Reviews (page 4 of 8)
personally i love it, scottish folkrock with great songwriting
Klassisk gutta på skauen stemning ala heihvordetgår. Men jeg er i punk-humør, så dette passet seg ikke nå. Bra album da! Strålende stemme
This was a really fun listen, flavours of celtic folk but with rock sensibilities; a really nice blend.
Just played’This is the Waterboys’ from Spotify yesterday.
Every emotion and some of the best fiddling of I've heard
This is how you make folk music interesting. On its own the genre is very bland, but with a bit of piano, strings, and elements of other sounds (in this case, Irish and Scottish influences), there's more added flavor and texture to the music. Like a beautifully seasoned dish that would otherwise be tasteless. Thank goodness there were artists like The Waterboys who were willing to iterate on folk rock. We appreciate you. Standout tracks are World Party & And a Bang on the Ear.
I did not love every track on this album, but as an album, I enjoyed it.
I knew When Will We Be Married, Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, and Carolan's Welcome from a show I was in a few years ago and I love those tunes! Based on that, I kind of expected a more "traditional Irish" sound from the album. The bulk of the album is kind of generic folksy rock, none of which did much for me. I do love When Ye Go Away. That's my new favorite.
I really liked this. Irish folk-rock. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Fisherman's Blues Date listened: 08/12/22
Listened Before? N Good stuff. Kind of out of left field, but good. Unique style blending folk with traditional celtic music. I'm not sure a few of these songs needed to be 7-10 minutes long, but they are. It has the feel of a concert or a jam band, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I really enjoyed listening to this, and may again in the future. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Fisherman's Blues
très sympa !!
Fine folk album with a bit of bite.
This album felt great, like a cold Guinness near a warm fire. Very unique sound, sometimes so many instruments that it sounded like two songs were playing at once. Overall very enjoyable, this is the definition of Albums to Hear Before You Die.
The first couple songs were amazing
A very enjoyable listen from start to finish. Some very unique sounds going on throughout the record!
- wow 2 discs - i'm really enjoying this, it has like an otherworldly kind of quality to it. dreamlike? overall impressions, i didn't listen to this that closely but i really enjoyed the vibes and the overall sound of it. would listen to again for sure.
Kiva vibes
Jolly irish sounds with some alternative rock elements. I especially like the songs that have a gradual build-up like ”We Will Not Be Lovers” and ”The Stolen Child”
Der Empfang das Album was wunderbar. Aber danach, die Wasser Jungen haben sich geschlafen, traurig fur ein potenzial fünf Sterne.
Good ole fiddling at its finest. The songs have great pace and are another good celtic offering from 1001.
We had this album and saw the live show down at the Masonic Temple. I suppose a lot of their fans would not have been ready for this more Irish traditional/folk/country sound and the ubiquitous violin, after their first two albums, but we like it. It gets off to a great start with the title track and especially "We Will Not Be Lovers". The interpretation of a Yeats poem is great as is "When Will We Be Married?" "World Party" sounds like it doesn't belong on this LP and it was in fact written before Scott decided to go for a more traditional sound. A few of the songs run on longer than they need to.
first listen of this band. felt i discovered a little jewel.
Ooh I really like this! There are a number of Dylanesque songs (“Fisherman’s Blues,” “Strange Boat”) and a few that remind me of U2. They incorporate elements of Celtic folk into their music but it feels fully integrated into the rock sound, at least on the early tracks. Like “We Will Not Be Lovers,” which has this surging drama led by the strings. It’s got that folky influence but with a stadium rock energy! (Later songs dive fully into Celtic folk and I enjoyed those too.) I dig the Van Morrison cover “Sweet Thing,” which also throws in Beatles lyrics from “Blackbird”! Highlights: “Fisherman’s Blues,” “We Will Not Be Lovers,” “World Party,” “When Will We Be Married”
A very enjoyable folk rock album! In particular, it nails a particular aspect bands in this genre frequently get wrong - not sounding to samey. The consistent quality in their musical variety also hints toward a somewhat rare skill that is confirmed by the Wiki article: they wrote a whole lot of material and then managed to separate the highest quality ones from the chaff so that every track adds to the album. This is confirmed by listening into the bonus disc - definitely not on par with the album material.
easy to listen to, good background music. Probably 3 or 4 stars
This album don't look interesting at first view, but listening to this will let you enjoy what the folk and rock were at first, however two or three song were kinda boring and that's ok, because it starts and finishes with great songs.
