Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Higher end of average. I like the change of having some fiddle in there and the guys voice is nice.
Nice Irish folk. Nothing extraordinary.
I really liked the instrumentals but the vocals didn't do too much for me. Sounds like other bands I've enjoyed before, but I enjoyed the other bands more
pretty nice
While I prefer other Waterboys albums to this one, particularly the one with "The Whole of the Moon" on it, I still enjoyed this throwback album of folk rock, blues, and country. Not entirely convinced it is essential listening to anyone's catalog, particularly if you are familiar with the original genres and the original songs/poems they are covering, but it was enjoyable diversion during this Thanksgiving week.
Fisherman’s Blues was a staple of my dad’s album collection and therefore holds a fair bit of sentimentality to it. Regardless of this it is a good album and the song that gives the album itself is a fun jointy affair. It’s one of those songs that i’m always happy to hear. Mike Scott manages to incorporate traditional elements such as the fiddle etc without the songs feeling dated or too folky. Has anybody seen Hank? Sounds almost like Bob Dylan has been transported in to front the Waterboys. Yes this means the tempo is slower than the first half of the album, but it still works. By the end of the album there’s just a bit too much fiddle for me but still an enjoyable listen
I went into this really wanting to like it due to a continuing love of Whole Of The Moon (which isn't on this album, and therefore doesn't make it onto the 1001 album list). However... ...the fiddle on We Will Not Be Lovers might be the single instrument that has caused me the most annoyance in the 212 albums I have heard so far. It started off mildly irritating, but by the time it had got to the 7th minute of doing the same thing, I was just angry. Well angry and thinking how bored the violinist must be playing this live. I liked World Party a lot. And I enjoyed the Van Morrison cover. The Waterboys apparently really like an extremely long fade out, as it appears on multiple tracks and just makes the album longer than it needs to be. Overall, there were parts of this I liked, parts I was pretty indifferent to, and a violin I hated with a firey passion. I think in a half star world this would get a 2.5, but it's not a 2, so a 3 is where I'm sticking. 3/5
Day 102 To paraphrase a football cliche, I’d say this was very much an album of 2 halves. Starts out extremely strongly but sags quite a lot towards the end. Averages out to a 3 Highlights Fisherman’s Blues We will not be Lovers World Party
Neutral
Solid little listen. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. The second half got a bit too into the folk sound, and it felt a bit less unique. I thought I didn’t know this band until I remembered they’re the band that did The Whole of the Moon, which is a fantastic song.
The most hardcore folk album, that isn't an obvious folk alternative, I've probably ever heard. There's a lot of talent and a lot of passion, and sometimes there's some really cool instrumental bits, it's an easy listen. Inclines heavy on the traditional folk that eventually turns into straight country beginnings.The story-telling, decent as I might find it on a superficial listen, is not enough to bring me back. I don't love it but I respect it. 2.9/5
Not bad, a couple of familiar tunes. Very Scottish folk music.
I liked the mix of styles, but the covers were the worst part, it felt like they just did popular songs and jammed random style into them.
Nice blend of folk, rock, blues.
🎣 “Reel ’er in!
mmhh
Some good tracks on this, but always found it a bit too folky for my taste. Title track is still brilliant and A bang on the ear is good too. IMHO The Levellers took this style and did it much better as did The Wonder Stuff went they went a bit folky on Hup and Never Loved Elvis
Fine. 3.5
Nice sounding but really long album
Rather enjoyed this one!
Didn't know what to expect, having never heard of this band. It was okay. A lot of the songs made me think of pub songs to sing (or shout) along too. Occasionally Irish jig feel
The further it gets from rock and roll the more interesting it becomes. Songs could use some editing in the front half. 3/ 5
beetje veel van het zelfde.. maar toch niet slecht
Pleasant, accessible folk pop. Doesn't hit any soaring highs, but never grates. A bit like Dexy's Midnight Runners with a less annoying singer. 3.5/5.
Lively but struggles to maintain my interest over the course of the full album.
This was a shocker. I loved it when it came out, played it all the time. Now a lot of it just seems screechy.
I bought this when it came out and I have quite a large Irish music collection, but to be honest I think it's a pretty boring album and not anywhere close to the best of the genre. The only really great song is When Will We Be Married...LOVE that one. I would probably only give it a 2.5 overall.
Celtic roots music, why not
Competent, but not for me.
Not a bad album if blues/country is your thing.
Better than I judged it for by appearance. Expected something hokey or bluegrass, and some of it was, but there was a lot of Irish folk to it as well which I really enjoyed.
It's quite green
The irish folk rock sound is pretty rad. I love the hints of classic 80s production in there as well. I really liked the fiddle. Not sure I'd listen on my own but it was an enjoyable listen.
Like it 3/5
This one took me off guard. Usually I wouldn't consider this more folk fiddle music to be my cup of tea, but wow this album was pretty solid. Especially the earlier songs on the album were really great. Glad I heard it, I've never heard of these guys before, but I will definitely be listening to some of these songs again. Awesome vibe.
Solid Irish rock
Initially I thought I was going to like this album, but every song just got too busy to enjoy.
Another band that was never on my radar back in the day. Only discovered them through a good friend who is a big fan. He will hate me for giving them 3 stars, but as I say a lot for my 3 star albums, it was good, I didn't love it, didn't hate it.
Intéressant. Je n’avais jamais entendu parler de ce band. La musique ici est intéressante, des mélanges intrigants qui fonctionnent bien, mais, à part quelques exceptions ici et là, ça ne me rejoint pas vraiment.
Decent music but it’s hurt by being overlong
Sometimes it felt like Bob Dylan, other times it was country as heck. Quite enjoyable
Fun, bouncy Celtic Rock. It sounds like it could be an influence for quite a few bands that can't after it. Favorite track: Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?
A nice mix in the music, 80s celt crossover was not something I've heard too much of. Their rendition of Sweet Thing did the song justice too. Good listen.
Interesting blend of feeling "old-timey" and celtic, but still had aspects of 80s.
Not for me, but found myself getting immersed in it at times. "U2 but folk" is a pretty apt description, and I'm not a fan of U2, but I can appreciate the talent and the fact that some people are really into this kind of thing. The most memorable thing for me about this album is the realization that Carolan's Welcome is the source of the Game of Throne's theme song.
Not bad
Really liked a couple of songs - We will not be lovers and The stolen girl
Álbum doce com instrumental muito interessante. Tangzu Wan'er SG (OG).
Right, it's ok. It's very middling and twee, and if its time. I can't say I'm enjoying it but I don't hate it.
