Reviews (page 3 of 9)
It's not a bad album, it's just not for me
Late 80s folk rock. Country, traditional Scottish folk. Also traditional 80s rock. Love the folk elements, rest not so much.
Reminds me of the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago. This is the music in the background of a bar when you are hanging out having a beer
I can see where people would like this but it’s not necessarily something for me. Maybe a few more listens would do it. Probably won’t find out.
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.
Never heard of these guys. I saw the year and oh cool some 80s music! Then the picture made me think maybe country. But nope. "a mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music, and rock and roll" I do like the Irish Scottish sound. I may not listen to the whole thing since it's an hour and 42 minutes! And today is Friday so I want to get to my Release Radar. I like this second track. We Will Not Be Lovers. This one actually has a great sound a bit of 80s rock comes through. But it's the sound of the vocals! Trying to think who it reminds me of. Maybe early Eddie Vedder when he sings through clenched teeth? I listened to that one twice back to back. Had to skip through all the country sounding ones. The Stolen Child is a nice track. I like the flute in it. Damn the flute in Carolan's Welcome is really pretty. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. But I am reluctant to give it more than 3 stars.
I must say this is better than I thought? But also the songs get weary towards the end.
Ihan kivaa kuunneltavaa aurinkoisena kevätpäivänä. Ei erityisen mieleenpainuvaa musiikkia, mutta pidin irlantilaistyylisestä soitosta.
Folk rock and Celtic-infused roots music built on fiddles, acoustic guitars, loose rhythms, and passionate, rustic vocals unfolds with sprawling, earthy warmth. Listening feels like wandering through an open countryside where songs stretch out like long paths, sometimes captivating, sometimes meandering.
Karl? Where did the name of your new band come from?
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.)
It was ok. I don’t know this band. I liked the song We Will Not Be Lovers. The songs were all a little long though.
Best Song: Fisherman's Blues. Tremendous kickoff to the album. Raw vocals contrasted with a beautifully lilting fiddle. I really wish the whole album had sounded like this. Worst Song: Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? I really don't like this kind of slowdancing song. Overall: There were some gems here and there, when it strayed more towards traditional Irish and Scottish music, but it too often dropped back into pretty standard folk rock. The whole album is also too long. Many of the songs are themselves too long, continuing far past their prime, and there are simply too many of them. There is a better album hidden here than what is offered.
Didn’t give it a full listen but what I heard didn’t do it for me. In fact it wasn’t really good
Not really my thing but it was kind of interesting
I actually quite enjoyed the first two songs but then the initial optimism soon waned. Some of it was alright but I agree that the Pogues did it better.
An enjoyable listen if a little uninspiring. It needed to be a bit more upbeat.
I find this very hard to describe but this feels something like what would have happened had Echo and the Bunnymen played the Braveheart soundtrack.
Some of the songs in the first half of this album are fantastic - joyous, big sounds with a cheeky tone to them, all the ingredients for a really good time. But I couldn't help but get a little bored of it as the album went on, especially with the 2 disc edition running for so long. The songs began to feel a touch repetitive and some of the production felt too polished and cheesy. Also, the Irish folk ensemble very quickly became a bit stale for me - if it was a short & sweet 45 minutes selection of the highlights, it would score much higher. Overall though it was a solid listen, and something interesting that I’d never heard before. 6/10.
Good blues album
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.
This album is a solid mix of Irish folk and rock with a very natural, "woody" sound. The production is clean and avoids any muddy feeling, which is great, but the songwriting tends to get a bit repetitive. While it’s definitely better than country because of its bluesy backbone, the tracks are just too long and lack the musical complexity to stay exciting until the end.
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...
This is quite a listenable album and the title track is great, but overall it’s not really my my sort of thing
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
It's weird because its very folksy, but then they have some sounds and instrumentation that pushes it a little beyond. And then we get ambient background music for my historical gift shop and I realize they're not interested in new sounds actually. Not Feeling the blackbird cover. It's already a good acoustic song, playing it again doesn't do anything. The outro for Bang on the Ear is comically long. I think if I was a pub and they were playing, it would be hype as heck, but it's not really my listening tastes.
Don't know how much coattail riding they did coming out of UK in the 80s, but there had to be some. Simple Minds and U2 come to mind. Music just ok, nothing terrible but nothing great.
The Irish jig vibe going on in this album is interesting and sounds fun. However, it's almost 2 hours long and I do not have the time to listen to practically the same song for that long.
The length of both an album and its individual songs is something I’ve always made out to be really important when it comes to how cohesive and enjoyable an album is… When an album has too many songs, it can start to feel repetitive or drawn out and when a song is too long, it feels the same way. Sometimes a song can justify itself being long, but there’s also a point where it can just be too long. There’s no exact length that’s used as a benchmark, as sometimes a 5 minute song can become boring while a 7 minute song keeps you hooked, but the longer the song is, the more you have to do to keep the listener interested All that being said, this album really pushed the limit for me Okay, rant over… Fisherman’s Blues is one of the most unique albums I’ve heard so far and I had a good time listening to some of its songs, but by the time I got through And a Bang on the Ear,I felt like I had enough I had a decent enough experience to where I don’t think it deserves one star but anything more than two feels like too much
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.
