December - The Waterboys

[NocturneVid66]

Such a beautiful song. I loved it when I first heard it way back when, and it never gets old.

[squirtkiller]

Mike Scott looks like French singer Jeans Jacques Goldman

[NocturneVid66]

I love this song; it touched my heart deeply from the first time I heard it on the radio so long ago. Sadly the raga-like guitar interplay at the end is cut off.

[FebruaryStarsForever]

....when jesus christ howled a savior babys howl, primal truth as pure as ice....

fuck yeeeaaa

[TheNaomiengland]

I love the waterboys.

[philea13]

Thanks for the post.

One on my favorites song. Discover an evening 1983 on TV, I never heard a sound like this.

[tjamescee]

Awesome song! Great band that should have been more popular.

[Mega80schild]

Now THIS takes me back, was the song that got me into the Waterboys all them eons ago. Peter Powell used to play it on his Radio show, remember?, the show he had that was squeezed between Noel Edmonds and Tony Blackburn??...........the POOR man!.

[TheMicko7]

U gotta c these live unbelievable...brass still ringin in my ears.......phenominal

[petewilky1967]

he is called Karl Wallinger... ot 'kurt'?!

[thewaterboys]

@petewilky1967

Karl

[petewilky1967]

@thewaterboys

yeah i know lol my message should read .... not kurt** sorry?!

i've met mike several times... as well as steve whickham and anto thistlethwaite back in the day... mike is a genius! simple as!!

[PerfectReign]

This is great. A cheesy lipsynch video done from VHS, including the tracking errors at the bottom of the video.

I'd never seen this one.

@Bill - the Waterboys == Mike Scott plus other players. Karl W. wasn't on the first album.

[LindyLouFurs]

@petewilky1967

He's Karl. But wasn't this a brilliant song. Makes me feel old though!

[songcollector07]

thank you for posting this awesome song . . . sounds very divine . . . . thank you Jesus

[sval333]

Thanks SO much for posting

what a great surprise ... had this album since before time

[dobbdidi]

marvellous

[fleaby]

Indeed marvellous, Scott does not play it much now, if at all.

[petrusaloisius]

I love then more now than in the eighties. Must be fokking good then if their music even fits in this modern times.

[martmako]

primal truth as pure ice..quality album saw waterboys along with the saw doctors in support brilliant, thanks for posting

[wijmpje]

and so do i

[pinkbluebell1956]

l OVE IT !

[apacolipps]

I love that Mike Scott peppers virtually all his songs with literary references; one of the best rock lyricists evers.

[Mondensohnmamo]

my alltime favoriet song ever!!!!

[tokmada]

She is so beatufil

[eriksau]

december fell deep in the bleak midwinter time when jesus CHRIST howled the saviour baby's howl - what a line

[BillReef]

Too bad Scott tried to hog all the credit when he was backed by such talent. Wallinger will always carve up my heart with his lyrics, music and humilty. He is why WB were what they were. Look at later accomplishments if you need confirmation. World Party is special.

[thewaterboys]

Wallinger did not play on this track or anything from the first WBs album. I do like what he did with World Party.

That said, The best Waterboys lp was Fisherman's Blues, Wallinger had left by then.

[BillReef]

Kurt Wallinger seen mysteriously at 2:44, quite a trick since he wasn't playing. Maybe you missed him because the camera is trained on Scott the whole time. Whoops

[thewaterboys]

Who said he wasn't on the video? I said he does not play on the actual track. The song was written well before KW came on the scene. Anyhow, who is Kurt Wallinger? Whoops!

[pur69]

What??? Anyone who knows the Waterboys will know that what you have said is just outrageous. Wallinger can only dream of the lyrical geniousness of Mike Scott. Just listen to any of World Party's CDs and you'll understand.

[BillReef]

Can I have some of what you are smoking?

[pur69]

Of course! You need something to open up the correct way!

[apacolipps]

For which songs did Wallinger write lyrics?

[brezimni]

Wov, fantastic, this band rules. first i bought only best of album because of the track: The whole of the moon, but then i hear this song, and one more time, and so on, so it's became my favorite song. Great, exelent, superb.....

[bajovoltage]

excelent

[wickerman08]

Just listening to this again given December is nearly upon us. I dont know what it is but this track still brings a tear to my eye. Still awesome sounding & lyrically compelling. " somewhere a flower has to grow for every flower that dies".... Rest in Peace MUM.

[oldmanjez]

"She is reckless as a mayday

Gentle as a storm

She is ready to go anywhere

To carry me back home"

Could be describing memories - takes me back to a place (Newcastle), a time ((1983) and a period of my life when life seemed so much simpler.

With hindsight it was my perspective rather than life itself which was simpler.

The track however rekindles the feelings & a yearning for a simpler life which existed only in my mind.

Spine-tingling every time I hear it - Top 3 track of all time.

[mywoollyhat]

December is a trustee friend.

I'll always recognise her face.

[zeldiy]

Best waterboys song ever...

and that line

'he was almost one of us'

is sooo deep

[TheOwl54]

What an amazing song ! Beautiful music !

And I like this lyrics: subtle, magic.

[johnnyblunder]

He was almost one of us......Excellent..Bought the single when i heard it, memory re-calls i had to oder it took weeks to get it...Brilliant writer.

[gusgorilla76]

I agree with you johnnyblunder. This song is excellent! I went straight out and bought it as well. Only difference was, Parrot Records in Colchester actually had it in stock! The song's 25 years old now and I've never got tired of it. Who writes lyrics like "Jesus Christ... primal truth as pure as ice" these days?

