POP MUSIC : Re-Open the Floodgates : In the mid-1980s, Waterboy Mike Scott was poised to become rock’s Next Big Thing, but he followed his heart instead of the marketplace

If you could invest in rock stars the way you can in stocks, there would have been a flurry of action on Mike Scott in 1985.

As leader of the Waterboys, the singer-songwriter reflected in that year’s “This Is the Sea” album much of the stirring, rock-as-inspiration qualities of Bruce Springsteen and U2. The album didn’t crack the Top 200 in the United States, but there was the feel of greatness about Scott--and the band’s shows at the Roxy were among the hottest tickets in town.

Captivated by the spiritually tinged passion of his music and performance, record executives saw in him the Next Big Deal, and longed for the day when Scott’s contract with England’s tiny Ensign Records ran out.

Rather than build upon that momentum, the Edinburgh native moved his home base from London to Dublin and, more importantly, shifted from the anthemic rock of “This Is the Sea” to softer Celtic strains played on fiddle, accordion and the like.

The next album, 1988’s “Fisherman’s Blues,” was his most endearing yet, but it was far from the soaring rock ‘n’ roll people expected, and it didn’t propel Scott into the commercial mainstream.

Puzzled observers speculated that Scott--who also stopped doing interviews--had been overwhelmed by all the attention and had deliberately moved in a less commercial direction. The next album, 1990’s “Room to Roam,” was even less commercial-minded.

None of this, however, shook the faith of the record executives, because a major bidding war erupted when the Ensign contract finally expired in 1991. Geffen Records won and is planning a major promotional push behind the new Waterboys album, due Tuesday.

Titled “Dream Harder,” it marks Scott’s return to rock ‘n’ roll--and it should be one of the most closely watched releases of the year. The question: Can Scott, 34, regain the magic of the mid-’80s and finally join the top level of commercial and creative figures? (See review, Page 62.)

On the eve of the album’s release, Scott, who now lives with his wife in New York, spoke about his renewed musical energy and the forces that led to Dublin and his Celtic detour:

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Question: Was “Fisherman’s Blues” a deliberate step away from the expectations?

Answer: No. I was just following the music. . . . It’s easy to look back now and see that it might have been the best thing for me . . . stepping back for a while. I am very happy as a person now. I feel very solid in myself. If I had become a big star back in ’85 or ‘86, I don’t think it would have made me happy because I wasn’t solid in myself. I had very little personal life. I had a lot of insecurities, as young men do. And I was under a lot of pressure from the various people I was working with at the time.

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Q: What do you mean?

A: You know the story. It happens to every young artist. There’s the pressure to keep doing more of the same and I had no interest in doing more of the same because I feel that with “This Is the Sea,” I took that music to its limit and it was time to shift into something new.

But it wasn’t like I was smart enough to sit down and figure all this out . . . tell myself, “Well, I’m going to move to Ireland for five years and learn how to be a man and get married, and then come back.” I never thought of it like that.

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Q: What did lead to the musical changes?

A: The music changed because my life and my band changed. Around the time of the Roxy, Karl Wallinger decided to leave the Waterboys and form his own band, which became World Party. That led to a shift of power in the band. Instead of me and Karl with a bit of Anthony Thistlethwaite the sax player, the focus was me, Anthony and Steve Wickham, the fiddle player who had just joined the group.

I had fallen in love with the fiddle as an instrument and Steve was my best friend, and that led to changes. The music became more acoustic.

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Q: What about the changes in your life--the move to Dublin?

A: Around the same time, I moved from my apartment in London and hadn’t found a new place. That Christmas, I went back home (to Scotland) to stay with my mum and I had nowhere to go afterward. Steve invited me to visit him in Dublin and I fell in love with the place. I also fell in love with my future wife. I had no interest in going back to my old life. I suddenly got turned on to gospel, country and Cajun music and Irish folk music and I went off in another direction. I just followed my heart.

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Q: But isn’t there part of you that wanted stardom, that wanted your music to be heard by the largest possible audience?

A: I didn’t get into music to become the biggest possible star. I got into it because I wanted to affect people with my music like I got affected by the Beatles or Bob Dylan or Van Morrison and all the others. But sure, I always wanted to be as successful as I possibly could. I didn’t mean to be closing anyone out when I went to Ireland. The music was changing, but I thought we were going to keep growing as a band.

