...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...



...( Opis )...

Sing-songs, sea shanties, fuelled by drink and battered like cod. Yikes…

Last December, we discussed the big, green, Irish balls of the Pogues. Known for their blend of authentic, traditional Celtic folk and outlandish punk, Shane McGowan and friends captivated throughout the ‘80s with bottle-breaking madness from round to round. From sexual sleaze to political sleaze, the subjects would come streaming like whiskey, and the musical exploration would make its way to Spanish and other foreign influence by the time 1988’s ‘If I Should Fall from Grace with God’ (the subject of our previous Pogues special review) rolled around, but with their 1984 debut, in the best way possible, the Pogues refused to do anything other than embrace their Irishness.

Fair enough, the production on ‘Red Roses for Me’ is a little tame and overly-done for what is primarily a punk record, but I guess if it were any less mature, you wouldn’t really know what was going on instrumentally. You’d have banjos and whistles battling it out for supremacy, stepping on each other’s toes in the process, and James Fearnley’s accordion might end up sounding like a crumbling mess. It’s raucous enough by its performance style alone, with the bread and butter of ‘Red Roses for Me’ being Shane McGowan’s pub-bound ramblings and his band’s undeniable energy, making for a cataclysm of piss, vinegar and alcoholic liquids.

The boozy approach of the album is not just a musical style but unfortunately a lifestyle, and it is a wonder that Shane McGowan is still alive after all these years, but at least the drinking songs of ‘Red Roses for Me’, see ‘Streams of Whiskey’, sound celebratory enough to act as party songs, rather than lonely old drunkard ballads that go “ORRHH I LOST ME WIFE BECAUSE OF DUH DRENK”.

Though at the same time, there are a few tracks where drinking is coupled with seemingly being a public nuisance. I like ‘Transmetropolitan’, it’s a really strong opener, but the lyrics seem to imply getting pissed is an excuse for fucking up your surroundings, being homophobic and “worrying the whores”, which is odd, because it’s just as much as toast to London than it is an anthem for destroying it.

But while Shane McGowan might not want to show much respect to his neighbours, he and the rest of the Pogues are incredibly respectful to the legacy of Irish folk on ‘Red Roses for Me’, with some of the best songs on the album being traditional songs or covers. ‘The Battle of Brisbane’ is a tight instrumental, ‘The Auld Triangle’ is intense and heartfelt, and ‘Waxie’s Dargle’ is genuinely one of my favourites, with the full-throated shouts of “WHAT WILL YOU HAVE? / I’LL HAVE A PINT / I’LL HAVE A PINT WITH YOU SIR” sounding somehow more pleasurable in the form of the Pogues’ anarchy than it does when being sung by gentle old men in countryside taverns.

Then there’s ‘Poor Paddy’, a great song choice as the Pogues’ working class noisiness is a great smorgasbord for songs about harsh employment, ‘Dingle Regatta’ is another decent instrumental, though less memorable than ‘The Battle of Brisbane’, ‘Greenland Whale Fisheries’ compliments earlier original track ‘Sea Shanty’ as a glass-bashing, ‘arms around your mate’, maritime sing-song, and ‘Kitty’ captures the full heart of Irish patriotism.

‘Boys from the County Hell’ proves the Pogues’ knack for composing and performing songs in the same style as that of their influences – and it’s one thing to make chirpy songs about shamrocks and smiley old men with big beards, but to make something as dark as ‘County Hell’, with its chilling chorus, and lyrics dictating a miserable life, is damn impressive, even if you do have the music flowing through your veins. ‘Dark Streets of London’ also does its job, but my other favourite original tune is ‘Down in the Ground Where the Deadmen’ go, with its fast-paced, call-and-response vocals.

And so, if the question was “are the Pogues as good as they are at being explorative when they’re just being loud and Irish?”, the answer is no, they’re better. The amount of energy piled into ‘Red Roses for Me’ is infectious, and fun as hell, and also acts as a good introduction to the Celtic punk subgenre. There are sing-songs and shanties galore, with animalistic enthusiasm and a few softer moments to boot, my god what a record.

Favourite songs – ‘Waxie’s Dargle’ – ‘Boys from the County Hell’ – ‘Sea Shanty’ – ‘Poor Paddy’ – ‘Greenland Whale Fisheries’ – ‘Down in the Ground Where the Deadmen Go’.
Honourable mentions – ‘The Auld Triangle’ – ‘Kitty’.

Best aspect – Authentic Celtic songwriting and gruelling punk performances.
Biggest flaw – Well, I don’t really consider ‘it’s not for everyone’ to be a major flaw...

Ben Malkin




...( TrackList )...

1. Transmetropolitan
2. The Battle Of Brisbane
3. The Auld Triangle
4. Waxie's Dargle
5. Boys From The County Hell
6. Sea Shanty
7. Dark Streets Of London
8. Streams Of Whiskey
9. Poor Paddy
10. Dingle Regatta
11. Greenland Whale Fisheries
12. Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go
13. Kitty



...( Obsada )...

Shane MacGowan
Country Jem Finer
Spider Stacy
Maestro Jimmy Fearnley
Rocky O'Riordan
Andy 'The Clobberer' Ranken




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc6wJlLLe5Q



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