Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Def never listened to this genre before... Irish rock? Some good songs for sure, but I agree with Dom that disc 2 dragggged on forever. Wudda been a 4 if it was only disc 1
Better than expected
Upbeat Irish rock that was okay to listen to
Album 348 of 1001 The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues Rating : 3.5 / 5 A "mixture of traditional Irish music, traditional Scottish music, country music, and rock and roll." Another that is a fine album but nothing really leaves me wanting more. No doubt it is someone's favorite.
As reductive as it is to compare them to The Pogues...the comparison isn't not warranted. And they're just simply not as good or entertaining. With that being said, I did enjoy the listen, particularly at the beginning. Favorite track: Fisherman's Blues
Irish fiddle pub music. It’s ok in small doses but a bit long
See: previous notes about an Englishman editor overly fond of missable good-not-great records of his youth.
Well this was an odd one. When it's good it's really good, but that's broken by songs that are fairly meh. This album could have been cut dramatically, getting rid of all the filler, and been amazing.
This turned out to be a pretty decent album. A folk rock with a Scottish feel to it.
Fun
The playlist for “The Waterboys Radio” includes The Rolling Stones, Crowded House, Big Country, Joe Jackson, and Elvis Costello. All bands and acts that I enjoy immensely more than I enjoyed this album. I think that’s interesting because I can absolutely hear where this album fits in with those groups. But this just didn’t grip me in quite the same way that similar artists have throughout my life.
Seen them a couple of times live which is much better than their albums. It's ok, nothing to get excited about but giving it a 3 simply because of the utter dross that's been inflicted on us lately.
Quite a good album, I found myself enjoying this a fair amount.
I thought I was going to dislike this a lot but found it super enjoyable. It lost me a little near the middle but overall Id say it's good
Some cool parts, but also some boring ones.
Pretty good in parts
soooo lang
The original waterboys!
Very long. Not my kind of music kinda nice to listen to? The music had some good melodies, I don't know if I agree with the singing. I probably will not listen again.
Mot terrible. It was kind of political.
A really enjoyable album and I'm glad I've finally heard it. About 4 years after the release of this album I became a fan of The Levellers, and their influences can definitely be said to be the Pogues, Waterboys and the Clash. That's why this list works, I've now been much easier been able to pinpoint where my favourite bands got their sounds from.
Never heard of this one. Pretty enjoyable to listen to. Has Anybody Here Seen Hank sounds like a Bob Dylan song. The celtic-y songs with fiddle are nice.
Long 6/10
Was pretty fun near the start but man does this thing drag on in terms of sounds and actual runtime. 6/10
Enjoyed the album but didn’t wow me
Honestly not a fan of indie/folk music. This one didnt make my ears bleed though. It has a good quality and I think is far better than a lot of the folk music I hear coming out recently but I still dont think its for me. Again, if I heard this live I think I would enjoy it much more. 2.5 stars
Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.
There are lots of ways to look at music critically. One is to consider whether it is era specific or "dated." Or, if it stands the test of time and is more or less "ageless." The Waterboys sound like a band from the 70's to me, they give off that kind of vibe. It is surprising than, that this album was from the late 80's. Now it must be known that the Waterboys have among their catalog a couple of real gems. Overall I feel like they are a little too niche for me. I can't decide where to place them. I don't have the nastalgia mind to rave about their cult/ folk status, so they become one of those "yeah, they are Ok." bands.
Sounds like standard rock with a little bit of Irish fiddle. I suppose if it have been on the radio more it would’ve worked its way into the popular lexicon but it’s not interesting enough for me to come back to
Typical fish story a lot bigger until you see it.
Long album that gets a little too folky. Started strong though.
After reading the description, I wasn't too thrilled about this. Then the first half wasn't what I was expecting. Way more rock, less Celtic folk. The second half, however, was what I was expecting. I wasn't a fan of the second half.
Too folky
El estilo es repetitivo, pero tiene buenas canciones en el lado A.
It's a pretty long album and when I first heard it as a young man, it did not hit as well as it did today. I really enjoyed the vast majority of it, except for the sort of whaling songs or whatever you call them. Great instrumentation, consistent timing, and appealing vocals throughout. Pretty timeless.
Loved this in the late 90s.
Would have never listened without this list. Great album up to a point
So I enjoyed it. But everything can't be a 4.
The kind of thing I'd really enjoy live but probably wouldn't take home with me if you catch my meaning.
Sounds like the band that would be playing at a divey Irish bar. Ok but songs are too long and album begins to get a bit boring. Kind of meh
I really really wanted to like this. I've listened to a bunch of Celtic folk inspired punk rock. I guess I was expecting it to be more like that? Some decent tracks but mostly mediocre.
I sure love a folky violin
Would I listen to this album again? No. First time hearing the full album? Yes. Were there any songs I skipped? No. Comments? Nice folk album. Favourite Songs? We Will Not Be Lovers.