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Q: Were you disappointed that “Fisherman’s Blues” was not a bigger hit?

A: Not at all. In fact, I probably wasn’t even paying attention. I was just going wild in the west of Ireland. I loved the album and I was enjoying myself too much. It was a very happy time.

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Q: Who were some of the artists who shaped your musical vision?

A: The Beatles and Dylan, probably, were the biggest influences, but I had lots of favorites. I was in loads of bands and we used to do Stones numbers, Beatles, Bowie, Lou Reed, whatever was going on. I always loved music. I used to fall in love with records the way guys fall in love with girls. I used to get lovesick for songs. Music spoke to me in a language that was different from words or any other kind of communication. I put my life into it. Music always inspired me. I kind of write the songs I want to hear, if you know what I mean.

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Q: What about the punk movement? Were you as affected by the Sex Pistols and the Clash as most rock musicians of your generation?

A: Absolutely. Punk opened up a whole new world to me. It didn’t make me turn away from the things I already loved, but it made rock ‘n’ roll relevant again. From the moment I heard “Anarchy in the U.K.,” I felt something happening. It wasn’t like I was listening to great rock from 10 years before, but listening to music that was great and was now . It gave you confidence that you could make great music yourself. . . .

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Q: In view of the limited success of the last two albums, were you surprised that so many record companies were after you?

A: It was fantastic to feel wanted like that, especially after an album that hadn’t done well. It was great to know that people believed in me.

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Q: Why did you decide to go with Geffen?

A: I was impressed by David Geffen and by the staff. They did a great thing when I first went to their office. They got the conference room full of all the people who worked for the company and they sat me down and kind of told me as a company why they wanted to work with me. I thought that was brilliant.

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Q: What were the forces that influenced you to move more in a direction of rock again in this album?

A: Just as the changes in my life moved me away from rock for a while, other changes moved me back. Since the last record, I got married, I had given up drinking, my band broke up, I changed the music I was playing, I moved to New York, changed record labels, hired a manager for the first time in years. All these things have an impact on you.

It is kind of like I had a new lease on life and I mean to use it as best I can. I want to be the best Mike Scott I can possibly be instead of being a second-rate Mike Scott, which I think I was being for a while after “Fisherman’s Blues.”

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Q: What do you mean second-rate?

A: Other things were getting in the way, like drinking, which I learned to do quite properly when I was in Ireland.

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Q: Was the drinking because you were depressed about the way things were going?

A: No, not at all. It was just lifestyle. Those were wild years for me.

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Q: Isn’t there a certain sadness inherent in talking about being a “second-rate” Mike Scott?

A: It’s more something I feel now, looking back. At the time, I felt I was doing the best I could and it was a period when I was learning a lot. I couldn’t do whatever I do now if I hadn’t gone through it. The turning point for me I believe was when I got married. I got a real solid feeling.

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Q: Why have you moved to New York?

A: I needed a new horizon. I had lived in London before Dublin and I didn’t want to go back there. I wanted to move on. When I toured in 1990, I really loved a lot of the American cities that I went through and the music I found there, especially New York.

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Q: There was always a spiritual edge to your music, but it seems more straightforward than ever in the new album. In one song, you say, “I just found God.” Was there a spiritual renewal?

A: Yes, I always believed in God, but right around the time that I got married, I decided I wasn’t living the way God wants me to live, so I decided to start working on that--and I have been.

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Q: What is your understanding of God?

A: To me, it’s an outlook. I believe God is in everybody and I believe the part of us that corresponds to God or that comes from God is accessible to us at all times, and I’m working on finding that place in me and using it as my guidance in how I live and what I do--to make it a more active part of my life. I don’t want it to just be a belief, but a force.

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Q: If you are the constant in all this, why call it the Waterboys rather than Mike Scott’s album and band?

A: I did consider putting this one out as a Mike Scott album, but I like the idea of the Waterboys . . . a continuation. Besides, I have every intention of putting together a new band that will record the next album and so on. I didn’t see this as a one-off solo album and then I’m back to the Waterboys. I’m recruiting band members at the moment and hope to be on the road in September.

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Q: So, do you feel ready for success now?

A: Well, I’m at least ready to take a shot at it.