Rock Atlas
The Waterboys band photograph

Photo by Haggis MacHaggis , licensed under CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Rank #225

The Waterboys

Mike Scott's pan-Celtic 'big music' band of folk-rock grandeur.

From Wikipedia

The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 in London by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott being the only constant member. Over a four-decade career, the band has drawn on multiple styles of music including punk rock, rock and roll, folk music, Celtic soul, noise rock, country music, rhythm & blues and chamber music.

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Discography & Previews

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The Waterboys

1983 · 15 tracks

  1. 1 December (2002 Remaster) ↗ 6:49
  2. 2 A Girl Called Johnny (2002 Remaster) ↗ 3:57
  3. 3 The Three Day Man (2002 Remaster) ↗ 4:09
  4. 4 Gala (Un) ↗ 9:31
  5. 5 Where Are You Now When I Need You? ↗ 5:06
  6. 6 I Will Not Follow (2002 Remaster) ↗ 5:18
  7. 7 It Should Have Been You (2002 Remaster) ↗ 4:30
  8. 8 The Girl in the Swing (2002 Remaster) ↗ 4:27
  9. 9 Savage Earth Heart (2002 Remaster) ↗ 6:40
  10. 10 Something Fantastic ↗ 3:13
  11. 11 Ready for the Monkeyhouse ↗ 4:00
  12. 12 Another Kind of Circus ↗ 4:05
  13. 13 Boy in Black Leather ↗ 7:04
  14. 14 December (8 Track Mix) ↗ 6:49
  15. 15 Jack of Diamonds ↗ 0:51

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A Pagan Place

1984 · 14 tracks

  1. 1 Church Not Made with Hands (2002 Remaster) ↗ 6:03
  2. 2 All the Things She Gave Me (2002 Remaster) ↗ 5:33
  3. 3 The Thrill Is Gone (2002 Remaster) ↗ 5:31
  4. 4 Rags (2002 Remaster) ↗ 5:21
  5. 5 Some of My Best Friends Are Trains ↗ 6:02
  6. 6 Somebody Might Wave Back (2002 Remaster) ↗ 2:44
  7. 7 The Big Music (2002 Remaster) ↗ 4:47
  8. 8 Red Army Blues (2002 Remaster) ↗ 8:04
  9. 9 A Pagan Place (2002 Remaster) ↗ 5:15
  10. 10 The Late Train to Heaven (Revised Rockfield Mix) ↗ 3:31
  11. 11 Love That Kills (Instrumental) ↗ 6:21
  12. 12 The Madness Is Here Again ↗ 3:59
  13. 13 Cathy ↗ 2:36
  14. 14 Down Through the Dark Streets ↗ 9:04

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This Is the Sea

1985 · 23 tracks

  1. 1 Don't Bang the Drum (2004 Remaster) ↗ 6:47
  2. 1 Beverly Penn (2004 Remaster) ↗ 5:40
  3. 2 The Whole of the Moon (2004 Remaster) ↗ 5:03
  4. 2 Sleek White Schooner (2004 Remaster) ↗ 3:44
  5. 3 Spirit (2004 Remaster) ↗ 1:49
  6. 3 Medicine Bow (Extended Version) ↗ 5:45
  7. 4 The Pan Within (2004 Remaster) ↗ 6:13
  8. 4 Medicine Jack (2004 Remaster) ↗ 4:12
  9. 5 Medicine Bow (2004 Remaster) ↗ 2:45
  10. 5 High Far Soon (2004 Remaster) ↗ 2:06
  11. 6 Old England (2004 Remaster) ↗ 5:32
  12. 6 Even the Trees Are Dancing (2004 Remaster) ↗ 4:30
  13. 7 Be My Enemy (2004 Remaster) ↗ 4:17
  14. 7 Towers Open Fire (2004 Remaster) ↗ 4:35
  15. 8 Trumpets (2004 Remaster) ↗ 3:36
  16. 8 This Is the Sea (Live) ↗ 5:55
  17. 9 This Is the Sea (2004 Remaster) ↗ 6:29
  18. 9 Then You Hold Me (2004 Remaster) ↗ 4:57
  19. 10 Spirit (Extended Version) ↗ 4:13
  20. 11 Miracle (2004 Remaster) ↗ 1:16
  21. 12 I Am Not Here (2004 Remaster) ↗ 0:23
  22. 13 Sweet Thing (2004 Remaster) ↗ 7:14
  23. 14 The Waves (2004 Remaster) ↗ 6:39