Fínt
Blind album and artist. Had some cool parts here and there but nothing stuck out to me aside from that.
First song was good, as was 'you in the sky'. It gets real Irish in the middle. 3/5
Album was good. Liked the fiddle. 3/5 Might listen again
Fisherman’s Blues // We Will Not Be Lovers // The Stolen Child // 2.5/5
The music is great. It's so fun and upbeat. The singer has a very unique, raw voice that just works with this style. The first 6 or so songs were better than the rest
A bit safe. Not bad. Meh.
Some of the more rocking songs at the beginning are kinda cool but it loses steam for me halfway through.
Good. Just moody and way too long. Like an amazing bar band.
Solid folk-rock.
Folk rock, favourite songs: "We Will Not Be Lovers" & "Meet Me At The Station"
I'm not familiar with The Waterboys but I really enjoyed this album. Great mix of Scotch/Irish traditionalism and country. Not my favorite in the folk-adjacent sphere but still a really great album I'm likely to revisit. 3/5
Fun and groovy, guitar and strings jams
Kind of nice but drags a lot
First disc pretty good second disc kinda meh Double albums rarely work for me cause they either become repetitive or just decline in quality
Pretty cool album. Sounds kinda like the Pogues but with some martimer and southern influences. I want to spend some time with it, the lyrics were interesting but need a couple more listens to it understand what he’s talking about.
Just when I thought I was done with Dylan for the week, the algorithm sends me this. I was familiar with their hit, and I like it OK. I was kind of getting into the slower Irish stuff, but then the album never seemed to end. Also, I didn't care for their cover of Sweet Thing. I feel like my ability to appreciate new music isn't quite up to snuff this week so I'm giving it an extra star.
Those first two tunes are chef’s kiss.
Enjoyable
Decent listen, but overall just ok.
22 songs is a bit much. why so many 7-9 minute long songs. got some good songs, majority are kinda boring ish but its not that bad.
Загалом не дуже моє, але пісня we will not be lovers дуже сильно мене зачепила. Неймовірна атмосфера та емоційність. За пісню 5, за альбом скоріш 2(?), загалом 3.
It’s an album that’s incredibly difficult to dislike, although I’m not likely to ever feel the strong urge to listen to it again.
This record hits a lot of points for me as a fan of Irish and Celtic folk and the like. Not great but a good listen.
Well this was different. Very old-timey and what I would think of if someone mentioned folk music from the UK. There were some parts that really caught my ear (more than I thought they would). I'd say this is definitely a solid listen, but I wouldn't go out of my to listen to it.
Felt like a community band you’d see at a small fair. Aided by slipping in blackbird and this land is your land. Cute (2.5/5)
I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t finish it. It had no need to be that long.
This was kinda fun for a listen - do I love it? Eh. But a little fiddle never hurt anyone.
Irish jam band
I enjoyed some songs, but it was mostly just OK. Kind of an underwhelming pick to be part of the 1001 best albums ever. 3/5
Good Irish band. Good traditional Irish music/songs.
The Waterboys make a great pub-band. The opening track is terrific, while the remaining songs are not at the same level, but good nonetheless.
It's there. It's not making me scream turn it off. It's not making me want to turn it up. I don't think I'd seek it out. Nothing goes to the playlist. 2.5, rounded to 3.
Lite långt men en del bra vibes!
doesn't sound enough like jethro tull
I wish I liked this more. But I also like that I wished that.
Decent songs and the singer stands out for me.
5.5/10
I was already starting to suspect that I liked British and Irish folk music, and this album helped confirm that suspicion. For whatever reason, I enjoy it. Add that into a mixture with rock and we're definitely cooking. I enjoyed the majority of this album as a result. However, it started to lose me toward the end. The album ran over 54 minutes and had 13 songs, some of which were very long. A number of them sounded similar due to the style. I think they could've cut it down a tad and it would've been better for it. As it is, the length caused it to drag on me, especially since some of the later songs were slower/melancholy. I was thinking I would give this album 4 stars at about the halfway point, but the way it dragged and the end made me knock it a little bit. I think this would've been a very strong 10-song album. Unfortunately, instead it's just a decently good 13 song album. Overall: 3.3/5
This has some definite highlights especially in the first couple of tracks. After this, I think the songs are more arbitrary and not so interesting.
This was a completely new artist for me, so no real explanations going into to it. That said I liked this quite a bit, sometimes it had a stripped down Flogging Molly feel to it. I would definitely listen to this album again and after reading the artist’s profile I’m intrigued enough to want to hear some other albums. Sounds like they are all pretty varied stylistically which is always interesting. 3 plus stars, not quite enough to round up to 4 on the first listen, but it’s close.
It’s fine, but wasn’t in the mood. Feels like an album the folks from Flogging Molly listened to a lot.
I just realised why I (often) like folk/country songs. The violin. The violins!!! How they are used in those types of music!! I freaking LOVE it! It's just so cool and fun. And here, it didn't miss. This album is pretty cool. I don't often listen to this kind of music, but maybe I should do it more often. It's a perfect album if you're driving, I guess (I don't know, I don't have my licence actually). At the same time, it's really great but is there really something... new? But I don't mean it in a bad way (for once)! It's cool, it works, so why should we need more, really? Again, I'm not really familiar with the genre but I really liked it. This music really screams to me: USA! (I live in Europe, so it's not... common?). This is really how I expect The US to be (well, at least Texas). The only 'bad' thing I can say is that I'm not a big fan of the singer's voice. As often, I have a problem with voices, I guess. But I don't hate it either! There are also songs I liked less but I mean, don't we all? Not a big fan of 'The Stolen Child'... I think I'll need to relisten to Fisherman's Blues to enjoy it even more. I might do that in the future!
Seemed like they wanted to go in lots of different directions. Terrible vocal on “Blackbird.”
Not a bad singer, but I still got sick of him about half way through. Sounds better on some songs than others. Music's interesting. 3.5*
Some great hits but some are so long and boring. The traditional covers are interesting but not something I would listen to all the time. Decent 3.
I saw comparisons to The Pogues and Bob Dylan so I figured I was gonna hate this. But actually I like this more than I like both of them. Celtic folk Dave Matthews Band but actually pretty good? Sure why not.
Irish folk rock that presents some traditional sounding folky tales (mostly back half) and ballads as well as extended jauntier jams with a rock influence (more front half). The longer song have fun bouts of musicianship and while the more standard songs are fine, they’re less unique and attention grabbing. Violin is the star here, always seeming to add a critical flavor and unique melodies to the song. The album is cohesive and sets a clear setting to absorb what they’re making.