I'd like to hear Bobby Boucher do some vocals but he won't because MUSIC IS THE DEVIL BOBBEH. Contains an unexpected cameo from Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake from The Lighthouse on the track The Stolen Child. Favourite song - When ye go away Sing in the shower - Fisherman's blues One for a swim - And a bang on the ear
Favourite Song - We Will Not be Lovers/The Stolen Child One for Karaoke- Fisherman’s Blues One for a run - We Will Not be Lovers
Interesting listen. It combined Irish folk and modern rock. The album was released in the 80s but sounded very 90s.
Great album.
4.5 stars! Jam band, good sound, lots of interesting sounds.
Amazing set of tracks and wonderful combination of folks, blues, and "big music" rock. I might actually have to check their other stuff more.
I remember this album from when it was released back at the fag end of the 80s. I love Fisherman’s Blues, the song, in particular and had always rather dismissed the rest but on a play through all these years later (2022) it really stands up. I’m not a huge fan of the cover of Sweet Thing, but that’s in part because the original is one of my all time favourite songs. Surprised by how much I enjoyed this.
Fisherman's Blues shall be in consideration for one of the all time greatest albums of the 1980s. Apparently it is also one of the best artistic reinventions for a band, given that The Waterboys were a full on rocking band. That fully rocking band still exists, it is now welding Irish jigs and poets as opposed to what came before. One will soon find themselves swayed by the passion and creativity that possessed the band on its quest to create this masterpiece. Favorites: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Strange Boat, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Will We Get Married, The Stolen Child, Killing My Heart, You in the Sky, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, Let Me Feel Holy Again, Meet Me at the Station, Soon as I Get Home.
Unbelievably strong start. As in I genuinely don’t believe how great the first half is! With more than 100 songs recorded during this session and a runtime of more than 50 minutes, I don’t understand the inclusion of the Jimmy Hickey’s Waltz. A filler on an album that most certainly don’t need fillers. Steve Wickham’s violin proves to be the secret weapon on a record that is already loaded with great musicians. Blown away! Best: We Will Not Be Lovers / World Party / Sweet Thing / The Stolen Child Worst: Jimmy Hickey’s Waltz
8/10 there was some fun stuff in there not good enough to give it five stars but I still enjoyed it too european, idk I don’t hate that irish/celtic stuff, it just sounds like a gimmick to me like some kinda bit that gets annoying after a little bit and fuck bro, I’m part irish, it’s still kind of annoying still mostly enjoyable
Really enjoying their cover of "Sweet Thing"
🟩 77 🥇 We Will not Be Lovers 🥈 The Stolen Child 🥉 And a bang on the ear
Never heard of this band before, but I love me some Celtic inspired rock.
Not to bad. Great Irish band.
I love this album. Side 1 is by far the best moment of The Waterboys career. From the epic opening track to the dissonant fiddle that dominates We Will Not Be Lovers, to the beautiful accoustic turn of Strange Boat, the start of this album is as good as it gets. The band then rocks out with danceable World Party and closes side one with a gorgeous take on the Van Morrison classic Sweet Thing. Unfortunately side 2 pales in comparison (how could it not?) With the only standout track being And a Bang on the Ear. The underwhelming second half keeps this from being a 5 🌟 classic. 4.5 🌟
I have a great deal of love for this album. The Irish folk rock sound so authentic compared the previous pomp. The voice, the lilt, th concept. Those violins. Its irresistibly happy in its approach. Mike Scott knows instinctively when its ok for a sing to run for 6/7 minutes. Yeah there are a couple of fillers but it gets away with it.
A truly lovely album, of which I am very fond. Sort of an Irish Basement Tapes.
Kinda folk rock. Good music. Violins. Cover of sweet thing van morrison.
Lo tengo en vinilo, como disco me parece el mejor de los Waterboys (aunque el anterior tiene su mejor canción). y creo que este si es de los que merece la pena. Me gustan casi todas las canciones desde "Fisherman's Blues", "We Will Not Be Lovers", "World Party", "Sweet Thing", "And a Bang on the Ear", "When Will We Be Married?", "The Stolen Child"y "This Land Is Your Land". Creo que este disco sirve para entender la popularización de la música irlandesa tradicional como algo Pop que se puede escuchar y disfrutar en cualquier parte del mundo.
A glorious Celt Folk inspired Rock record, full of joy and energy, love stories and bucolic imagery. Mike Scott has got something truly magical going on here.
