The Waterboys Pay Tribute With 'Life, Death And Dennis Hopper'

01-06-2025

(TPH) The Waterboys today make the very special announcement of their brand new, sixteenth studio album Life, Death And Dennis Hopper - out April 4th on Sun Records.

The most audacious Waterboys album yet, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper is the epic story of the trailblazing American actor and rebel told through a song cycle depicting not only Hopper's story but the saga of the last 75 years of western pop culture. "The arc of his life was the story of our times," says band leader Mike Scott, "He was at the big bang of youth culture in Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean; and the beginnings of Pop Art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counter-culture, hippie, civil rights and psychedelic scenes of the '60s. In the '70s and '80s he went on a wild 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him."

As a taste of what's to come the album's first track drop, 'Hopper's On Top (Genius)' will be unveiled on streaming and video this Friday, Jan 10th. The song captures the electric, heady moment when Hopper's Easy Rider became a cultural phenomenon and cemented his place in Hollywood history. Buoyed by Scott's searing vocals, vibrant instrumentation, and a psychedelic edge, the song channels the euphoria and hubris of the 1960s counterculture that Hopper epitomized.

Scott worked for four years on Life, Death And Dennis Hopper. Produced with Waterboys bandmates Famous James and Brother Paul, the album spans 25 tracks and traces the extraordinary arc of Hopper's life, from his youth in Kansas to his long rise, five wives, tumultuous fall, and ultimate redemption. Every track has its own special place and fascinating, deep-rooted story.

"It begins in his childhood, ends the morning after his death, and I get to say a whole lot along the way, not just about Dennis, but about the whole strange adventure of being a human soul on planet earth," says Scott.

The album is The Waterboys' first for Sun - "Hey", says Scott, "we're labelmates with Howlin' Woif and young Elvis!" - and alongside Scott's masterful songwriting, the album features a stellar lineup of guests including Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Steve Earle, Nashville-based Alt Americana artist Anana Kaye, young English singer Barny Fletcher, Norwegian country-rockers Sugarfoot, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's, and punk arch-priestess Patti Palladin - incorporating a kaleidoscopic blend of genres that embodies the band's trademark spirit of musical exploration.

Life, Death And Dennis Hopper tracklisting
Kansas (featuring Steve Earle)
Hollywood '55
Live In The Moment, Baby
Brooke / 1712 North Crescent Heights
Andy (A Guy Like You)
The Tourist (featuring Barny Fletcher)
Freaks On Wheels
Blues For Terry Southern
Memories Of Monterey
Riding Down To Mardi Gras
Hopper's On Top (Genius)
Transcendental Peruvian Blues
Michelle (Always Stay)
Freakout At The Mud Palace
Daria
Ten Years Gone (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend (featuring Fiona Apple)
Rock Bottom
I Don't Know How I Made It (featuring Taylor Goldsmith)
Frank (Let's Fu*k)
Katherine (featuring Anana Kaye)
Everybody Loves Dennis Hopper
Golf, They Say
Venice, California (Victoria)/The Passing Of Hopper
Aftermath