And A Bang On The Ear

Very good clean vinyl with a sleeve showing minor ringwear.

The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England, with Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York and Findhorn serving as homes for the group. They have explored a number of different styles, but their music is a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll. They dissolved in 1993 when Scott departed to pursue a solo career. They reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and tour worldwide. Scott emphasises a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."^[1]

The early Waterboys sound was dubbed "The Big Music" after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. This style was described by Scott as "a metaphor for seeing God's signature in the world."^[2] It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including U2,^[3] Simple Minds, In Tua Nua, Big Country and the Hothouse Flowers^[4] In the late 1980s the band became significantly more folk influenced. The Waterboys eventually returned to rock and roll, and have released both rock and folk albums since reforming. Their songs, largely written by Scott, often contain literary references and are frequently concerned with spirituality. Both the group and its members' solo careers have received much praise from both rock and folk music critics, but The Waterboys as a band has never received the commercial success that some of its members have had independently.