Esto estuvo impresionante, sentí que estaba hecha para mi- gran álbum
Only one of these songs is Fisherman's Blues, unfortunately. Not a bad album though.
Another album that, while being very good, just doesn't strike me personally. Fun Irish/Scottish folk rock though.
I enjoyed this quite a bit but some of the longer tracks dragged a little bit.
80’s Rock ⭐️Fisherman’s Blues
It's alright, there's some good-but-not-memorable tracks, and some boring shite. Nothing stands out particularly. It's not bad by any means. Some fun songs. Didn't dislike it but wouldn't listen again. Solid 5/10.
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
Лучшая песня: We Will Not Be Lovers Худшая: Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? Первые две песни понравились, звучали мелодично и интересно. Остальные либо средне, либо совсем не очень.
возможно просто ожидания были занижены, но на удивление доволен альбомом, крепкая 4ка
Смешанные ощущения от альбома. Из плюсов классное звучание, напоминающее трек из Грешников в исполнении О’Коннела, добавила себе непривычно много треков - 5. Еще и прочитала потом, что такое звучание было непривычным открытием для группы. Поэтому в целом для этого и участвую в челлендже - открывать артистов из прошлого. Из минусов - группа будто не знала, что хотела найти в поисках нового звука, поэтому получился альбом на 1 час 42 минуты, который я слушала 4 дня. Потом еще узнала, что выходило специальное издание пластинки с 121 песнями, шок-контент
Pretty cool.
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.
Fisherman’s Blues has grit, heart, and enough ragged charm and musical personality to honk your metaphorical horn...or at least at first. Unfortunately, the record never manages to get passed tickling the genies, slowly revealing itself to be an exhaustive trip to nowhere. It’s the sound of very talented musicians having a great time...ignoring the concept of editing. Decent soundtrack to getting day-hammered and passing out in the sun on the patio of your favorite local drinking establishment!
Ok! Ok! I’m liking the variety of instruments and the vocals. Strong opening track! I’m not sure if the album as a whole really cuts the mustard, but a couple of tracks perked my ears up. Then I got lost in the polka party, and now all of a sudden we’re at a bluegrassy Irish county fair? By the end of disc one I kinda hated it, and by the end of disc 2 I knew I did.
Wow there are a lot of Waterboys, even more than the Association. It took awhile for me to get into this style of music, which is a shift from the regular stuff on the list. There is rock, folk, river dance, country western (UK style). I listened to the original release and a few of the additional songs. Some of them were pretty good, good enough for three stars.
Not what I'd call a top tier album cover. There are a lot of boys in this band, it seems. I like the fiddley strings. This is a little mellow for my taste, but I guess it's fine. I like the overarching Boat theme. I never considered that Waterboys might mean, like "ocean-loving boys" and not the sports thing. Was not expecting to hear Beatles content ("Blackbird")! Despite(?) being folksy Scots Irish stuff, it reminds me a lot of Bruce Springsteen.
i’m into it
Kinda reminds me of a less high range and less loud version of Flogging Molly. Good overall. 3.1/5.0
There is a surprisingly large amount of Irish and Scottish traditional music on this list and most of it is just okay. I think this is one of the better ones, but a lot of the songs here are unnecessarily long. And a Bang on the Ear had no business being close to 10 minutes, it's a 2.5 minute song at best. Same thing for Stolen Child, it is basically one line repeated for 7 minutes. Besides that issue there is some decent stuff here. Mid 3.
A bit of a mish-mash, but enough solid songwriting and musicianship to make it a worthwhile listen.
Interessanter Rock mit irisch/schottischen Anleihen. Spannend zu hören, die Energie nimmt einen gut mit. 3/5
crazyyyyyyness
Way too long. Bland
Oh! Another generic, boring 80s folk/rock album? Ohhh but it has a mediocre violinist and some horns… surely must be the greatest album ever. But for real. It's so long. It's so repetitive. It's so boring.
Medio plomo pero me terminaron cayendo bien por la influencia celta
Pop mit etwas schottischem Einschlag.
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!
Excellent.
Could have been much shorter
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.
too much folk for me
There were some songs I really liked, but I agree with most others that this went on for a bit too long.
music is love
interesting
It got off to a great start but eventually the slick 80s production sucked the life right out of this one. I'll charitably give it a 3/5.
I actually really enjoyed this. Couldn't say why exactly but I will definitely come back to it.
Perfectly fine. All a bit plodding but Fisherman's Blues is great.
I really tried with this one.
A folk album with heart. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
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.
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.
This was a Strange Boat, but I liked it.
Seem better for step dance than fishin
Excellent Celtic inspired rock/pop/folk. Hard to define, but easy to enjoy. Beautifully recorded, good storytelling and song selection. A great find.
Weird and unfocused, too long. There were a lot of really good bits in here but they are overshadowed by all of the strange business going on in the other songs.
Am I imagining things or did I hear a little Michael Jackson 'oow' multiple times throughout this album. Also think I just lost interest half way through because of how long this was. Anyways, it was a solid album but perhaps a touch too folky for me.