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Fisherman’s Blues

1988 · 22 tracks

  1. 1 Fisherman's Blues (2006 Remaster) ↗ 4:27
  2. 1 Carolan's Welcome ↗ 2:51
  3. 2 We Will Not Be Lovers (2006 Remaster) ↗ 7:02
  4. 2 Killing My Heart (Alternative Version) ↗ 3:54
  5. 3 Strange Boat (2006 Remaster) ↗ 3:07
  6. 3 You in the Sky ↗ 5:48
  7. 4 World Party (Extended Version) ↗ 5:29
  8. 4 When Will We Be Married (1987 Recording) ↗ 2:41
  9. 5 Sweet Thing (2006 Remaster) ↗ 7:12
  10. 5 Fisherman's Blues (Alternative Version) ↗ 5:50
  11. 6 Jimmy Hickey's Waltz (2006 Remaster) ↗ 2:06
  12. 6 Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul ↗ 2:39
  13. 7 And a Bang on the Ear (Extended) ↗ 9:14
  14. 7 Let Me Feel Holy Again ↗ 6:10
  15. 8 Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? (2006 Remaster) ↗ 3:19
  16. 8 Meet Me at the Station ↗ 3:24
  17. 9 When Will We Be Married (2006 Remaster) ↗ 3:00
  18. 9 Soon as I Get Home ↗ 12:03
  19. 10 When Ye Go Away (2006 Remaster) ↗ 3:45
  20. 11 Dunford's Fancy (2006 Remaster) ↗ 1:04
  21. 12 The Stolen Child (2006 Remaster) ↗ 6:55
  22. 13 This Land Is Your Land (2006 Remaster) ↗ 0:55

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Room to Roam

1990 · 34 tracks

  1. 1 In Search of a Rose (2008 Remaster) ↗ 1:21
  2. 1 In Search of a Rose ↗ 2:29
  3. 2 Song from the End of the World (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:00
  4. 2 My Morag (The Exile's Dream) ↗ 2:12
  5. 3 A Man Is in Love (2008 Remaster) ↗ 3:18
  6. 3 A Man Is in Love (Alternative Version) ↗ 3:20
  7. 4 Bigger Picture (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:26
  8. 4 The Wyndy Wyndy Road ↗ 1:53
  9. 5 Natural Bridge Blues (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:06
  10. 5 Three Ships ↗ 3:22
  11. 6 Something That Is Gone (2008 Remaster) ↗ 3:17
  12. 6 Sunny Sailor Boy ↗ 3:06
  13. 7 The Star and the Sea (2008 Remaster) ↗ 0:26
  14. 7 Sponsored Pedal Pusher's Blues ↗ 2:50
  15. 8 A Life of Sundays (2008 Remaster) ↗ 6:14
  16. 8 The Wayward Wind ↗ 3:48
  17. 9 Islandman (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:06
  18. 9 Danny Murphy / Florence ↗ 2:23
  19. 10 The Raggle Taggle Gypsy (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:59
  20. 10 The Raggle Taggle Gypsy (Live) ↗ 4:31
  21. 11 How Long Will I Love You (2008 Remaster) ↗ 3:38
  22. 11 Custer's Blues (Live) ↗ 4:37
  23. 12 Upon the Wind and Waves (2008 Remaster) ↗ 0:45
  24. 12 Twa Recruitin' Sergeants (Live) ↗ 4:10
  25. 13 Spring Comes to Spiddal (2008 Remaster) ↗ 1:25
  26. 13 A Reel and a Stomp in the Kitchen ↗ 0:52
  27. 14 The Trip to Broadford (2008 Remaster) ↗ 1:14
  28. 14 Down by the Sally Gardens ↗ 3:48
  29. 15 Further up, Further In (2008 Remaster) ↗ 5:33
  30. 15 A Strathspey in the Rain at Dawn (feat. Sharon Shannon) ↗ 1:23
  31. 16 Room to Roam (2008 Remaster) ↗ 2:55
  32. 16 A Song for the Life (2008 Remaster) ↗ 3:49
  33. 17 The Kings of Kerry (2008 Remaster) ↗ 0:58
  34. 17 The Kings of Kerry ↗ 0:27

