Celtic rock in the 80s - The waterboys

Celtic rock although a very general term is a mixture of traditional music from the Celtic regions mainly Ireland and Scotland and this is fused with modern rock. A combination of old instruments mixed with new technology has certainly transformed this genre.

The Waterboys are a very good example of this where the musicians come from Scotland, England and Ireland and with this there is a mixture of the fiddle, bodhran, accordian, tin whistle mixed with drums, guitars and bass. The band was formed in 1983 by Mike Scott and the band has been noted for its membership as musicians have come and gone but the name of Mike Scott and the Waterboys still carries on.

The band currently has 11 members but over 50 have been and departed the band. Some of the notable members were Edi Reader (Fairground Attraction), Karl Wallinger (World party and Robbie Williams songwriter) and Guy Chambers Who wrote most of Robbie Williams major hits and wrote and produced for Kylie and The Wanted amongst others.

They released the self titled album in 1983 and went onto tour and get noticed by promoters and record labels alike. A second album soon followed called a Pagans Place and this led to huge exposure in terms of supporting U2 on a tour and playing the Glastonbury Festival. The band as through the years went through a few personnel changes and the next album seem to cement them in the commercial heartland.

The album was called This is The Sea and this saw the single The whole of the moon hit the Top 30 (although it was to go to number 3 on a re-release in 1991) the band were getting more commercially known and this was triggering a few celtic bands to try there luck in the UK.

Mike Scott and a few other members of the band moved over to Ireland and were starting to get more influenced by Traditional Irish music and as a result the band took off to Spiddal in Co.Galway to record Fishermans Blues which was released in 1988. The album saw many guest musicians and many fans and critics were split over the album in terms of its direction as it was more folk music than they were used to but the album did spawn foot tapping hits of Fishermans Blues, and a bang on the ear and when ye go away.

After touring the band went back to studio in Spiddal in the late 1980s to record a new album Room to Roam which included the classic Folk song The Raggle Taggle Gypsy but before the album was released some members left in terms of the direction as some wanted to go back to a rock feel whilst others wanted to carry on the folk theme. The net result was the band soon dissolved after the Room to Roam tour.

Although the band was not as commercial successful as many bands in the 1980s they did leave a legacy and help influence other later bands such as Feeder, Hothouse Flowers, Big Country and the Alarm. For me they were one of the most underrated band of the decade and to this day I still listen to there music and cannot get fed up of the This is the Sea and Fishermans Blues albums, so different but so Waterboys. No other band could be so diverse.