JANUARY 1982     Another Pretty Face changes name to FUNHOUSE, plays series of London shows.

MARCH 1982     Mike and John split. Mike stays in London to put together his new band.

APRIL 1982     Mike forms THE RED AND THE BLACK and plays shows around London. The line-up features sax player ANTHONY THISTLETHWAITE who Mike has heard playing a roaring solo on a Nikki Sudden record called "Johnny Smiled Slowly".

MAY 1982     Mike records "A Girl Called Johnny". Anthony plays sax. The "big music" continues to develop.

JULY 1982     Ninth and last gig by The Red And The Black at London's Moonlight Club.

AUGUST 1982     More Mike Scott solo recordings at Redshop.

NOVEMBER 1982     Full scale recordings at Redshop featuring Thistlethwaite on sax/mandolin. They are joined by drummer KEVIN WILKINSON whose distinctive drumming will form a cornerstone of the evolving "big music". These Redshop recordings will comprise half of the album "A Pagan Place".

MARCH 1983     "A Girl Called Johnny" released as a UK single under the name THE WATERBOYS.

MAY 1983     First public performance of The Waterboys on BBC's "Old Grey Whistle Test". 5-piece line-up includes Scott, Thistlethwaite, Mike's friend from Scotland Norman Rodger on bass and multi-talented keyboard player KARL WALLINGER who responds to Mike's ad in the NME. Wilkinson is not available - he is touring with another band and is replaced by Preston Heyman.

JULY 1983     "The Waterboys" first album is released. 6 of the tracks are Mike's solo demos from 81/82.

SEPTEMBER 1983     Recordings at Rockfield Studio in Wales featuring Scott, Thistlethwaite, Wallinger and Wilkinson. These will comprise the other half of "A Pagan Place". Songs include "The Big Music", "Rags" and "Love That Kills". The Waterboys full scale sound has arrived.

DECEMBER 1983     The Waterboys' second single, "December", is released. It is taken from the first album.

FEBRUARY 18 1984     First ever Waterboys concert at The Batschkapp Club, Frankfurt, Germany. The band comprises Scott, Thistlethwaite, Wallinger, Wilkinson as well as trumpeter RODDY LORIMER and backing vocalist Eddi Reader (both of whom feature on the as-yet unrelased "A Pagan Place"), bassist MARTYN SWAIN and returning to help out on lead guitar, John Caldwell.

MARCH 1984     Release of third single, "The Big Music".

APRIL 6 1984     First UK Tour. Band is now a 5 piece, featuring Scott, Thistlethwaite, Wallinger, Wilkinson and Swain.

MAY 22 1984     First European Tour, supporting the Pretenders, begins in Oslo.

JUNE 1984     Second album "A Pagan Place" is released. The Waterboys make their first appearance at Glastonbury Festival.

JULY 1 1984     Second UK Tour begins in Brighton.

NOVEMBER 1984     The Waterboys support U2 on their UK tour.

DECEMBER 1984     The Waterboys support U2 on their North American tour and play their own headline shows in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. Roddy Lorimer augments band. Live performance on UK TV music show "The Tube".

JANUARY 1985     A live mini-album, culled from recordings made in L.A. is mixed. It remains unreleased because Mike chooses to focus on recording the third studio album, rather than promoting a live record. Various tracks from this live album will appear on 'b' sides and compilation albums later.

FEBRUARY 1985     Band makes one-song live appearance at a Miner's benefit at South London Polytechnic, playing an extended version of "This Is The Sea"., augmented by fiddler Frank Biddulph who Mike has seen busking at Marble Arch in London. Recordings begin at Park Gates Studio, Hastings for third album, "This Is The Sea". Half of the sessions are "live" like those for "A Pagan Place". For the other half Mike builds up the sound layer by layer beginning with his primitive TR-606 drum machine. Wallinger,Thistlethwaite and Roddy Lorimer come in to fill out the sound. The songs "The Whole Of The Moon" and "This Is The Sea" mark the high summit of the "big music" sound.

JUNE 1985     Recording for "This Is The Sea" continues in various London studios.

JULY 1985     Gifted Irish fiddler, STEVE WICKHAM plays on a demo for his friend Sinead O'Connor at Karl Wallinger's home studio. Mike Scott hears the tape and invites Steve to play on "The Pan Within" on the nearly completed new album.

OCTOBER 1985     "This Is The Sea" released. Martyn Swain is replaced by American bassist, MARCO SIN. UK Tour begins. Wickham, on loan from his Irish group In Tua Nua plays fiddle. By the end of the month he has joined The Waterboys full time. Sinead O'Connor makes her UK live debut singing backing vocals on "The Big Music" at the London Town And Country Club show. First release of the classic single "The Whole Of The Moon".

NOVEMBER 1985     Second North American Tour, and the band's first as headliners. Roddy Lorimer returns as line-up expands to a seven piece. Karl Wallinger and stand-in drummer CHRIS WHITTEN leave after the final show at Irving Plaza, New York, Wallinger to form his own group, World Party.