by MadScience

Created on: March 29, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

What goes around comes around or at least it can seem that way

At the end of the 70's the bloated overproduced sound of Prog rock epitomised by bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes and the like was blown away by the short sharp shock of Punk and the return to the 3 minute single. The sound of the music was again minimalist and immediate, the tracks sounded as if they'd be recorded by spotty teenagers in bedsits and disused garages of housing estates (which they sometimes were) rather than in plush music studios. Alas people and music grow up and with the beginning of the 80's even the anarchic bands of the period The Clash and The Jam had found bit more sophistication in their songs. Bands like U2 and Big Country although coming from the same stable as punk were identified as a new phenomena known as Celtic indie rock but wait were do The Waterboys' fit in to all thiswell as U2 made it big The Waterboys fronted by the Scottish Mike Scott were developing their own brand of Celtic influenced folk/rock and their brand of music was in many ways looking back at the earlier days of 70's progressive rock rather than the recent punk movement.

Formed in 1983 The Waterboys had already released one album before A Pagan Place' but it was this record that really allowed them to be known to a wider audience.

This second album cemented their musical style and for a few years at least made them the most identifiable exponents of what was then dubbed by many music commentators as Big Music'. The name came from the first of the singles released from A Pagan Place' called appropriately enough The Big Music'.

On first listening to The Waterboys it might be difficult to work out were exactly their musical influences lie since their music is a fantastically bold mixture of so many styles. When we find out that Scott himself is a big fan of Patti Smith (their first ever single was a tribute to Smith, A Girl Called Johnny'), Dylan and Bowie things become somewhat clearer, certainly the punky attitude of Smith pervades all the songs, lyrically Scott has shown thoughtfulness and purpose that might seem Dylaneque in its pretensions if not in its execution and for sheer showmanship and fullness of sound as exemplified on this album it is clear that The Waterboys owe a debt to the more serious 70's glam rock bands including David Bowie. A further clue is provided by the name of the band that is from a Lou Reed song off the album Berlin'.

A Pagan Place is a collection of big, bold, epic

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