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8 |
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Pogues |
| Red Roses For Me |
| Rhino | 2006 | Album |
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1984’s Red Roses For Me gave the world its first taste of Irish punk rock in the form of the Pogues. The six piece band would go on to make better albums in the future, but the new reissue of their debut offers a good peek at the degenerate times to come. On their first outing, there are still enough songs that a wee Irish punk could easily convince his mother that the band members were really just good-hearted souls who might have had just a bit too much at the pub. “The Battle of Brisbane” plays like the kind of traditional jig that you kick your heels up to and “Streams of Whiskey” will make you want to pour some down until you swear you’re seeing leprechauns in the flesh – green flesh that is.
While the Pogues were still relying a little too heavily on more traditional music, you can tell they were already experimenting with mixing their country’s quaint sounds with something a bit rougher. “Transmetropolitan” finds Shane MacGowan singing gleefully about plans to “kick up bloody murder in the town we love so well”. “Dark Streets of London” finds the group traveling dim streets further a field, but they still have the same thing on their mind – trouble! Just listen to “Sea Shanty”. The Pogues play on this one like a group of drunken pirates. It’s a fun song, ripe for a cover by Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack if the character could wander into more R-rated territory.
This remaster also includes six bonus tracks. Some are better than others, but most notable is “The Leaving of Liverpool”. Stripped down to just a guitar and some harmonizing by The Pogues, it proves that the band really does have some musical chops. It really wasn’t just a couple o’ pints talking. Who knew? |
| Amy Wagner |
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