3.75
þetta er insane plata
7/10 Best song - Fisherman’s Blues
I really enjoyed this
Good vibes
I loved the start and got lukewarm towards the end. Still overall enjoyable with many added to my liked list
This is such a good record, haunting and lilting. I love the energy of and playing on the uptempo numbers and the poetry and quietude of the ballads and pausier tunes. It starts on such a high that there’s an inevitable dip on the backside but such a labor of love is a great listen.
Really great celtic pub rock vibes, little bit of U2 coming through, maybe a few tracks too many, but the highs are very high- 2nd track in particular
Good vibes, energy and authenticity
Better than average, love the folk infuence
Way better than anticipated. It’s like DMB, mid-70’s Dylan and the Decemberists all had some sort of Celtic love child. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I was blown away. Really enjoyed this one, have already revisited.
Top album, echt van genoten
-"Fisherman's Blues" be like a bluegrass country jam -"We Will Not Be Lovers" has some of the thickest country-bluegrass sound I have ever heard. Some bass thing is absolutely chugging and the violin is flying -"World Party" has got some jamming and a grooving bass as well -"Blackbird" references in "Sweet Thing" -"And a Bang on the Ear" and "When Will We Be Married" were catchy enough -Pretty strong, but kind of died out in the second half of the album
Nice! A blend of alternative rock with Celtic instruments makes this a fun listen, especially in the first half. Favorites: "We Will Not Be Lovers", "Strange Boat", "Sweet Thing"
An interesting look into 80s Irish folk music. A splash of jazz was cool too.
I really enjoyed this. I was familiar with the title track but that's it. Strangely enough this reminded me a lot of Bob Dylan circa 1975/76 in his Rolling Thunder Revue and Hurricane era. The same driving fiddle sound and the edge to his voice. Good stuff - glad I discovered this. 4 stars.
This album was absolutely not what I was expecting, and I thought it was really cool to here. Mixing traditional Irish and Scottish folk music and instruments into a rock n roll sound actually worked really well. After listening to a few albums that didn't feel like anything special, this was a welcome change of pace 4/5
Really enjoyed this one, especially the first half. Intricate, well produced authentic folk rock.
Nice rock with Celtic influences which are not too overwhelming or too much, just the right amount. Makes for a enjoyable, happy listen, albeit a bit too long
Enjoyed it
Irish folk or idk? Reminds me a bit of bluegrass
Fiddle diddle dooo jag vill spela i det här bandet (men också Waterboys är världens sämsta namn???)
Otroligt mysigt album, bra spännvidd, lyckas blanda coola rocklåtar och riktigt bra folkmusik. Jättebra sound stage och allmänt kompetent utförande. Det fulaste albumomslaget jag någonsin har sett dock. Bra blandning mellan Bob Dylan och Dire Straits
Du vrai bon folk. Des gros bangers et des pièces plus calmes qui font plus country, mais aucune pièce mauvaise en soi. Définitivement à rééccouter
Probably beats The Pogues for my favorite Celtic rock album of 1988. Some surprisingly great songs near the beginning, and the others are good too. Nothing overwhelming, but also aesthetically pleasing despite their lengths. Found the Sweet Thing / Blackbird mashup to be interesting, yet it worked. My favorite tracks were probably the first two. "World Party" was also a highlight for me, the one you could really dance to.
This album was sweet. Will be making a re-appearance around St. Paddy's day.
Folk rock with some Scottish and Irish traditional sounds. Lead singer is sort of Dylan-esque. Liked it!
7/10
This album has what was probably the first song I ever heard from the Waterboys, "Fisherman's Blues", which was part of the "Waking Ned Divine" soundtrack. I may have listened to this album before, because of that movie, but nothing else sounded very familiar from the album. I like the mix of folk and celtic elements to the Waterboys' music. With rounding, this album probably slips into the 4 star range -- I'd probably listen to the album again.
A little too country for me
Ирландский фолк. Норм, но скучно.
