Nov
27
The Waterboys–Revisited
Filed Under Music
The Smithereens sang, ‘It’s Time for Something New.’ But like most of the sweets found at The Sweet Dropper, old recipes are hard to beat. I haven’t indulged my 80’s “revisited” fancies in a couple of months, so let me sing the praises of another obscure ’80’s act that is still around and making some good music: The Waterboys. Click here to visit their official website.
Scotsman Mike Scott formed The Waterboys in 1983 and released three very good albums exploring what Scott had dubbed ‘The Big Music,’ which he described in a 2000 interview as ‘a metahpor for seeing God’s signature in the world.’ They gained my attention at this time when they were opening for The Pretenders and U2. After their 1985 release This Is the Sea (The single ‘The Whole of the Moon’ is, I think, one of the best songs ever written, and I was pleasantly surprised to read recently Scott’s comment that C.S. Lewis was a primary inspiration for that song.), the band dissolved and re-formed, pursuing a more Celtic-folk sound well-represented by Fisherman’s Blues (1988). During the 1990’s the band dissolved and re-formed a couple more times, sometimes reflecting more rock influence and at other times swinging back to the Celtic-folk roots.
A college roommate of mine once derisively called The Waterboys ‘English major music,’ and yes, I hold a degree in English. What was intended as a dismissive comment from a banking and finance major actually contains a lot of truth. What makes their music fascinating and still worthy of attention beyond mere style and skill is the way that good literature has influenced the lyrics and music of the group–William Butler Yeats, C.S. Lewis, Robert Burns, George MacDonald, and James Joyce, to name a few. Christian symbolism and themes are scattered through every period of their music. It also needs to be noted that The Waterboys also show neo-pagan influences as well.
Mike Scott’s myspace.com site describes their influences as follows:
“Wind, sea, fire, earth, blood coursing through veins, bone, wood, Bob Dylan’s ‘reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it’, CS Lewis’s Further Up Further In, rock and roll, Steve Reich, Mark Helprin’s book Winter’s Tale, celtic fiddle and box music, the Isle of Iona, Joe Strummer’s stomping left foot, the Beatles doing ‘Hey Jude’ on TV with the audience on stage, Sitting Bull, Dion Fortune, gentle humour, unseen allies, all of the above and above all love.”
It’s music worth visiting and revisiting. Click on the album covers for Amazon listening and ordering info.
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