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Dream Harder

1993 · 12 tracks

  1. 1 The New Life ↗ 5:12
  2. 2 Glastonbury Song ↗ 3:44
  3. 3 Preparing to Fly ↗ 4:34
  4. 4 The Return of Pan ↗ 4:21
  5. 5 Corn Circles ↗ 4:04
  6. 6 Suffer ↗ 3:51
  7. 7 Winter Winter ↗ 0:36
  8. 8 Love & Death ↗ 2:46
  9. 9 Spiritual City ↗ 3:13
  10. 10 Wonders of Lewis ↗ 2:06
  11. 11 The Return of Jimi Hendrix ↗ 5:49
  12. 12 Good News ↗ 3:38

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A Rock in the Weary Land

2000 · 34 tracks

  1. 1 Let It Happen ↗ 6:21
  2. 1 Fanfare by Thighpaulsandra ↗ 0:58
  3. 2 The Charlatan's Lament ↗ 6:54
  4. 2 Sad Procession ↗ 7:25
  5. 3 Is She Conscious? ↗ 4:43
  6. 3 Is She Concious (Acoustic Demo) ↗ 4:32
  7. 4 We Are Jonah ↗ 5:10
  8. 4 Dumbing Down the World (Live at Glastonbury) ↗ 3:51
  9. 5 It's All Gone ↗ 2:18
  10. 5 Trouble Down Yonder ↗ 1:08
  11. 6 My Love is My Rock in the Weary Land ↗ 8:09
  12. 6 In the Long Low Weary Land ↗ 3:16
  13. 7 Lucky Day / Bad Advice ↗ 3:08
  14. 7 Wintermind ↗ 3:12
  15. 8 His Word is Not His Bond ↗ 4:01
  16. 8 Never Been out of Love ↗ 1:07
  17. 9 Malediction ↗ 4:19
  18. 9 Somewhere in the Bleak Mid-Distance Something Beautiful Is Born ↗ 2:58
  19. 10 Dumbing Down the World ↗ 3:08
  20. 10 Anatomy of a Love Affair ↗ 1:18
  21. 11 The Wind in the Wires ↗ 5:35
  22. 11 Is She Conscious (Funky Thumbs) ↗ 1:05
  23. 12 Night Falls on London ↗ 0:51
  24. 12 Martin Decent ↗ 2:08
  25. 13 Crown ↗ 7:07
  26. 13 Time, Space & The Bride's Bed ↗ 4:15
  27. 14 My Lord, What a Morning ↗ 2:27
  28. 14 Oh Yeah / I'll Be Satisfied ↗ 2:00
  29. 15 Carolan's Weird Welcome ↗ 0:53
  30. 16 Since the Fire Started Burning in My Soul ↗ 1:28
  31. 17 The Height of His Head ↗ 0:28
  32. 18 My Love Is My Rock (Instrumental with Choir) ↗ 8:12
  33. 19 It Bends Towards Justice ↗ 1:39
  34. 20 The Last Rock Freak Out ↗ 2:30

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Too Close to Heaven

2001 · 1 track

  1. 1 Too Close to Heaven (Soul Version, Single Edit) ↗ 4:26

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Universal Hall

2003 · 12 tracks

  1. 1 This Light is for the World ↗ 3:31
  2. 2 The Christ in You ↗ 3:18
  3. 3 Silent Fellowship ↗ 4:59
  4. 4 Every Breath is Yours ↗ 4:29
  5. 5 Peace of Iona ↗ 6:13
  6. 6 Ain't No Words for the Things I'm Feeling ↗ 2:33
  7. 7 Seek the Light ↗ 2:37
  8. 8 I've Lived Here Before ↗ 3:08
  9. 9 Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired ↗ 3:16
  10. 10 The Dance at the Crossroads ↗ 1:13
  11. 11 E.B.O.L. ↗ 2:15
  12. 12 Universal Hall ↗ 6:24