Ihan kiva, vähän ehkä yksitoikkoinen
A lot of this was quite enjoyable. I enjoyed the blues vibe whilst getting the feeling of sitting on a boat off the new england coast fishing. Am I crazy for thinking they tried sounding like Mr. Dylan at times?
Je me sens pris dans un vortex d'album bland depuis une semaine, je me sens pu inspiré d'écrire une review, je devrais peut-être répondre à Cyril... Salut Cyril! Je suis content d'apprendre que tu ne te cache pas derrière la génération des albums des Sonics Youth, je commençais à trouver ça un peu forceur de ta part Bref, le capitalisme sauvage aura eu raison de Geoguessr, ça fait un bout que j'y ai moi même été, ça me redonne pas trop envie d'y retourner. Au moins google map est gratuit... pour l'instant Effectivement, Corridor est pas super populaire ici, à part quelques-unes de leurs chansons les plus connus qui roule à la radio. Concernant KGATLW, je suis 100% de ton avis, Nonagon Infinity est selon moi le meilleurs albums rock du 21e siècle, suivi de très près par Polygondwanaland, Crumbling Castle étant ma chanson préféré du groupe. Je suis aussi un gros fan de Fishing for Fishies, Mind Fuzz, Ominum Gatherum et Flying Microtonal Banana. J'ai plus de misère avec leur albums de Heavy Metal Rats' Nest et PetroDragonic, j'aime pas assez le scream pour vraiment embarquer à fond. C'est vrai que leurs trois derniers albums ont été assez décevant (même si Flight b741 était plutôt sympa), j'ai l'impression qu'à force d'essayer trop de genres ils perdent l'identité et l'énergie qui animait le band. Par contre, Dead Stick et Le Risque sont des turbo bangers, j'espère qu'on s'accorde là-dessus Bon, je dois retourner travailler, sinon ont va me taper dessus, je continuerais mes réponses dans les prochains jours
1988 album, hopefully it has a unique sound. By this point im just looking for some uniqueness. Very good, would relisten if it wasn't like 2 hours long. Not generic sound, unique sound throughout it, very well made. Lots of differences between tracks, seems to be multiple genres, some songs definitely better than other.
literally never heard of the Waterboys before today, but I think they're great! I'm a big fan of folk rock so this hit with me. I gave it 3 stars because I feel like song-to-song the quality is inconsistent and the double disc album is waaay too long. they could've given us a tight 10-12 and it would've been much better. best song is We Will Not Be Lovers
It’s pretty good, but I can only enjoy it in small doses. I paused after the first 8 tracks, returned and stopped after the first 13 tracks from the original release, but listening to those 13 tracks were a nice experience. I just know that I would need a few breaks in between listening.
maybe it's just a genre I'm not used to but this is the longest, most repetitive album I've ever heard. But still decent
Finely crafted folk no doubt, just didn’t find anything particularly special about it.
It was pretty good. Kinda reminded me of the Pogues or something (Alex correct me if that’s wrong). Nice cover of sweet thing
Well, this is better than the Pogues at least. Despite myself, I kind of like this. Definitely prefer the rockier songs though. The varied instrumentation is quite interesting. But, like others have said, the second half is substantially worse than the first.
A ok
This was a bit of a surprise to me, after the first song I thought I was going to be asleep at my desk but by the end I found a new artist that I look forward to diving deeper into their catalog. This album was definitely too long, with several song being over 7 minutes. It can be a bit to folksy for me at times (which it seems that the contributors to this list love folk music). Overall I enjoyed and glad I heard it. 6.5/10 89/1001
Pretty average pub folk, the album loses steam as it goes on
# 505 : Fisherman's Blues I liked this more than I thought I would. They've done a pretty decent job, not great, but good enough. gets a bit old towards the end and it was way to long (Collectors Edition) to just throw on in the afternoon. Solid sound, even if it does sound just like every other Irish band out there. Listened : 18/06/2025
LIstenable.
not really my genre at this point in my life. maybe 10 years ago.
Starts super strong but is then a bit too trad
Hadn’t heard this one before. Solid album.
I had high hopes that this might be up there with the Pogues when I saw it was Irish! Alas, it was just ok.
i appreciate the more traditional (?) instruments, they work well in the songs. the songs drag out a bit too much. overall it's alright.
It didn't blow me away, first half was better than second half
3.5/5
Felt a bit long. Enjoyable enough - heaps of fiddle and very folky. Would probably go for more traditional folk over this if I was in the mood for that though.
First two songs were really amazing, some pretty interesting celtic rock stuff on here
Actually somewhat enjoyable if a lot of the same. I likes the brass on “World Party” 3/5
It's fine, not really my kind of music, but I can appreciate that it's well done. Too folksy for me and it dragged on after about 45 minutes or so.
sweet i like folk music a lot -great instrumentation (from wife)
3.5 - cool folky Irish album. Enjoyed it a lot more when they leaned heavily into the traditional Irish sounding songs.
I honestly couldn't believe this album was from '88 when i first listened to it. Feels very faithful to old folk music. That being said i dont feel like theres a lot of substance here tbh. The concept is cool tho. "We Will Not Be Lovers" is a great song. 7/10 Favourite: We Will Not Be Lovers Least Favourite: Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?
снова вспомнила про песню зыс ленд из май ленд, но в остальном ничего не почерпнула - народные мелодии без инноваций
Overall, surprisingly good. Although I try to keep an open mind, I will admit to a certain bias when I am presented with an album from the 80s, so I was not excited to see this album pop up. That said, I was very pleasantly surprised. I think it’s very unique, in that it sounds like a mix of many different things, and not at all the stereotypical 80s sound. About half the album deserves 4 stars, but there are too many songs that sound country-ish, or just kind of bland. I wish I could give it a 3.5.
Correcto
Disc 1? Pretty pleasant. Some sweet instrumentation, nice vocals. Nothing too inspired but good nonetheless, although it is somewhat one-dimensional. Disc 2? Insufferably boring, continuing the trend of the latter half of the first disc. This has no reason to be as long as it is, just the first disc would have been fine. Or just half of disc 1, for that matter.
This one was a surprise- traditional Irish/UK songs with a modern rock influence. The instrumentation was skillful and the songs were catchy. Overall- I enjoyed it a lot. 3.5/5
Gotta listen to it again
Evokes Blue Rodeo, Great Big Sea at first. This is good for me. Overall, not bad, but it is probably not going to become a favourite.
