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The Waterboys
The Waterboys
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Led by the literate singer/songwriter Mike Scott, the group's 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 group's breakup, he formed the Waterboys, so named after a line in the Lou Reed song "The Kids" but wholly appropriate given Scott's 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 group's rich, dramatic sound while further exploring Scott's interest in spirituality. With 1985's 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 album's 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 Fisherman's 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 1990's Room to Roam.

In 1991, Scott moved to New York without Thistlethwaite or any other bandmembers; the release of 1993's 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 band's first release in seven years. Thistlethwaite and Wickham would return to the group, and tours across the world would prove successful. Fisherman's Blues, Pt. 2, an album featuring previously unavailable material from the Fisherman's Blues sessions, appeared in summer 2002. Scott returned to the studio for 2003's Universal Hall, followed by Book of Lightning in 2007. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music GuideMore

Fan Comments

Nov 20th, 6:06pm
MIKE'S NADSAT LEXICON

Followers of Mike Scott’s Twitter page will know he spent much of Summer 2009 tweeting in Nadsat, the futuristic language invented by Anthony Burgess for his great novel A Clockwork Orange. Mike also invented many of his own Nadsat words and has compiled an illustrated Nadsat-English dictionary, more complete than the lexicon found in some editions of the book. It is available online at:

http://mikescottwaterboys.com/nadsat/
Nov 19th, 6:21pm
SAINTS AND ANGELS SINGLE RELEASE & PLAYLISTED IN IRELAND

Saints And Angels, the Waterboys’ collaboration with former member Sharon Shannon on her new album Saints & Scoundrels, will be released as a download single in Ireland by Daisy Discs on 4 December, available from iTunes and other sites. The song has been remixed by Mike Scott from the version on the album and is available for listening at our myspace page at www.myspace.com/mikescottwaterboys
The single is already playlisted at Ireland’s national 2FM and a large number of regional radio stations.
Nov 19th, 6:21pm
MARK SMITH – FACEBOOK MEMORIAL PAGE

A memorial page for Waterboys bass player Mark Smith has been set up on Facebook, where people can read and leave messages about Mark. Several of Mark’s Waterboys colleagues have posted memories. Visit here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mark-Smith-Memorial-Page/326780975331
Nov 19th, 6:20pm
ARTICLE ON MIKE SCOTT’S MUSIC ROOM

Mike has written a short piece for an Irish website about the room where he writes and works. To read, click on the following link:

http://musicalrooms.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/musical-rooms-part-93-mike-scott/
Nov 19th, 6:19pm
MIKE’S INTRO TO R. OGILVIE CROMBIE’S BOOK

Mike has written the introduction to The Gentleman And The Faun, a collection of vintage lectures and articles by the late Scottish mystic R. Ogilvie Crombie, published this month by Findhorn Press. For further information and to purchase the book, visit:

http://www.findhornpress.com/ecology-nature-and-geomancy-14/the-gentleman-and-the-faun-298.html
Nov 8th, 7:24pm
There is now a Mark Smith memorial page on Facebook- a chance for the many who held him in high regard as a musician, a person or both to share or leave a few words as well as keep up on events associated with his memory.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mark-Smith-Memorial-Page/326780975331
Nov 4th, 12:23am
MARK SMITH 1960-2009
We’re very sorry to inform you all that our friend and colleague, Waterboys bass player Mark Smith, has died unexpectedly at his home in London. We don’t yet know the cause of death, but are told Mark was found dead on his sofa and as far as we know, he died peacefully. No foul play is suspected. Mark played on stage with Mike Scott only a few weeks ago at the Groucho Club in London and had been active since then, playing with various bands, musicians and friends around London. We will all miss Mark very much, not just for his fabulous bass playing but for his friendship and his wonderful, dry humour.
Nov 4th, 12:23am
MARK SMITH 1960-2009
We’re very sorry to inform you all that our friend and colleague, Waterboys bass player Mark Smith, has died unexpectedly at his home in London. We don’t yet know the cause of death, but are told Mark was found dead on his sofa and as far as we know, he died peacefully. No foul play is suspected. Mark played on stage with Mike Scott only a few weeks ago at the Groucho Club in London and had been active since then, playing with various bands, musicians and friends around London. We will all miss Mark very much, not just for his fabulous bass playing but for his friendship and his wonderful, dry humour.
Oct 1st, 9:28pm
MIKE'S GLASGOW SHOW - DATE CORRECTION

Mike's solo show as part of the Glasgow Homecoming celebrations is on Saturday the 28th of November, not the 8th as mis-stated in the previous news item. We apologise for the error.
Sep 30th, 9:44pm
MIKE, STEVE, ANTO AND SHARON ON IRELAND’S LATE LATE SHOW, FRIDAY

The trio of Mike Scott, Steve Wickham and Anto Thistlethwaite will be reunited when they perform with Sharon Shannon on this week’s edition of Ireland’s Friday night TV programme, The Late Late Show. The ensemble, also including members of Sharon’s band, will perform a live version of the Waterboys’ song Saints And Angels, which is featured on Sharon’s new album of collaborations Saints And Scoundrels. Sharon will also be performing on the show with Galway band The Cartoon Thieves. Transmission time is 9.30pm and people outside Ireland can watch the show after broadcast at:

http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/index.html