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Book of Lightning

2006 · 10 tracks

  1. 1 The Crash of Angel Wings ↗ 4:02
  2. 2 Love Will Shoot You Down ↗ 4:34
  3. 3 Nobody's Baby Anymore ↗ 4:43
  4. 4 Strange Arrangement ↗ 3:33
  5. 5 She Tried to Hold Me ↗ 7:18
  6. 6 It's Gonna Rain ↗ 3:03
  7. 7 Sustain ↗ 3:21
  8. 8 You in the Sky ↗ 4:38
  9. 9 Everybody Takes a Tumble ↗ 7:05
  10. 10 The Man with the Wind at His Heels ↗ 3:04

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An Appointment With Mr. Yeats

2011 · 43 tracks

  1. 1 The Hosting of the Shee (2022 Remaster) ↗ 4:42
  2. 1 The Hosting of the Shee (Demo) ↗ 3:55
  3. 2 Song of Wandering Aengus (2022 Remaster) ↗ 6:00
  4. 2 Before the World Was Made (Demo) ↗ 1:29
  5. 3 News for the Delphic Oracle (2022 Remaster) ↗ 4:32
  6. 3 White Birds (Demo) ↗ 4:36
  7. 4 A Full Moon in March (2022 Remaster) ↗ 2:09
  8. 4 A Coat ↗ 2:51
  9. 5 Sweet Dancer (2022 Remaster) ↗ 3:19
  10. 5 A Full Moon in March (Demo) ↗ 2:05
  11. 6 White Birds (2022 Remaster) ↗ 5:08
  12. 6 Sweet Dancer (Freddie's Demo) ↗ 2:47
  13. 7 The Lake Isle of Innisfree (2022 Remaster) ↗ 2:25
  14. 7 Paistin Finn ↗ 2:23
  15. 8 Mad as the Mist and Snow (2022 Remaster) ↗ 4:08
  16. 8 An Irish Airman Foresees His Death (Demo) ↗ 2:38
  17. 9 Before the World Was Made (2022 Remaster) ↗ 1:49
  18. 9 The Song of Wandering Aengus (Demo) ↗ 5:42
  19. 10 September 1913 (2022 Remaster) ↗ 7:22
  20. 10 The Pilgrim ↗ 2:27
  21. 11 An Irish Airman Foresees His Death (2022 Remaster) ↗ 2:35
  22. 11 Politics (Demo) ↗ 4:26
  23. 12 Politics (2022 Remaster) ↗ 4:41
  24. 12 Tread Softly, For You Tread on My Dreams (Demo) ↗ 1:47
  25. 13 Let the Earth Bear Witness (2022 Remaster) ↗ 3:34
  26. 13 Love Song ↗ 1:32
  27. 14 The Faery's Last Song (2022 Remaster) ↗ 5:54
  28. 14 September 1913 (Demo) ↗ 7:35
  29. 15 A Faery Song (We Who Are Old) [Demo] ↗ 2:38
  30. 15 Let the Earth Bear Witness (Demo) ↗ 4:05
  31. 16 The Four Ages of Man (Demo) ↗ 1:24
  32. 16 Come Gather Round Me, Parnellites (Steve's Demo) ↗ 3:06
  33. 17 Our Father Rosy-Cross (Demo) ↗ 2:54
  34. 17 Down by the Salley Gardens ↗ 2:18
  35. 18 Do Not Love Too Long (Demo) ↗ 3:30
  36. 18 White Birds (Freddie's Demo) ↗ 2:26
  37. 19 The Travelling Man and the Tree (Demo) ↗ 2:36
  38. 19 Sweet Dancer (Demo) ↗ 3:04
  39. 20 News for the Delphic Oracle (Demo) ↗ 4:28
  40. 20 A Song of the Rosy-Cross (New Version) ↗ 2:00
  41. 21 The Mask ↗ 2:17
  42. 22 Mad as the Mist and Snow / Needle's Eye / The Second Coming (Demo) ↗ 7:48
  43. 23 The Faery's Last Song (Demo) ↗ 6:02

