Checked them out slightly, but it didn't take. I think their blend of folkiness and rock would have worked better for me when I was younger. Fisherman's Blues is a good one, laid back and kind of charming. We ... Lovers is interesting. I thought, "Unlike the first song, this one is boring." Then, "But this one is good" -- and we were still in track 2! So, boring beginning, strong ending. Back half of this song cooks. And a Bang On the Ear -- good one; liked it, enjoyed the extended playing. Even with a remaster, the sound just isn't great. A bit thin, a but muddy. And the piano is a clear instance of the late 80s electric piano that is set to "acoustic piano" setting ... thumbs down. Sounds lousy. Always a tightrope when you have a singer whose voice isn't very good. They overcome that limitation only intermittently. Solid. About half, maybe more, I definitely like. The Van Morrison cover that goes into Blackbird is pretty cool. Unfortunate that they couldn't get the sound right. Evidently they recorded dozens and dozens of songs during these sessions ... were these really the best dozen? Speaking of which ... The Stolen Child -- oh, dear Lord ... were you writing material for inclusion in Portlandia, 15 years before it was created ... ? Holy Jesus. By contrast, Killing My Heart, the alternate version of When .... Away, might be the best thing on here. Good job including it as a bonus track!
Embracing more traditional sounds with this album the Waterboys took almost two years to finish the album and recorded a vast amount of material. I used to own a CD of this back in the day but haven't heard it for decades, good album.
I want a Guinness and a shot of Jamesons.
This has been on my want to check out list for a while. Familiar with a couple of tracks that I do like. Pretty consistant, some somgs better than others, but overall I like the faux celtic sound he was going for. 4 Heard before? Some Owned: No: 72/289 (24%) Will I get: No
Really digging this right from the start. Fiddle and mando players rip. Singer has a great voice. Has a classic sound reminiscent of The Band.
I think the album goes on a little too long but it's damn good and I will be putting it into the rotation.
I made it three minutes into 'We Will Not Be Lovers' before stopping what I was doing to take stock of why I was so mad at it. The chordal cadence had only been modulating between two chords for the whole damn thing and wouldn't resolve. It's fine to play with a two-chord deal ('God's Gonna Cut You Down' is a great example and there are others) but holding your listener in tension for that long is just musical blue balls. Fuck off with that shit. I'll listen to some challenging things. That's just irritating. It got better. Reminded me of a lot of things but I can tell you that Jeff Tweedy, Josh Ritter, Tom Petty and a raft of other musicians I love must've listened to this. 'Sweet Thing' was revelatory. Great fiddle work, too. I'm almost mad that I ended up liking this, I was so pissed off by 'Lovers'. It's been a long week (and it's Wednesday morning), so maybe that's what's up. That this closes with some traditional tunes and a Woody Guthrie classic (basically trad, at this point) is a real bow on things. Highly recommended. 4/5
Love this album, but I have to admit that it's not quite good enough all the way through to earn 5 stars.
I kind of love this.
Didn’t like the first track, rest of the album was way better than I expected. Absolutely loved the second track.
This is good stuff. I'd never heard of, or didn't recognise this band to begin with, but everyone has heard Whole of the Moon. That song isn't on this album though. I am enjoying the tunes and I'm heading towards a 4/5 so far. Some of the songs are maybe a bit too long and start outstaying their welcome, but not hugely.
This starts off incredibly strong, two songs in, it feels like I’ve stumbled onto a hidden 5/5. But it definitely loses steam as it leans more into the traditional sound. Like a lot of double albums, it suffers from having too much mid-tier material. Trim it down to a single album, and it could’ve been great. “We Will Not Be Lovers” is the standout for me.
Very cool traditional-modern folk rock combination, performed with a lot of energy and passion. Must-listen #338
the Waterboys were known, at first, for an anthemic large-scale post-punk sound that would become known (via one of their own song titles) as "big music"; Fisherman's Blues marks a pretty significant change from that sound, toning down the stadium-ready tunes for a slightly more intimate (but still "big") sound heavily inspired by Celtic folk music. the use of fiddling and mandolins is especially on-point, and the stripped-back percussion gives these songs some great breathing room, especially on the B-side. I also appreciate that this album manages to mostly avoid that reverb-heavy 80s production which preserves so many albums from this decade like time capsules. decent 7/10.
It sounded good and all, but 22 songs is a LOT of song to listen to on a weeknight.
