Best Waterboys Album 1983-1993

Fisherman's Blues

This Is The Sea

http://ickmusic.com/pics/fishermans_blues.jpg

Fisherman's Blues was a big album for my 15 year old self. One of my classmates got it and we all got a copy of it. Listened to it last night on Spotify and it still sounds great. Going to give the other albums a listen but my vote goes to Fisherman's Blues
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Is Geir going to pop in and tell us how World Party were better?

Fisherman's Blues

yup fisherman's blues -- especially for the A-side. the B-side sometimes gets too cute (but i love "when ye go away," and the yeats fairy-child poem i think actually works even though it should be embarrassing).

What's the best album(s) to start with then since I've only heard Fisherman's Blues and the greatest hits that I bought in 91?

Heard "We Will Not Be Lovers" in a shop a while back and got slightly scared. Such a murderous song!

love that song. maybe scott's most effective dylan rip.

What's the best album(s) to start with then since I've only heard Fisherman's Blues and the greatest hits that I bought in 91?

i think a pagan place is the other key one, but the 1st and 3rd both have good stuff on them. it's just, the songwriting is less focused on the 1st one, and this is the sea pushes into dubious grandiosity.

Is Geir going to pop in and tell us how World Party were better?

I don't know what Geir will do. But World Party were better.

Voted This is the Sea, btw

S'gotta be Fisherman's Blues

Heard "We Will Not Be Lovers" in a shop a while back and got slightly scared. Such a murderous song!

But so gorgeous too! I love the interplay between the fiddle and the mandolin.

Gonna vote for A Pagan Place. 'All The Things She Gave Me' popped up on the iPod the other day, and I dunno why it hadn't struck me before, and maybe it was stark-staringly obvious to everyone else, but wow, Simple Minds' 'All The Things She Said' was such a huge rip off of this, wasn't it?

Simple Minds ripped off a lot of things. Don't think they had any original ideas.

waterboys best-of (mostly) rocks my world. i am stupid and still haven't gotten anything else. wish i could vote.

The first four albums are all absolutely essential, I would say. The originality, zest and sheer inspiration of Mike Scott and his collaborators means that they've aged very well. There's hardly a bad song on any of them, and each has some genuinely transcendental moments. It's a shame that the debut makes such heavy use of repetitive drum loops, but remember that it's essentially a demo that Scott had not originally intended for commercial release.
I'm always particularly impressed by the way that the sublime majesty of the title track of A Pagan Place is built from a simple three-chord trick. That said, I'm voting for This Is the Sea, because (i) it was the first one I heard, and verily, pal, I was sore amazed; (ii) it covers a lot of ground, from the Big (nay, Supersized) Music of Don't Bang the Drum to the frenetic fiddle-punk of Be My Enemy, to the gentle elegy that is Old England.

man alive it is a VERY long time since I've thought abt the Waterboys, let alone listened to em, but back in the day i was a big fan - they were fantastic live, too (i remember a particularly gd gig at goldsmiths college round about the time of A PAGAN PLACE) - funnily enough it was FISHERMAN'S BLUES and all the folkier stuff that turned me off em (also, 'whole of the moon' has never been a fave of mine)

first three albs all have some great songs - tho' there's a radio one session version of 'old england' that i remember topped the studio version - and i would put in a gd word too for their early 12inchers, which usually had great bsides and shit - as well as nicely designed covers

of the 1st 3 I thought This Is The Sea was best

Fisherman's Blues. Listened to it repeatedly when it came out. Heard the title track on the radio the other day - still sounded fresh.

"with light in my head... you in my arms... woooOOOOh!"

Fisherman's Blues is being used on an advert on TV just now. A tourism scotland one I think.

Yes.

Seeing as how it's supposed to be the 'Irish' album...

exactly,that's why i found it funny.

but everyone knows mike scott is scottish, not everyone knows he relocated to ireland to make it.

Has anyone heard this?

It's not on Spotify :(

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

bump

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

nice turnout and fair results

thought Fisherman's Blues would win it.

Thought the first album would have done better though.

"The Whole of the Moon" is one of the greatest songs ever and heavily influenced my vote.