The Pogues

Rum Sodomy & the Lash
$11.98
How do you make a great punk album with more than 3 chords? Make it Irish music, Get a roudy singer and speed it up to double time.
The songs of the Irish have a lot of tragedy, irony, anger and humor to them. This is perfectly translated into the songs that Shane MacGowan wrote. His songs deal with the down side of life in story form almost like watching a movie which most songwriters can't do, He also does a better job to songs he didn't write than the original singer does. The band does a perfect job of giving a feeling to the lyrics.
This Album is the last true MacGowan production. The next album "If I Should Fall From Grace Of God" has the rest of the band putting there two cents in and a producer that takes away the bands edge. "Peace and Love" is where he looses interest for many reasons and the band takes over.
My personal opinion this is the one to get if you want to feel the band's energy in it's prime state.

If I Should Fall from Grace - The Shane MacGowan Story
$14.95
If the director thought conducting every interview with MacGowan while he was drunk revelatory she was wrong. The ad made this seem an honest look at a star and his vices and just proved to be an attempt at character resurection. Yes we saw Shane out of it, (constantly) but no real details of either the band history or MacGowan's lifelong struggles. It seemd to me a way of admitting to lesser sins to claim innocence of greater ones. That and being a "Yank" the language (especially Shane's) is for the most part hard to follow. That and the way the movie ends( shot in 2002) gives a certain high sense of irony to the current Pogue reunion tour.

Hell's Ditch
$11.98
While this doesn't compare to the older stuff, there are some excellent cuts here... "Rain Street", "Hell's Ditch" (GREAT SONG!!), "Sunnyside of the Street", "Maidrin Rua" (an instrumental that is sadly short, since it's the best song on the album), "Rainy Night in Soho", "Jack's Heroes" and "Whiskey in the Jar" are all standouts. Most of the other cuts are at least mediocre to good, except for the one that I've never understood... the love affair everyone seems to have with "Summer in Siam". Huh??? I've always found this to be one of only a handful of Pogues tunes that are absolutely unlistenable. Perhaps someone can enlighten me, as I am apparently the only one that thinks this song sucks like a Hoover. Overall, a recommended purchase, but not anywhere near being in the same league as "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash", "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" or "Red Roses for Me".

Red Roses for Me
$11.98
This was the first album of theirs that I bought back in 1988, and it's still one of my favorites! Whenever I'm feeling down I play this lively music & it picks me up. I was introduced to this group by an old boyfriend & for that I will forever be grateful to him...well, at least for that anyway! They've been my favorite group ever since!
I love the way they incorporate traditional Irish music into they're punk rock sound (by 'punk rock' I don't mean Sex Pistols style) it's what makes their music so unique. You know it's the Pogues the moment the music begins, they have a sound that is theirs alone with their rough way of singing, the hard pronunciation of the words. They make me feel proud to be Irish-American!
Their ballads such as "Kitty" are so bittersweet, filled with such heartfelt sadness that is typical of a true Irish ballad...it actually makes me cry, as do most of their ballads. I don't know, maybe it helps if you know some Irish history...after all, theirs is one of the saddest.
You get a taste of Irish humor in the song "Boys From the County Hell" in the line, "lend me ten pounds and I'll buy you drink." Most of their lively music makes you want to get up & dance...& of course, have a few pints. This music goes well with a pint of Guinness!
Just a wee bit of trivia...their original band name was Pogue Mohone, which is the anglicized spelling version of the Irish Gaelic phrase "pog mo thoin" which means "kiss my arse." Is that great or what? It gives you an idea of their feisty Irish nature, for which they are so loved.
Well, that's all...enjoy! You might also enjoy their album/cd "If I Should Fall From Grace With God." The title song has an Irish nationalist, anti-British feel to it as is evident in the lines, "This land was always ours, was the proud land of our fathers. It belongs to us and them. Not to any of the others." I suppose the popularity of the Pogues amongst the Irish is in part due to their defiant lyrics...the conflict between the IRA & Britain was in full swing back then in Belfast. This album also has one of the songs they're most known for "Fairytale of New York." It also has one of the saddest ballads I've ever heard, "Streets of Sorrow."
Another must-have of theirs is "Peace and Love" with more sad ballads & lively tunes that make you want to grunt out the lyrics along with them!
Shane MacGowan wrote most of their songs, a truly talented storyteller...and sadly, also a severe alcoholic. He was also the lead singer until the rest of the band got tired of him showing up drunk and late or not at all. He now has another band, but he still drinks. It's incredibly sad to watch a good person slowly killing themselves, especially someone who is so talented.
The Pogues music conveys stories that draw you in and affect you deeply, in a profound way, whether it be sadness or joy...it's because their music is so full of passion.
There isn't one single Pogues song that I don't like, and you can't say that about too many bands...at least none come to mind anyway.