Not sure about this one. It’s listenable but not my thing. The singer can be a bit annoying.
Mamita... 6/10
Decent
2.5
Never really got The Waterboys. Ponderous and pedestrian stuff
The first few songs were really good and then it just dropped in quality at the end.
it started off credence clearwatery and then transitioned slowly into dropkick murphys? idk but it’s fun and i dig the flute tunes
Couple songs in and this is pretty badass violining. We Will Not Be Lovers jams with the guitar in the background too. Random Blackbird in the middle of Sweet Thing. Pretty cool rendition. This is usually not my favorite music, but I enjoyed this. Went on a little too long, but found myself nodding my head or tapping my feet to the songs quite a bit. Kinda started to lose me as it got extra irish towards the end.
Got some bops and som mid
Like a weird combo of U2, The Pogues, and Bob Dylan, but certainly better than the former two. It had a great, no, amazing thing going with the first part of the album, but let itself go into basic celtic rock with no interesting deviation as the album went on, with only hits of that great start the album had. I didn't outright dislike anything here, though, and the length of the album was hardly noticeable, which was unexpected. I'd say if one were to shave this albums rougher parts off you'd have something here that really is great. Instead, I can just say I'm glad I listened to this for those parts that did shine through.
I really enjoyed this. Celtic sounds mixed with rock beats and bass. Good, soulful lyrics. And interesting voice. All in all, a good jam.
a surprising album! i'm not a huge folk fan, but fisherman's blues has more going on than just folk. the combination with the rock genre helps for my ears, but beyond that, there's still a fair amount of creativity going on. the music doesn't go in the direction you expect it to. and the type of folk here is the one that, like, actually involves multiple instruments and even has an irish flair, which makes it sound much more modern, despite being from the late eighties. at times, i felt like there was a soft, charming rod stewart sound happening here.
I've received a lot of dud albums this week, when I judged this by the band name/title/cover, I was afraid I was in for another. That definitely wasn't the case! This was really just an album full of some simple rock and folk sounds with an Irish twist. At times, I got a bit of a Bob Dylan vibe, which was apparently somewhat intentional, as come to find out they have covered at least one of his songs. That said, I found them way more tolerable than Dylan as far as my personal music tastes go. In any case, this was simply an enjoyable listen. I'm still not quite sure what the defining feature of this album was that made it a selection for this project, but considering I just haven't heard any other simple Irish rock/folk sounds on this project thus far, I'm not going to question it too much.
agréablement surpris. rock, un peu bluegrass, très folk 7/10
Reasonable folk rock. Could have done without the last two tracks and didn't bother with the bonus disc material. Surprised that I didn't know any of the songs since they're so radio friendly. Probably won't listen again.
Every once in awhile you come across a song that you become instantly obsessed with. The opening and title track on Fisherman’s Blues is one of those songs. We Will Not Be Lovers which follows it as another one. Two absolute bangers open the album. These songs give a U2/Dave Matthews/Traditional Celtic vibe. The rest of the album falls more on the traditional side. It’s decent but nothing else holds up to the opening. 7.1/10
A mostly effective combination of Celtic folk and rock music. Something of a harder-edged Dexys Midnight Runners.
2.5
Clearly talented, but this album is way too long. Would definitely play this in the background of some Irish themed event, and would enjoy it if they were the live band at a random pub I was in, but doubt I would seek it out otherwise. 3.5 stars
Soon as I get home is probably the best song of the lot. Clocking at nearly 12 minutes with a good jazz solo towards the end. This album, if played in order, starts out like a soft 80s vibe and then moulds into a Scottish/Irish folk vibe. By the album mid, I did feel that I was in a highland setting. Other notable songs: You in the sky Carolan's welcome And a bang on the ear Jimmy Hickey's Waltz Strange boat
This is certainly an interesting album. It's not my favorite thing I've ever heard, but I'm really glad I heard it. It's generally a folk rock album that drifts into traditional Irish music. The bagpipes and string instruments are actually a nice change of pace from the more traditional rock that's more common on here, but I don't think I have a super strong desire to just listen to that on more of an everyday basis. There are definitely interesting pieces too. "Sweet Thing" is a Van Morrison cover that's actually quite good. "Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?" leans country and is a lot of fun. "The Stolen Child has Yeats" poetry spoken on top of the song. And then it ends with a Euro take on "This Land Is Your Land." My initial reaction was actually kind of negative on this, but it really started to grow on me more with a second listen. The Spotify version is also a Collector's Edition that has a ton of other content beyond the original album, and I think the length of that overwhelmed me a bit. I'm sticking with a three since it didn't blow me away, but I'd like to come back to this one later on and give it another go. Favorite song: Strange Boat Other: Fisherman’s Blues, Sweet Thing, Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?, When Ye Go Away
solid folk rock, but I don't think I'm likely to return to it.
started really great but no need for the album to be that long
It's ok. Not terribly interesting, and some of it sounds a bit repetitive to me.
