Life, Death And Dennis Hopper The Waterboys

• 1 Kansas 02:14
• 2 Hollywood '55 01:34
• 3 Live In The Moment, Baby 02:28
• 4 Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights 01:30
• 5 Andy (A Guy Like You) 02:23
• 6 The Tourist 04:01
• 7 Freaks On Wheels 00:58
• 8 Blues For Terry Southern 02:45
• 9 Memories Of Monterey 01:16
• 10 Riding Down To Mardi Gras 02:20
• 11 Hopper's On Top (Genius) 03:09
• 12 Transcendental Peruvian Blues 02:24
• 13 Michelle (Always Stay) 03:07
• 14 Freakout At The Mud Palace 03:04
• 15 Daria 01:09
• 16 Ten Years Gone 03:32
• 17 Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend 02:08
• 18 Rock Bottom 01:16
• 19 I Don't Know How I Made It 02:34
• 20 Frank (Let's F*ck) 02:00
• 21 Katherine 01:31
• 22 Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper 03:02
• 23 Golf, They Say 03:31
• 24 Venice, California (Victoria) / The Passing Of Hopper 04:04
• 25 Aftermath 02:37
• Total Runtime 01:00:37

Info for Life, Death And Dennis Hopper

“The most audacious Waterboys album yet, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper is the epic story of the trailblazing American actor and rebel told through a song cycle depicting not only Hopper’s story but the saga of the last 75 years of western pop culture.

“The arc of his life was the story of our times,” says bandleader Mike Scott, “He was at the big bang of youth culture in Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean; and the beginnings of pop art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counter-culture, hippie, civil rights and psychedelic scenes of the ’60s. In the ’70s and ’80s he went on a wild 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him.”

Scott worked for four years on Life, Death And Dennis Hopper. Produced with Waterboys bandmates Famous James and Brother Paul, the album spans 25 tracks and traces the extraordinary arc of Hopper’s life, from his youth in Kansas to his long rise, five wives, tumultuous fall, and ultimate redemption. Every track has its own special place and fascinating, deep-rooted story. “It begins in his childhood, ends the morning after his death, and I get to say a whole lot along the way, not just about Dennis, but about the whole strange adventure of being a human soul on planet earth,” says Scott.

The album is The Waterboys’ 16th studio release and first for their new label Sun Records — “Hey”, says Scott, “we’re labelmates with Howlin’ Wolf and young Elvis!” — and alongside Scott’s masterful songwriting, the album features a stellar lineup of guests including Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Steve Earle, Nashville-based alt-Americana artist Anana Kaye, young English singer Barny Fletcher, Norwegian country-rockers Sugarfoot, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, and punk arch-priestess Patti Palladin — incorporating a kaleidoscopic blend of genres that embodies the band’s trademark spirit of musical exploration.

Life, Death And Dennis Hopper marks yet another captivating chapter for this most mercurial of bands. It’s storytelling that transcends, pulls us in and takes us on a wild, beautiful ride.”

The Waterboys

The Waterboys
are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a number of different styles, but their music is a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll. After ten years of recording and touring, they dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career. They reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and tour worldwide. Scott emphasises a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."

The early Waterboys sound was dubbed "The Big Music" after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. This musical style was described by Scott as "a metaphor for seeing God's signature in the world." It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, In Tua Nua, Big Country, the Hothouse Flowers and World Party, the last of which was made up of former Waterboys members. In the late 1980s the band became significantly more folk influenced. The Waterboys eventually returned to rock and roll, and have released both rock and folk albums since reforming. Their songs, largely written by Scott, often contain literary references and are frequently concerned with spirituality. Both the group and its members' solo careers have received much praise from both rock and folk music critics, but The Waterboys as a band has never received the commercial success that some of its members have had independently. Aside from World Party, The Waterboys have also influenced musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Johnny Goudie, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists,Grant Nicholas of Feeder,James Marshall Owen, and Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff; both Bono and The Edge from U2 are fans of the band.

This album contains no booklet.