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
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.
It had some decent songs, but for the most part, I wanted to pull my hair out... and it was sooo loooong!
Best Track - "We Will Not Be Lovers"
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.
Not for me, but fun. 2.5
Country/folk, intersecting with indie/new wave. Certainly quirky. It's weird, my favourite genres on this list have been new wave/alt rock and folk. But this just doesn't hit the spot for me. It's too polished/docile, doesn't have any bite. Oh jeez, Sweet Thing quotes Blackbird by The Beatles.. quite cheesy and not needed on album already 1hr42min long. You in the Sky is Springsteen-esque. Best track - We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party, And A Bang on the Ear, When Will Be Married 3.5 stars - shame as it should be right up my street but there's too much filler here and not enough cohesiveness
I can't say I overly enjoyed this, and a few of these tracks are in need of a radio edit, but compared to most of the albums we've had over the last few weeks, this was tolerable. If I were forced to listen to a second disc of this, I'd likely have given it a resentful 1, though.* Side note, I had heard their 'The Whole of the Moon' before today, and I do enjoy that song. I just listened to it again, and it's very clear that this album was a less commercial change of direction for them. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to the listener, but it certainly lowers its accessibility. *I believe the album pic needs to be updated on this one. Collector's editions should NEVER be your introduction to any band. Thankfully, I was able to listen to the original one-disc version on YouTube.
This was way too long for being such an obscure pick. I couldn’t take it serious enough to consider this anything more than a one for wasting my time
Excellent!
One of the most pleasant surprises I've come across on this list. Phenomenal.
I probably think this is pretty boring now.
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"
All filler very little killer
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.
Pretty fun
Folksy and Celtic/ Irish, feels like I should be wandering a festival to this music. Sweet Thing was the immediate standout.
Love this change from the Waterboys. Maybe slightly prefer ‘this is the sea’, but the Irish folk direction here is a real original sound.
5 stars on the strength of the start. Admittedly it fades, but those first few tracks are all time favorites.
85. strings
OK, but not up to the quality of 1001 albums. ★★★
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.
Loose, fun 4 stars
Barely made it through the first album
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. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I listened to the original 13 tracks only. I like the violin, trumpet, accordion, and vocals. World Party is excellent.
The original version ends at song 13 "this land is your land", so that's where I plan to finish too. Starts with a bang with Fisherman's Blues Enjoyed We will Not be Lovers, though it is the same song again. The rest of the album is kinda mediocre
Surprisingly fun, even for a double album. Still felt way too long though
Ha - didn't realize I have this album. It's actually pretty good.
British folk. Was mellow and tuneful. Enjoyed while doing some work
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
Some of this is great, you can’t go wrong with a bit of Scotland, but also after a while it all sounded the same to me and I got a bit tired of it. Nice in small doses! (3.5 stars)
This was really fun, engaging and joyous, with some really interesting musical influences. The lead singer also just seems like a really cool guy. 4.5 stars.
I've heard better Irish/Scottish. And it was too long.
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.
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
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.
At first I thought this was country, then rock, then folk. I finally came to the realization that it was some Irish and Scottish dudes who can play. Loved it.
Enjoyed the opening track, but wasn't captivated by anything else, including the Van Morrison cover.
Far more folk than I expected. A bit cringe in places but fine to listen to
I mean it's not terrible, but I really didn't think it was that great either Don't know if it deserves 2, but here we go for now
World party the best song, i didn’t know that i really need listen a song like this
The social commentary is the real star of this album. This rating is based solely on the apt social exposition. Huge credit for cultural, social, and political relevance. However I don’t think I’ll be listening to this album again any time soon.
I imagine this goes really hard in those traditional pubs. Favourite Track(s): We Will Not Be Lovers Least Favourite Track(s): Sweet Thing
Loved it...wonderful mix of traditional Irish instruments and late 80s early 90s indie/folk. Heartfelt and uplifting. Needed this one today.
