A watershed platter in this British ensemble’s history, 1985’s “This Is The Sea” is considered THE WATERBOYS finest work and is special on multiple levels – from containing their identity-defining song “The Whole Of The Moon” to the line-up changes, the former seeing the band scale the charts and the latter finding Karl Wallinger on the verge of hit-making career. Still hugely popular almost four decades after its release, the record has been reissued a few times but February 23rd it will be presented in an ultimate, deluxe form.
Prototyped by “The Magnificent Seven” collection that mapped out the collective’s 1989-1990 route from the
“Fisherman’s Blues” tour to the “Room To Roam” album, their new box set, titled “1985” and comprising six CDs, concentrates on the aforementioned achievement. There are 95 pieces of which 64 were never heard by the public – being, as they are, home recordings, early demos, alternate versions, outtakes, concert recordings and TV and radio sessions, plus a never-aired Dylan instrumental, “Meridian West” – accompanying the newly remastered version of the “This Is The Sea” LP and its faster version and fleshed out with a 20-page hardcover book with background essays, photographs lyrics and other informational content. Said to be limited in number, it’s a treasure trove not only for fans.
1985
CD 1:
1. Towers Open Fire: Trumpets (session)
2. Be My Enemy (prototype 3)
3. The Ways Of Men (session)
4. The Waves #1
5. Old England (demo)
6. Towers Open Fire
7. Down Through The Town
8. Ribbon Of Steel (live)
9. Bury My Heart (live)
10. The Three Day Man (live)
11. Medicine Bow (session)
12. This Is The Sea (live)
13. A Door For My Soul Home (demo)
14. Son Of Rags
15. In My Bed
16. The Pan Within (instrumental demo)
17. Even The Trees Are Dancing (full length)
18. Theme
19. Fuzz Guitar Vamp
20. Death Is Not The End
CD 2:
1. The Black Book: Beverly Penn (piano demo)
2. Don’t Bang The Drum (piano demo)
3. Be My Enemy (piano demo)
4. The Day I Ran Out Of People
5. Winter Blows
6. The Mercenary And The Samaritan
7. Looking For Dickon
8. Spirit (piano demo)
9. All The Bright Horses
10. Custer’s Blues (piano demo)
11. The Woman In Me
12. Paris In The Rain
13. The Song Of Sitting Bull
14. Talk About Wings
15. The Whole Of The Moon (writing of)
16. The Pan Within (piano demo)
17. No Sun In The Sky
18. Winter In The Blood
19. We Belong To The World
20. The Whole Of The Moon (piano demo)
CD 3:
1. A Sky Full Of Crows: Medicine Jack
2. Medicine Jack Boogie-woogie
3. The Sound Of Snow
4. The Pan Within (instrumental)
5. It Should Have Been You, Guitar Play
6. Old England (early take)
7. Old Macmichael Had A Band
8. Sweet Thing
9. Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town
10. Spirit (full length)
11. Then You Hold Me
12. Trumpets (instrumental #1)
13. Rain Come Down
14. Son Of Dirt
15. This Is The Sea (Drumatix version)
CD 4:
1. The Ladder: Medicine Bow (elemental rough mix)
2. Trumpets (instrumental #2)
3. Be My Enemy (rough mix)
4. Sleek White Schooner
5. Sweetheart Like You
6. This Is The Sea (fast with Mike lead guitar demo)
7. Adrian And The Piano Storm
8. Beverly Penn (synth version)
9. This Is The Sea (fast with Tom Verlaine lead guitar version)
10. The Waves #2
11. The Ladder (demo)
12. Beverly Penn
13. Don’t Bang The Drum (Livingston mix)
14. Ribbon Of Steel Slide Guitar
15. Paisley Park
CD 5:
1. Mountaintop: The Whole Of The Moon (Livingston mix)
2. High Far Soon
3. This Is The Sea (Livingston mix)
4. Medicine Bow (full length)
5. The Pan Within (Wickham’s first play)
6. Miracle
7. World Party (demo)
8. I Am Not Here
9. Born To Be Together (session)
10. Higher In Time (session)
11. The Whole Of The Moon (video version)
12. Meridian West
13. Don’t Bang The Drum (session)
14. Medicine Bow (session)
15. Behold The Sea
16. Beverly Penn 2023
CD 6 – This Is The Sea: The Album:
1. Don’t Bang The Drum
2. The Whole Of The Moon
3. Spirit
4. The Pan Within
5. Medicine Bow
6. Old England
7. Be My Enemy
8. Trumpets
9. This Is The Sea