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Modern Blues

2015 · 9 tracks

  1. 1 Destinies Entwined ↗ 5:45
  2. 2 November Tale ↗ 5:18
  3. 3 Still a Freak ↗ 3:59
  4. 4 I Can See Elvis ↗ 5:47
  5. 5 The Girl Who Slept for Scotland ↗ 4:56
  6. 6 Rosalind (You Married the Wrong Guy) ↗ 5:09
  7. 7 Beautiful Now ↗ 3:58
  8. 8 Nearest Thing to Hip ↗ 5:42
  9. 9 Long Strange Golden Road ↗ 10:22

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Out of All This Blue

2017 · 23 tracks

  1. 1 Do We Choose Who We Love ↗ 2:58
  2. 2 If I Was Your Boyfriend ↗ 4:12
  3. 3 Santa Fe ↗ 3:57
  4. 4 If the Answer Is Yeah ↗ 3:34
  5. 5 Love Walks In ↗ 6:24
  6. 6 New York I Love You ↗ 7:49
  7. 7 The Connemara Fox ↗ 5:30
  8. 8 The Girl in the Window Chair ↗ 2:57
  9. 9 Morning Came Too Soon ↗ 8:15
  10. 10 Hiphopstrumental 4 (Scatman) ↗ 2:29
  11. 11 The Hammerhead Bar ↗ 4:36
  12. 12 Mister Charisma ↗ 2:04
  13. 13 Nashville, Tennessee ↗ 6:00
  14. 14 Man, What a Woman ↗ 3:16
  15. 15 Girl in a Kayak ↗ 1:24
  16. 16 Monument ↗ 2:52
  17. 17 Kinky's History Lesson ↗ 5:19
  18. 18 Skyclad Lady ↗ 0:58
  19. 19 Rokudenashiko ↗ 3:06
  20. 20 Didn't We Walk on Water ↗ 5:53
  21. 21 The Elegant Companion ↗ 4:31
  22. 22 Yamaben ↗ 4:56
  23. 23 Payo Payo Chin ↗ 3:25

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Where the Action Is

2019 · 10 tracks

  1. 1 Where the Action Is ↗ 3:24
  2. 2 London Mick ↗ 3:10
  3. 3 Out of All This Blue ↗ 3:38
  4. 4 Right Side of Heartbreak (Wrong Side of Love) ↗ 4:33
  5. 5 In My Time on Earth ↗ 5:44
  6. 6 Ladbroke Grove Symphony ↗ 5:14
  7. 7 Take Me There I Will Follow You ↗ 3:59
  8. 8 And There's Love ↗ 2:35
  9. 9 Then She Made the Lasses O ↗ 2:14
  10. 10 Piper at the Gates of Dawn ↗ 9:03

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Good Luck, Seeker

2020 · 14 tracks

  1. 1 The Soul Singer ↗ 4:43
  2. 2 (You've Got to) Kiss a Frog or Two ↗ 3:49
  3. 3 Low Down in the Broom ↗ 3:05
  4. 4 Dennis Hopper ↗ 3:10
  5. 5 Freak Street ↗ 2:36
  6. 6 Sticky Fingers ↗ 0:46
  7. 7 Why Should I Love You? ↗ 5:44
  8. 8 The Golden Work ↗ 3:02
  9. 9 My Wanderings in the Weary Land ↗ 6:48
  10. 10 Postcard from the Celtic Dreamtime ↗ 4:11
  11. 11 Good Luck, Seeker ↗ 2:46
  12. 12 Beauty in Repetition ↗ 1:48
  13. 13 Everchanging ↗ 1:50
  14. 14 The Land of Sunset ↗ 4:28

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All Souls Hill

2022 · 9 tracks

  1. 1 All Souls Hill ↗ 2:54
  2. 2 The Liar ↗ 3:28
  3. 3 The Southern Moon ↗ 4:23
  4. 4 Blackberry Girl ↗ 2:36
  5. 5 Hollywood Blues ↗ 5:26
  6. 6 In My Dreams ↗ 3:19
  7. 7 Once Were Brothers ↗ 5:30
  8. 8 Here We Go Again ↗ 4:02
  9. 9 Passing Through ↗ 9:16

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Life, Death and Dennis Hopper