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
My first listen to anything by Mike Scott and the Waterboys, and I can see the vision- more approachable Rock with a healthy dose of Celtic folk music and some trappings of Country and Americana, done grandiose, with a large band of mixed instrumentation, similar to Springsteen. I'm sorry to say, that similar to my takes on Springsteen, it often falls short of the ambition. While the arrangements are often full and complex, there are several detriments to the project overall that make it unenticing to my ears. First off, Mike Scott isn't really all that compelling as a vocalist, with his stylings ranging from somewhat catatonic and subdued to shaky and shrill (my god, did the "wooooooo"'s on "We Will Not Be Lovers" start to grate over the song's length). Second, while the arrangements are often very full and lush, the engineering is also equally as subdued, making the full band sound not-so-wall of sound and more washed out. The track that stands out as this not being the case is "Stolen Child", capping off the original tracks on the album, where the Celtic instrumentation is really finally allowed to stand on its own and influence the music. This is immediately followed by a washed out, poorly sung, live-sounding rendition of Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" that goes back to the lackluster half-Celtic stylings and promptly pulls the teeth of the previous track- an incredibly strange way to end off the album. Several of the tracks that attempt to let the traditional instruments stand on their own are too compositionally simplistic or repetitive- again "When Will We Be Lovers" and it's incredibly repetitive fiddle line and 7 minute runtime come to mind. Strangely, the highlights across the album generally tend to be the gaelicized country tracks - "A Bang On The Ear" and "Sweet Thing" - or the tracks that lean more into the traditional Celtic stylings, like "When Will We Be Married" or instrumentals like "Dunford's Fancy" and "Jimmy Hickey's Waltz". Overall, a listen let down by consistent failings in attempt to reach a tangible vision it meets on only a handful of tracks. Favorite Track: "Stolen Child" Least Favorite Track: "We Will Not Be Lovers"
I'm trying to tease out exactly why this doesn't land for me like other folk rock hybrids (ie The Band). I think it comes down to the fairly uninteresting base melodies/beats. Like, there's all this window dressing of fun instrumentation, but behind the cool accordion solo or ripping harmonica is just another relatively flat and repetitive high hat. And, sometimes that cool instrumentation doesn't feel properly integrated with the rest of the track, as if hard hitting fiddles were forcibly attached to existing melodies or what have you. I may be reading too much into it, but it just feels like Mike Scott just went through phases and used sounds and styles he liked at the time by attaching them onto more familiar bones. The result of which feels like some Frankenstein where beautiful instrumentation is somehow less than the sum of its parts. And I don't want to present this like there wasn't anything on the almost 2hr album I didn't enjoy, there absolutely was. It's just the gems like Sweet Thing, or the gorgeous fiddle on When Will We Be Married, feel like they're obscured in an amalgamation of lesser pieces that don't compliment them well. To use another food analogy, it's like eating a series of plates of boiled chicken with really exciting sauces and sides that may or may not make you forget you're eating boiled chicken.
It has a great atmosphere and some beautiful moments, but it can feel a little loose and unfocused. The jams and wandering arrangements sometimes drag, and the album’s length makes it harder for the strongest songs to stand out. When it works it’s soulful and charming, but it doesn’t always hold the energy all the way through.
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
Starts off well, but after a few tracks starts to sound like a covers band you'd hear in Temple Bar
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.
Im starting to think these 1001 albums were selected by some middle aged white guy with a not so diverse taste and also maybe be likes the exact type of music I don’t like. This album is some utmost white ppl shit. And not in a good way. The sound, once again, wasn’t for me. I am determined to find a good album on this challenge!! Wtf are these old white men albums bruh where’s the soul and diversityyyy 😫
After starting life as an alternative/post-punk band, London band The Waterboys made the transition to full-blown folk rock with 1988's 'Fisherman's Blues', incorporating traditional Irish and Scottish music and country into their base rock sound. As for the album's resulting sound, think Bob Dylan's 'Desire' record with Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks' and you practically get the gist. 'Fisherman's Blues' includes such an eclectic range of stringed instruments (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, violin), which combines with a range of different drums, brass/woodwind, piano/organ and bass to create an incredibly dense and layered sound. Also, vocalist and chief songwriter Mike Scott has clearly been listening to Dylan a lot judging by the inflexions in his voice, although you can actually understand what he's saying, so that's a plus. The title track (the big hit from the record) sounds like it would be right at home on Bob Dylan's 'Desire' record, 'And a Bang on the Ear' is a fun song describing old flames and 'World Party' is an ode to Live Aid and its power in bringing the world together for a noble cause. There's even a tasteful Van Morrison cover ('Sweet Thing'), as well as a Yeats poem put to music ('The Stolen Child'). It was pretty brave of The Waterboys to go in a folk rock direction at a time where hard rock, popstars and gothic rock were dominating popular music, but it works for them on 'Fisherman's Blues'. There's plenty of adventure on this record, and while it doesn't always hit, the fact they gave it a go in an era where its popularity was lying dormant is commendable. Best songs: Fisherman's Blues, World Party, And a Bang on the Ear
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.
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
3. really not for me, good otherwise
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!
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.
Lots of variety, but unfortunately most of it is still boring or annoying, and the album itself is 25 minutes too long. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing
this had the potentially to be a really good album. instead they took some decent songwriting and cool instrumentation and made it as boring as they could. it gets a 3 for a few songs which i did enjoy though the project as a whole doesnt deserve that high of a rating.
One of their best records. It is well produced and played.
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.
I just wanted to turn it off loads so I did
I'm a casual fan of UK trad rock. The Pogues, Chieftains, Flogging Molly, Dropkick etc. Music like this tends to be quite timeless. In particular Fisherman's blues is a great example because it was covered by a band called Dawes in 2023 and I thought they wrote the dang song. Good album. Not uniquely indicates this as Scottish. Gotta ding it a star. But there is great sounds and melodies here.
I had never heard of this band. I like the mixture of instruments and styles, I can see the combination of rock, folk, Celtic elements, country. I may have to check out earlier music to see how this is a departure from what they had been doing. We Will Not Be Lovers is my favourite song, that to me was the song everything came together and appealed to me the most, maybe because it's the most rock forward. Same with World Party, I'm a fan of the uptempo rock songs. I think there's maybe a little bit too much here and drags towards the end, or some songs lean a little jam band. But I guess that fits with that sort of pub rock that's mentioned. I can see this killin in a pub.