Lidt lang for et ret gimmicky album men jeg syntes den var rigtig god
Maybe my expectations were low but was surprised to enjoy this as much as I did. The first two songs start off pretty darn strong with a nice mix between folk and rock that brought to mind bands like the Moondoggies, Lord Huron and Cave Singers. Things fell off a bit when they tried to rock harder on 'World Party' but things stayed pretty consistently enjoyable with a few pleasant instrumental tracks thrown in. Maybe a high 3, low 4 kind of situation but grading up given this exceeded my expectations.
epic as hell, this would be a 9/10 if i could give half stars
Alright. That was pleasant. I didn't have high expectations going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised by how heartfelt this was. Fisherman's Blues is a late-80s Celtic folk album, and I don't really have any experience with late-80s Celtic folk albums. I do now though, and my experience with this album was positive. Well, I guess I should start with the one thing that doesn't always work for me, that being the singing. It works well on some songs, but not on others. Mike Scott's voice isn't my favorite, but it's not bad. However, while my opinions on the vocals are mixed, my opinion on the writing and music is undeniably positive. This is just a super nice album. The music here is rich and delightful. There are a ton of instruments here. You've got strings, guitars, some horns I think, and I'm pretty sure there's an accordion for some parts. Oh and the bass is really good too. This is the kind of music that just makes me feel happy, you know? Of course, the writing isn't all happy. You've got some tenderness in the writing, with there being a good amount of love songs here. Honestly, they're all good. I especially love the opening two songs, those being the title track and "We Will Not Be Lovers." Good stuff. The album is a bit too long, but I can't complain that much when the music is as good as it is. So, yeah. The Waterboys are good. Who would've thought? This isn't a perfect album at all, but I got a good deal of enjoyment out of this. I recommend it. Low 4/5.
Raw and rowdy to start, and soon turns into super folksy and very bucholic sounding celtic folk and rock-inspired music. I am very partial to this style of music and I had a pretty good time with it. Did feel a tad too long though.
Nothing special but I liked it.
Märklig förlängd version med extramaterial som knappas gör albumet bättre. Dessutom är det möjligen deras fjärde bästa skiva. Obegripligt val, eftersom det inte finns en chans att särskilt många av deras album är med på listan. Synd, för även om det kanske är en obskyr skotsk 80-tals grupp för de flesta, så är det ett av mina favoritband. Jag håller Mike Scott för en av historiens bästa rocksångare. Detta får en fyra för att jag vill vara snäll. (A Pagan Plafe hade fått en femma.)
I'm loving it so far but gosh golly is it long. Okay I'm like 10ish songs in now and I don't think I have the heart right now to finish this. I like it a lot, but not enough to listen to 2 hours.
A really interesting and fun album. I’d love to listen to it again. 4/5
I think I really liked that. I now realise I have gone for decades thinking that songs that I thought were unknown Levellers songs were actually The Waterboys. I'll need to revisit it soon...
I love this kind of music
Always love getting something unique Fiddles are always hit or miss for me, but I really liked how they were used in this one. I can’t say I’m an expert in Scottish/Irish Folk music but I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the American stuff we got. First half of the original album including the title track was damn good. Also liked how they covered some more recognizable songs (This Land is Your Land) to make the whole experience cozier and more familiar The version of the album we got is definitely a bit too long and some songs just drag on; felt like by the end everything was kinda bleeding into each other. I praised the instrumentation earlier but eventually after hearing fiddles for 90 mins straight you get a little sick of them Still though, genuinely enjoyed this one. Probably on the lower end of 4s but the highs were high enough to keep me invested all the way through
We Will Not Be Lovers???? Holy shit. Blackbird mention??? This is actually so good, I got halfway through disk two without even realizing. Typically, I can't stand albums this long, but this is soooooooooo good. last song being 12 min is crazy, but I liked the album, so they're allowed this fauxpas
This album is quite peculiar; I enjoyed some songs a lot while others sounded strange, but in an interesting way. It was definitely a journey.
80’s Rock ⭐️Fisherman’s Blues
Напоминает ирландского Боба Дилана, а значит моё двойное почтение
Некоторые песни с жестким кельтским вайбом очень понравились, но не все. Но неожиданно приятно и прикольно. Everyday is a school day
Неплохо, боялся, что этнические мотивы перетянут все внимание на себя, но получилось достаточно сбалансированно, необычно и красиво
возможно просто ожидания были занижены, но на удивление доволен альбомом, крепкая 4ка
Wildly interesting record at least for the first handful of songs. A hidden gem alert. If this were a five-ish track EP with just the first bit of the albums songs, it’d be generational. But this thing does falter a bit towards the end of its normal tracklisting, and even more so on this collectors edition, which is an unnecessary version to include. “Fisherman’s Blues” opens things up and shows its teeth right away. Songs that tie love into hardship, as is the case with lots of Irish/celtic inspired pop/rock music, are abundant on this album. I was a bit skeptical on how the following “We Will Not Be Lovers”, but the way this song escalated into its second minute is captivating. So much going on in the instrumental, so much flavor. “World Party” had a few crazy moments, like the regal horn section a little over 3 minutes in. Things start to putter out a bit until “The Stolen Child” takes the listeners attention back with its old-timey spoken word passages. “This Land Is Your Land” leans into theis albums Springsteen qualities, with a bleeding-heart rendition of an American folk classic. Disc 2 opens up with another strong track, the “Carolan’s Welcome” instrumental. But really I can’t be bothered to remember anything else on disc 2 that stuck with me. I’m really torn here. Shorten this project up and it’s a surefire 4, maybe even more. But it’s a long one. I’ll give it the lightest 4 for now, but it’s mostly the first few songs that do the heavy lifting.