First Song is one I’ve heard plenty of times in the car back in the day, The drum fills are really satisfying on the second song. Third song is a nice change of pace with some nice violins, don’t know why I’m going through each song I don’t really want to do that so favourites: world party, jimmy hacket, bang ear and Dunfords fancy. I really liked the mix of Irish pogue type songs with a more classic rock style in some and the violin throughout was a nice way to keep it fresh and unique. Overall, 6/10.
Pretty good! Scotch Irish folk rock, with the violins and mandolins that implies. The title track is great, as was We Will Not be Lovers. Not my style of music, but definitely a great album that exemplifies its style.
It was OK but I agree with some of the other reviewers that it got really tired by the end. One trick pony.
Fun!
A bit of a nothing album, unfortunately. The loved the opening track, and there were a few instrumental moments that piqued my interest, but otherwise nothing really stuck, even after a couple of listens. Nothing of the quality of Whole of the Moon, for example. Not awful, just a bit nondescript.
Didn't hate it didn't love it
Ah, mes ouailles, nous revoilà devant l'autel du "1001 Albums", ce grand livre sacré qui nous force, semaine après semaine, à nous pencher sur des disques que, parfois, on a soigneusement évité pendant des décennies. C'est un peu comme une Toussaint musicale : on va rendre hommage à des monuments, qu'ils nous filent des frissons ou qu'ils nous laissent de marbre. Et aujourd'hui, on sort les violons, les mandolines et les chapeaux de pêcheurs pour s'attaquer à un gros poisson, un véritable mastodonte du folk-rock des années 80 : "Fisherman's Blues" des Waterboys. Sorti en 1988, putain 1988, une année charnière. Pendant que mes héros de Sonic Youth déconstruisaient le rock avec "Daydream Nation" et que les Pixies sortaient le décapant "Surfer Rosa", un certain Mike Scott, leader des Waterboys, décidait de faire tout le contraire. Fini la "Big Music", ce son ample, quasi-héroïque et gorgé de synthés qui avait fait leur succès. Non, Scott a tout envoyé balader et il a pris ses cliques et ses claques, a traversé la mer d'Irlande et s'est installé à Dublin, puis dans le Connemara. Le message était clair : retour aux sources, aux racines, à la terre. Et merde, ça s'entend. Je dois être honnête, cet album, je le connaissais de nom, bien sûr. Le morceau-titre, impossible de passer à côté, surtout quand on a usé ses fonds de culotte dans une radio indépendante dans les années 90. Ça passait, entre un Cure et un Noir Désir, ça sentait la Guinness, les pulls en grosse laine et les soirées au coin du feu. Une sorte de carte postale sonore de l'Irlande, bien avant que le "rock celtique" ne devienne une caricature pour touristes en kilt. Mais l'album en entier ? Jamais eu le courage car mon truc, c'était plutôt les ambiances de fin du monde ou les murs de sons… donc, la musique joyeuse et entraînante, très peu pour moi. Et "Fisherman's Blues", c'est exactement ça. C'est un disque qui respire la joie de jouer, c'est le son d'un pub où les pintes s'entrechoquent et où la musique prend vie, sans fard ni artifice. Et dès les premières notes, on est embarqué. L'arrivée de Steve Wickham et de son violon endiablé a complètement transformé le groupe, cet instrument devient le cœur battant de l'album, il pleure, il danse, il raconte des histoires. On navigue entre la folk irlandaise pur jus, le country américain, le blues des origines et un rock'n'roll débridé. C'est organique, c'est vivant, c'est brut et on imagine sans peine les sessions légendaires, ces centaines d'heures de musique enregistrées dans des manoirs irlandais, où le groupe, en formation élargie, explorait, improvisait, se perdait pour mieux se retrouver. L'album est une déclaration d'amour à l'Irlande. Mike Scott, l'Écossais, s'est littéralement fait naturaliser par la musique. Il adapte un poème de Yeats ("The Stolen Child"), reprend le "This Land Is Your Land" de Woody Guthrie en remplaçant les lieux américains par des noms irlandais. C'est un acte d'allégeance, une immersion totale, on sent les paysages venteux du Connemara, l'ambiance des pubs de Galway. C'est une quête de liberté, d'authenticité, une fuite loin du cynisme et de l'artificialité du business musical des années 80. Et sur ce plan, c'est une réussite totale. On ne peut qu'admirer la démarche, la sincérité du projet. Alors, qu'est-ce qui coince ? Pourquoi ce 3/5, me demanderez-vous, alors que je semble en chanter les louanges ? Eh bien, justement, c'est peut-être un peu trop authentique, un peu trop "bon enfant" pour le vieux con cynique que je suis. À force de célébrer la vie, la nature et la fraternité, on frôle parfois la naïveté. Ici, tout est lumineux, même la mélancolie. C'est une mélancolie douce, réconfortante, celle qu'on noie dans une pinte entre potes avant de repartir en chantant. Il me manque le danger, la fêlure, le cri primal. Et puis, il faut bien l'avouer, l'album est long... Et le CD, avec ses bonus, est encore plus long, on sent que tout ça est issu de sessions fleuves. Parfois, ça donne l'impression d'écouter le best-of d'une gigantesque jam session plutôt qu'un album pensé de A à Z. Certains morceaux s'étirent un peu, on sent que les mecs se font plaisir, et c'est super pour eux, mais pour l'auditeur... disons que ça manque parfois de concision. On a envie de leur dire : "Ok les gars, c'est bon, on a compris, passez à la suivante." En fin de compte, "Fisherman's Blues" est un album incroyablement important. C'est une pierre angulaire, un disque qui a redéfini le folk-rock et ouvert la voie à des dizaines de groupes. Il a prouvé qu'on pouvait faire de la musique populaire et exigeante, ancrée dans une tradition mais résolument moderne. C'est un disque qui fait du bien, qui donne la patate, qui donne envie de taper du pied et de voyager. Mais voilà, moi, la musique qui fait du bien, ça me rend méfiant. J'ai besoin de ma dose de noirceur, de dissonances, de malaise. "Fisherman's Blues", c'est une magnifique bouffée d'air frais, un grand bol d'embruns vivifiant. Mais après une heure passée sur le pont du chalutier, j'ai juste envie de redescendre dans la cale pour écouter les moteurs grincer et sentir le mazout. Question de tempérament... Je reconnais le chef-d'œuvre, mais il ne me parle pas aux tripes. Ça me fait une belle jambe, mais c'est comme ça. Un classique, sans aucun doute, mais pas mon classique.
sko, mjög sundurlaus hlustun hjá mér. mér fannst margt í þessu mjög skemmtilegt og lofa góðu. fágaðri pogues og kannski meiri köntrí áhrif - mögulega vegna þess að þetta er fágaðra. ég vil aðra og meira en get bara gefið 3,5.
