The Waterboys - Biography
By Brad Austin
The Waterboys is more or less a pseudonym for singer/guitarist Mike Scott. The Scottish-born artist has commented that there really is no difference between Mike Scott the solo artist and the Waterboys the band. It makes sense, given that he does appear on just about every one of the band's album covers, and usually alone. And yet, when the Waterboys peaked in the late 80's with their Celtic-inspired masterwork, Fisherman's Blues, one got the feeling that it was the product of a real band, with each player having significance and presence in the songs, not just the product of one man. After that highly-praised album, Scott became more and more individualistic in the context of the Waterboys, releasing an album that had none of the members of Fisherman's Blues, and then putting out an album under his own name. As of now, he has not released anything that has rivaled that former success. In a way, this makes Fisherman's Blues even more memorable, as it is the sole document of a large and largely anonymous ensemble of talented musicians who came together for that one majestic album.
Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on December 14th, 1958. He developed an early interest in music, and started publishing a fanzine called Jungleland. Soon enough, he wasn't only reporting on Scotland's music scene, but was a part of it, playing in various local punk bands. In college, Scott studied literature and philosophy while playing in his band, Another Pretty Face. Once through with college, Scott took his band to London, where they soon broke up. He quickly started up a new project called the Waterboys, taking the name from a line in the Lou Reed song, “The Kids.”
Scott put an ad in the paper looking for local talent. One musician who responded was the multi-talented Anthony Thistlewaite. Drummer Kevin Wilkinson made them a trio, and after getting signed to Chrysalis, the band put out their self-titled debut in 1983. It was clear as early as that first album that Scott had big plans for his songs, as the LP was an early stab at what Scott called “big music,” a style that he would try to perfect over the next few albums.
The band quickly followed up on their debut with A Pagan Place (1984, Chrysalis), a set that showed remarkable strides in Scott's songwriting, but also one that was hindered by its production and the fact that Scott occasionally tried too hard to write a sweeping song. He would have most of these wrinkles ironed out a year later. On A Pagan Place, the Waterboys were joined by two more members, trumpeter Roddy Lorimer and keyboardist Karl Wallinger.
Scott turned in his best collection of songs yet with 1985's This is the Sea (Chrysalis), an ambitious, lush set of arrangements that saw him almost completely reconciling his grandiose ambition with his actual abilities as a songwriter and musician. He even scored a hit with “The Whole of the Moon.” One can't help but find it unfortunate that such an ambitious album was recorded in the mid-80's, when glossy, often laughable production values were en vogue. It's tempting to wonder what it might have sounded like were it recorded today, now that those values have been abandoned entirely.
After releasing their best album yet, the Waterboys' lineup was starting to look strikingly different. Wallinger left to form his own band, World Party, while Scott moved to Ireland, taking Thistlewaite with him. They eventually assembled an authentic group of Irish musicians and set about recording a Celtic-inspired album that toned down the arena rock of previous records in favor of folk, and yet the songs retained all the drama of Scott's past songs. The 80's sheen was thankfully gone for good, giving the album its timeless feel. Fisherman's Blues was released on Chrysalis in 1988, giving Scott and company their first hit in America. The album went to number 76, riding the success of “Fisherman's Blues,” a number 3 single. “World Party” was right behind it, breaking the top 20.
In 1990, the Waterboys reemerged with Room to Roam (Chrysalis), a set that expanded on the Irish folk of Fisherman's Blues while tying in Beatlesesque melodies and a rawer energy. “A Life of Sundays” gave them their third top 20 hit in the US. One year later, Scott again relocated, this time by himself, to New York, where he started recording new material with session players. The result was 1993's Dream Harder (Geffen), which saw Scott abandoning much of the folk writing that fans had come to love in favor of a more rocking sound. The album obviously didn't sit well with longtime fans, but it still gave the Waterboys a second top ten hit in the US with “The Return of Pan.”
Scott ventured back to his native Scotland and took up residence in a spiritual commune. It was there that he wrote material to be recorded under his own name, and not the Waterboys. Bring 'Em All In surfaced in 1995 on Chrysalis. Rumors that Scott had had enough of the Waterboys name only held more water with the release of Scott's second solo album two years later, Still Burning (1997, Chrysalis). The good news was that Still Burning catered mostly to fans of the “Big Music” that Scott had largely abandoned after This is the Sea, and it sounds the way that album would sound had it emphasized hard-edged guitars over synthesizers.
Two years later, Scott was dealt a tragic blow when original drummer Kevin Wilkinson took his own life at his England home on July 17th, right before he was scheduled to go on tour with Howard Jones. Perhaps it was Wilkinson's death that propelled Scott to begin recording new material under the name of the Waterboys in 2000 for the recording of Rock in the Weary Land (2001, Razor & Tie). After the release, Thistlewaite was back in as a member, as was Wickham, and the band enjoyed a successful world tour. In 2002, the compilation, Too Close to Heaven surfaced in the UK on Phantom. It pieced together unreleased songs from the Fisherman's Blues sessions. The collection was re-released in the States later that year as Fisherman's Blues, Pt. 2 (Razor & Tie).
For the next few years, Scott would continue to release albums under the Waterboys moniker, using his artistic medium to further explore his faith, an issue that he only partially examined in previous albums. 2003 saw the release of Universal Hall (Puck), followed by the first ever live album by the band, Karma to Burn (2005, Puck). Book of Lightning (2007, W14), the band's latest release, sees Scott exploring the usual heavy themes, but setting them to comparatively light-hearted, celebratory music.