A bit of a mish-mash, but enough solid songwriting and musicianship to make it a worthwhile listen.
crazyyyyyyness
Ahh, the memories. I went to see them tour this album at my uni. Great album. He’s a good songwriter. Never quite got the whole Irish thing when he is actually Scottish but hey Ho. Some lovely songs here but a tad long and self-indulgent at times. Thanks for the memories generator!
I actually really enjoyed this. Couldn't say why exactly but I will definitely come back to it.
This was a Strange Boat, but I liked it.
Excellent Celtic inspired rock/pop/folk. Hard to define, but easy to enjoy. Beautifully recorded, good storytelling and song selection. A great find.
This started off not too great, but by the end I was really enjoying it - it wasn't too country/folky and the blues influence was nice. Definitely a relisten
whimsiness in an album. perfectly encapsulates English/North American folklore and beauty :)
la verdad me sorprendio, hay mucho cambio a lo largo del disco. hay miles de canciones, miles de emociones, y cosas. Me iba llevando por muchos lados distintos, y como fan de la musica irlandesa, cuando me di cuenta que tenia mucha infleuncia celta me gusto mas todavia. Lo disfrute me encanto.
Dość przyjemna płyta, chociaż trochę pozbawiona własnej tożsamości i jasnego kierunku artystycznego. Pobrali trochę z różnych garów, ale skoro działa, to czemu narzkeać. 6.5/10 równane w górę.
Excellent!
I’ve never heard of this band, but they have a really cool East Coast, folk/rock sound that I’m into. Really enjoyed this album.
Love this change from the Waterboys. Maybe slightly prefer ‘this is the sea’, but the Irish folk direction here is a real original sound.
Loose, fun 4 stars
I listened to the original 13 tracks only. I like the violin, trumpet, accordion, and vocals. World Party is excellent.
A side is so goood! Fisherman's Blues and We Will Not Be Lovers especially! Some beautiful celtic folk music with big music attitude! And it ends with a very appropriate Van Morrison cover! Great! Great! Grrrreat! I don't want to talk about side B! Anyhooo, this is a least 3 1/2! Byeeeee
Really punchy folk rock tunes, the originals are transcendent, the covers add to source material, the traditional pieces pop! I go deep with Waterboys, love this is the sea, especially love the offshoot World Party 4.5
some poppy folk rock that plays big and dreams big too, when it comes to lyrics i mean. this is another album in the collection where i didn't think it would be what i ended up hearing. it's very half pop, half folksy, sometimes country, has plenty of gated '80s mixing. i like it when they go ham with the fiddles and the brass. it's a contemporary folk album, that's how i'm gonna describe this album.
Really good album however some songs are too irishy. Could use with out the irishness but still really good. World party is one of the better songs on the album.
One of their best records. It is well produced and played.
alegre, estilo irlandés, mucho violín, musica folk, trompetas, está guay
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Reminded me of Ryan Adams with more strings and horns. Long album, but a good listen.
I know the Waterboys well enough to know the title track, but had never listened to this album before. I found it a good mix of rock with some traditional Scottish folk influence. The album kept you invested throughout and there were constantly some great notable songs. Outside of the excellent Fisherman's Blues, the other standout track was possibly "and a bang on the ear". I enjoyed this listen. It is more than a 3 so it is getting 4 stars p.s. for those complaining about the length. It is 13 songs not 22. always google the album and listen to the original release as how it was intended
Interessanter Stilmix, gelungen.
Ver very good
I have never really enjoyed folk music, but I woke up in a really good mood today and I'm having fun with this album. Rating this a 4 for now and I'll revisit later.
What an opening track! Bit underwhelmed by the 2nd disc. Not that it's not good, but it lacks the rock-infused punch of the 1st cd. That and who needs a second cover of when will we be married? All the same I feel like the Waterboys walked so Fiddlers Green could run
we will not be lovers sounds like a 90s rom-com ost, i love it. World party sounds like a fighting scene from stranger things, or is it just me. Bang on the ear sounds awesome, my favorite one from the album. Has anybody seen hank sounds like someone just lost a friend: me. I love when songs have a lore (The stolen child). Listening to Let me feel holy again as an atheist with such a religious father makes me feel things.. should I rant here? LOL. The whole album sounds like what my dad used to play in a record player. Also, who the fuck is molly and why she cheating? And lastly, is this a country album????
very fun listen, wasnt expecting to like it as much as i did
j'ai enormément apprécié vraiment
Great songs on here, it's just wayyyyyy too long
Nice surprise, really like it