THE WATERBOYS

1985

When young bands are just starting out, they tend to write so much material that their early records have a well-defined sonic throughline. That’s certainly true with The Waterboys, whose first three albums embodied the widescreen ‘Big Music’ movement that also propelled Big Country to stardom.

By the time the band released their third album, 1985’s This Is The Sea – which featured their first and most familiar hit single in The Whole Of The Moon – Mike Scott’s collective had refined their stirring, spiritual combination of folk, rock and post-punk. 1985, a new 6CD boxset tracing the evolution of This Is The Sea, makes it quite clear that this was no easy task, as the recording process eventually encompassed sessions at multiple studios, involving a producer switch and requiring an abundance of patience.

For completists, 1985 is a dream collection: the set includes a remastered version of the original album, as well as 64 previously-unreleased demos, alternate versions, radio sessions, studio outtakes and live recordings. A 220-page book overflowing with ephemera and insider facts is also delightful; for example, Scott explaining why the raucous Sleek White Schooner didn’t make the album: “The lyrics and performance were cool, but it wasn’t original enough; my vocal was too close to Mac of the Bunnymen.”

Of the bonus material, the raw, sparse Scott piano demos are particularly illuminating, highlighted by a loose, soulful Be My Enemy and the magical, nine-minute The Whole Of The Moon (Writing Of), where you can actually hear the song fall into its final form. The third disc is also full of unheard treasures in the form of goofy rehearsal footage (Old MacMichael Had A Band) and rough gems such as the beatific, moving Rain Come Down.

In the end, all of this extra material doesn’t diminish the mystique of This Is The Sea.

If anything, the detailed backstory illuminates new facets of the album that help reveal its remarkable depth.