Review: The Waterboys – Life, Death And Dennis Hopper
The Waterboys – Life, Death And Dennis Hopper
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Sun Records
Release: 2025
Text: Andy Trachsel
The Waterboys have a new album out. We know them from Whole Of The Moon and spiritual songs like Strange Boat. Well they have reached the shore again with a fantastic cinematic album: ‘Life, Death And Dennis Hopper.’ If you listen with your eyes closed you can imagine a road movie with 25 songs. Some Americana, some old fashioned jazz, some rock. Enjoy the ride with genius Mike Scott on vocals, guitar and piano, Brother Paul and James Hallawell on keyboards, Aongus Ralston on bass and Eamon Ferns on drums.
The cinematic soundtrack starts with Kansas where Dennis Hopper was born. Steve Earle on vocals, just as impressive as Townes van Zandt or John Prine. The next track Hollywood ’55 refers to the movie Rebel Without A Cause. Dennis Hopper had an acting role besides James Dean. It has a nice nostalgic jazz feel, walking bass and vaudeville vocals of Mike Scott.
Live In The Moment Baby could be the philosophy of Dennis Hopper guided by an uptempo high energy Bo Diddley riff. Is it because of this view on life that he was married five times? By the way each wife has a song on this album. The first is Brooke/1712 North Crescent Heights a classical dreamy movie tune about his wife Brooke Hayward. The next song is a mystery to me. Andy (A Guy Like You) is an eclectic sixties movie tune about who knows who?
Hiphop artist Barney Fletcher and Sugar Foot were invited to assist with the vocals and harmonies on The Tourist. The result is Beach Boys vocals and distorted guitars like Neil Young does the best.
The famous movie Easy Rider including the bikes (!) is musically portraited in Freaks on Wheels. In less than a minute. That was a fast ride! Blues For Terry Southern is a dreamy tune about the co-screenplay writer of easy rider. Well the hay days were the end sixties so Memories Of Montery gives us a spoken word flashback of the festival with sitar background sound. Honouring Jimmi, Janis, Jefferson Airplane and Dennis Hopper just before Easy Rider. The track Riding Down To Mardi Gras is walzing to Mardi Gras with pedal steel, violins, Hammond organ and honky tonk piano. I really like the song Hopper’s On Top (Genius). It’s the first track which is not an audio snippit. It’s a celebration of the genius actor, director and icon. It’s a song with the typical pianosound of the Waterboys.
Transcendental Peruvian Blues is about a movie Dennis Hopper directed in Peru called The Last Movie. It starts with an airplane flying by, spoken words, strong guitars, ending with helicopter sounds.
Dennis Hopper was married to Michelle Philips of the Mammas and the Pappas for 8 days. Michelle (Always Stay) is about that romantic occasion. Well girls kept attracted. So Freak Out At The Mud Palace is about hippie girls walking in the rain going to the Dennis Hopper house for having a party. Nice partysong. Daria is an instrumental track with piano and spiritual wood flute for his third wife Daria Halprin.
Ten Years Gone features Bruce Springsteen on spoken words and probably on distorted Fender guitar. I’m not sure about the guitar, but the video clip suggests he did play some chords.
Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend has wonderful vocals by Fiona Apple. Her intonation made me think of Lucinda Williams. Chilling! Rock Bottom is a soundscape of ticking clocks, glass breaking and fire burning. It’s about some kind of tragedy hitting Dennis Hopper real hard. But he comes back with I Don’t Know How I Made It. With on second vocal the angelic voice of Taylor Goldsmith. But he remains bad and the track Frank (Let’s F*ck) is a devil’s song bursting out of the speakers.
Katherine is about another wife called Katherine LaNasa featuring Anana Kaye on piano. A nice friendly instrumental. Everybody Likes Dennis Hopper is a catchy popsong about Dennis Hopper still popular at 65. He remained a cult hero. The track Golf They Say is a song about people trying to introduce Dennis Hopper to golf playing. It’s a about a beautiful way to know your friends. It seems the music is only used for guiding the narrative. Which is the whole album in fact.
And finally a song about the last wife of Dennis Hopper, Victoria Duffy and Dennis his passing: Venice California (Victoria)/The Passing Of Dennis Hopper. A closing part of the soundtrack: ocean waves, wind blowing and a death march playing choir and trumpet playing the last goodbye.
It almost seems Dennis wants to say some last fierceful words. Aftermath is a Waterboys version of I did it my way with guitars cutting like a knife and a choir.
What an adventure the Waterboys made of Life Death and Dennis Hopper. What a ride, what a movie soundtrack! Easy rider revisited and beyond!
Tracks:
01. Kansas (feat. Steve Earle)
02. Hollywood ‘55
03. Live in the Moment, Baby
04. Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights
05. Andy (A Guy Like You)
06. The Tourist (feat. Barny Fletcher & Sugarfoot)
07. Freaks on Wheels
08. Blues for Terry Southern
09. Memories of Monterey
10. Riding Down to Mardi Gras
11. Hopper’s On Top (Genius)
12. Transcendental Peruvian Blues
13. Michelle (Always Stay)
14. Freakout at The Mud Palace
15. Daria
16. Ten Years Gone (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
17. Letter from an Unknown Girlfriend (feat. Fiona Apple)
18. Rock Bottom
19. I Don’t Know How I Made It (feat. Taylor Goldsmith)
20. Frank (Let’s F*ck)
21. Katherine (feat. Anana Kaye)
22. Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper
23. Golf, They Say
24. Venice, California (Victoria) / The Passing of Hopper
25. Aftermath
Website: https://www.mikescottwaterboys.com/waterboys-news.php