CD: PUCK4
RELEASED: 2005
LABEL: Puck

01. Long Way to The Light
02. Peace of Iona
03. Glastonbury Song
04. Medicine Bow
05. The Pan Within
06. Open
07. The Return of Jimi Hendrix
08. My Dark Side
09. A Song For The Life
10. Bring Em' All In
11. The Whole of The Moon
12. Fisherman's Blues
13. Come Live With Me

The Waterboys originaly formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from the British Isles. London, Dublin, Spiddal, and Findhorn have all served as a home for the group. The band has played in a number of different styles, but most often their music can be described as a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. After ten years of recording and touring, the band dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career. The band reformed in 2000, and continues to release albums and tour worldwide. The early Waterboys sound was dubbed "The Big Music" after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, Big Country, the Hothouse Flowers and World Party, the last of which was created by former Waterboys members. 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. By 2001 the core of the new Waterboys included Mike Scott on vocals and guitar, Richard Naiff on keyboards and organs and Wickham, who had returned to the band, on violin. The group changed direction once again in 2003 and released Universal Hall a mostly acoustic album with a return of some Celtic influences from the Fisherman's Blues era. The album was followed by a tour of the U.K. and then Europe. Karma To Burn is an excellent registration of this tour and it's the band's first official live album.

Influences / Similar Artists:
The Call, The Frames, The Alarm, Big Country, World Party