7/10
Water board me please
I guess this is Celtic rock... Doesn't do much for me especially, but it's nice. Probably 3/5...
A bit of a sleeper. Not what I was expecting especially after the first track. Enjoyed!
A solid album overall. Drags a little at times, but some notable high points that make it worth while.
Пацаны играли рокешник, а потом взяли - и бахнули ирландского фолка, да так, что захотелось с банкой Гинесса пуститься в пляс, отбивая чечётку ногами. "На подумать" композиции тоже есть, не всё такое безудержно весёлое. Конечно, из-за дикой репетативности это становится слушать тяжело, но не противно. Хотя противно... не знаю, скрипка в фолке играет "как повезёт".
There are a few good songs here. The British Isles folk music style isn't really something that I enjoy in general, but I'm interested in hearing the rest of they're discography as apparently they have very different sounds in other albums.
Fun album but a bit long in parts. I like the fusion of different styles of music but I can’t help but feel like it’s been done better before.
It was rather pleasant. Nice to hear a modern twist on some Irish classics. I think if you like the Wellerman but not too much you would like this.
The sheer length of this album just threw me off. It wasn't a bad album but I don't think it belongs here? Anyway the band had a nice sound.
Certain artists I feel can deftly handle writing long songs that don't feel their length. I did not feel that with The Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues. What would have been a solid 4 star album was hampered to me by just a few songs swathed in unnecessary bloat. Just a few! The lush, folksy vibes keep this album from being a total stinker, however, with a few tracks that I will quite happily revisit.
Fun British folk/rock (fiddles and whistles included). Got a bit rambly at times
Only knew their 'hit album' with Boy Called Johnny, Don't bang the Drum and Whole of the Moon. So this folky one was a surprise, for folk music nice, but I am not folky.
Good folk on the backend, lackluster rock in the front.
It was pretty enjoyable.
I generally liked this! It's got lots of little moving parts and a good singer. Sometimes too folksy / traditional for my taste.
Twang twang
This was ok, in a sea shanties of the 1970s kind of way
This album was a mixed bag, but of more hit than miss. A couple of really great tracks on here, a few ok ones and a handful of crap.
The cover of “Sweet Thing” was absolutely worth the listen. The rest is ok.
Just meh. I can see the appeal but wouldn't make it a point to give another listen
Es muy parecido a Bob Dylan, empecé bardeandolo todo mal y me terminó comprando a base de temazos.
Charming
A mix of Irish/Scottish folk and rock, but neither one nor the other. Not bad, but not great either. I keep expecting each song to turn into their big hit "The Whole of the Moon"
Aikas kasaria vaikka ajattomuuteen vähän pyrkii. En nyt oikein kuunnellut sanoja, pelkään että ne on huonot. Laulajalla vähän rassaava väräjävä ääni mut muuten hyvin miellyttävää kuultavaa. Miksi tääkin on niin pitkä levy??
Id listen to them again
Much better than I thought and, again, worth throwing on when you've got people round steve.
Well it wasn't my favourite but I did enjoy a few of these. Probably the less fisherman-y folky ones I have to say. It was a bit long... Perhaps that influenced me!
It started off very strong and I really liked it but it got worst and a bit boring
Never heard this one, but I really liked it. It was musically interesting and I enjoyed their take on a few of the covers. Not many albums can keep my attention for a full hour, but this one did.
3/5 Can you said Van Morrison Mod Lite? I think I keep comparing these new albums to things I know cause it's a starting point and a way to fit it into my understanding. Anyways, I enjoyed this album. It was kind of funky and and country. It also kinda gave me Corrs vibes. I don't know if I'll feel like listening to it again, but I wasn't bad.
I didn't enjoy this. It didn't seem focused and the violin was jarring and harsh on my ears. I think I'll avoid these guys in future, not a fan.
Normally celtic music is my jam but this wasn't
Alright
Fisherman's blues song is fucking epic. Others, meh.
Enjoyed this when it came out. Was a good stroll down memory lane
The mix for the fiddles was awful. Made some tracks unlistenable. 3 star for Fisherman’s Blues.
Strong start with Fisherman’s Blues and the front end continues to be good, but the second half dropped off for me.
3/11, 27%
It's fine. Got a little grating towards the end.
Quite nice, but after a while it all sounds the same. Functions well as background music.
Stadium band does pub music. I like that you can hear that they’re scaling down their sound on purpose.
Pretty nice
Alkuun meinasi vähän tökkiä, mutta ihan kelpo soitantaa ja sopi hyvin rauhallisen työaamun taustamusaksi. Joku tuossa saariapinoiden folkissa vaan kiehtoo.
I liked some of the songs but didn't like many others. Generally I like Irish music but the vocals are a bit strained on this one for me.
Dia 5. Nas margens do Bósforo há uma casa e nessa casa há uma pessoa e nessa pessoa há um dedo e nesse dedo há a memória do teu corpo e nessa memória há as águas do Bósforo a entrar pelo Mediterrâneo.