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!
alegre, estilo irlandés, mucho violín, musica folk, trompetas, está guay
не блюз, а фолк рок с шотландскими традиционными мотивами. очень длинный альбом, но не прям сильно скучный
Feels like it's doing too much. Decent
Rubbish blues more like
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Reminded me of Ryan Adams with more strings and horns. Long album, but a good listen.
In the rear view, Springsteen and Bowie. Straight ahead, Radiohead, The Killers and Arcade Fire. HOLY SHIT THEY COVERED VAN MORRISON? Sweet Thing is an all timer and it works!
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
7/10
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.
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
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...
Standouts Dunford's Fancy Carolan's Welcome Fisherman's Blues
irischer country folk .. weniger meins.
Interessanter Stilmix, gelungen.
Хороший альбом слушать можно
Good album better than I expected good ol' country folk witha little rock. Very repetitive but still enjoyable
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.
Could not finish this one. Was bored to tears half way through the first disc. Could nit imagine sitting through two discs of it. Easy listening dad rock trying to do Celtic rock but without any of the fun energy.
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
Jaja lollig maar lang
Yeah fine I guess
Instrumentally interesting, musically it varies. Some songs I'd rather not listen to, some songs I believe could capture pop audience in 2010s, some songs that sound like hits of 1970s. Nice, interesting, long, inconsistent.
This album was a little bit all over the place for me, and too country for my taste. My favorite moments were definitely the parts that leaned Scottish/Irish, with flute, violin, heavy accent, etc. I also thought a lot of the album was very "noisy," not necessarily in a bad way, but not in a way I really enjoyed. I didn't hear anything particularly special about the production or mixing. If anything, I thought it could have used a little more tweaking to be less noisy. Vocals and instrumentals were about average, but I particularly enjoyed the violin performance. The Stolen Child was by far my favorite track, and one of the only ones that really stood out to me. Really beautiful melodies, lyrics, and instrumentals. I think my overall dislike for this album came from just how country it leaned. I enjoy folk and some bluegrass, but not this kind of *country.* It's not a bad album, just really not my thing at all. It's a 2.5/5, but I'm going to round down because I just do not see myself ever coming back to this.
No lo escuché, solo dos canciones, no me gustó...pero es por una preferencia muy personal, simplemente no me gusta estetipo de musica, el acompañamiento musical es increible, pero nada mas
Interesting. Irish folk to punk.
I wanted to like this one, but found it incredibly boring and tedious to sit through (though it's probably a personal taste thing). Not for me, though I acknowledge some musical talent throughout. 2/5
twee ancestor
I would love to know how this list got put together. I don't get why this is here. The first few tracks were in an interesting mix of big 80s production and instrumentation mixed with traditional Celtic folk sounds, but then it just drifted into traditional Celtic music player reasonably well. The songs weren't all that interesting and some were interminably long and droning. I zoned out a few times during the listen.
Got to the last song and realized it was a double album. I remember this band from years ago. They had 1 hit. I've had enough of Maritime music now. Not braving disc 2.
According to wikipedia, the original album is only "Disc 1" of the remastered collectors edition on Spotify; I'm not a collector, so I won't worry about the extra credit. Side 1 of this record pretty strong. "Fisherman's Blues" is the big hit based on listen counts, and that's followed up by "We Will Not Be Lovers" which is an early frontrunner for 'banger of the day' (but maybe a little long in the tooth at 7 minutes long). Even "World Party", the least played song on side 1 is a very solid track. The cover of "Sweet Thing" brings me great joy as someone who has too many childhood memories attached to Van Morrison. This particular arrangement also reminds me of the structure of "A Murder Of One" from the Counting Crows' August And Everything After, an album I also have too much history with. Side 2 is a little less strong as they delve deeper into more traditional instrumentations. "And a Bang on the Ear", "When Ye Go Away", and "The Stolen Child" are keepers, but I don't need the rest. "When Will We Be Married" is, I'm sure, a traditional classic that I should revere but I don't care. Overall, not mad at this but I don't need the whole 'original' record, and definitely don't need the second disc.
I liked this.
Still need to listen to this one
It was.... fine. Irish folk jam band? Not really hitting with me, not terrible.
Pretty decent Irish folk rock. I liked a lot of the different instrumentation. Never heard of them before, so extra points for something new and pleasant.
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.
It's a big album - some songs were great, some were not. Love the genre, and have to imagine how much this has inspired some other great Irish rock bands like Flogging Molly. But during a few points on this album, I wished I was just listening to Flogging Molly instead. The lead singer's "HOOs" and jazzy lyrical solos weren't great.
Some really good songs - Fisherman's Blues, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Ye Go Away - but overall waaaay too long and a lot of filler. 3.5/ 5
Okay, this is nice enough folk music, more Irish folk than Scottish (the band is from Scotland). But it's not very exciting and the late 80s production bothered me here and there. It's not something I will revisit though. 2.5 stars.
I liked it a lot! Especially we will never be lovers - real good!
