I'm only just getting into this one, which is decidedly more folky. I have tried it before, and I don't know why it didn't click. I'm a big Van Morrison fan, and there's those elements of folk and rock mixed with an Irish fondness for poetry and mysticism, so I should've liked it. Anyway, I'm appreciating it now.
On a slightly different note, I've also been listening to Hothouse Flowers and thinking that comparatively, perhaps their a bit under-appreciated? Similarities: their Irish, fusing folk elements with rock (but embrace more of American gospel influence); Liam O'Maonlai's voice has a gravelly texture in its upper register that's similar to Mike Scott with a heart-on-the-sleeve exuberance. Couldn't help but think that Liam O'Maonlai sounds like a cross between Mike Scott, Elvis, and Eddie Vedder before anyone knew Eddie Vedder.
I really like This Is The Sea and I think it has some really great songs. Don't Bang the Drum, Medicine Bow, and Be My Enemy rock hard, and the title track is a classic. But it also has a few painfully awkward songs, such as The Whole of the Moon. I don't understand why that one is their best known song. It's so corny.
A Pagan Place is pretty good. I guess more consistent than This Is The Sea, but it doesn't reach the highs that that album does. I prefer The Waterboys' debut over A Pagan Place. Mike Scott's voice was much stronger.
I used to like Fisherman's Blues, but as time goes by it's started to sound dated and cheesy.
Of these three albums, my favorite is This Is The Sea. _________________ 2020 chart
And another point of interest and discussion is Karl Wallinger, who had been a member of The Waterboys until after "This is The Sea", then pursuing his own thing with World Party. When members leave groups, it's always interesting trying to discern what their contribution had been in light of their absence from the former group, and in the work they subsequently produce.
This album had one of the best songs of the 80's on it, "Ship of Fools".
I really like This Is The Sea and I think it has some really great songs. Don't Bang the Drum, Medicine Bow, and Be My Enemy rock hard, and the title track is a classic. But it also has a few painfully awkward songs, such as The Whole of the Moon. I don't understand why that one is their best known song. It's so corny.
A Pagan Place is pretty good. I guess more consistent than This Is The Sea, but it doesn't reach the highs that that album does. I prefer The Waterboys' debut over A Pagan Place. Mike Scott's voice was much stronger.
I used to like Fisherman's Blues, but as time goes by it's started to sound dated and cheesy.
Of these three albums, my favorite is This Is The Sea.
I'm gonna have to check out the debut, then. I love "The Whole Of The Moon". Each to his own.
I was thinking to myself as I listened, that the production on "Fisherman's Blues" had aged well, particularly in comparison to the massive snare reverbs on Hothouse Flowers "People" from the same year (which I still enjoy).
Here's a post-90s record of theirs that I really like. It sounds nothing like their 80s output. It's very modern, gritty, and sonically ambitious. Mike Scott had just come back from an unsuccessful solo career, and I think he channeled that frustration into his art here really well. The opener and closer are big highlights, as is The Wind In The Wires. The only big misstep is We Are Jonah. That song is cringey AF. But other than that this is a pretty great album.
The other later album of theirs that's worth mentioning is this one. It's a return to a real rock band. You can tell the band is having a lot of fun, almost to a fault. The songs can get pretty long. By now, Mike's voice and delivery have gotten quite eccentric, which might turn some listeners off. I personally really like the more sober songs on here: Strange Arrangement, and Sustain. I think they're really beautiful and Mike's voice can be taken more seriously. Overall this is a decent album. _________________ 2020 chart
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