Never heard of this group or album, but I was very impressed by this album. Right off the bat, the Waterboys hit us with some fantastic songs. The first three really got the ball rolling. I also loved the "Sweet Thing" cover, including some lyrical references to Blackbird. Wikipedia notes this album as a blend of pop rock with some traditional Irish and Scottish sounds. I could definitely hear notes of that throughout, and I can honestly say I'd enjoy more of this, either in the form of another album or one of the various extended versions of this album. Excellent record. Favorite tracks: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, Stolen Child, Strange Boat. Album art: Nothing special at all. Picture looks a lot like the last Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young album we had, with an added frame. Made for an unsuspecting listen (and a pleasant surprise). 4.5/5
Folky, Irish music. You can hear the joy of these sessions in the music. Best Tracks: Fisherman's Blues, Sweet Thing, When Ye Go Away
Was unfamiliar with this band. Solid jams.
Very nice example of British skittle music.... Good fiddle, decent lyrics
Went into this with low expectations but really enjoyed it, some excellent songwriting
Really great, like Fairport and Flogging Molly made an album. (I know, this predates that, just sayin'...)
So good! Had to find out what a “Bang on the Ear” was from my east coast friend - one of my favourites on the album
Irish folk
Interesting. I had never heard of them or their story
I really got into this. There were some great riffs and the tracks were quite variable. Consequently a rare ****
Mooie stem, mooie violen, weer eens iets anders.
Fond memories
Enjoyable
This album was surprisingly good for me. Very good songs with a nice vibe.
Damn i LOVE that title track. okay, stolen child is really bad. rest of the album is actually pretty enjoyable.
I had no expectations. It blew me out of the water. Who are these people?
Irish springsteen/dylan
Folksy? Whatever it is I dig it. Remind me to look into The Waterboys in the future.
This was a blast. Plus I knew the first song from “Waking Ned Devine”
Klinkt zoals de naam
Good stuff. Bit too sombre for a dark January mind.
Brilliant. The title track is a classic, stolen child, bang on the ear, their version of sweet thing all brilliant. Overall enjoyed it a lot
Folky and easy to listen to
Super Fun album. This is not the first time, I've heard this!
Very surprised by this one! I almost wrote this one off before listening for some reason but I was hooked by the first two songs! Love the fiddle? Violin? Not sure but it's great and love the lead singers voice. Wasn't able to listen to the whole thing will have to listen again soon!
This is like a more roots based Drive By Truckers which naturally means I love it.
This is actually pretty cool!
Feels right at home!
Really good folksy celtic vibes with great production values.
Really solid and really honest folk album, I'm impressed. Great atmosphere, almost like I just stepped into a pub after a long day's work of harvesting vegetables or something. Fiddles and mandolins are both top tier instruments in my opinion. Best song: When Ye Go Away. It has just the right blend of jangly acoustic rock and trad Celtic folk.
The country/folk fusion here is cute, and exactly my bag. I felt that the more rocking numbers were the more forgettable, and that the tropier material was the most fun. I admit that fiddles are a huge weak spot in my taste, but I enjoyed them immensely. I wish that the closing track were longer, and I'm delighted that this thing was produced at all.
Listened to this all the time in college.
This is most certainly not one of the best albums ever, no double album should be, but I did expand my musical horizons and find a song I really liked. So a worthwhile endeavor and a nice reminder of why I'm doing this.
First time hearing this one. First go and I wasn’t feeling it but a couple more listens and it’s grown on me. Under all the folk stuff I hear Dylan, Springsteen and even some Replacements. I’ll probably revisit this one.
This was long but pretty good
This album makes me feel like I'm at a local folk festival. It's got that honest twang and country fiddle. The songs kinda all sounded the same to me. I probalby would enjoy this live rather than in my living room.
i love ireland. this was nice! and irish!
The music itself is pretty good, but it is needlessly long. I hardly if ever feel that an album needs to be 2 discs
Not sure what I expected here. I listened to the whole expanded version and didn’t mind, so yeah it’s a good one.
Not familiar with these guys but enjoyed this. Easy going indie/alt rock. Need to give them a deeper dive.
This is just Irish Dave Matthews.
This really wasn't my genre, so I predictably, I wasn't really moved by it. It was good musically, but just didn't catch my ear very much. I found myself longing for the album to be over. Three stars.
I was feeling it and then I wasn't. Hmm. 2.7.
Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Didn’t mind this overall. At times leans too far into low grade Irish folk (When Will We Be Married), but at other times it soars, with great contributions from guitar, fiddle and vocals alike. It’s probably overly long and the cover of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ could have been left on the shelf, but worth a listen overall.
There were moments when I liked the atmospheric Irish/Scottish folk rock, but then it started to get annoying.