Couldn't play this on Spotify, which annoyed me initially, but actually was a good thing in the end. The deluxe edition is 22 songs and 1 hour 40 mins and probably the one that Spotify would have pushed. Found the original album on YouTube, which is 13 songs and just under an hour. Album mixed the very good and the very forgettable I think. But the makings of a superb EP is buried in there with the hit that everyone knows (Fisherman's Blues), a superb cover of Van Morrisson's Sweetest Thing and a haunting version of the Yeats poem, The Stolen Child, where the verses are spoken and the refrain is sung. I've spent a lot of time in Sligo, Yeats country, so all the places named are familiar to me and I may be biased. Throw in a minute long snatch covered from Woody Guthrie, This land is Your Land, and it would be 5 stars as a 20 minute EP. But, for the album as a whole, I'd give it 3 stars.
Too long
Hot, dry days, and no bait.
Kind of a nice surprise. I like the writing and the folksy instrumentation and approach. Scott has a Dylanesque vocal sound which I think works well here. In fact, at times, the album reminds me of the Dylan/The Band Basement Tapes era. I shouldn’t read the reviews before I listen. Too many angry listeners out there. Reminds me not to be one. I do agree, however, that the expanded edition songs detract from the thirteen songs of the original.
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????
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.
I enjoyed this, but man it is/feels long, with a pretty extended run length and a bunch of songs that really go on. But most of this was a fun listen. Guess the author just decided every double album ever recorded should be included on this.
This was quite the journey. Solid album and seemed like it had a number of different styles. At time sounded like Dylan, maybe a lil Bruce and then of course that Celtic, folk vibes. A little on the long side but something I’d come back to and go deeper on the catalog. 3.25
Another pretty good album. Nothing super special IMO. 2.75/5
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.
Pleasant folk-rock. Can't say that much more about it.
It was a long album and at times they sounded like a Bob Dylan cover band. It was enjoyable back ground music, not something I would listen to a lot.
very fun listen, wasnt expecting to like it as much as i did
Nothing special about this. It just exists.
5.8/10 Not much to say about this one. There are a few solid tracks, but the overall sound and vibe never really clicked with me, and it just feels like this album isn’t for me. Favorite song: when will we be married Least favorite: the stolen child
j'ai enormément apprécié vraiment
Great songs on here, it's just wayyyyyy too long
Nice surprise, really like it
Completely new to me, never even heard of the Waterboys, and so was immediately delighted to both know and enjoy track 1. Sadly, I got kind of bored as it roles on - and I'm one for banjos and fiddles and Irish pubs. I land pretty middle of the road on it - if I'm not paying attention it's perfectly serviceable Irish jaunts, but if that's what I was in the mood for, I'd probably reach for something else.
Did not listen to it fully. What I heard was nice. Great vibe
I suffered through the first disk but I can't make myself listen to the second. It's not TERRIBLE just....terribly boring. The singer sounds a bit like Bob Dylan (derogatory).
It was fine but really drug on
Enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. Solid.
Disco de rock, medio country, con influencias de música escocesa e irlandesa, lugar de origen de la banda. Con violines bien presentes que a veces suenan casi como una gaita. Es un disco regular sin muchos puntos bajos, pero tampoco altos. No me parece repetitivo pero si largo y difícil de escuchar
okay song is followed by mind blowing song like 5 times 4.5
kinda fun liked Stranger boat some songs like Sweet thing annoyed me kinda feeling like a grandpa
My dad went through a Celtic music phase when I was a kid, so it’s entirely possible that I’ve heard this before and didn’t realize it. I remember a lot of Dad’s stuff seeming a little stiff at the time, yet it left me with the sense that this kind of music (and really any kind of return to a folks music tradition) was a good thing, so I’ve gone down lots of those roads as an adult. Anyway, this seems like a pleasant meander through the tradition, a nice middle way between bands like The Chieftains and Dropkick Murphys, neither of which I could ever quite love. I’m not sure I’m in love with these fellas either but I enjoyed how organic and eclectic it felt, like a really skilled group sitting down in a pub and just playing whatever came into their heads. That sometimes left me scratching my head but mostly made me look forward to whatever came next.
Guess I like Irish music. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fiddle dee dee… Great musical talent on display. Goes on too long both in quantity and duration, like an old Irishman tellin’ stories at the bar. You can only play the fiddle so many ways. A few tracks really catch and hold; I’d say the first half holds the true lucky charms.
I wanted to love this album. In fact at first I did. But then the songs started going off the rails and there were multiple songs in a row where I got halfway through and then skipped to the next song because the current one had devolved into repetitive noise. But I will probably check out some of the bands other albums because I like their sound.
This wasn't that bad as I thought. Despite its folksy vibes, it was somehow okay-ish. And if you keep to the original release, it's just CD1, and below an hour in length. That's ok.
Boring
Was expecting more Pogues style music but liked it a good deal more than that laddy.
Never heard of this but really enjoyed it!
i listened to the original 13 tracks, not the full expanded version. while i quite liked the first half, it still felt overly long and meandering. i feel like the songs didn't mesh well to feel like a cohesive album, but more like a greatest hits compilation or similar
This album was a really nice surprise, enjoyed it quite a bit.
