- Colin Blakey - keyboards, flute (1988)

- Fran Breen - drums (1988)

- John Dee Daugherty - drums (1988)

- Trevor Hutchinson - bass, bouzouki (1981-)

- Vinnie Kilduff - guitar (1988)

- Peter McKinney - drums (1988-)

- Mairtin O'Conner - accordion (1988)

- Dave Ruffy - drums (1988)

- Mike Scott - vocals, guitar, keyboards (1982-)

- Sharon Shannon - accordion, fiddle (1981-)

- Anthony Thistlethwaite - sax, mandolin (1982-)
- Karl Wallinger - vocals, keyboards (19822-85)
- Steve Wickham - fiddle, keyboards, backiing vocals 

  (1988-)

- Kevin Wilkinson - drums (1988)

- In Tua Nua (Steve Wickham)

- Mike Scott (solo efforts)

- Anthony Thistlethwaite (solo efforts)

- World Party (Karl Wallinger)

Genre: folk-rock

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  Fisherman's Blues

Company: Ensign/Chrysalis

Catalog: FV-41589

Year: 1988

Country/State: Edinburgh, UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: original inner sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4642

Price: $6.00

Cost: $66.00

This is one of those albums you either love with a passion, or find irritating beyond words.  No in betweens here.  While the album isn't perfect, I fell in love with it after hearing the title track featured in the film "Waking Ned Devine".

1988's "Fisherman's Blues" was recorded in the wake of personnel and personal upheavals.  With the departure of keyboard player Karl Wallinger, main Waterboy Mike Scott decided to end the band.  He moved to Dublin,  then County Galway, Ireland and promptly started putting together The Waterboys mark II.  When recording sessions started, the new line up included long standing sax/mandolin player Anthony Thistlethwaite, bassist Trevor Hutchinson, accordion player Sharon Shannon, fiddle player Steve Wickham and a rotating group of drummers.  Co-produced by Scott and John Dunford, the album's a major change in musical direction that some folks won't particularly appreciate.  Having literally soaked in local musical influences, material such as the title track, 'We Will Not Be Lovers' (cool use of strings) and the stomping ' World Party' found Scott and company having transformed themselves into Irish folk-rockers. Two parts U2, add a little Thin Lizzy, a touch of mid-career Van Morrison romanticism and you're off ... just kidding.   While nothing here was particularly original (though their cover of Van Morrison's 'Sweet Thing' is quite nice), the album served to underscore the old adage 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery  Surrounded by authentic Irish instrumentation, with the exception of the lame country-ish 'Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? and the closer ''The Stolen Child' the entire set sounds great. The same's true for Scott who wrote some of his best material for the album and sounds like he truly enjoyed himself in the process - anyone who doubts that need only check out the boisterous 'And a Bang on the Ear'.   

"Fisherman's Blues" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Fisherman's Blues   (Mike Scott - Steve Wickham) - 

2.) We Will Not Be Lovers   (Mike Scott) - 

3.) Strange Boat   (Mike Scott - Anthony Thistlethwaite) - 

4.) World Party   (Mike Scott - Karl Wallinger - Trevor Hutchinson) - 

5.) Sweet Thing   (Van Morrison) - 

(side 2)
1.) And a Bang on the Ear   (Mike Scott) - 

2.) Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?   (Mike Scott - Anthony Thistlethwaite) - 

3.) When Will We Be Married?   (traditional adapted by Steve Wickham) - 

4.) When Ye Go Away   (Mike Scott) - 

5.) Dunford's Fancy (instrumental)  (Steve Wickham) -

5.) The Stolen Child   (William Blake Yeats - Mike Scott) -