3.5
Honestly a fun record
This has been quite revealing for me. To start with I thought The Waterboys were a plastic American band with a singer who sounded a bit like Bob Dylan, and so I wrote this here: "Not really memorable. Back in the day I'd probably have changed the radio station to find something better to listen to if any of these tracks came on." Then I listened more closely, and read a bit about them, and my view changed. Of course the music hadn't changed, just how I categorised it. It's OK to like Celtic folk music but not plastic American 80s bands.
Totally fine. Just not a huge fan of this kind of folk-inspired English pub-rock.
The Waterboys remind me of my NCL friend Ella’s FIRAT DANCE at her wedding
First song I'm familiar with because TMD plays it from time to time. It sounds like a lot of instruments playing at the same time. World Party (weird name considering there's a band called the same) starts out like a Carole King song (which was my album yesterday), lyrically is it a jab at Karl Walinger? Karl left in 1985 apparently. Hmmm. It feels like an Irish jam band. In Sweet Thing, he quotes a line from the Beatles Blackbird over and over. It could be good background music but nothing I could see myself putting out to listen to.
Lähellä neljä
Enjoyable to listen to - made me think I was at some Irish pub somewhere. Another reviewer said this sounds like Dylan meets Dave Matthews, which I think is an extremely appropriate comparison! Yes, it's enjoyable music but do I think it's one of the thousand and one best albums of all time?… That's quite a stretch.
3/5
Cool Irish infused folk rock with nice energy and passion. Sadly, they probably said all they needed to say within about 45 minutes but it went on another hour anyway
Enjoyable, but not amazing. If I remember it, I’ll probably listen to some of this again.
We Will Not Be Lovers is a banger, the rest... not so much
Unknown band. A good variety of genres. Good album.
10/06/2026 There were a few good songs in places.... but overall, just an average album. Spotify listeners: 2.7 million
Fisherman's Blues was certainly a pretty solid album. I initially went into it thinking it was gonna be a country album and i was kinda right as it is folk rock which in a lot of ways is similar to country music. There were two types of songs on this album, the fast upbeat ones and the slow ones. I do lean a bit more toward the former style but i think that they both have their merit in quite a lot of the songs. I'm not usually the biggest fan of the folk violin that is used in quite a lot of these songs but they actually work decently well here. I wouldn't really say its a super great album but for what it does, it does pretty solidly. Best Song: World Party Worst Song: This Land Is Your Land
Overall: 6/10 At first I was enjoying this, it fuses rock and traditional irish music very well. The biggest problem is that the songs are overlong and there's way too many of them. I shouldn't be checking how much longer the album is halfway through it. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but it overstayed it's welcome so much that it started to become unenjoyable. Fav Song: Sweet Thing
Decent and fun music while I was working
mediocre
Ja, klingt teilweise nicht schlecht, aber auch nicht mehr. Nette Folkmusik, aber auch bisschen langweilig mM.
Folk-klanken zijn vaak vrij uitbundig. Maar dit album weet de klanken zo 'normaal' te maken, dat het soms naar de achtergrond zakt. Al biedt dit album ook wel eens een nummer dat een feestje kan doorstaan. Met name de zang springt niet overdreven uit de band. Als het wat meer lijkt om de sterotype folk-zang, als bij When will we be married, vind ik het eigenlijk fijner. Toch wil ik de drie van dit album niet vergeetbaar noemen. Het is in totaal best een geinig plaatje.
Ik ken the Waterboys alleen van hun ene grote hit, the Whole of the Moon. Dat is van die typische jaren 80 bombastische stadionmuziek. Dit album is totaal iets anders. Meer folky deuntjes van de Britse eilanden. Het doet me denken aan (een vrolijke) Van Morrison, the Pogues, the Dubliners, dat soort muziek. Blijkbaar is dit hun best verkochte album, maar er is geen enkel nummer bekend. Dat is toch raar vind ik. Aan de andere kant, had ik dit album nooit uit mezelf gevonden, want als je iets van the waterboys moet draaien, dan ga je dat album met die ene grote hit opzoeken. Misschien hadden ze dus helemaal niet opgenomen hoeven worden in het boek met albums, maar had die ene hit in het 1001 songsboek moeten staan. Nou goed, ik vind het wel geinig om dit te luisteren op de vroege ochtend, een degelijke 3.
I didn't know them and I had low expectations (when I read that something mess with folk, I get instinctively suspicious). It was a nice surprise though: it starts with a couple of kick-ass songs and remains enjoyable but still a little boring towards the end.
