I knew little about the Waterboys other than the hit single The Whole Of The Moon, which always seemed to be playing during a particularly boozy week-long course in Lincolnshire in 1990, and I'm still at that point with them.
So, almost certainly a quid in a charity shop, and barely listened to until now. It's even been relegated from the shelves to the upstairs drawers, so expectations are limited.
Don't Bang The Drum is a lively but ordinary start, leading into the hit - The Whole Of The Moon, which still sounds a great song. Spirit follows this, and then The Pan Within, and I'm finding Mike Scott's earnest delivery somewhat wearisome. Medicine Bow makes more of an impact, and Old England is a heartfelt song, worth an ear. Be My Enemy is an angry, fast romp which really suits Scott's voice, far more that the love song Trumpets, while the title track, This Is The Sea ends the album - a grand gesture of a song, which doesn't really please these ears.
This isn't a bad album, indeed there are a couple of really good songs but as a whole, it's not my thing.
2* - I can kind of see what they're doing, but most of it isn't for me.
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