THE WATERBOYS

The Waterboys formed in Scotland in the early eighties. Throughout their 25+ years, the only constant member has been leader Mike Scott.

The band has gone through three distinct periods since its inception. In the eighties, they had a “Big Music” sound, typified by their hit “The Whole of the Moon”. In the late eighties, Scott moved the band to Ireland and transformed them into what has been called a “Raggle Taggle” band. After breaking up in the nineties, they later reformed as an experimental folk-rock band.

While I am a big fan of the early days, and to some extent the more recent, I’m going to concentrate on the Raggle Taggle period today.

After joining up with fiddler Steve Wickham (formerly of In Tua Nua), Scott assembled a revolving group of folk and rock musicians in Ireland. They took to recording umpteen sessions over the course of two and a half years, beginning at Windmill Lane in Dublin, and later moving the operation to the town of Spidal. Out of these sessions, the magnificent album Fisherman’s Blues was born.

Over the years, many of the other tracks recorded (and there were hundreds of them) have been issued. Some on singles, some on later albums and remasters, and many through bootlegs. Here’s some of the songs that didn’t make the original, or subsequent official albums:

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The Waterboys - “Lost Highway” (written by Leon Payne, made famous by Hank Williams) B-side of the “Fisherman’s Blues” single. Liam O’Maonlai of Hothouse Flowers guests on piano.
The Waterboys - “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” (live) B-side of “And a Bang On the Ear” single. A studio version later appeared on Room To Roam.
The Waterboys - “Drunken Head Ghost of Rimbaud Blues” Recorded at Windmill Lane on January 23, 1986. Unreleased.
The Waterboys - “Everybody Takes a Tumble” (radio session) Written during the Fisherman’s Blues sessions, but not recorded at that time. This session is from around 15 years later. A studio version finally made it out on Book of Lightning.
The Waterboys - “Golden Age Medley” B-side of “The Whole of the Moon” reissue single. The medley is comprised of four songs: “A Golden Age”, “Higher In Time”, “High Far Soon” and “Soon As I Get Home”. Two of these have had alternate takes issued, but these versions are unique to this medley.
The Waterboys - “Twa Recruitin’ Sergeants” Session recording from The Factory in 1988. Unreleased.
The Waterboys - “The Stolen Child” (remix) Released on the Now and In Time To Be compilation.
The Waterboys - “Lonesome and A Long Way From Home” Bonus track on the US edition of Too Close To Heaven.
The Waterboys - “Give That Fiddler a Drink” A rather drunken session recording from some time in 1986. Unreleased.

The Waterboys discography:

The Waterboys, 1983 (buy remaster)
A Pagan Place, 1984 (buy remaster)
This Is the Sea, 1985 (buy 2cd remaster) (buy original)
Fisherman’s Blues, 1988 (buy 2cd remaster) (buy original)
Room to Roam, 1990 (buy)
Dream Harder, 1993 (buy)
The Secret Life of The Waterboys, 1994 (b-sides and rarities from 81-85)
A Rock In a Weary Land, 2000 (buy)
Too Close to Heaven, 2001 (buy) (from Fisherman’s Blues sessions)
Universal Hall, 2003 (buy)
Book of Lightning, 2007 (buy)

For more information, you can check out the wiki, or the official site.

HOTHOUSE FLOWERS

I mentioned the Irish band Hothouse Flowers once before, in the post about fellow Irishmen The Frames. Back in the late eighties and early nineties, the Flowers were among my favorite bands. Strange because at the time I was big into angry and depressing stuff, which is the opposite of Hothouse Flowers.

By the mid-nineties, the original line up had split (alright, it wasn’t the original line up, but the line up from the first album), and I haven’t really taken the time to listen to their newer stuff.

That said, their early stuff was fantastic. Of course the songs on the albums were great, but many of my favorites were only issued as b-sides. Here’s a few from their first two albums to wet your appetite (I'll post some of the many many b-sides from their third album later):

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Hothouse Flowers - “Love Don’t Work This Way” (original version) This song later appeared on the first album, People, but in a very different form. This version is a duet between Liam O’Maonlai and Maria Doyle, who left the band shortly after recording this.
Hothouse Flowers - “Big Fat Heart” A radio session from 1988, released on the promo-only EP Just A Note.
Hothouse Flowers - “Carrickfergus” This is my favorite traditional Irish song, and this version is among the best I’ve heard (even better than Van Morrison and the Chieftains). Taken from the soundtrack to the movie Joyriders.
Hothouse Flowers - “Mountains” B-side of “I’m Sorry”.
Hothouse Flowers - “Wild White Horse” Taken from the soundtrack to The Courier.
Hothouse Flowers - “Bean Phaidin” Another traditional song. This one sung in Irish (or is that Gaelic?) B-side of the “Movies” single.


Hothouse Flowers discography:

People (1988) (buy)
Home (1990) (buy)
Songs From the Rain (1993) (buy)
Born (1998) (buy)
Into Your Heart (2004) (buy)

Hothouse Flowers are going to be touring the mid-west a little later this year. The dates are listed at their official site.