This was pretty enjoyable, but after side 1 I had had enough. I might listen to stand-outs We Will Not Be Lovers and When Will We Be Married (and maybe Sweet Thing) again sometime.
Inte riktigt det album jag gillar bäst, men innehåller ett par trevliga melodier.
Brogue, tin flute and acoustic guitars, that's what I needed
Really extensive Irish folk. Really. Really. Long.
Nice. But in no way nice enough to be that bloody long. Jaunty.
This is a great find. Enjoyed the heck outta this album, and look forward to more from them.
Old timey, jolly and upbeat. Nice
ALways like some scottish folk rock
This one grew on me. Was bored at first, but something clicked. The violin was great. Definitely was a 42 year old Irish dad would love.
Solid album. Nice folk-rock fusion.
Decent, your average countryish folksy music
that's what i call high quality h2o. but seriously this has a decent amount of work to do to become high quality. it's middling.
Love water these lads
Mixed bag. I could do without the waltzes.
Quite a bizarre album in my opinion. A bit country maybe? (or is it folk?) basically loads of those string instruments in some parts of it, some parts completely different. I find it hard to judge this one as it took me a good few days to listen to the whole thing, as it's quite long... I don't actively dislike this, and I actually really enjoyed parts of it, but that violin backing is really not doing it for me Saved songs: We Will Not Be Lovers, World Party, Sweet Thing, When Will We Be Married, The Stolen Child, Let Me Feel Holy Again
When the songs are good, man, they are REALLY good. But when they drag, I cannot wait for the next song. This is a perfect definition of a middle of the road album.
The first half of this album wasn’t bad. A decent cover and a more soft rock style. The second half of this album felt very Irish and reminded me of a Pogues album. Would’ve preferred it stay like the first half. 5.8/10
I didn’t hate it!
So this is where Levellers and Hothouse Flowers came from.
I don’t generally enjoy folk music, even when mixed with rock. But this had a compelling aspect to it
its like Boston sea shanty folk there are actually parts here that I think are neat 3.5
Liked #1 Fisherman's Blues #2 We Will Not Be Lovers
This was good, a bit long, but still enjoyable
It’s a good album. Pleasantly surprised to discover the band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland!
Wasn't really sure what to make of this at first, folksy and different than what I normally listen to but I will probably never listen to it again. It was nice to have on in the background while I was doing work.
I was certainly rooting for this one. I just didn't love it like I was hoping for. Felt a bit more like work to get through today.
Good album.
This was a very cohesive record. I felt like the tracks flowed effortlessly into one another. I liked the instrumentals a lot, especially the contrast between some of the folkier songs and some of the more grandiose ones.
Great one from the Waterboys!
Starts out ok, too long for enough good songs Didn’t listen to half of it though
What a ride! I thought the guy had an interesting voice when the music sounded like U2, country elements with a steel guitar and then BAM they became an Irish band and it all made sense. An enjoyable album. At times I had sworn I've heard them before or maybe it was just glimpses of sounds before and after them. Sweet Thing was my favorite track.
nose
Glömde recensera igår oops De va helt ok!
Lustigt!
I always wanted a Country and Riverdance collaboration. No I didn't, but it wasn't bad.
Cool vibes but way too long and repetitive
Vibes but long
nice album, but nothing really groundbreaking so to speak
Modern folk influencers for sure
Je m'en vais vous adresser un conseil qui va vous servir toute votre vie : quand eltrapeze vous annonce qu'il y a des cornemuses sur un album, vous pouvez être sûr d'attendre l'entrée en scène de cet instrument jusqu'à la dernière seconde. Pour rappel, l'oreille d'eltrapeze ne fait pas la différence entre le son d'une guitare et celui d'un djembé alors vous pouvez passer votre chemin la prochaine fois que vous tomberez sur une de ses critiques.
These boys are the OG of the big folk/country/rock infused with traditional Celtic sound that so many bands today are emulating. Just a solid album that starts out with a bang with Fisherman's Blues and We will not be lovers. They also do a very credible cover of Van Morrison's Sweet Thing where Steve Wickham's violin absolutely shines and where the lyrics to Blackbird unexpectedly show up, but somehow this weird mashup works. It ends nicely with an epic 12 minute jam of a track with Soon as I get home. If the traditional Irish/Scottish folk sound isn't your jam you might find that it drags a bit since this double album is long.
J'ai l'impression d'être au bled, c'est très désagréable.
Kind of reminds me of Springsteen, weirdly. Heavy on the traditional folkiness, but I enjoy it when it's more upbeat, even if those moments run on a little long. Favorite track: "We Will Not Be Lovers"
I don't think music like this is really for me. That being said, it was alright. There were a few pretty good songs on here. But this sound gets a bit old after 13 songs. My favourite songs were We Will Not Be Lovers and World Party.
