The Waterboys

Mike Scott這位具備詩詞創(chuàng)作文采，同時精通多樣樂器的蘇格蘭青年在1981年基于他個人對搖滾老將Lou Reed的&The Kids&這首歌曲中所觸動的對于海洋的一個幻夢而創(chuàng)立The Waterboys這支樂團，當樂團在1983年發(fā)表首張同名專輯《The Waterboys》時，樂壇就對他們以蘇格蘭民謠搖滾為主干，再放進鍵盤、喇叭、大、小提琴與口琴等流行搖滾與古典樂的樂器配置感到相當新鮮，甚至還有樂評將他們醞釀歌曲戲劇化情境的編曲功力與U2相提并論。
 
在連續(xù)兩張專輯的沖撞后，The Waterboys終于在1985年以第3張專輯《This Is The Sea》沖進英國金榜前40名。 The Waterboys逐漸確立新型態(tài)的英倫搖滾之聲后，在1988年專輯《Fisherman's Blues》突然玩起愛爾蘭傳統(tǒng)民謠，搞得眾人暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向。 90年代初期，Mike Scott前往紐約錄制一張搶搭主流硬式搖滾風潮的專輯《Dream Harder》；2000年，The Waterboys端出一張Mike稱之為「Sonic Rock」的實驗搖滾專輯《A Rock In The Weary Land》，接著他又樂風大回歸，在2003年專輯《Universal Hall》中，重新玩起居爾特民謠搖滾風。
 
by Jason Ankeny
Led by the literate singer/songwriter Mike Scott, the groups sole constant member, the mercurial Waterboys formed in London in 1981. Born December 14, 1958, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Scott first became involved in music as the creator of the fanzine Jungleland and later played in a series of local punk outfits. After college, where he studied English and philosophy, Scott and his band, Another Pretty Face, moved to London; following the groups breakup, he formed the Waterboys, so named after a line in the Lou Reed song The Kids but wholly appropriate given Scotts recurring lyrical fascination with sea imagery.
 
A newspaper advertisement calling for musicians led to a response from multi-instrumentalist Anthony Thistlethwaite; along with drummer Kevin Wilkinson, the Waterboys issued their self-titled debut in 1983. Keyboardist Karl Wallinger and trumpeter Roddy Lorimer joined for the 1984 follow-up, A Pagan Place, which expanded the groups rich, dramatic sound while further exploring Scotts interest in spirituality. With 1985s This Is the Sea, the Waterboys reached an early peak; a majestic, ambitious record, it earned the group a significant hit with the single The Whole of the Moon.
 
However, after the albums release, Wallinger departed to form World Party, which prompted Scott and Thistlethwaite to relocate to Ireland and begin with a clean slate. When the Waterboys returned in 1988 with the acclaimed Fishermans Blues, they were joined by traditional Irish players like fiddler Steve Wickham, drummer Dave Ruffy, keyboardist Guy Chambers, and bassist Marco Weissman, resulting in a stripped-down, folky sound that was continued on 1990s Room to Roam.
 
In 1991, Scott moved to New York without Thistlethwaite or any other bandmembers; the release of 1993s Dream Harder, cut with session musicians, marked a return to an electric, more rock-oriented sound. Soon Scott moved back to Scotland, where he began a lengthy stay at a spiritual commune; there he recorded the folk-tinged Bring Em All In under his own name, apparently putting the Waterboys to rest for good.
 
On July 17, 1999, drummer Kevin Wilkinson committed suicide in his countryside home in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, just prior to jetting off on an American tour with Howard Jones. Wilkinson, who had also worked with Squeeze, China Crisis, Bonnie Raitt, and the Proclaimers, was a member of the Waterboys since their 1983 self-titled effort.
 
Good fortune was in the wings, for Mike Scott resurrected the Waterboys name in 2000. Rock in the Weary Land marked the bands first release in seven years. Thistlethwaite and Wickham would return to the group, and tours across the world would prove successful. Fishermans Blues, Pt. 2, an album featuring previously unavailable material from the Fishermans Blues sessions, appeared in summer 2002. Scott returned to the studio for 2003s Universal Hall, followed by Book of Lightning in 2007.