MAGNIFICENT SEVEN The Waterboys Fisherman's Blues/Room To Roam band

I have been a fan in Mike's and the Waterboys since the first album. When Mike tired of rock and roll and dropped out into Celtic folk I happened to do the same thing. This album was a game changer and started thousands of Celtic rooted bands worldwide. It's nice to get ever more of the story of those days. Also nice that once purchased it shows up in my Amazon Music files and can be streamed on the road or wherever without risking the hard copy outside the musicroom.

I've had this box set before the official release date, so I've had a chance to digest this music. If you're familiar with The Waterboys and like their style of music then--in a nutshell--this box set is worth adding to your Waterboys collection. This review is mainly for those who are familiar with the "Fisherman's Box" released a few years ago. Something of a continuation from that period in the band's music, this set is just about as good, maybe the equal of "Fisherman's Box" in it's own way. If you're new to this band start with the "This Is The Sea" and/or "Fisherman's Blues" albums. But both box sets mentioned above hold much great music from that period when this band was at it's best.There's five discs including the "Room To Roam" album. For people who wanted and/or expected a continuation of the "This Is The Sea" or "Fisherman's Blues" albums, the "Room..." album was met with at best, mixed reviews when released. In this context of so much good/great music, the album is better than many originally thought. The music on this new box is from a fifteen month period when the seven musicians (hence the title) played all over Europe and North America.Disc 1 has live recordings, radio sessions, demos, cover songs, and traditional Irish/Scottish tunes. But it's the way the band played this music that really makes this set both important and good listening. Disc 2 has more live tracks from Paris, the U.S. and Canada, plus recordings from the tour outside of concert recordings. Disc 3 has more live recordings, and demos (some finished tracks on the "Room To Roam" album) and casual recordings. Disc 4 has mostly rough mixes, and a few other tracks from various sources, all having a charm of their own, which shows how good this band was. Disc 5 is the "Room To Roam" album. The DVD is okay but only deep fans will watch this over again.The core band of four Waterboys was joined by three newcomers--Sharon Shannon-accordion (or "box" as it's listed in the credits), Colin Blakey--mostly piano, and Noel Bridgeman--drums. The addition of these musicians really made a difference in the band's sound and their willingness to play such great music. You can hear the excitement on the live tracks, and the even the casual tracks on the bus, in a hotel, etc. have an excitement all their own. And I was stunned to hear Shannon's playing on the "box"--listen to "Bonnie Kate" and "The Woodland Strut" on Disc 1 for proof--wow. She makes you forget it's an accordion and all you hear is this impressive, exciting music. But the band on stage seemed to have a kind of internal feel for what the other band members were playing, which is why Mike Scott was so excited about this band in 1989-1990 and this box set.The sound is actually quite good for so many different recordings from live, studio, and casual recordings. Each disc comes in a cardboard jacket with a track list on the back cover. The thick booklet has complete track by track information, along with a few period photos of the band. Everything fits into a thick cardboard clamshell style box. All in all a very nice presentation of this fine music.Hopefully both Waterboys fans and maybe people new to the band will give this a listen. It's one of the best releases of it's kind in this new year of music.

A collection of the album, outtakes from the previous 2 CD deluxe edition and various rehearsals, live performances spread over five discs (4 CD 1 DVD series of shows but don’t get too excited as the DVD live shows are, more or,less, like video bootlegs), this is a great set for mega fans. There are multiple editions of this including a deluxe edition with a book. I didn’t opt for that; I went for the smaller boxed set with small paper booklet. Each disc comes in a series of thin cardboard sleeves.Do you need all of this music, well, it really depends on how much of a fan you are. While I feel this isn’t as essential as “The Fisherman’s Box” from four or five years ago, it’s got some great music. Some of this will be more essential than others but I’d rather have what we do rather than the slim pickings of just a couple of discs. To be clear; more casual fans will probably be better served with the two disc “Room to Roam” set as the material on that one is all here (with some minor differences like some a bit longer than others).On the whole this is a fine, if inconsistent, set. Go for the smaller box if you can find it.

The awesome appeal and rare find here is the abundance of live tracks. There has always been a dearth of concert albums in the Waterboys' output, rather unbelievable given their incredible dynamism as performers. That attraction was on full display during their late-80s-early-nineties incarnation, represented here. This collection fills in a too-long gap, once occupied only by "The Live Adventures of the Waterboys," a bootleg in print for but a brief period. Whoever missed their shows during their short-lived classic period (featuring Sharon Shannon's powerfully joyful accordian) are in for an historic yet timeless treat here. That's to say nothing of the other newly released tracks from either side of the "Room to Roam" sessions. If you liked "Fisherman's Box," you'll have nothing to complain about with this set, and a lot to kick up your heels over, which is just how Mike Scott & Co. would want it.

Fantastic music from my favourite period of the Waterboys. Well chosen live tracks with outstanding sound. The booklet is very well done - quotes from the band members about each track as well as all the recording and personnel information.

Brilliant

Ett fantastiskt kronologiskt porträtt av Waterboys bästa sättning, och är ett måste jämte systerboxen Fisherman's Box. Skivorna beskriver det 1 1/2 år som följde på förra skivan med turne och repetitioner till och med plattan Room to Roam - som satte punkt för bandets irländska period. Sharon Shannon på dragspel och fiol är stjärnan som lyfter det hela ett snäpp högre än tidigare. Åtminstone live. Fishermans' Blues är trots allt bättre än Room to Roam. Man måste alltså ha bägge boxarna.

El descubrimiento del folk por parte de The Waterboys fue seguramente uno de los grandes aciertos de la banda de Mike Scott a finales de los ochenta y principios de los noventa. En aquellos años salieron dos discos excelentes (Fisherman's Blues y Room to Roam") y un montón de material valioso e imponente. Junto a la caja ya publicada hace unos años se editó el pasado este espectacular conjunto de temas que nos hacen valorar por qué The Waterboys no vuelven a la senda de la música irlandesa. Una gran caja de discos.

C'est impressionnant ce que ce groupe a arrive à produire d'inédits ou de versions de travail originales de ses titres. Tout est intéressant ici, même le témoignage hilarant de Mike Scott chantant sous la douche. Petit bémol sur la qualité des concerts sur Dvd.