Decent Irish music. Way too long, a 12 minute finale? Not necessary.
Ok
I was not expecting to like this at all. However, after listening, it was pretty good. It kinda sounds like Dave Matthews Band mixed with mid-70s era Bob Dylan, with some Irish/Celtic influences mixed in. I think the first side of the record is by far the strongest side. It does get a bit meandering towards the end. Overall, a fun listen.
I used to play this album a lot back in the day. It still pretty much stands up to the test of time.
Wow! Fun.... Lucero meets Bob Mould?
Like if Bob Dylan was born on the Titanic and also interesting.
pretty good eclectic sound. I enjoyed it.
Nice enough, might listen again
too long
Folk influences are really strong on this record and the final result is a quite good album of the late 80s but not so ambitious.
Dave Matthews Band but good.
Favourite song: We Will Not Be Lovers One for the karaoke: The Stolen Child (be so funny to see people’s faces) One for the car: World Party Felt like I was in the Shire for half of it.
I don't know, on paper celtic rock should be something perfect for me, but most of the tracks left me quite indifferent. Anyway, the ones that didn't are very good.
First album generated I had never heard of before. Great bass lines and some cool mandolin bits, but a few tracks have that really maximal 80s vibe where everything is right on the edge of being overproduced. Some of these songs are absolute bangers but others get a little too jammy (you really have to convince me a song should be over 5 minutes and I’m not sold here). Overall, really unique sound, glad I gave it a listen.
Liked it but was a a little monotonous
A very interesting album. I like the style of music but it was just too long for my liking.
Jújú, þetta er fínt, fagmannlega unnið og áheyrilegt. En þetta grípur mig svo sem ekki mjög fast, nema titillagið, það nær mér. Þrjár stjörnur og næsta plata.
This was a good listen nice blend of the Celtic in it.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it? Yes, I definitely will be visiting this one again at some point (disclaimer: I only listened to the original track listing on the collectors addition as it bugs me for some reason when only special editions of albums are what you can find for streaming so I won’t consider the whole thing unless I came back to it in the future) Favourite song: Track 1 - Fisherman’s Blues
This was a pretty good one. I see that there were quite a few musicians who contributed to this album. There was a mix of Irish, Scottish, country, folk, and Rock and Roll. I think the diversity is what drew me in here. One of my favorites was "And a Bang on the Ear." I learned something new about the Irish vernacular with this song.
Sweet Thing has an extended hommage to Blackbird. An okay folk album, not really my scene but totally fine.
Had some bangers in it but overall wasn’t my vibe.
Liked the first few tracks and the last few tracks but got bored in the middle (I'm not very good with long albums oops)
pretty catchy, but gets repetitive towards the end.
Ok one good tune
A bit of a mixed bag for me, this. I quite like the more folky songs, but would appreciate it much more in a live setting.
In the context of music history it’s nowt special, but in the context of what’s come up on the list so far it’s a breath of fresh Celtic air, and I rather enjoyed it. Like one long barn dance. 3.5
This was a really distinctive sound that stood out in the sea of late 80s post punk and proto alternative. It's warm, earthy, nuanced music with a strong pop sensibility, but also a lovely traditional vibe. The album is a little on the long side and could have benefitted from dropping a couple of songs. Fave Songs: We Will Not Be Lovers, Fisherman's Blues, Strange Boat, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Will We Be Married?
God, I love The Waterboys. But not like this... You can sense their greatness on 'We Will Not Be Lovers', which is an excellent track not at all suited for this album, until they smacked a fiddle on top of it. Speaking of which, I am still not friends with that instrument. Then you have other highlights like the title track and a great Van Morrison/Beatles cover on 'Sweet Thing'. Overall they are still at the top of their game when they lean into the grandiose or their Irish and Scottish roots as on 'The Stolen Child'. Then you also have 'Jimmy Hickey's Waltz'. Just, why? And can we please stop it with albums ending on a shitty cover song? Thank you.
Their version of "Sweet Thing" featuring snippets of "Blackbird" by The Beatles is splendid. Needs more of that magic. Everything else sounds like outtakes from that scene in Titanic when Rose and Jack do an Irish Jig with members of the Third Class before having uncomfortable sex in a car.
i didn’t absolutely hate it, much to my shock. i didn’t enjoy the singing because it was a little bothersome but i did enjoy the music. 3.5/5.
I went in cold on this one which I like. I remembered one song by the band, I'd thought, but I definitely recall and really liked the first/title track. I'm thinking this is going to be a highly enjoyable Irish inflected album. but...it kinda all blends together for me. Frankly, by the second (long/repetitive) song I was getting real tired. ok to be fair, there are some really nice moments and although it still has that 80s sheen it does sound very nice. I just got back from Ireland so there's a little nostalgia still in me which may make me a little more generous with this... I'm sure I wouldn't reach for the album as overall I find it fairly milquetoast but then again it's not likely to be offensive in any setting. that's a real non committal review right there.... 5/10 3 stars.