Interesting
This is quite reminiscent of the Pogues which I really enjoyed quite a lot. I am also enjoying this quite a lot, however it feels like this album is way too long and blends a little bit too much, so we'll give it a middle rating of 3, not super great, but no bad by any means either.
This is definitely like Rusted Root meets the dad singing Rod Stewart in So I Married An Axe Murderer. It's good but feels like a very specific mood to want to hear this. Like at work in front of two screens is not a good environment. More of these songs sound better with a cask pour ale and some good friends around in a bar.
Interesting album of Irish and Scottish traditional music mixed with modern rock sounds.
Not for me! Fine, but just very not for me. 2.5
I liked the sound mostly but a double album of something I don’t love felt like a little much at times and the whole thing also felt kinda like county fair music
Pre Listen: Based on the name of both the band and album, I assume in order to fully experience this album, I need to put my waders on and get fishing. Will do. No idea who these guys are. Notable Tracks: This Land Is Your Land | Dunford's Fancy - Tied for my favorite tracks on the album. I'm a massive fan for this style of folk music. The sort you hear live in a local pub by chance that cements itself in your head as a cherished memory. Jimmy Hickey's Waltz - Another highlight, not quite my favorite due to the slower tempo, but great nonetheless. The Stolen Child - Not a big fan of what I'd call "Story Rock" typically, and this one falls into that. Not a big fan of the refrain, the whole song just feels like a wet napkin. Least favorite track. Fiddle work is solid tho. Sweet Thing - Beatles referenced oh my goodness gracious oh my good heavens. Post Listen: Definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I have a massive soft spot for Scottish/Irish Folk Music, as I live in the Appalachian region of the U.S., where immigrants from those countries played a huge role in shaping our folk music. When the first song played, I got quite excited and went to look where this band was from, and understood everything when I found out. That said, the album isn't entirely traditional folk. I enjoyed it the most during the more folkish songs, and the least when it was closer to traditional rock. The fiddler is great, the acoustic guitar is pretty good, the vocalist harmonizes well sometimes. I'm incredibly torn on giving this album a 4 or 3. I think I'll give it a 4 for now, but I might come back to it once I've listened to more albums, and I've had time to sit on it. EDIT - Sat on it, giving it a 3 ultimately. The more folkish songs were all I remembered after a while, the rest just really isn't as great.
I liked this more than I thought I was going to do
Im not listening to all this. But it’s always nice to get a bit of Scotch music.
I don’t think it’s essential to listen to an hours worth of average Celtic Country before I die, but if it is at least I’ve done it. Meh.
I like folk music and I love a change of pace album. Haven’t heard any other of the Waterboys’ stuff outside of this but I’m keen to explore now.
Never would have heard of this if it weren’t for the list. A fun mix of Irish trad, rock, even country/bluegrass. Not something I’d daily but I enjoyed it
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 This is one of those ratings that's an average—there's some two moments and some four moments, and I have to settle somewhere in between. I only knew (and loved) the song "A Pagan Place" from The Waterboys so this piqued my curiosity, but I left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, something triggered a cheesiness reaction in me, and I felt like I wasn't supposed to enjoy the parts I was enjoying because of the twang, the lyrics, or the unabashed scatting. I mean, as good as that jam was, does it really eclipse sort of Van Morrison-ing the entirety of "Blackbird" in the middle of it? On the other hand, yea, that jam really was good, as was much of the rock fiddling for many of these songs—the spirit was high and, as I feel like I say too much in these things, I bet it'd be easy to get swept up dancing to these songs live. Things really began to get grating around "And a Bang on the Ear," which I was relieved was coming to an end lyrically about five minutes in until I realized we were barely halfway through. By the end of the album, I had four songs saved and more conflict than I'd expected, so I listened to "A Pagan Place" again and realized that this is what was missing from Fisherman's Blues: the reverence, the joy, that elevated the already excellent instrumentation. Without it, this seems like great music to enjoy live but, for me, not to revisit. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
I can do without the extended collectors edition. Overall a good record. We Will Not Be Lovers is a great song. Fisherman’s Blues is a very good song. The incorporation of trad music is interesting. When Will We Be Married is a hornpipe which is fun. Still, as trad playing goes it is only moderately good.
The first few songs had me so happy. I forgot about the Waterboys! I like the Waterboys. Then I started to feel like, enough already, Waterboys. Please branch out a bit, Waterboys. I can't say I would turn this off, but I'm not sure I would make a deliberate choice to put it on. True confession: I like World Party's hit more than I like The Waterboys' hit "World Party."
