The Pogues
The Pogues—vocalist Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy on tin whistle, accordion player James Fearnley, Jeremy “Jem” Finer on banjo, drummer Andrew David Ranken and bassist Cait O’Riordan—made its debut in 1984 with RED ROSES FOR ME. The album’s 13 songs established the Pogues’ unique sound as it mixed MacGowan originals— “Transmetropolitan” and “Dark Streets of London”—with traditional Irish tunes—”The Auld Triangle” and “Poor Paddy.” The expanded edition’s six bonus tracks include “Whiskey You’re The Devil,” “Muirshin Duirkin’” and a foot- stomping cover of “Wild Rover” by renowned Celtic rockers The Dubliners.
Produced by Elvis Costello, the Pogues’ sophomore album, 1985’s RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH, brought the band’s talents into sharp relief with 12 tracks. Featuring new guitarist Philip Chevron, the album included some of the band’s best work—”A Pair of Brown Eyes,” “Navigator,” and the righteous anger of “The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn.” The expanded edition includes four bonus songs from the 1986 EP, Poguetry In Motion— “London Girl,” “Rainy Night In Soho,” “The Body Of An American” and the traditional “Planxty Noel Hill”—along with “A Pistol For Paddy Garcia” and “The Parting Glass.”
Steve Lillywhite produced back-to-back classics for the Pogues starting with 1988’s IF SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD. The album peaked at #3 in the UK and featuring three new members—multi-instrumentalist Terry Woods, Darryl Hunt bassist, who replaced O’Riordan who married Costello and Philip Chevron guitarist. The album’s 13 songs represent a high-water mark in the band’s career and capture the Pogues at the peak of its’ powers on “Birmingham Six,” a withering political track that got the band blacklisted by the British Independent Broadcasting Authority, along with MacGowan’s duet with Kirsty MacColl on “Fairytale Of New York,” a massive hit in the U.K. and U.S. The expanded edition’s six bonus tracks include the traditional Irish song “Mountain Dew” arranged by the Pogues and The Dubliners, “The Battle March (Medley)” penned by Woods and MacGowan’s own “Shanne Bradley.”
The second Lillywhite production—PEACE & LOVE—was released in 1989 and reached #5 on the U.K. album charts. The album’s 14 tracks include MacGowan originals—”White City” and “London You’re A Lady”—augmented with remarkable contributions by other members including Finer’s “Misty Morning, Albert Bridge,” Chevron’s “Lorelei” and Wood’s “Gartloney Rats.” The expanded edition features six bonus tracks including the title track from 1990’s EP, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, a Top 20 Modern Rock hit in the U.S., “Star Of A County Down” and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women.”
Produced by Joe Strummer of The Clash, the Pogues’ final studio album with MacGowan—HELL’S DITCH—was released in 1990. The 13-song collection includes the dreamy blues waltz of “Summer In Siam,” as well as a pair of songs inspired by literary legends Jean Genet and Federica Garcia Lorca—the title track and “Lorca’s Novena,” respectively. The expanded edition includes seven bonus tracks featuring “Jack’s Heroes” and “Whiskey In The Jar’ from the Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah EP, plus “Bastard Landlord” an alternate version of “Rainy Night In Soho” from RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH.
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