Not much else going on after the singles
I actually enjoyed this a bit. Had never heard of The Waterboys. A bit uneven, but I liked the longer, more driving tracks the most.
I like this, nice sounds. Very pleasant, good energy.
Interesting album. I had never listened Waterboys before. It is a good music to listen.
I don't mind the waterboys and there is a lot to like here, bit have to admit to getting a little bored and checking out before the end of what is a very long album
Decent enough but nothing I would put on repeat
Pleasant music for background listening. My love for Fisherman's Blues (from the Waking Ned Devine soundtrack) and the interesting cover of Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" combined with that pleasantness is enough for me to bump it up to three stars, although the collector's edition of this album makes it a bit too long.
Other than being way too long I actually did enjoy this album. I'll probably never go back to it but it was good background music while working.
This was a nice album but after about halfway through I got tired of the musical sound. I would listen to this band again, I’m just not sure I’d seek out listening to it.
I have a soft spot for violin in music like this, super good. Not a fan of the shout singing, but that's par for the course with Irish rock. Not much variety here though.
The first few tracks on this album are fantastic, passionate and memorable, though it doesn't hold up through out. This band continues to create, and after this listen, I feel they definitely deserve a deeper exploration.
Brand new listen. Reminded me of the Pouges
This takes me back, I remember listening to this in the late 80's and it helped expand my musical interests beyond pop, rock and punk. Musically interesting, with tracks that were accessible to (younger) listeners outside the folk, Celtic, Irish genre. Today, it still holds up okay, but it's a little more traditional than I remember.
Favorite track: We Will Not Be Lovers.
Like the folks stuff and the opening track was very promising. The clean production takes away a lot however. Ok. Fun.
dips into mid tempo country on 'Killing My Heart' (sounding like Barry Walsh!), lilting Irish folk on 'Carolan's Welcome', jig music on 'When Will We Be Married'. I especially enjoyed the title track 'Fisherman's Blues' (featuring great vocals tin whistle, fiddle, mandolin etc)) and this was the standout. Overall, not bad if inconsistent.
Pogues were better so why bother with this?
This version of the album (on Spotify) was far too long. I couldn't figure out what the original track listing was; the book says 12, Wikipedia says 13 - which would be fine, but still felt longer than it needed to be. This album sounded like it belonged more in the late 70s rather than a decade later. Maybe it's a response for The Waterboys wanting to escape the city and get back to simpler times, a rural retreat - still at times you can hear the urban chaos trying to resurface.
It feels kind of like an Irish country album. A lot of the songs go on a good minute too long. Kind of dragged, you know? So, probably not going to come back to it because of that.
I quite liked it. But given the albums I just rated a 4 recently, I didn't know if I could go there with this one. Cool Celtic folk rock sound; at times it sounded like a precursor to bands like Dave Matthews (e.g., on We Will Not Be Lovers) or an homage to Van Morrison (no, not Sweet Thing but Strange Boat). I really enjoyed the first 5 songs and its mix of harder fuller sound (e.g., World Party) or a softer feel (e.g., Sweet Thing). After that it was more forgettable except for And a Bang on the Ear and When Will we be Married? I think I really enjoy violin rock. For sure a 3.5, I feel a bit bad for rounding down.
Nothing fancy, but an easy listen. "When Will We Be Married" and the title track were the standouts.
A mixed bag and a bit indulgent but good
Interesting, eclectic collection of songs mainly based in the style of Celtic folk. Lots of cool instruments used, but I found the arrangements of each song to mostly be underwhelming. I'm glad I listened to discover but not a whole lot more. Fave tracks: World Party, Has Anybody Seen Hank?
This was nice. Honestly don't have a lot to say... I enjoyed my listen, some good folk music done well. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, just a straight shooter. Strong U2 vibes coming from We Will Not Be Lovers, enjoyed the inclusion of a few lines of Blackbird in Sweet Thing. Had to dig a bit to find a version with the original track listing, ended up on a youtube playlist. Then I went through the extra tracks afterwards. Fav tracks: Fisherman's Blues, Sweet Thing, When Will We Be Married
I enjoy Celtic music so this was a nice surprise of music I was not already familiar with
Eh, not bad, but peaked with the first song.
not bad
Nice Irish album, fun folk sound
A band i've heard of but never actually listened to apart from the hits but this sounds pretty fresh even after 37 years. Well produced with catchy and lively tunes and a fair bit of variation. Echoes of Van Morrison at times but I think they'd be great in concert- everyone dancing around with drinks held aloft.
I've obviously heard of The Waterboys and am familiar with a number of their bits from the eighties, but I hadn't listened to an album all the way through before. A nice mix of folk and rock with some familiar songs but nothing really special.