Other than a couple of songs, I think that I really would have liked this album a lot if not for the lead singer…I just didn’t care for his voice. Three stars.
Folky - enjoyable easy tunes with stories/tales running through them
I hear a lot of 2000s indie in this album.
I liked this quite a bit. It reminded me a lot of Bob Dylan, which is high praise. Never heard of these folks.
Pretty good! I like that it was different. It started off great, then there was a lull, then it was good again! 3/5 ⭐️
Can’t help but feel this has been done better by others. Not just The Pogues, but also like the Dropkick Murphys. Slower numbers feel more significant, and album improves as it goes on.
Very cool folk type music, kind of like sea shanties I guess. The music is really top notch and the vocals and lyrics are pretty good too. It's not something I have ever heard before and it would have been extremely unlikely for me to come across this album on my own but I really enjoyed it and will be listening to it again. I'm not blown away by the emotions it provokes or anything life changing but it is a really nice listen.
Really adored this album, felt so nostalgic to me for some reason - I think because it reminded me a lot of the Levellers albums played in the house growing up. The titular track will be on repeat for a fair while as will this record stay in rotation! Much weaker 2nd half after such a strong start just does bring the rating down a tad but god I love violins lol
Some stand out moments, covers of Van Morrison tune but a bit mono in its approach.
I've never heard of this band before and the album is merely OK. I guess I'm wondering why this is on the list? I'm not anti-folk, but I wasn't quite prepared for the violin-fest that this was. I can't see myself ever going back, but it also not bad.
this was good. Had never heard of them or Scott. Good find
I was really hoping I’d like this. Oh well
Comes out of the gate swinging with the title track, but then just kind of hangs around from there. (2.5)
Je suis pas fan
Good lord this is long… so many waltzes and jigs. Look, I love me some Irish music. But I’ve heard more interesting Irish music in a pub on open mic night. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Waterboys. The music is nice. But completely and utterly devoid of any originality, excitement, or passion. Give me the Pogues, or shit, even the Irish Tenors! This music is the definition of mid. Sorry ‘boys.
Nice folk music but at over an hour it becomes a bit too much after a while
Legalzinho
Interesting blend. I like them.
Overall Rating - 4.08/5 (8.15/10). I do enjoy Celtic Folk styles.
nice album a few different styles. enjoyed
Felt like something I’d hear at a local church festival.
Heel leuk!
Good album just not really my style
I was first turned on to The Waterboys when "The Whole of the Moon" was used approximately 10,000 times in the series finale of The Affair. It's a great song and so I checked out their music for a few hours one day, then kept enjoying The Whole of the Moon and moved on with my life. Hearing Fisherman's Blues made me wish I had listened a little longer. I really enjoyed this album, even if some of the songs are perhaps a little longer than I would like. I want to be annoyed by the fiddle on We Will Not Be Lovers but I enjoy everything else around it that I can forget about it. I enjoyed the Van Morrison cover as well. There are natural comparisons to The Pogues but I (for some reason) see them as two separate bands, at least in the variety and intention of their sound. I think The Waterboys try to be a little more country-folk than The Pogues do. My favorite songs: Fisherman's Blues We Will Not Be Lovers Strange Boat World Party And a Bang on the Ear When Will We Be Married When Ye Go Away
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.
Fun album
Considering how much I loathed the Pogues album I had to listen to a couple of weeks ago, I didn't have high hopes for this. But - this is great. This is what Ryan Adams wishes he sounded like. Also - accidentally, the first song I listened to was the bonus track, "You in the Sky" - and I was floored. Incredible. And it didn't even make the record? Really? I had never heard of this band or this record, and I thought I knew what I was getting into when I saw that cover..... man. This was a fantastic surprise. FOUR STARS
I can imagine that these songs are the BEST in a pub, singing with the drunken patrons.
Im a pretty big fan of folk and this was so boring
It was nice to go on a deeper dive with these guys. A cool mix of traditional in modern by way of the 80s music.
I think it’s cool that they’re sticking to their Irish roots to make a sort of modern Celtic music record however, Celtic music sort of gives me a migraine and I prefer the songs that are less Celtic and more rock. The song about Hank Williams is terrible but maybe this just isn’t my thing.
This was fun at first abut about an hour too long
really interesting listen. mixes scottish and irish folk music with country and gospel music. listened to while cleaning my room and was very whimsical background music. don’t know how much i will reach for this album, but i really enjoyed this listening experience. rating: 6.7/10 favorite track:
1.5 - Bad
No song by song for this; just going to pick a few highlights * World party * Sweet thing (van morrison cover!), this just makes me excited for van albums to come. Plus Beatles? * Has anyone seen Hank * When ye go away Enjoyed it as background but won’t revisit.
I like the fiddle stuff, I feel like when it’s played like this it should be called a fiddle not a violin. Most of the songs are way too long though, but I guess it’s fine as they probably just had a jam towards the end of the songs. It’s certainly interesting I guess, the country influences are also quite cool. I just think it’s overall quite average. Favourite songs: jimmy hickeys waltz, and a bang on the ear, when will we be married, and probably some more. Overall around 5/10
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 only knew The Waterboys from the ubiquitous The Whole of the Moon. That song isn't here, but instead you get what a really, really, really, REALLY good Irish pub band sounds like when they shake loose of audience expectations. There are a handful of covers (I really enjoyed their idiosyncratic mash-up of Sweet Thing and Blackbird), some original songs, and some tracks that sounded like jams accidentally recorded. I liked it for what it was, but I wouldn't seek it out.