Didn’t mind it. First song is pretty solid and rest of album has some hits and misses.
Sounds like a less energetic Replacements meets trad Irish folk. It was okay.
Context worth naming: seeing The Waterboys live at Bourbon and Beyond — the Hammond organ player in particular looking like he was having the time of his life — gave this record a warmer entry point than it might otherwise have had. That experience is real and worth acknowledging. It just doesn't change what the studio record actually delivers. Fisherman's Blues sits at a genuinely appealing intersection — Irish and Celtic folk tradition, Van Morrison-influenced spiritual urgency, and acoustic warmth that connects to the Americana lineage. When it hits those marks the results are undeniable. The title track is joyful, driving, and fiddle-forward in a way that's almost impossible not to respond to physically, and the best moments on disc one show a band fully inhabiting a sound with real conviction and personality. The problem is consistency. Hit or miss is the honest description — genuine peaks surrounded by stretches where the record coasts on atmosphere rather than delivering the same energy. The unevenness that keeps so many folk-adjacent records in the three-star tier is present here too, and the record player test came back clean: not something you'd reach for by choice despite the affection for the live show. The Hammond player was clearly having a helluva time. The album, taken front to back, earns a respectful three.
no es mi tipo pero definitivamente veo por qué ha sido seleccionado, lo importante que es por su sonido tradicional escocés e irlandés.
I tell you one person who’s never sad when he’s fishing. Len Houmous from Houmous & Chutney 2.6 5/22 Sweet Thing
Day 35 — The Waterboys — Fisherman's Blues (1988) Listened: May 3–7, 2026 Genre: Celtic Rock / Folk Rock / Roots Rock Vibe: Joyful and spiritually alive — Irish folk instrumentation crashing into rock energy with pure celebratory abandon. Highlights: • Fisherman's Blues • We Will Not Be Lovers ★ World Party (Extended Version) • Carolan's Welcome • Soon as I Get Home Impression: Enjoyed it but had to be in the right mood — during a stressful week it could feel like too much energy. Different listens hit differently. When it clicked the raw Celtic energy and layered fiddle work were genuinely joyful. A grower that rewards patience. Rating: 3.4/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Yes
I found this one to have a really strong start, I think the very pure traditional sounding Celtic folk music was actually really cool. However, after having listened through most of it, I was starting to get a little bit bored with its sound and style. Like it's cool to have such a traditional style for a whole album like that, but it is very much literally the only thing the album has to offer. It was still a really cool album overall, I just think that it really could have benefited from either just being shorter or trying to implement a wider pallet of sounds.
Not exactly revolutionary. Nobody's claiming that (I hope). The real question is, does Fisherman's Blues really qualify to be in a list of the 1001 best, most influential records of all time? Well... No. Not at all. Wikipedia, in their overview, describes the album as "abandoning their earlier grandiose rock sound for a mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music, and rock and roll." And then goes on to act all shocked when many critics and fans disliked the change. Retrospective music can be very good – take 80s-inspired albums like Simulation Theory and After Hours, or the sparkling Billy Joel-penned An Innocent Man. For genres that have existed for significantly longer than 80s synth-pop or 50s doo-wop/Motown – I'm talking hundreds of years old, at least – there's less of an excuse. I'm not saying the fiddles and Celt-ish melodies/harmonies are bad. They just take away from how "impressive" of a piece of art the album can be. Onto the good stuff. The mixing of old and new, particularly with regard to instrument choices, makes up for a lot of my grievance. The vocals are pretty strong, taking a sort of indie-hard-rock approach that accompanies the guitars and drums nicely. None of the above mesh particularly well with the fiddles, but what can you do? If we don't include a fiddle, how will the audiences perceive our pure goofiness and whimsy, our willingness to go against the musical grain? Four non-prog tracks, each lasting 7 minutes or longer, really start to test my patience. Relatedly, the best tracks are the shortest ones, excluding Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, which is just bizarre and impossible to get into. The extremely scattered applause at the end can't be helpful. Sweet Thing is probably the closest we have to true "prog", but I use heavy quotation marks here, because really it's just all over the place. At one point the lead singer breaks into a terrible rendition of Blackbird. I begrudgingly enjoy the jaunty And A Bang On The Ear, but that's despite its length rather than because of it. I'm between a 2 and a 3. The large amount of dead space in the album lowers it to a 2 for me. 3/5 Key tracks: Fisherman's Blues, World Party, When Will We Be Married
Very Irish very excellent
Enjoyed this more than I expected! Especially the first two songs. They have a really cool sound and I love the traditional Irish influences. It’s a long album and dragged a bit, but would revisit a few songs. Top Songs: Fisherman’s Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers
Too much Irish sound.