I should love this. I enjoy rock, Irish music, bluegrass. But the dudes manage to drag out every song for so damn long! The endless repetitive riff at the end of We Will Not Be Lovers is downright obnoxious. I was ready to give it only two stars on first listen, but on repeated listening there are a few songs that I like enough to bump it up to three, despite some clunkers.
I don’t listen to a lot of Irish folk jigs so this album was quite a refreshing change of pace
Solidly played music but I couldn’t remember anything I had listened to 20 minutes later.
6.5/10 This did what it did pretty well, but when it comes to it then I would describe it as a good-quality pub folk rock band So am not really sure why it’s considered important Occasionally teetered on embarassing over the top Celt stuff (I’m Scottish, know this pain) but just about got away with it. The Stolen Child pushed it though. Best: Fisherman’s Blues
They lost me in the second half a little bit, I felt like a little hobbit haha. I enjoyed the first two songs the most, they had such a great groove and the fiddle was such a star!
I Wish I Was A Fisherman Tumblin' On The Seas 1001 Albums Generator 9 (04/15/2025) Although the violin was originally made to play classical music, my favorite uses of the instrument (besides Vivaldi's Four Seasons) are all from outside this context. From Thank You Scientist to Sufjan Stevens' Illinois to Black Country, New Road, violin is just done best by the rock bands; I don't know what it is. By the time I reached the fourth minute of We Will Not Be Lovers, I realized that The Waterboys' fourth studio album Fisherman's Blues belongs in the rock violin pantheon. The Waterboys are a rock band with members from all four countries within the UK. While their first three albums helped to jump start the beginning of the so called "Big Music" genre, Fisherman's Blues represented a move away from that sound and features an embrace of Irish and Celtic folk music, infused with their rock sound. As I alluded to earlier, the star of the show here, besides band leader, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Scott, is the incredible violin (fiddle) playing of Steve Wickham, who appeared on only one song on the band's previous effort, This Is The Sea. I will be speaking in this review about the non-expanded edition, which is the first disc on the Spotify version of the album. Fisherman's Blues is really a story of two albums: the first is a brilliant combination of heartland-influenced rock and Irish folk instrumentation, and the second is an unremarkable Irish folk album. The first of these two albums (Fisherman's Blues through And A Bang On The Ear) is incredible. With the exception of Strange Boat and the bonus track Jimmy Hickey's Waltz, every song here is explosive. The first two songs especially highlight the incredible mix of rock and fiddle, with the second song, We Will Not Be Lovers, being perhaps my favorite song on the whole album. World Party features a really strange piano line that opens up into an almost post-punky Celtic inspired jam. There is also a cool moment in Sweet Thing where Mike starts singing Blackbird, and it is a totally dope recontextualization of that tune. The second of these two albums (Has Anybody Here Seen Hank through This Land Is Your Land) has precisely one song I like. Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? is a beautiful piece of Irish country. While it is simple, it is very well performed and Mike Scott's voice sounds great here. Every other song through to the end of the album is some mixture of boring and just plain bad. From the appallingly inoffensive When Ye Go Away to the painful slam poetry on The Stolen Child, side B of this LP has little to offer. This is a hard album to judge. On the one hand, I added two songs from this thing to a playlist, which is quite rare (normally I try to just do one per album). On the other, I have no desire to listen to this in full ever again. I can't go below a 3/5, just because the first half really is fantastic. Favs: Fisherman's Blues We Will Not Be Lovers World Party Least Fav: The Stolen Child
This accomplished it's goal mightily. A great collection of eclectic folky tunes. Good listen
Did you know these guys are still at it?! On the day this was suggested to me (4/4/25), they released their 16th studio album. Regardless where this review goes, I think that's pretty impressive. A band that released their first album the year I was born and consistently to the year I turn 42 (so far). I don't think I've ever heard this album, but I've definitely heard of the band. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the opening track gave me hope. That momentum certainly carried into We Will Not Be Lovers, a rocking 7-minute barrage of violins that I very much enjoyed. Frustratingly though, all that drive was lost for Strange Boat, which just sucked all the energy out of the album. When the energy picked back up on World Party, I thought "ok, hopefully this is more the vibe of the rest of the album", but alas, it's more of the mellow, downtempo folksy stuff. Not that there's anything bad or wrong with where the album went, it just left me disappointed after those first few songs. I guess it's a good record, but not something I'll becoming back to any time soon with exception of a few songs. 3/5
point2.
This is not this is the sea.
Ok
Good album but too long.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Did little to nothing for me. Feels like very generic folk/pop in every sense. 6/10
The album's start is quite neat, with a mixture of rock and folk music composed beautifully. With excellent usage of wind, strings and piano parts put succinctly with the flowing rock parts. However, over time the influence of rock is lost, and it becomes a folk album that feels monotonous. I feel for those who had to listen to the deluxe parts.
Play The Whole of the Moon! what do you mean it's on a different album, ffs!
Some good songs with a few snoozers mixed in. A lot of unique production choices with the combination of Irish and American country sounds makes it really quite interesting at points. 6/10
So glad this album was served up today. I like traditional UK folk music and have been listening to this genre quite a lot recently. I’ve heard The Waterboys on the radio a lot and always made a mental note to listen to them more but never got around to it. This and no doubt other albums of theirs really appeal and I must try to get some into my record collection. 3/5 9/3/25
HINT: if the album is really long and the last half includes extended, alternate, remix or other versions then it is probably a deluxe collector's edition and you don't have to listen to all of it. The original here is only 13 tracks. 2.69
I listened to most of the first album, it took a while but this grew on me
It was OK. I saved a few songs, but I wasn't blown away. Fine
Крепкий фолк альбом. Послушал с удовольствием. Смесь кельтского фолка (и его брата-кантри) с блюзом и звуком 80-х.
Interesting. Not amazing.
Strong start and then fell off a few songs in. You get a few celtic rock songs reminiscent of The Pogues but then it turns more and more into stuff you might hear at a Renaissance Fair or Irish Pub. Did not delve into to disc two as it wasn't part of the initial release.
Gar nicht so schlecht aber bisschen langatmig teilweise
Un intringulis musical que deambula desde el rock más clásico, a veces buscando a Springsteen o Dylan y luego aires de flauta o Irlanda. Interesante el paseo
At the intersection of U2 and The Pogues this is a right good time. I think the first half was overall stronger than the second. Solid fiddling throughout. Favorite songs were Fisherman’s Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party, and Sweet Thing.