2025 · 25 tracks

  1. 1 Kansas (feat. Steve Earle) ↗ 2:15
  2. 2 Hollywood '55 ↗ 1:34
  3. 3 Live In The Moment, Baby ↗ 2:28
  4. 4 Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights ↗ 1:31
  5. 5 Andy (A Guy Like You) ↗ 2:24
  6. 6 The Tourist (feat. Barny Fletcher & Sugarfoot) ↗ 4:01
  7. 7 Freaks On Wheels ↗ 0:59
  8. 8 Blues For Terry Southern ↗ 2:45
  9. 9 Memories Of Monterey ↗ 1:17
  10. 10 Riding Down To Mardi Gras ↗ 2:20
  11. 11 Hopper's On Top (Genius) ↗ 3:10
  12. 12 Transcendental Peruvian Blues ↗ 2:25
  13. 13 Michelle (Always Stay) ↗ 3:07
  14. 14 Freakout At The Mud Palace ↗ 3:04
  15. 15 Daria ↗ 1:09
  16. 16 Ten Years Gone (feat. Bruce Springsteen) ↗ 3:33
  17. 17 Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend (feat. Fiona Apple) ↗ 2:08
  18. 18 Rock Bottom ↗ 1:17
  19. 19 I Don't Know How I Made It (feat. Taylor Goldsmith) ↗ 2:34
  20. 20 Frank (Let's F*ck) ↗ 2:01
  21. 21 Katherine (feat. Anana Kaye) ↗ 1:32
  22. 22 Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper ↗ 3:03
  23. 23 Golf, They Say ↗ 3:31
  24. 24 Venice, California (Victoria) / The Passing Of Hopper ↗ 4:04
  25. 25 Aftermath ↗ 2:37

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The Waterboys Present: Rips From The Cutting Room Floor

2025 · 16 tracks

  1. 1 Western Roll Call ↗ 1:38
  2. 2 The Next Time I Saw Elvis ↗ 2:50
  3. 3 Cinema, C'est La Vie ↗ 2:07
  4. 4 On The Set Of The Last Movie ↗ 5:34
  5. 5 Alejandro Jodorowsky's Arrival In Taos ↗ 1:28
  6. 6 Crystal Morning, New Mexico ↗ 1:15
  7. 7 Funkout At The Mud Palace ↗ 2:37
  8. 8 Cowboy Bill, Guy Grand And Texas ↗ 2:20
  9. 9 Still Raging On ↗ 2:52
  10. 10 Flipside Of The American Dream ↗ 2:34
  11. 11 Thank You Mr. Schneider ↗ 0:44
  12. 12 The Counterculture Holdout ↗ 1:20
  13. 13 Stanley In I Love The Movies ↗ 1:07
  14. 14 Dennis In Ameridreams ↗ 0:43
  15. 15 A Few Words About Dennis Hopper ↗ 1:15
  16. 16 Golf, They Say ↗ 3:25

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Albums
18 albums
  1. The Waterboys
    The Waterboys
    1983
    15 tracks
  2. A Pagan Place
    The Waterboys
    1984
    14 tracks
  3. This Is the Sea
    The Waterboys
    1985
    23 tracks
  4. Fisherman’s Blues
    The Waterboys
    1988
    22 tracks
  5. Room to Roam
    The Waterboys
    1990
    34 tracks
  6. Dream Harder
    The Waterboys
    1993
    12 tracks
  7. A Rock in the Weary Land
    The Waterboys
    2000
    34 tracks
  8. Too Close to Heaven
    The Waterboys
    2001
    1 track
  9. Universal Hall
    The Waterboys
    2003
    12 tracks
  10. Book of Lightning
    The Waterboys
    2006
    10 tracks
  11. An Appointment With Mr. Yeats
    The Waterboys
    2011
    43 tracks
  12. Modern Blues
    The Waterboys
    2015
    9 tracks
  13. Out of All This Blue
    The Waterboys
    2017
    23 tracks
  14. Where the Action Is
    The Waterboys
    2019
    10 tracks
  15. Good Luck, Seeker
    The Waterboys
    2020
    14 tracks
  16. All Souls Hill
    The Waterboys
    2022
    9 tracks
  17. Life, Death and Dennis Hopper
    The Waterboys
    2025
    25 tracks
  18. The Waterboys Present: Rips From The Cutting Room Floor
    The Waterboys
    2025
    16 tracks

