News

Stream Now: The Waterboys Set Release For Poetry Collaboration

• 12th Jul 2011

The Waterboys have announced that their project An Appointment with Mr. Yeats is to be released through Proper Records on September 19th.

It's a combination that sees the words of Irish poet W B Yeats merged with the music of The Waterboys – one of Britain and Ireland's staples of rock.

The album features an extended Waterboys line-up, including Steve Wickham on the fiddle, Irish singer Katie Kim, multi-instrumentalist Kate St. John, Flook flautist Sarah Allan and Catalan trombonist Blaise Margail.

The album draws on fortune of Yeats' works, including both famous and lesser known works.

Vocalist Mike Scott comments: “Since 1991, when I sang a few Yeats interpretations onstage at the Abbey as part of a festival, I’ve had the vision of a whole show and an album using Yeats’ words as song lyrics. Over the years I’ve returned again and again to my book of The Complete Poems and have slowly built up a repertoire. And I should stress these are songs – rock’n’roll, pop, psychedelic and roots songs – not recitations. My purpose isn’t to treat Yeats as a museum piece, but to connect with the soul of the poems – as they appear to me – then go wherever the music in my head suggests; and that means some surprising places.”

You can hear “Sweet Dancer” from the album in the Soundcloud embed above. More information can be found by following this link.

MSD

SWEET DANCER by The Waterboys