[keyefoord]

This song is absolutely fantastic, fabulous.

My personal most favorite song ever since I heard it for the first time, some 20 years ago.

Never heard a better song.

[drubie67]

i wonder when the killers are gonna aknowledge the waterboys as an influence...

[Luchitch]

I'm Ready For The Storm.

[spiritofnatures]

M Scott is one of the greatest .

[apacolipps]

Absolute magic

[lanphleasc]

Does anyone know of Scotts solo stuff?

[thewaterboys]

Just abit :) See the Rare, Precious And Gone video I have uploaded. Need to upload the others. Love Anyway Is the best.

[DannielPL]

"She is so beatufil" and "What do you want me to do" are also fantastic :)

[nogoodboyo1]

What an atmospheric song, his lyrics have always painted such beautiful pictures- his voice was so majestic in those days- hes lost a little of the grandeur and range today but still a legend!!!

[MacaulayConnor]

Saw them in ´86 in Germany. Before he abondonned the Big Music and went to Ireland.

[tlentlen2]

beautiful!!! Mike we are waiting for You and Waterboys in Poland. Brilliant

[YeshuaKingsKid]

Whooo! Classic and Great! Thanks for posting

this {one of my favs}! You said you have some

video from when Mike was with "The Red and the Black"!!!! I'll be around looking for

that :)

[Seathinker]

Great to see this old video.

After all this years it's still magical.

[MarkGauvreau]

Beautiful.

[rogerinkart]

Ah, looking awfully stylish there Mr. Scott! ;)

What a great song. Brilliant and soulful.

[piquelune]

Still have the vynil, a girl called Johnny is also on it...

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm­mmmmmm

[Luchitch]

I'm ready for the storm! grandi waterboys!

[lanphleasc]

The top 2 gigs of all were Waterboys gigs...

Never fail to deliver...

[aoshilove]

Thank you so much for posting. This song is an absolute masterpiece. A classic from any decade and certainly the best song to come out of it's own decade.

[andrestierradelfuego]

Their best song. I have looked at all their gig lists up to 2000 and they have only played this at one or two gigs. Why?

If anyone knows of a live recording please let me know

[thewaterboys]

Mike played this live allot in his previous band "The Red and the Black". I have have numerious live recordings from that band and the few times the Waterboys played it live in 84. I don't believe it has ever been played since 84. No idea why to be honest. Likewise with songs like A Pagan Place, Rags etc.

Get the feeling Mike doesn't have fond memories of this song.

[k3nnyc]

It was played in 1985 like I said in my first post QMU Glasgow :)

[thewaterboys]

Are you sure? Its not on the QMU 85 setlist at the mike's website.

[k3nnyc]

Fuck it, I'm sure they played it, one of my favourite songs ever. Oh well probably too pissed to remember, you know what students are like. I did take some pics at the gig, must look them out :)

[vokare]

Great- Great- Great ! Mike Scott- The waterboys I say it with tears in my eyes. Thank you very much

[deathcommander]

Yeah you right 1984, amazing gig even if it was 2 years before I thought. All the scaffolding in the background looks like a tube backdrop.

[deathcommander]

Is this off the Tube?

Awsome song I saw them blow U2 off stage in 1986 (?) Unforgetable Fire tour as support

[thewaterboys]

No this is not from the tube. Its the actual promo video for the single. You would have seen the waterboys support U2 in 1984.

[gibbo1968]

They supported U2 in 1984 My first U2 gig at manchester apollo.

[teacherdude]

Got to see them play live twice in the 80's which was a real mind blower. Songs of youth and loss!!!!

[stupidmopek]

BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for posting it.

I wish it was a better quality, though...

[KARLITOS61]

Great song. Excellent video.

THE WATERBOYS were one onf my favourite bands in 80´s.

"December" is a classic. Forever!

[lanphleasc]

They played a mad tour of dancehalls in Ireland around 1990...

[naishdave]

Nice to find one of my 3 all time favourites - with Safe by House of Love and Remember Exon Valdez by Dance 2 Trance. Thank god for music.

[funkydafunker]

I'm ready to go anywhere.

My brother got me these first 2 albums for my birthday in my early teens.

Still spirited and gorgeous.That level you reach.Wondrous.

[TenguSniper]

Thank you very much for this awesome piece of musical art.

[clarab1784]

God Mike looks about 15! Great song. Busy replacing all my vinyl Waterboys with CDs. Cant through away the real thing though.

[Aco747lyte]

Just LOVE this emotive song.

[tlentlen2]

Od tego sie wszystko zaczelo. December i Gala moje 2 ulubione nagrania z pierwszej plyty. A potem cudowna druga plyta z niezrownanym Red Army Blues!!! Mike Polska na Ciebie i Twoja Wielka Muzyke wciaz czeka.

[pur69]

Am I correct in thinking the song was recorded in 1981? This is so timeless! I've been playing this song on record every 1st of December for at least 15 years now, and that's also my niece's birthday! Pure white magic!!!

[thewaterboys]

Yes. Xmas 81 at the redshop studio.

[k3nnyc]

Absolutely my all time favourite song, haunting. Saw them play it live in 1985 :)

[wickerman08]

Great to see this video. Absolutely fantastic song unfortunately no longer played live by the band but as with some of the other older songs will hopefully find its way back onto the playlist - maybe this tour !!.