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Formed by former fanzine writer Mike Scott (b. 14 December 1958, Edinburgh, Scotland; vocals), the Waterboys evolved from Another Pretty Face, which included John Caldwell
(guitar) and a frequently changing line-up from 1979-81. A series of failed singles followed until Scott elected to form a new group. Borrowing the name Waterboys from a line in "The Kids" from Lou Reed's Berlin, Scott began advertising in the music press for suitable personnel. Anthony Thistlethwaite (b. 31 August 1955, Leicester, England; saxophone) and Karl Wallinger (b. 19 October 1957, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales; keyboards, percussion, vocals) were recruited and work was completed on "A Girl Called Johnny", a sterling tribute to Patti Smith that narrowly failed to become a big hit. The band's self-titled debut was also a solid work, emphasizing Scott's ability as a singer-songwriter. "December", with its religious connotations, was an excellent Christmas single that again narrowly failed to chart. Augmented by musicians Kevin Wilkinson (drums), Roddy Lorimar (trumpet) and Tim Blanthorn (violin), the Waterboys completed A Pagan Place, which confirmed their early promise. The key track for many was "The Big Music", which became a handy simile for Scott's soul-searching mini-epics. For the following year's This Is The Sea, Scott brought in a new drummer, Chris Whitten, and added a folk flavour to the proceedings courtesy of fiddler Steve Wickham. The attendant "The Whole Of The Moon" only reached number 28 in the UK but later proved a spectacular Top 10 hit when reissued in 1990. It was a masterwork from a band seemingly at the height of its powers.
Despite their promise, the Waterboys remained a vehicle for Scott's ideas and writing, a view reinforced when Karl Wallinger left to form World Party. At this point Wickham, who had previously played with In Tua Nua, U2 and Sin‚ad O'Connor, took on a more prominent role. He took Scott to Eire and a long sojourn in Galway followed. Three years passed before the Waterboys released their next album, the distinctively folk-flavoured Fisherman's Blues. Scott's assimilation of traditional Irish music, mingled with his own spiritual questing and rock background coalesced to produce a work of considerable charm and power. Back in the ascendant, the band completed work on Room To Roam, which retained the folk sound, though to a lesser extent than its predecessor.
Within days of the album's release, Wickham left the band, forcing Scott to reconstruct the Waterboys' sound once more. A revised line-up featuring Thistlethwaite, Trevor Hutchinson and new drummer Ken Blevins toured the UK playing a rocking set, minus the folk music that had permeated their recent work. After signing an US/Canadian contract with Geffen Records, the Waterboys line-up underwent further changes when, in February 1992, long-serving member Thistlethwaite left the band (he has since played with the Saw Doctors and released solo albums). During the final rebuilding of the Waterboys, former Wendy And Lisa drummer Carla Azar took over the spot vacated by Ken Blevins, and Scott Thunes was recruited as the new bass player.
Mercurial and uncompromising, Scott continually steered the Waterboys through radically different musical phases, which proved consistently fascinating. Following the release of the disappointingly mainstream Dream Harder, Scott concentrated on his solo career for several years, before re-forming the band to record the excellent comeback album, A Rock In The Weary Land.
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