Very Irish, solid folk rock.
It was fine.
Har hørt en anden Waterboys plade som jeg bedre kunne lide, og blev lidt overrasket da jeg fandt ud af at jeg ikke havde hørt den pga listen. Oh well! Synes stadig det her var fed, kan generelt rigtig godt lide deres lyd, men det blev liiidt for keltisk en gang imellem
It's rock with a celtic bent and it sounds OK but nothing special. Some of the songs are too jammy and don't know when to quit (e.g. "We Will Not Be Lovers" and the final track "Soon as I Get Home").
If this album had maintained the level of the first two songs, it would have been a 4, but most of the rest of the album didn't quite hit those highs as either traditional Irish fare or arena rock.
A fun album, some songs really make me appreciate it. It gives me the feeling of spending a summer at countryside and the time passing really slow 3/5
this better not be a surrealistic pillow (jefferson airplane) situation where the instrumentation depicted on the cover is not in fact prominent in the album. i do believe the children these days call that catfishing. ok it's definitely a little rocky, but has distinct folk elements (that fiddle [is a british fiddle still called a fiddle?]). also 'tis british! once again i am beseeching spotify to allow us to listen to the original release i don't want the remastered extended album i was surprisingly... not a huge fan. it was fine. not better, not worse. british folk should be right up my alley (i.e., five leaves left [nick drake]), but this just sounds too produced and polished and like country rock with a fiddle??? the second-last track with the spoken word in a good gaelic accent had a good thing going, tho. wish the whole album was like that. average 3/5.
Good.
3.0 2x
I was expecting to dislike this at first as a long folk/country rock style album (from a Scottish group???) but it ended up being alright. Still not really my type of music and definitely some songs I wasn't keen on but overall pleasant as background music.
The first song I really liked. The rest is more boring stuff. Not unpleasant, but forgetable. 2,5/5.
I remember fisherman’s blues as being a cross between indie pop and Irish folk - and was surprised this album is more Van Morrison than the wonder stuff
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
This is quite a listenable album and the title track is great, but overall it’s not really my my sort of thing
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interessanter Rock mit irisch/schottischen Anleihen. Spannend zu hören, die Energie nimmt einen gut mit. 3/5
Medio plomo pero me terminaron cayendo bien por la influencia celta
Pop mit etwas schottischem Einschlag.
Could have been much shorter
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.
Perfectly fine. All a bit plodding but Fisherman's Blues is great.
Seem better for step dance than fishin
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.
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 probably think this is pretty boring now.
Pretty fun
Folksy and Celtic/ Irish, feels like I should be wandering a festival to this music. Sweet Thing was the immediate standout.
85. strings
OK, but not up to the quality of 1001 albums. ★★★
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
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)
Far more folk than I expected. A bit cringe in places but fine to listen to
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.
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.
Starts off well, but after a few tracks starts to sound like a covers band you'd hear in Temple Bar
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
3. really not for me, good otherwise
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.
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.
Feels like it's doing too much. Decent
Rubbish blues more like
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!
7/10
Standouts Dunford's Fancy Carolan's Welcome Fisherman's Blues
Хороший альбом слушать можно
Jaja lollig maar lang
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.
Interesting. Irish folk to punk.
twee ancestor
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
It was fine but really drug on
Enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. Solid.
kinda fun liked Stranger boat some songs like Sweet thing annoyed me kinda feeling like a grandpa
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.
Was expecting more Pogues style music but liked it a good deal more than that laddy.
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
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.
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.
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
Je suis pas fan
Interesting blend. I like them.
nice album a few different styles. enjoyed
Heel leuk!
I can imagine that these songs are the BEST in a pub, singing with the drunken patrons.
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.
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:
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
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.
Nice variety. A bit long
Made 100 songs, traditional irish, country Fisherman's blues World party
the first song led me to believe that things would be better than they were
I really liked the easy going vibe, the folky, country rock and roll.
Worthwhile stuff
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.
Pretty cool
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.
This was alright but it wasn’t super memorable