'o me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys they both mean the same thing.

Anthony Thistlethwaite, Karl Wallinger, Kevin Wilkinson and Steve Wickham all made major contributions, but Scott describes the band as his project. The Waterboys' membership has changed a great deal throughout the group's existence. Main articles: The Waterboys and The Waterboys discography A December 1981 session at Redshop Studios formed the beginnings of The Waterboys' first album, The Waterboys. Scott began working on solo songs and recordings, a decision that led to the creation of The Waterboys. He later described Funhouse's sound as 'similar to a jumbo jet flying on one engine'. Scott had become dissatisfied with the band. Grainge signed Another Pretty Face to the label, and the band moved to London, changing its name to Funhouse (taken from the name of The Stooges' album Fun House). The band eventually came to the attention of Nigel Grainge, founder of Ensign Records. Another Pretty Face continued to release music and recorded a Peel Session on 18 February 1981. In 1980 through 1982 Scott, amongst other projects, worked occasionally with Sudden. Nikki Sudden, who had interviewed Another Pretty Face in Edinburgh for ZigZag magazine, asserts that 'the APF stuff is still some of Mike Scott’s best work'. Virgin, after receiving a demo tape from Another Pretty Face, released the band four months after the signing. The band signed a contract with Virgin Records, was featured on the cover of Sounds magazine, and toured with Stiff Little Fingers. The band achieved remarkable success with their first single 'All the Boys Love Carrie'/'That's Not Enough' when New Musical Express named it 'Single of the Week'. The friends created their own record label, named New Pleasures, 'obtained financial backing from the enigmatically named Z' and began releasing Another Pretty Face's singles. Scott and a guitarist named Allan McConnell formed a band, The Bootlegs, which gave way to Another Pretty Face in 1978 when Caldwell and two other friends joined. Scott was especially interested in the music of The Clash and Patti Smith, a tribute to whom, ' A Girl Called Johnny', would become the first Waterboys single. Scott became interested in the British punk music scene, and began writing for fanzines, eventually starting his own, Jungleland. Scott left the University of Edinburgh after his first year. Other literary influences on Scott's career include C. Scott would later arrange poetry from William Butler Yeats, Robert Burns, and George MacDonald for The Waterboys recordings. In 1977 Scott entered the University of Edinburgh, studying English literature and philosophy.

Karma's sound was inspired by David Bowie, The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The next year, Scott was playing in school bands and formed the band Karma, named after the tenet in Hinduism, with a friend named John Caldwell. Scott remembers that, 'from the minute bought' Last Night in Soho by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in 1968 'knew had to be in music', and mentions listening to Hank Williams as a 'life-changing' experience. At age 12, after the family had moved to Ayr, he began a serious interest in learning guitar. Scott was interested in music from an early age. Scott's mother was an English teacher, exposing him to the greats of English literature from a young age. His father left the family when Mike was ten years old, but the two were reunited in 2007. Scott was born and raised in Edinburgh, the son of Allan and Anne Scott. Mike Scott reads aloud at a concert in Antwerp in 2004.

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