Deep Dive

Overview

The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 in London by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott, whose restless artistic vision has driven the ensemble through four decades of stylistic evolution. The band stands as a unique fixture in post-punk and alternative rock history, neither purely rooted in folk nor fully committed to electric rock convention, but instead synthesizing punk energy, Celtic traditional music, rhythm and blues, chamber instrumentation, and noise rock into what Scott termed “big music”—a grandiose, transcendent sound that prizes emotional and spiritual intensity over commercial formula. With Scott as the sole constant member throughout the band’s existence, The Waterboys have functioned as a vehicle for one songwriter’s wandering artistic sensibility, marked by radical reinvention and a refusal to calcify around early success.

Formation Story

Mike Scott initiated The Waterboys in London in 1983, during a period when British post-punk was fragmenting into new wave, synth-pop, and the emerging alternative underground. The band’s early lineup drew from the broader British and Irish musician pool, establishing a pattern that would define the group: fluid membership serving a single vision. Scott’s Scottish roots and his outsider status in the London scene—neither fully plugged into punk revival nor synth-pop machinery—allowed him to chart an idiosyncratic course. From the outset, The Waterboys existed as a collision between contemporary rock urgency and a deeper pull toward folk and traditional Celtic sources, a tension that would only deepen over successive records.

Breakthrough Moment

The Waterboys achieved their widest recognition with Fisherman’s Blues (1988), a watershed album that crowned five years of sustained artistic development and touring. Following the foundation laid by This Is the Sea (1985)—which introduced Scott’s maximalist approach and marked a shift toward more ambitious arrangements—Fisherman’s Blues crystallized the band’s sonic identity by embracing Irish and Scottish folk melodies and instrumentation while maintaining the propulsive energy of contemporary rock. The album’s success, particularly in the UK and Ireland, established The Waterboys as more than a cult act and validated Scott’s refusal to trade artistic conviction for radio friendliness. The band’s ability to package folk and traditional material in contemporary rock garb gave them access to audiences across folk, rock, and alternative markets simultaneously, a rare achievement in the mid-1980s landscape.

Peak Era

The years spanning 1985 through 1990—from This Is the Sea through Room to Roam—represent The Waterboys’ most creatively potent and commercially successful stretch. During this period, the band refined their signature sound: layered, orchestral arrangements built around Scott’s passionate vocals and guitar work, seasoned with traditional folk instrumentation including uilleann pipes, bodhráns, and fiddle. Room to Roam (1990) extended the folk-rock template further, deepening the Irish and Scottish traditional elements that had emerged on Fisherman’s Blues and solidifying the band’s reputation as serious interpreters of Celtic music who refused to abandon rock’s vitality. Throughout this era, The Waterboys moved steadily away from the angular post-punk posture of their debut albums toward a more openly emotional and mythic presentation, one that positioned rock music as a vessel for spiritual and cultural yearning.

Musical Style

The Waterboys’ sound defies easy categorization because it deliberately spans multiple traditions and idioms. Early records incorporated post-punk’s rhythmic drive and guitar textures, but by This Is the Sea, Scott was introducing orchestral arrangements, chamber strings, and horn sections that borrowed equally from 1960s soul production and European art-rock precedent. The arrival of traditional folk instrumentation—particularly uilleann pipes and bodhrán—on Fisherman’s Blues marked a deliberate turn toward Irish and Scottish musical DNA, yet Scott never abandoned rock’s electric guitar, drums, and forward momentum. His vocals occupy a singular register within rock: passionate and often unpolished, capable of both gentle introspection and near-operatic grandeur. The band’s approach to melody is distinctly melodic and often hymn-like, drawing unconsciously from Celtic folk song structure while the production and arrangement vocabulary remained contemporary. This collision between old and new, traditional and modern, gives The Waterboys their most distinctive characteristic: a sense that folk spirituality and rock’s electric power are not opposed forces but necessary complements.

Major Albums

This Is the Sea (1985)

Scott’s breakthrough statement of artistic ambition, introducing the full orchestral scope and emotional intensity that would define the band’s mature sound, moving decisively beyond the post-punk formalism of the debut records.

