It’s Raining Sounds of The Waterboys

Waterboys main man Mike Scott has been posting some interesting sounds on his SoundCloud page (under his Twitter nom de keys, MickPuck). The music ranges from his own mash-ups of familiar and unfamiliar music from the last half century, as well as demos and live cuts from Scott’s solo career and his work with The Waterboys.

Two recent additions really struck my fancy and are worth checking out: The first being a solo piano and vocal demo of “Don’t Bang the Drum” (click here to listen), from 1985’s This Is the Sea album. As Scott explains, it was recorded at a London studio in March 1985 during demo sessions for all the songs in consideration for The Waterboys’ next album. It’s a raw and spartan rendition. While certainly no comparison to the epic final version – with its lengthy Roddy Lorimer trumpet intro, frenzied sax playing of Anto Thistlethwaite and generally bombastic climax – the core essence of the song remains evident in the simple chords and solitary, impassioned vocal of this demo.

The second outstanding recent post is a rousing live version of “When Ye Go Away” (click here to listen), which first appeared on 1986’s Fisherman’s Blues album. This version was performed by the “Water-Trio,” comprising past and present Waterboys Mike Scott (vocals and guitar), Steve Wickham (fiddle) and Sharon Shannon (accordian). It was recorded at Dean Crow Theatre in Athlone, Ireland in 2004.

Slainté!

The “Water-Trio” of Sharon Shannon, Steve Wickham and

Mike Scott in Cambridge, England, 2007.