I mentioned in a previous post that I think YouTube is brilliant.

As a musician its the best tool out there for learning new stuff, you can learn so many songs from YouTube, or styles of play, or discover new artists. I get infatuated with songs, if I hear a song that catches my ear, I can listen to it nonstop for days.

Most recently this has been the “Fisherman’s Blues”  by the Waterboys.

httpv://youtu.be/HSuYUItahrE

I’ve liked the Waterboys for years, and have very fond memories of dancing away to this tune one New Years eve. But I have just got back into this song again after deciding to learn to play it, so the process goes, you go to YouTube and search for the tune, then you look for live songs by the artist. Just to see how they play it. And to make sure you get the right key.

Then scroll down through the other versions of the song posted by amateur musicians doing it for the love in their house. So in the case of Fisherman’s Blues I came across this version first.

httpv://youtu.be/1EJgET1-2aM

Its a good version, but the she’s playing a Ukulele, which doesn’t give the best sound as far as i’m concerned, and the cat on the couch isn’t arsed at all.

Then there was this version, the girl has a great voice, but the stop motion effect she has made me feel a bit seasick. It looks like an audition tape for X Factor, and its not good to have your clobber hanging up in the wardrobe behind you when your trying to look dead cool. Plus you can’t really see her hands for the chords, and there’s far to much wooooooooooing going on.

httpv://youtu.be/5_mn48-SZtc

So scroll more and you find this version by some fella sitting in the garden having a strum with his mate.

httpv://youtu.be/_9jnhdfTpsA

This cover is never going to be voted in the top 10 versions of the song, but from a guitar playing perspective its excellent, you can see all the chords and he throws in a few hammer-ons for good measure, so you can favorite this version and study it to learn the tune.

You can get the music and lyrics from this great site.

Music and Lyrics Here. Copy and paste into Word Doc and print.

But this my favorite version of the tune, sung by the two writers of the song, Mike Scott and Steve Wickham.  The Fiddle playing is amazing.

httpv://youtu.be/739h5V-JoW4

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