This album screams Boston. A lot of energy even in the slower songs. Favorite song - Fisherman's Blues
Tuneful but a bit of a cliche
Dunford Wave the tides beyond the sea. It’s a more folk album than it seems, you can bring 3 records before that, all summed up, mix everything in this one piece. Unfortunately this is the only Waterboys record on the list, it really makes wonder what’s come before and after the flood. C
A good laugh and some good tunes.
One of the better Irish albums
A bit disappointing for such a well regarded album. I prefer the first half, I'm not so keen on the Celtic folk of the second half. It is well created even if I don't like it much. Low 3 out of 5
Not a lot to either like or dislike about this. Totally safe. More fun to be had with a cardboard box. Average as they come this stuff.
The songs are great but they seem a little to stretched out and repetitive.
Pretty good background music, nothing extraordinary. 3?
Something new and a very different style of music for me. I feel the album starts off really strong especially the first 4/5 songs, but towards the end I feel the quality decreases and I started to lose interest. "Fisherman's Blues" and "Sweet Thing" my favourite songs on the album
If the Waterboys were playing a live show in a pub and I was walking by, I'd pay the cover, grab a pint and take in the ambience. A Celtic-rock jam band. Seems a bit obscure to me, but it's a fine thing to have on in the background.
I got the most of this album after like half an hour, did not need to be 2 hours long. Perfectly fine 80s bluegrass type stuff tho
De pronto agradablemente sorprendente, de pronto demasiado largo y experimental. Bueno, al final
Op zich wel leuke muziek. Viool-geluid is wel apart. Prima te luisteren maar niet iets wat ik snel bij mijn favorieten zou zetten. ***
Inma sucker for that Irish sound
Having listened to American folk/traditional for a period of time, and going into this album rather blindly, the sounds and rhythm of The Waterboys on Fisherman's Blues was a delightful callback to that, although with remarkable differences that begs the question of why Fisherman's Blues provoked such connection to begin with. Playing the fiddle, in particular, might be that. Fisherman's Blues, as an introduction to The Waterboys will not necessarily say "Here's a Scottish folk band" but as their success here in the US varied vs. their success in the UK, the album is good enough to stoke curiosity. If folk is the flavor of the day, Fisherman's Blues is not a disappointing addition to that rotation and would in this instance be a worthwhile start of a foray into The Waterboys catalog as a whole.
Some really good tracks
Interesting folk album
I mean...I enjoyed it but probably wouldn't revisit. Variety of genre was nice, and I will say it's a good album to relax to. Kind of a nice way to end a stressful day, though for me it was a bit forgettable. Fave track: title track.
First few tracks were nice and interesting. Kinda became a more quick though. Great instrumentals though.
Pretty good! Not amazing.
Viulu on ihan jees. Tän tyylinen letkee rokkenroll folk-twistillä on tosi kakspiippunen juttu, toisaalta tykkään jostain Blind Melonista ihan sikana, mutta toisaalta voi ajatella että tää on jo nähty juttu. Mutta ehkä tää levy kokonaisuutena on enemmän meh kuin hyvä.
Beautiful and soothing folk music rooted in Gaelic traditions with a contemporary touch. A tad too long of a run time with a lack of highly memorable individual independent pieces makes prevents the album from standing out more.
Nice Irish folk/rock. Currently watching The Witcher, so I've got this theme going on in my life right now lol.
I have literally never heard of The Waterboys in my life. Ended up enjoying it more than I thought i would based on the name and cover.
interesting sounds, it's good for background
pretty good. haven't heard of them before but quite pleasant!
I guessed "80's Celtic pop rock" from the cover. It was fine.
2.5/5. This album was strange. It is folky, but also a little 80s, which isn't the best combination. I liked some of the instrumentals, partially the violin in some of the songs. However, the vocals are off-putting and there is the occasional '80s sound' that I don't really like.
Vilken vemodstripp. Tyckte de första två låtarna var kalas, men folkmusikutsvävningarna mot mitten av plattan blev lite tradiga (lol). Inte hundraprocentigt såld, men uppskattar verkligen att de vågar gå för det, och jag kommer lyssna på början av plattan många gånger till tror jag.
i like the lead singer's voice
Sort of liked this and sort of didn't. Sometimes his voice got a bit much. Kind of over emotional. But it was good anyway.
An unexpected collection of instruments. Oh they are signing wonderfully, should look into the genre later! Bang on the ear: ear kiss. They have weird like ratios.
Liked it.
Some nice tunes, found it very middle of the road though
New band for me, opening tune pulled me right in. Very East-Coast folk-rock, right up my alley. Some of the songs are very energetic, fast strings. Then some are more melodic and mellow. Some of it was a bit too folksy, like The Stolen Child. Overall good though. The first two songs really had me excited for this album but it did keep getting slower and slower and never got back to that energy of the first two tunes; would love to hear more from them like that.
Lovely.
Didn’t get to finish this album, but I enjoyed what I heard. Definitely a product of the late 80s and it shows, but the 80s had the best pop music of all time so that’s not a bad thing at all. A unique sound that’s easy on the ears.
