Universal Hall

Studio album by The Waterboys

Released

9 June 2003

Recorded

January 2003 – February 2003 at Findhorn Foundation, Scotland

Genre

Folk-rock

Length

43:58

The Waterboys chronology

Fisherman's Blues, Part 2
(2002)

Universal Hall
(2003)

Karma to Burn
(2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Universal Hall is a 2003 (see 2003 in music) album released by The Waterboys. It is named after the theatre and performance hall at the Findhorn Foundation, which is pictured on the album cover. The album shows much more influence from folk music than its predecessor, A Rock in the Weary Land. It is the first Waterboys album to feature Steve Wickham since Room to Roam, and therefore the first Waterboys album with all three core members of the post-reunion band.

Mike Scott describes the album as a "record containing one Irish reel and eleven spiritual songs that articulate - to the best of my ability - the vision that drives, challenges, sustains and transforms me". The cover was designed by art director Steve Manson.

James Christopher Monger, writing for Allmusic, describes "Every Breath Is Yours" as "simplified", and "Nick Drake-cloned". Scott thanks Liebe Pugh for the song.

"Seek the Light" is unique amongst Waterboys recordings for borrowing heavily from contemporary dance music, specifically electronica. It includes part of the song "Etheric Currents" from the album Cosmic Breath, by May East and Craig Gibsone, both of whom also appear on "Seek the Light". East plays an instrument, the sandawa, which the album's recording notes claims "reproduces the frequency of the speed of light".

"The Dance at the Crossroads" is the "one Irish reel" mentioned by Scott. It is a short instrumental written by Wickham, who performs the song on fiddle. Scott plays both tambron and rotosphere, while Naiff plays piano and flute.

Tracks written by Mike Scott, except as noted.

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Wikipedia