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Track Listings
| 1. Let it happen |
| 2. My love is my rock in the weary land |
| 3. It's all gone |
| 4. Is she conscious? |
| 5. We are jonah |
| 6. Malediction |
| 7. Dumbing down the world |
| 8. His word is not his bond |
| 9. Night falls on London |
| 10. The Charlatans lament |
| 11. The wind in the wires |
| 12. Crown |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Seven years and two Mike Scott solo albums since The Waterboys' previous album, Scott's decision to resuscitate the name of the band that made him famous feels like the decision of a man who has decided to stop running from what he's good at. The second of his solo albums (1997's Still Burning) was infused with the sense of the epic that had always characterised The Waterboys at their best and so this feels like a logical progression. In the Waterboys scheme of things, the records A Rock In The Weary Land has the most in common with are the very early and very late ones. There is little trace of the Irish-folk influence that occupied Scott for much of the early 1990s--this is what Scott once defined himself as "the big music", enormous surging rock ballads, backed by Zeppelin-esque drums, choirs of backing vocalists, strings and what sounds like dozens of guitars. At its peaks, as on the title track and "We Are Jonah", it is vintage Waterboys and, as such, altogether exhilarating. --Andrew Mueller
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Most people know the Waterboys for the seminal "The Whole of the Moon", a song which still brings nostalgic tears to the eyes of many an ageing ex-80s indie kid. In fact they were one of the most eclectic, versatile bands of the 80s, with a repertoire starting in dark, New Romantic-tinged keyboard pop and ranging widely through rock, blues, Irish folk-rock and the occasional epic ballad. The new album somehow manages to fuse all these influences, along with Scott's continual obsessions with ancient British mythology and the writings of C.S. Lewis, but the sound is bigger, grander, and (quite simply) more utterly pompous than anything that's gone before. The folky guitars of the last three albums have been superseded by a gargantuan, electric sound, but the trademark Scott whimsy is everywhere. So what exactly is "A Rock in the Weary Land"? Scott himself describes it as an account of his personal journey. There's a dark, cynical side to it (the sheer cacophony of "Dumbing Down the World" and the icy, tragic bitterness of the brilliant "Is She Conscious?" have no comparison on any previous Waterboys album) and a heavy dose of the ironic, the confuse.....This is not an easy album to get into because very few of the pieces stand out as songs in their own right. This album is all about atmosphere, a continual brooding epic of keyboard, choirs and thunderous guitars which seems to owe more to the great Prog Rock bands of the 70s than to the Celtic influences of the middle period Waterboys. Ironic really from the man who once complained about someone "running around banging your drum like it's 1973"! Breaths of fresh air in between the grandeur are few and far between (the gorgeous, simple "It's All Gone" somehow helps make the first few songs a lot less intimidating; there should have been more of this!). As an introduction to the band, this is not the album to recommend (try "This is the Sea" or "Fisherman's Blues" instead), but if you've been hooked before by Mike Scott's capacity for quirky storytelling, you'll probably grow to love this.
As a final word, though, I have to mention "We Are Jonah". Not just the stand-out track (and the one most likely to leave its melody engraved in your mind), this is possibly the most surreal bit of writing Scott has ever produced. It must surely rank alongside Carole King's "Tapestry" and the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" as one of *the* most psychedelic songs of all time. It's worth getting hold of the album just to hear this one.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Rock in the Weary Land" is as important an album for the Waterboys as This is the Sea ever was. It marks both the return of the Waterboys and a heavier style from their lead singer, Mike Scott. This excellent twelve-track CD takes the boys through the songs Mike Scott has been playing live acoustically for the last two years and introduces several new ones -- from the dancy "Night Falls on London" to the fantastic "Charlatan's Lament" -- which the boys played at Glastonbury 2000. "We Are Jonah" is a sure-fire Christmas number one and this album is a worthy part of anyone's collection.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Waterboys, what does it mean? For some the "Big Music" of the mid-eighties, for others one song "The Whole of the Moon", and for many Irish folk rock. However, as soon as the ghostly atmospherics at the start of "Let it Happen" (the opening track on "Rock in the Weary Land") hit you it is clear that this is none of those - this is something new, and something incredible! A 12-track epic journey lasting nearly an hour, the album leaves you gasping at times! "Dumbing down the World" takes you to a dark evil place where chaos reigns, "Night Falls on London" is almost dance, "The Wind in the Wires" is a sad love song and "We are Jonah" a triumphant soon-to-be-classic. The closing song "Crown" contains the lines "I'm gonna play this show even if nobody comes", something that Mike Scott might have been starting to wonder might be his destiny. I can safely say that he can now forget that thought for ever.
Fantastic!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
lame stodge rock
"...Weary Land" is not really very good. Simple as that. I bought it because I'm a fan of the earlier stuff (up to Room to Roam) and he's always had one or two decent... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2001
Quite simply the best Waterboys album ever released!
This is Mike Scott as you've never heard him before, extremely angry! It's the 'Big Music' but an underlying tone of disenchantment and aggression pervades the whole album. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2001
The greatest songwriter of his generation
Mike Scott has been many things to many people. The new Waterboys album is not only a masterly piece of work, it also suggests he may have decided to stop drifting and start doing... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2001
A Jewel in a Weary Land
This album is a typical grower with guaranteed longevity. The more you listen the more qualities you will find. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2000
High watermark
I've been buying waterboys albumns for a long time and seen them many times during the 80's. This albumn is there best for me. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2000
Not so weary
Mike Scott contains one of the most distinctive voices in pop music and how welcome it is to hear it once more. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2000 by C. Odonoghue
Excellent songwriting/music - highly recommended.
Mike Scott and the Waterboys deliver a great record from top to bottom. This record gets better with each listen.
Published on 23 Oct 2000
cautiously interesting
Well, finally a return from the Big Music scene. Refreshing is the fact that it draws little comparison to the great sound of that era and explores new horizons..in parts. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2000
I'd forgotten music could be this good
For my money this is the best album from the Waterboys since 'This is the Sea', or at least since 'Fishermans Blues', and easily ranks alongside them. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2000 by Peter Beech
A talent squandered offers no hope for the faithful
I think it's the third song 'it's all gone' that features the lyric 'none of this moves me'. Well that, for me, is Mike Scott's own review of this album. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2000
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