Mike Scott
had been pursuing his grandiose "big music" since he founded
the Waterboys
, so it came as a shock when he scaled back the group's sound for the Irish and English folk of
Fisherman's Blues
. Although the arena-rock influences have been toned down,
Scott
's vision is no less sweeping or romantic, making even the simplest songs on
feel like epics. Nevertheless, the album is
' warmest and most rewarding record, boasting a handful of fine songs (
"And a Bang on the Ear,"
the ominous
"We Will Not Be Lovers,"
"Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?,"
and the title track), as well as a surprisingly successful cover of
Van Morrison
's breathtaking
"Sweet Thing."
[
was reissued in 2006 with a bonus disc containing fourteen outtakes, alternate versions and late-night studio jams. The re-mastered original included extended versions of
"And a Bang on the Ear"
and
"World Party."
] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine