The Waterboys – Fisherman's Blues

My copy sounds gorgeous. Not an instance of surface noise. Quiet parts are quiet, loud parts are loud. Nice warm soundstage. No complaints here

I was really looking forward to this as the 2024 press of "This Is The Sea" sounded great.
However, I find this to be quite boxy sounding and lifeless - I had to crank my EQ unit to get it to sound listenable.

Mine shows barcode 0840401707548 on the "OBI" strip, not 0840401702536.

In reference to variant 1. Success went to their music. Delving into their roots and discovering a sense of artistry propels the music far beyond what went before. This edition is lower output but when given enough power it sounds quite good.

FISHERMAN'S BLUES is a sprawling, rollicking joy of an album, highlighted by "And A Bang On The Ear" and the title track, two epic masterpieces that never grow old. I love the sound of this original 1988 US pressing, the acoustic instrumentation is warm and crisp, the soundstage is spacious and inviting, and there's no trace of that glossy sheen that seems to permeate so many albums from the 80's, including previous albums by The Waterboys. My copy plays like a champ, nice and clean, with just a trace of faint surface noise at times. One of those albums that just seems to get better as time goes by. Worthy of mention: Presumably due to time constraints, the brief instrumental "Jimmy Hickey's Waltz", which follows "Sweet Thing" on the CD, is not present on this pressing.

This one needs cranking a lot imo, it was cut a lot lower than I expected so bear in mind when listening for the first time! It sounds fairly good when up to normal levels, but you will need a good clean copy which mine was fortunately quite quiet in that respect aswell.

Tremendous sounding CD. Shame the lyrics are not included but it's still a beautifully presented and wonderfully sounding version of this classic.

Recently found a near mint copy of this pressing. It sounds fantastic! It's truly a Sweet Thing.

Beautiful reissue of arguably the best Waterboys album. Quiet flat vinyl with a lovely balanced sound. Although clearly not cut from the original tapes it is nonetheless a great sounding press. The record feels more like a 200g in your hands. Nice thick cover and printed inner as per original. Definitely worth getting if you manage to find one. It most definitely is a sweet thing!

Great condition, includes inner sleeve printed, STARL5528 CHEN 5 - CHRYSALIS