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Waterboys overlord Mike Scott has speculated for years about making a record that adapts William Butler Yeats‘ poetry to rock. He’s done it before, of course, putting “The Stolen Child” to music on Fisherman’s Blues. Unlike that track, however, which recruited Irish vocalist Tómas Mac Eoin to recite the verses, An Appointment With Mr. Yeats eschews recitations, instead adapting Yeats’ libretto into song lyrics and building rock melodies around them. That approach is a slippery slope, but Scott and his latest set of ‘boys pull it off. Partly it’s because Scott takes liberties with some of the words, and while that might offend purists, shuffling them to fit into standard rock melodies and song structures is better than twisting the music around to fit non-musical cadences. But the success is equally down to the affinity Scott feels for Yeats’ aesthetic – the songwriter’s own romantic and optimistic quest for meaning dovetails nicely with the poet’s spiritual mysticism and pursuit of beauty. When married to Scott’s tunes and a production approach that recalls his “Big Music” period in the mid-80s, though without the bombast, works like “A Full Moon in March,” the folk-rocking “Politics,” the modest “Sweet Dancer” and the majestic “White Birds” become full-fledged Waterboys songs. Even if you don’t necessarily buy into the concept, it’s easy to enough to ignore while simply enjoying the sound of Mike Scott doing what he does best – make heartfelt, melodic rock with a poetic edge.
