I’ve beem waiting in expectation for this record since last year, when I was transportedinto a state of ecstasy by The Waterboys’ Abbey Theatre show, ‘An Appointment With Mr. Yeats’. Mike Scott and his band received standing ovations for their 20 gorgeous pieces of original music based on the poetry of WB Yeats. An Appointment With Mr. Yeats, the album, offers listeners the chance to hear 14 of those beautiful creations.
Scott has revered Yeats’ verse for decades. Turning the great writer’s words into music is a tall order, especially where poems of the familiarity and resonance of ‘Song of Wandering Aengus’, ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’ and ‘September 1913’ are concerned. But The Waterboys have carried it off. Here Yeats’ imagery and symbolism resonate across a whole new auditory spectrum, provided by Scott and the wonderful crew of musicians, including witchy vocalist Katie Kim.
There is a strong flavour of Bob Dylan in parts and Steve Wickham plays some incendiart and beautiful fiddle. While the tracks on An Appointment With Mr. Yeats sit within the genres of rock, pop, country and trad, and indeed unexpectedly, blues, they are connected by a sense of musical timelessness. Even if you’ve never picked up a book of poetry in your life you will adore the results.