Like a sober the Pogues.
Stvarno okej album, mada bi ga skratio sigurno za 15tak minuta, neke pjesme traju dost dugo, a nema potrebe. We Will Not Be Lovers je najjača sa albuma. Može i bolji album biti, ali je ovo solidna trojka.
Folksy and timeless fishing town tales with impressive fiddle/banjo and rough worn vocals. Fisherman’s blues, strange boat, the stolen child.
“Fisherman’s Blues” by The Waterboys (1988) This is a good eclectic mix of Irish/Scottish/Welsh/Celtic folk, with a solid grounding in rock. It’s as if their rock sensibilities provide the rhythmic backbeat structure for folk flavorings, with lyrics that evoke proletarian themes—love songs for simple people. If you ain’t simple, feel free to go back to Steely Dan or Kanye West. Melodies are static and weak, sometimes painfully delivered, by a Bono-channeling lead vocal. But the arrangements are wonderfully laid out with a pleasant variety of instrumentals (violins, mandolin, accordion, and even some horns) and a few really fine moments for backing vocals. “World Party”, however, seems out of place on this album. The sound gets more ‘folky’ as the record progresses, giving it nice forward (backward?) movement. It gives the serious world-aware listener a clue as to where American country/Western music came from. I wish “Dunford’s Fancy” were a lot longer. But not necessarily more fancy. There’s very expansive cover of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing”, perhaps better than the original, with an entrancing violin/mandolin duet throughout. And W.B. Yeats’ “Stolen Child” is given a beautiful interpretation, which, in my opinion, would have been a better ending to the album than the sloppy and out-of-tune cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” on the closing track. Well worth a listen. Or two. Or three. 3/5
Quite a string of 3-star albums here. Once again, fun but forgettable.
Starts really strong with the first couple of tracks, then falls off fast. It's some nice folk in places, but not sure why its on this list
I'm really conflicted by this album. How can you not love an Scotch-Irish folk rock band singing Yeats? Well, what if they bastardize Woody Guthrie? And what if their Hank Williams tribute sucks? I guess you give them a 3 and move on. Best track: The Stolen Child
Not bad not bad
Look, it's fine but you all knowy feelings on the fiddle, banjo and folk music in general by now
Eh, again, it's fine. Not my jam, but inoffensive.
3/5 - DMB meets CCR? The album feels muddled to me; the tracks all kind of blend together...
Fisherman's Blues
Very good! This was my first time listening to The Waterboys, and I liked them and this record more than I expected. Side A is more rock oriented, side B more traditional/folk, both very good and a nice contrast. HIghlights: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Ye Go Away
I like the album.
Quite enjoyable
Interesting album. Not huge into traditional British/Celtic music, with a few exceptions, but their more rock oriented songs were cool. This Land is a classic with a great spin, and some of the more instrumental interludes were cool. World Party and Sweet Thing were a good couple of songs at the beginning.
Surprised in many ways by this album - I didn't pay attention at all to the date on the album and figured this was something from the late 60s / early 70s before it started up. Lots of energy here, but not a lot of it grabbing me. Solid work, no doubt.
pretty good vibe
It's fine but quite boring
Bien pero no lo acabe
22 tracks, some of them bangers.
Ja, ganz nett - gute Melodien, sollte ich mir vielleicht merken?
Gefällt mir, wenn es aber mehr in Richtung Irish Folk geht wie "When we will be married" wird es mir etwas viel Geige.
3.5/5 it might have potential
Tja, The Waterboys maken fijne liedjes. Ideaal voor een gezellige avond thuis of in het café.
Average album in general, nothing really stands out but it's consistent.
Very nice mixture of irish, country and rock ballads.
Liked it.
Fine
Niet helemaal kunnen luisteren, klonk best ok!
Aantal erg toffe nummers, maar over het geheel teveel folk en violen voor mijn smaak.
i listened to it a few times. Not bad. Not great. I will listen again on St Patty's Day 2022 I give it three lucky charms
I didn't mind this as much as others, but I am partial to a bit of folk music. Reminded me of The Levellers. 2.5 rounded up to 3.
I liked it. Potential for a 4 but parts of it kinda dragged on
Good vibes! So acoustic! I really liked Strange Boat.
Was alright. Liked Fisherman's Blues....
It's decent but not really my thing. Wouldn't ask for it to be turned off
First few tracks were superb. Fizzles out in the middle
`Good, interesting to listen it.
Good celtic pop album, an original proposal when it was released. Fisherman's Blues is a great single. Rest of album is full of ups and downs, though...
They remind me A LOT of Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, but defo with a very country music vibe and Irish music. I liked it, the single is a tune.
Good music to put me to sleep. Fiddle music makes me uncomfortable slightly but mostly this was just alright.
Remember discovering this record when I was younger but kinda lost track of it. Pretty good, but gets kinda same-y by the end.