En 1985, The Waterboys sortent l’album This Is the Sea qui consacre Mike Scott parmi les grands singers-songwriters de la période.

Chrysalis Records a annoncé la sortie de 1985, un coffret de 6 CD retraçant le processus d’enregistrement du troisième album studio des Waterboys, sorti à l’origine le 16 Septembre 1985.

Disponible le 23 février 2024, le coffret comprendra 95 titres, dont 64 inédits, des démos, versions alternatives, des enregistrements live et des sessions TV/radio. Le sixième et dernier disque est une version remasterisée de l’album.

Le coffret, dans son édition limité, proposera aussi un livre de 220 pages à propos de la conception de l’album avec des textes de Mike Scott, Anthony Thistlethwaite et Max Edie.

Enfin, une réédition vinyle de This Is The Sea sera aussi disponible.

Tracklisting:

CD 1: Towers Open Fire:

• 1. 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 (Inst Demo)
  17. Even The Trees Are Dancing (Full Length)
  18. Theme
  19. Fuzz Guitar Vamp
  20. Death Is Not The End
• CD 2: The Black Book:
  1. 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) / The Woman In Me
  11. Paris In The Rain
  12. The Song Of Sitting Bull
  13. Talk About Wings
  14. The Whole of The Moon (Writing of)
  15. The Pan Within (Piano Demo)
  16. No Sun In The Sky
  17. Winter In The Blood
  18. We Belong To The World
  19. The Whole of The Moon (Piano Demo)
• CD 3: A Sky Full Of Crows:
  1. Medicine Jack
  2. Medicine Jack Boogie-Woogie
  3. The Sound Of Snow
  4. The Pan Within (Inst)
  5. It Should Have Been You, Guitar Play
  6. Old England (Early Take)
  7. Old Macmichael Had A Band / Sweet Thing
  8. Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town
  9. Spirit (Full Length)
  10. Then You Hold Me
  11. Trumpets (Instr #1)
  12. Rain Come Down
  13. Son of Dirt
  14. This Is The Sea (Drumatix Version)
• CD 4: The Ladder
  1. Medicine Bow (Elemental Rough Mix)
  2. Trumpets (Inst #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: Mountaintop:
  1. 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 / World Party (Demo)
  7. I Am Not Here
  8. Born To Be Together (Session)
  9. Higher In Time (Session)
  10. The Whole of The Moon (Video Version)
  11. Meridian West
  12. Don’t Bang The Drum (Session)
  13. Medicine Bow (Session)
  14. Behold The Sea
  15. 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