The Waterboys — 48, 47

ALBUM: A Pagan Place (1984); This is the Sea (1985)

MVC Rating: Pagan’s 4.5/$$$$$; Sea 4.5/$$$$$

I think of this band as one that never quite achieved the success it deserved. Their sound was dubbed ‘big music’ after one of the songs on ‘A Pagan’s Place.’ Implying: The Next Big Thing.

Which creates a lot of expectations.

Mike Scott, the band’s leader, was (very obviously) influenced by Bob Dylan. He counts Joe Strummer of the Clash as an influence as well.

With the debut ‘A Pagan Place,’ followed by ‘This is the Sea’ and then ‘Fisherman’s Blues,’ the band snared me immediately as a fan. I have Fisherman’s Blues on CD so I’m not reviewing it here but I say ‘buy it,’ — it’s probably their best. Although the others are awesome. ‘Sea’ had their biggest ‘hit,’ if you can call it a hit, called ‘Whole of the Moon.’

The critique I’ve read and/or heard about the Waterboys is that they sounded overwrought with big subject matter (religion/Christianity), big singing, big music, leading to big pretensions.

OK, perhaps true. This tea is not for everybody.

But in my collection they each earn 4.5 points (out of 5). There is some real musical and songwriting craft going on here.

After ‘This is the Sea,’ Karl Wallinger, a keyboardist for the band left to form his own band, World Party, reviewed later. Mike Scott had some solo endeavors, some like ‘Bring Em All In,’ which touched on spiritual issues.