I really like the celtic folk sound to this, with the fiddles and whatnot it sounds pretty authentic, even though it's from the 80s band who did 'Whole Of The Moon'. Docked a point for some of the tracks going on too long
Nice variety. A bit long
Made 100 songs, traditional irish, country Fisherman's blues World party
Good!
the first song led me to believe that things would be better than they were
I'll be honest, this one hit me in a totally unexpected way, and I'll happily add this to my collection list
I really liked the easy going vibe, the folky, country rock and roll.
I liked this more than I expected.
Worthwhile stuff
1st track good but lost interest after
Yeah, not really for me on this specific day. When I sat down to listen to it, the songs just didn't come through. I know people really like this, but I never really got on with it. Maybe it's because I had a stressful day.
This album is like going to a wedding. It’s festive, everyone is dressed nicely and getting stuck in to the open bar. But then it’s time to sit down after the ceremony, and while everyone is getting drunker, you get the feeling that the two dudes sat either side of you are both in love with the bride, and are depressed that it’s not them up the front. It kind of brings the mood down, but it’s not like you’re gonna stop drinking.
Started out well amd was into it. But after awhile.it just felt the same and unoriginal.
I was told to enjoy the Irish folk rock, and boy did I! Track 2 is “We Will Not Be Lovers” and it is an absolute jam of a song. (Somehow has only 70k listens in YTM, compared with the 22M of the title track.) Super quick climb to near the top of my playlist. “Sweet Thing” at track 5 is also fantastic. At this point I thought it was a lock for a 5/5, but while the album is a lot of fun, it kinda peters out over time and gets a 4/5.
This sounds like a more country version of Bruce Springsteen and the godfather of The War on Drugs, or something. It's nice, if you like this style. Pleasant enough to have on in the background, with occasional flashes that piqued my interest. Good musicianship throughout. I greatly enjoyed World Party. I'll give this a 4, because the music was great and the vocals didn't get on my nerves.
This was a real surprise, really liked it.
I'm not Irish or Scottish so respectfully I don't like this. There's something off about it to me. God there's two discs? 😓😒 So obnoxious.
First Listen; 2.5; On first listen, I didn't really enjoy this album much at all. It sounded like most other Irish sounding folk music, but pretty sterile and not very interesting. On second listen, it was a little more enjoyable and I liked some of the folky aspects of the music. Still not something I will probably come back to.
I was skeptical at first with the mixture of Irish folk and rock and roll but the album managed to hook me half way in. There is something kind of beautifully haunting to the Irish traditional instrumentals.
I didn't know anything about the Waterboys prior to listening to this - the only thing I knew about them was that Karl Wallinger of World Party was a member at some point. I read some of the reviews and the Wikipedia article before I had a chance to listen and I'm not normally a huge fan of Irish traditional music or pub music so I was a little leery, especially since the Amazon playlist is long and includes some extra tracks for a remastered edition. Thankfully this was a mix of styles and not just strictly folk-style music with fiddles and pipes and such. The first track Fisherman's Blues is a typical Irish pub raveup, but the next few tracks are more typical rock. After the Van Morrison cover Sweet Thing, it's back to traditional-sounding songs. I feel like this might be one of those records that was new and remarkable at the time, but since more bands have been influenced by it since then, it sounds a little boring and tame. It's not bad and I enjoyed it, but I don't know that I would add it into my library.
When I saw this was a double album I freaked. This project’s demands of an album per day makes anything over an hour a chore. I was pleasantly delighted by this record. The music was varied and I never tired listening. Granted I listened on an overnight flight to Miami and in this regard was captive but I really enjoyed most of the songs on this album. I will definitely be back. 4/5
Irish pop leaning towards ballads. 4/5
This album kicked ass. Such an easy listen. Folksy/traditionaly/celticy then some straight rock n roll in some songs??? It wasn't too heavy on any of those elements though. A 22 track album seemed daunting, but the 1 hour 45 mins flew by. 4/5
Pretty cool
Wanted to give it three stars because even though it is a bit boring, it is a good vibe. But then I saw that their upcoming album uses ai art for their cover, so fuck them lmao
some nice down home folk rock from start to finish. Love those strings. What an enjoyable listen. it runs a bit long for me, but still worth the listen. It has this vibe about it that makes it feel very big and bright. Kinda like New Radicals but more celtic? Either way you cant miss with this one.
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!
8 I love the water boys!! I am going to put some water on myself now so I am a water boy too!!
really nice stuff, especially for Irish music
Great
I appreciate mixing folk with more pop/rock type influences was probably the literal point of this album, but for me the purer folk sounds worked well and the more ‘fusion’ stuff wasn’t so good. Enjoyable but a bit of a close miss for me as I definitely enjoyed aspects of it quite a bit.
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.
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.