Room to Roam

by The Waterboys

Overview

The Waterboys' departure from the self-described "big music" of the early to mid-'80s into the more pastoral Celtic folk-rock landscapes of Fisherman's Blues frustrated many longtime fans who thought that the group belonged in the same arenas as contemporaries like U2 or the Alarm, but it also brought in a new set of listeners who were looking for a young Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span. Taking its name from a passage in Scottish author, poet, and minister George MacDonald' fantasy novel Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, Room to Roam extends the scope of the group's previous effort by integrating that album's Irish and Scottish folk elements further into the rock and pop nether regions. If anything, Room to Roam captures head (and soon to be only) Waterboy Mike Scott at his most unabashedly Beatlesque, stringing together whispery interludes, pub-style jam sessions (of the traditional folk variety), sound effects, and genre-defying forays into soul ("Something That Is Gone"), country ("How Long Will I Love You?"), traditional folk ("Raggle Taggle Gypsy"), and full-on rock & roll ("Life of Sundays") -- the latter cut even dissolves into a group singalong of the Fab Four classic "Yellow Submarine." Of the two albums, Room to Roam balances these two worlds the most effectively, and while the more focused and nuanced Fisherman's Blues is the superior record, it lacks Roam's amiable, schizophrenic, and pioneering spirit. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	01/21/2022
Label:	Chrysalis Records
UPC:	5060516097098
Rank:	50828

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Waterboys   Primary Artist
Tomas Mac Eoin   Primary Artist,Vocals
Trevor Hutchinson   Bass,Bouzouki
Steve Wickham   Organ,Fiddle,Vocals,Mandolin,Accordion,Diddley Bow,Organ (Hammond),Vocals (Background)
Roddy Lorimer   Trumpet
Jay Dee Daugherty   Drums
Vinnie Kilduff   Uillean Pipes
Seamus Begley   Vocals (Background)
Noel Bridgeman   Drums,Congas,Vocals,Bodhran,Percussion,Tambourine
Colin Blakey   Horn,Flute,Organ,Piano,Fiddle,Bodhran,Mandolin,Finger Piano,Organ (Hammond),Whistle (Human),Whistle (Instrument)
Mike Scott   Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Bodhran,Mandolin,Toy Organ,Diddley Bow,Synthesizer,Wah Wah Guitar,Piano (Electric),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Diarmuid O Suilleabhain   Vocals (Background)
Eoghan O'Neill   Bass
Sharon Shannon   Fiddle,Accordion,Diddley Bow
Barry Beckett   Piano,Vocals
Anthony Thistlethwaite   Bass,Organ,Piano,Mandolin,Saxophone,Diddley Bow,Mouth Organ,Sax (Baritone),Vocals (Background)
Neil Sidwell   Trombone
John Burke   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Kieran Wilde   Clarinet
Ken Samson   Didjeridu
J. Neil Sidwell   Trombone
Diarmuid O'Suilleabhan   Vocals (Background)
Ciaran Wilde   Clarinet
Ian Greig   Vocals (Background)
Liam O'Flaherty   Vocals
Eileen Begley   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Stanley Lebowsky   Composer
Trevor Hutchinson   Arranger,Composer
Traditional   Composer
Steve Wickham   Arranger,Composer,String Arrangements
D Richardson   Composer
Jay Dee Daugherty   Arranger,Composer
Vinnie Kilduff   Arranger,Composer
Robbie Adams   Assistant Engineer
K. Donnellan   Composer
Rodney Crowell   Composer
Phil Cunningham   Composer
Rob Adams   Assistant Engineer
Noel Bridgeman   Arranger,Composer
Colin Blakey   Arranger,Composer
Mike Scott   Arranger,Composer,Producer,String Arrangements
Tim Martin   Engineer
John Dunford   Insert
Herb Newman   Composer
Sharon Shannon   Insert,Arranger,Composer
Barry Beckett   Producer
Noel Summerville   Mastering
The Waterboys   Composer
Anthony Thistlethwaite   Arranger,Composer
Dave Richardson   Composer
James Scott Skinner   Composer
Sean Jackson   Photography
George MacDonald   Composer
Stefano Giovannini   Photography
William Butler Yeats   Composer
Simon Fowler   Back Cover,Cover Photo
Kieran Donnellan   Composer