22 songs, a 1hr 40m run time. I liked it, bjt at tumes I spaced out and fogot that I was suppossed to listen to the music. (I know that all of that is fault of my attention span, sorry, boys of the water). A 6, too long for me.
A pleasant rounded album with lots of familiar tracks.
Really good album.
There was a brief fad for Celtic folk rock in the 80s and the Waterboys were a prime example with their biggest hit being The Whole of the Moon in 1985. For this album a couple of years later, they leaned back towards a more traditional, folkier sound with violins, mandolins and flutes coming to the fore. I’m guessing this may have put off some of their earlier fans, but it sounds like they’re having a lot of fun with this, especially on the final live burst of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land at the end.
There's a limited amout of fiddle you can support on an album. My limit is pretty high, but they're over 9000. That being said, it's an honest (Irish) folk rock album, but it's just a bit too much. I guess I could enjoy it with a pint in a pub, but no really more than that.
Had no idea what this was and found it generally enjoyable. But it was super weird. At first I thought it was a Bob Dylan wannabe. Then I thought it might actually be Dylan. Then it became traditional Irish folk music and was clearly not Dylan. So don’t know what to think.
Pretty interesting sound, like old timey Irish folk songs but more modern
Really enjoyed the beginning but got tired of the style by the end. Going to try an earlier album of theirs.
Honestly I didn’t finish both discs but after only having about half an hour a day for this particular album and going into day 3 I’m calling it. It’s a nice sound and I definitely rocked with it more than I thought I would. Nothing life changing but solid background music for 2 day mini-bursts but I need to move on. Would listen again maybe in 1 disc increments.
this album was not bad to listen to. i'm not usually a bluegrass rock-y type, but I enjoyed having this on in the background. i'm also not going to knock the length of this album, as it was a remaster/collector's edition
Its not that its a bad album or that there are bad songs, its just too damn long. There are a bunch of songs that could take two to three minutes off the run time and still be solid. I enjoyed listening to it, but I could have just as easily given this album a two.
I had a good time with this one. I would be lying if I said I was ever going to put it on again, so I can't really go above a 3 based on my own scale. It was a fun mix up from what we usually get on this list.
Very unique but lengthy and drags on second side. Feels like I'm blacked out on the floor of an Irish pub taking in all the sounds.
The first two tracks of Fisherman's Blues, the title track and "We Will Never Be Lovers," are among the best songs I've heard doing this project. The large 80s production and the desperation of the songs, especially for "...Lovers," makes for something exciting and emotional. Sadly, this desperation quickly dissipates after these opening tracks. The rest of the album is fine, but stops being so compelling. Ultimately, it is still a good record - pretty much any album with two opening tracks as good as these will be a fine record.
Decent and relatively entertaining. But not my spin.
This album was fine. I'm playing catch-up on my records list, and this was perfectly okay in the background. I really enjoyed the back half as opposed to the front half. Fav Track: Dunford's Fancy, The Stolen Child Least Fav: And a Bang on the Ear
It's well done. The songwriting is good and the band has a cool sound. But this style of Irish rock has never really done much for me.
really surprised by this, i really liked it. I'm not averse to a bit of folk and much of this was very folky. it appealed to my mellow side, and its not at all like the whole of the moon (which is ok). biggest problem now is the score, don't think its quite a 4, it's a good 3.8, but not a 4.
Interessant. Wirklich recht gut anzuhören.
It was okay. Little long but I made it all the way through with out a skip or stopping completely.
Folky, but in an ethnic British/Celtic kind of way (fiddles, strummy guitars, accented vocals, etc) Highlights: "Fisherman's Blues" (uptempo opener), "Strange Boat" (cool harmonica and violin interplay), "Sweet Thing" (musically pretty cover of a Van Morrison song with an interpolation of "Blackbird"), "And a Bang on the Ear" (interesting variety of Celtic pop, but a bit lengthy at 9+ minutes...)
Definitely too long. World Party and We Will Not Be Lovers are brilliant. At times the waltzy stuff takes away the momentum. It's best when the songs have a bit more bite.
Listened to the non bonus version - thirteen tracks. Even so, a wee bit too much tweedle-dee-dum for me. I like the title track, but much of the rest doesn't stand out to me. A low three.
Very good album timeless hasn't lost its traditional music charm.
Blue like the ocean
3.75
Pleasant - 3/5
Newsflash: what I knew about the Waterboys so far bored me to tears, but with this record drawing on more traditional folk tones (both from Ireland and The US), I soon realized I was up for a pleasant surprise. Some of the songs are pretty moving, and with this record's production values favoring more acoustic tones, you don't have that horrible guitar and gated drum sound typical of the eighties (at least not to that extent). I didn't have the time to listen to the 2nd disc and its session outtakes but it doesn't matter. I'm leaving the door open for this one... 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums 8/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 443 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 264 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 321
3 sterne
Not a very cohesive album. Some really good songs, some not so great songs.
I haven't heard this one in a long time!
Pretty interesting tunes, not something I’ve dabbled in before, but average on the star scale.
Enjoyable but irritating that my streaming service offers only the two disc collectors edition, virtually guaranteeing I will never play it again.
At first I wondered if I'd ever heard anything by The Waterboys, but then the opening track made me realize I'd definitely heard them (or at the very least I've heard a rendition of "Fisherman's blues" that sounds almost exactly like their version...). It's kind of all over the place musically, which is sort of intriguing, but also a bit scattered-sounding; I do like how there's a bit of The Pogues going on at times in this album, though, and they do a very nice cover of Van Morrison's "Sweet thing". I also like it that "And a bang on the ear" failed to chart in part because everyone from outside Ireland didn't know what that phrase meant (myself included until I read the Wikipedia entry). I'm not sure that Yeats would necessarily have enjoyed their rendition of "The stolen child", sadly. (I certainly didn't, and it made me think of more painful aspects of ELP or Spinal Tap.) Based on this album, it seems like The Waterboys would have fit right in at the 1986 Self-Aid charity concert, but sadly didn't. Overall it's not the most exciting collection of songs, and since we don't get any other Waterboys albums in this collection (not that I'm complaining), and I don't know their music well or at all, it's hard to get a sense of how radical a departure this album was from previous albums. OK but not great I'd say.