Fisherman’s Blues (1988)

The album that crystallized The Waterboys’ folk-rock identity and achieved both critical and commercial success by seamlessly integrating Irish traditional music with contemporary rock production and energy.

Room to Roam (1990)

The definitive flowering of the band’s pan-Celtic vision, deepening the traditional instrumentation and songwriting approaches introduced on Fisherman’s Blues while maintaining the scale and ambition Scott demanded.

A Rock in the Weary Land (2000)

A substantial return following a decade-long recording gap, reasserting The Waterboys’ commitment to “big music” and demonstrating Scott’s sustained creative vitality across the turn of the millennium.

An Appointment With Mr. Yeats (2011)

An ambitious thematic album that engaged Irish literary and cultural sources, continuing the band’s deep dialogue with Celtic tradition and spiritual questioning.

Signature Songs

  • The Whole of the Moon — Scott’s archetypal statement of spiritual yearning and romantic excess, capturing the band’s gift for transforming personal emotion into universal myth.
  • Fisherman’s Blues — The title track of their breakthrough album, a folk-rooted melody married to rock arrangement, epitomizing their ability to honor tradition while remaining contemporary.
  • We Will Not Be Lovers — A showcase for Scott’s emotional vocal intensity and the band’s gift for orchestral arrangement, demonstrating their chamber-music sophistication.
  • The Pan Within — A representative mid-period work revealing the band’s ability to fuse Celtic instrumentation with rock energy and philosophical depth.
  • Don’t Bang the Drum — An uplifting folk-rock anthem that exemplifies The Waterboys’ capacity to make traditional material feel urgent and alive.

Influence on Rock

The Waterboys’ primary influence has been to legitimize the integration of Celtic folk sources within contemporary rock music at a level of artistic seriousness rarely attempted in the 1980s and 1990s. By refusing to relegate folk elements to novelty or decoration and instead building entire albums around folk melody, traditional instrumentation, and Celtic spiritual themes, Scott demonstrated that rock music could authentically house multiple musical traditions simultaneously. Their success opened pathways for other British and Irish acts to explore folk and traditional sources without fear of commercial irrelevance. The band’s emphasis on emotional sincerity and spiritual questioning—rather than irony or detachment—also positioned them as precursors to later alternative-rock movements that valued authenticity and emotional transparency. Their influence extends across indie rock, folk-rock revival acts, and beyond, establishing a template for how contemporary songwriters might draw from deeper cultural wells without sacrificing either artistic integrity or popular connection.

Legacy

The Waterboys have maintained continuous artistic activity across four decades, releasing new studio albums regularly into the 2020s, with All Souls Hill appearing in 2022 and both Life, Death and Dennis Hopper and The Waterboys Present: Rips From The Cutting Room Floor announced for 2025. This sustained output—averaging a new full-length roughly every two to three years since returning to regular recording after 2000—testifies to Scott’s undiminished creative drive and the band’s sustained cultural relevance within folk-rock and alternative circles. The Waterboys remain fixtures on the live touring circuit, particularly in the UK and Ireland, where their catalog has achieved canonical status. Their streaming presence remains substantial, with Fisherman’s Blues and This Is the Sea continuing to find new listeners across digital platforms. The band’s refusal to either dissolve or fossilize around past glories—a common trap for 1980s alternative acts—has allowed them to remain visible in contemporary music discourse while building a body of work that now spans nearly forty-five years of continuous artistic documentation.

Fun Facts

  • Mike Scott remains the only constant member across The Waterboys’ entire existence, making him the singular continuity point through the band’s numerous lineup changes and stylistic evolutions across four decades.
  • The band’s integration of uilleann pipes and other traditional Irish instrumentation on Fisherman’s Blues arrived at a moment when Celtic music was being revived globally, positioning them at the intersection of traditional music revival and contemporary alternative rock.
  • The Pagan Place Sessions, released in 2002, documented material from the band’s 1984 album A Pagan Place, showing Scott’s willingness to revisit and recontextualize earlier work decades after its original recording.
  • The Waterboys have released material across a twenty-year span from 2000 onward at a consistent rate, making them one of the few 1980s alternative acts to maintain regular studio output into the 2020s.