Well-done folksy rock with a traditional Irish or Scottish tone at times, as well as a bit of Dylan and the Band, and there are moments of Dire Straits early on though the album creeps toward traditional folk towards the end. I like the way the album winds through its songs and would listen again.
Another motherf****ing irish folk album. And why there's a segment of "blackbird" with an improvised melody at the end of the song? As a ex-beatles fan, this really makes me confused. But the title track is great, and beautiful moments occasionally occur. 3/5
I really liked this to start but it eventually started sounding the same as I got further into the album
Pretty decent.
This website has been serving me a lot of great music lately, but this album kind of gets lost in the shuffle. It’s good, but not at all memorable.
Favourite track: When Ye Go Away.
Nice and proper Irish and Scotch folk music.
strangely hypnotic
Fiddleheads rise up
It’s no Millennium Madonna. Had a few enjoyable tracks, nothing too memorable off the first listen.
Really enjoyed the first half of the album, in particular the title track. The Van Morrison cover was also a very nice inclusion. The second half didn’t hold my attention as well. 3.5/5
ersti 3 songs sind okay? nöd meh. es isch immer chli s glich mit fiddle wo umefiddlet und sehr viel sache passiered aber ich bin halt nöd schott. world party findi etz no easy sweet thing isch sehr cool, sie mached afoch blackbird plötzlich. okay. Has anybody here seen hank findi sehr geil. irgendwie hetts öppis au wennis zum teil chli arsch find das album. mega riesigi ahsprüch, fast z viel instrument aber no nice zum teil. when will we be married isch ultra cool. es het es CP80 ich lieb wenns ihm het.
the audio equivalent of a warm mug of tea and a huge slice of soda bread
J’entends le violon, j’entends le plaisir convoqué, mais me laisse parfaitement indifférente
3.5★. Hey, why does Paul McCartney have writing credit on this song? (Sweet Thing) *Dude starts singing Blackbird out of nowhere* Oh. Fisherman's Blues and When Will We Be Married slap. Something about We Will Not Be Lovers just hits deeply (it's probably my favorite song of the bunch). And The Stolen Child is powerfully suggestive and elusive.
Well-crafted and produced music, in summary this album is cool folk rock! I love the Waterboys. My only critic is the album is very long with little variation. Favourite song: Fisherman’s blues is a great song Least favourite: The stolen child. Album artwork: Cool cover
I like this, really surprised. but i find irish music soothing and the singer has a pretty easy and calm singing voice. Will i remember it next week, no. if i had listen to this growing up i would probably remember a couple of songs here (bang on the ear was definitely one that was very catchy) A very well crafted album but a bit too long.
Perus soittatelua
The first really long album I've run into, with multiple 6+ minute songs which were definitely the worst part. The shorter songs with more energy were a lot better tbh. 6/10
This album frustrates me. I honestly thought this was going to be mid and it both was and wasn’t. When The Waterboys fuse their Irish folk with some modern (for the 80’s) sound, its works surprisingly well. I particularly loved World Party and We Will Not Be Lovers for this. But in the second half of the album, it veers too much into traditional and loses its appeal. Except for The Stolen Child, that was fucking awesome. There are also some other things too that knock it down. And A Bang To The Ear is way too long and Sweet Thing has this weird segment where they inject Blackbird by the Beatles in it. It’s really awkward. I really wanted to love this, since I rated 3 on three albums in a row. I see it as a 3.5, but that’s still a fourth 3. Damn. Favorite track: World Party Other hits: We Will Not Be Lovers, The Stolen Child, Strange Boat
folk rock and punk… a mix that i always enjoy. solid album.
First song hit and I was pleasantly surprised but it didn’t last too long. Not bad, though.
Interesting mix of blues, Irish folk, and some jam band-ish stuff. Some good, some meh. Not my fave.
The “diddly-diddly-dee” vibes at the start of this album were great, but it got a little bit too “hurdy-gurdy-gurdy” towards the end. I did not like “When Will We Be Married” or “The Stolen Child”.
Another one with the curse of the streaming-services-special-edition-re-release. How long was the original record? Can't we just listen to that? An hour and 3/4 of anything is liable to get boring. That said, sounds like there's some decent tracks on here. It doesn't quite float my folk boat like some bands can. And it's a bit parochial seen through a rock lens. But it's likeable enough. Coward's score from me: a 3.
This album is tight, enjoyable, and pleasant enough, but after the first few tracks it lost its magic and felt more mediocre. I am sure that this has more to do with me that with the Waterboys, but regardless,I probably won't revisit often if art all.
This was nice, very raw Irish folk inflected rock tunes - or rock inflected Irish folk tunes. The front half was stronger than the back half for me, the 7 minute chaotic fiddle jam "We Will Not Be Lovers" was a highlight.
I was really into this album at first, but it dragged as it went on.
Good old Irish style balladry and I enjoyed it plenty. I was expecting pop!
more mid van morrison.
There’s some good stuff in there.
Very okay, a bit long with the 2 disc LP.
Pretty good! Would be a fun band live.
This wasn’t bad!! I really liked Carolan’s Welcome. Such beauty
a double album of this stuff is a bit much
Initial thoughts 2 songs in: if the Smiths used more (and real) string instruments (none of that violin synth stuff - which, I must add, I absolutely LOVE). I felt like the next 12 or so songs were kinda meh folk rock. I mean, folk rock ~can~ be really good, or it can come across as some cheesy pre-recorded stuff that costumed dancers at Busch Gardens perform to. I'm not saying this is the latter, but sometimes it's not far off. Continuing the Busch Gardens theme, I ultimately feel like this is a roller coaster of good, meh, and ugh songs. When it's good, it's really good (see Killing My Heart and Let Me Feel Holy Again), but then get the other stuff. Favorite song(s): see above Least Favorite song: the 12 songs in between the ones I really liked. Knew before: no - first unknown artist on the list for me!
Enjoyable pub rock, but I don’t imagine coming back to this
First 5 songs on disk 1 I like great songs love how sweet thing fades into blackbird but then it dips, too slow, disk 2 you in the sky is a great song and meet you at the station, rattle my bones and shiver my soul are good up tempo songs.
There’s nothing wrong with this but I started checking how much was left on the first song and there’s nothing here that would keep me listening for an hour and 20 minutes.
Decent folk rock record with some easy, mellow sounds. This is music that's the ancestor of Mumford & Sons and the like. Not my cup of tea, but it's pretty good.
Nice night at the pub.
This was my first listen through and I'll go back to it again. Solid 3.5. That Van Morrison / Beatles cover mash up is its own thing and is pretty great.
I like the water boys but again, if you need 2 hours to get your point across you’re not saying it right
Been getting a lot of long ones in a row… Most of it was pretty good, didn’t care for the saxophone near the end of the thing
Nice one
Nice songs but the album didn’t stand out to me
A beautiful and entertaining album. The title track is the highlight, but there is so much more to discover.
Great.
Decent. But just decent.
I liked a few songs but it's not necessary to listen to before you die. The last few tracks were pretty rough. 2.5 stars
Nice irish music, sounds like an evening at the pub, where I don't recognize any of the song (and I wont recognize it even if it's played twice). One bright spot on the record was The Stolen Child, Waterboys rendition of Yeats' poem. Very good and melancholic song.
Fun enough
It doesn't all hit, but some bits feel like a Scottish Westerberg so three stars feels right
After two Waterboys albums, I feel pretty confident that I like but will never love them. And that's okay. There *is* some excellent stuff on here, though. 3.5/5
I feel like if early Goo Goo Dolls were super Irish, it’d end up sounding something kinda like this. I don’t hate it, and it was enjoyable enough to have on in the background, but I can’t see myself coming back to this one with the exception of a few songs. 3/5 Highlights: Sweet Thing When Will We Be Married - 1987 Recording
Some good tunes
I liked some of the tracks a lot but didn’t enjoy the really folky ones
2024-07-24...
Mostly lost me but some songs really captured what I think they were goikg for.
Thought I was going to have to be screeched in to listen
Very good
It’s a nice album. Well done. It made me want to drink beer to it, which I then did. Unfortunately, I got drunk and decided to make tacos and then put on a mariachi band. I reckon there’s a 1001 better albums. Three stars, because it was downhill after the first song (Which is an all time favourite) and I lack any melancholy feelings about what I was doing when it came out. I was in a Metallica phase, and for that I will not apologise.
What can I say. Solid British 80s folk rock. I'm trying to think about what make me listen to this again. If have to be drunk for a start. Maybe if I travelled back in time to a wedding, in the late 80s or at that Irish pub I used to work at. If that ever happens I'll bust out this album as a soundtrack. 1h43m is a big commitment. I feel like 'Bang on the ear', a fun little Irish styled song about love and light physical violence, could have ended 3 minutes sooner. If you made this today it would be dealt published and available out of a suitcase at your local markets. 'Has anybody seen Hank?'. Three stars. Oh, you thought my review was finished? Like the album, we're only half way through. It's getting very traditional up in here. And now 'The stolen child' has an old man rambling over a flute and goes for seven minutes. Now I'm just listening to the first 30s of each track. Waterboys, you don't have to go home, but your can't stay here.
Mostly made me want to listen to The Pogues.
I listened to this 2 days ago and forgot to rate it but it was cute
A romp in an aran sweater. What a mess. But I still like it. I've always loved Bang on the Ear. It's stupid as stupid.
Kind of a mix between DMB and Blues Traveler
Interesting musicality. I like some of it, but the album is very long. They seem to straddle too many genres and it doesn't work for me.
#256. Fiddlesy country folk. Not my most favorite, but I didn't hate it I guess. 3/5: ok
Ahoy mates!
Dylan, if he ate potatoes.
Very frontloaded album, with 3 to 4 powerful and insane tracks, but unfortunately, the more it goes, the weaker it gets. They have a nice sound overall, tho... So, 3 stars will do it.
It's pretty good folk rock album. But there's an awful lot of it at once.
Good album, but leans a little too much into the Irish folk sound for my taste.
Opening track is banging
Weird thing in the late 80s through late 90s where Irish culture and bands had a huge impact here in the US. This would be included in that I am sure. Also, US country music is just Irish music but with steel guitar instead of horns. This wasn't a bad album by any stretch, it was enjoyable to listen to , the band sounds tight, and the singer has a decent voice. But my goodness it felt about an hour too long. And I just... nothing stuck with me. Not something I'd return to but wouldn't hate it if it came on again.
Someone on here said they sound like a mix of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and I couldn’t agree more. They’re a tad original, have a lot of energy which really drives this project, and aren’t the worst writers either. There are some choices that show a desire to be experimental, though, as a whole, the album really isn’t. Overall, however, I’d say I definitely enjoyed this. 3/5
started liking it very much but it got a little longwinded
This album is very nice when it leans on the Folk aspect of the music; it's not-so-good when it is just generative 80s music, and I say this as an 80s lover. Luckily, the latter songs are the minority. The Folk songs have it. 3/5
fisherman's blues
This is supposed to be a departure in sound from The Waterboys’ previous albums (like the excellent This Is the Sea), but I don’t hear too much of a difference. Both are pretty solid folk rock with some clear punk influences.
An interesting album of oceanic dirges.
Fun and well written arrangements. Kinda fell off during the latter half.
Really liked the first half. Not as much the second half. Therefore, 3 stars Standout songs: We will not be lovers World Party And a Bang on the Ear
Good
Enjoyed it, went on a little too long tho
This is a weird one. The Irish/Scottish influence is very obvious - but where the Pogues and Dubliners had voices that came straight out of the pub this guy’s voice felt too clean. I would have appreciated it more if he had a rougher voice and the music had a less sanitized sound.
fishing soundtrack pretty funny not exactly my vibe 3/5
I enjoyed this. Not my usual but it had some great songs and I felt like I was at the renaissance festival
Diddly dee
Fisherman's blues (the song) will always have a place in my heart. Bit of an eccentric album, but it has a lot of flesh to its bones.
I kinda loved this though I wasn't really expecting to. But holy dooley there's a lot going on, ended up being a bit of a yawn because of how long it was with some songs that were just unnecessary. favourites: "we will not be lovers" "sweet thing" "bang on the ear" skips: "this land is your land" "carolan's welcome" "let me feel holy again" "meet me at the station" "rattle my bones and shiver my soul" "soon as i get home"
I enjoyed this album at first, but it did seem to drag on a bit. I did appreciate the blending of Celtic influences though it was not as striking as the Pogues. Nevertheless, this record was pleasant enough and was a nice calming listen.
Interesting album. Not bad, not great.
the violin made it bearable
Arrangements are fun at first, but wore by the end. Couple covers. Feels like I'd enjoy it more cherry picked for than as one big album experience entree.
Best served in an Irish pub
Started out as a 4 with some surprisingly awesome songs that sound like they could have been recorded yesterday. Like, We Will Not Be Lovers killed. But a lot of the songs in the back half of the album were a bit *too* folky or dragged on compared to those in the first half. Still pleased that this was on the list though because I never would have heard it otherwise