Tag: The Pogues

Tunes

Eighties’ best 100 redux: #88 The Pogues “Sally Maclennane” (1985)

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date July 5, 2024
2 Comments on Eighties’ best 100 redux: #88 The Pogues “Sally Maclennane” (1985)

(So it’s been a very long time (almost six months!) since we’ve seen a post in this series and the band featured today is the very reason why. The death of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan last November hit me hard, perhaps harder than any other musician’s death in recent memory. When I saw that this song was the next on the list, I wondered whether I should use this space to commemorate how much MacGowan’s songwriting meant to me and how special he was to so many and I wondered whether I was up to the task. In the end, I decided to keep this post about the song at hand and of course, about the (entire) band that wrote and performed it.)

The Pogues were originally named Pogue Mahone when they formed in 1982, which is an anglicized play on a phrase in Gaelic meaning ‘kiss my arse’. The band sanitized and shortened it to their more popular name just as they were releasing their first album, “Red roses for me”, in 1984. The band and their unique celtic folk-infused punk sound drew international attention and success with their next two albums, 1985’s “Rum, sodomy, and the lash” and 1988’s “If I should fall from grace with god“. After which, the band began to fall to pieces due to the unreliability of the aforementioned founding member and frontman, Shane MacGowan, and his penchant for drinking. He made only cursory contributions to 1990’s “Hell’s ditch” and was finally sacked in 1991. The band carried on without him for a while, without the same success, but called it a day 1996.

The Pogues are still considered one of the more influential bands of the eighties. They practically invented the Celtic punk genre by fusing politically-charged lyrics and punk ethos with the use of traditional Celtic instruments and song structures. Without their existence, we likely wouldn’t have bands today like The Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, and The Mahones. And this song here is a perfect example of the template those other bands use.

“Sally MacLennane” was the second single released off “Rum, sodomy, and the lash” and incidentally, the second of the band’s singles to crack the UK singles charts. It is a drinking song that was reportedly inspired by a bar owned by MacGowan’s uncle. It’s upbeat with a machine gun drum line that punctuates each line, a hammering bass drum pace, swirling accordion and tin flute, and MacGowan’s inimitable debauched delivery that is oft answered with shouting backing vocals. It tells the story of a promising young man that leaves a home that he feels is impeding his potential. After years of absence, he realizes he misses his home but then, it isn’t the same upon returning. It’s about memory and loss and nostalgia, all things that often surface after a few pints.

Original Eighties best 100 position: n/a

Favourite lyric: “I’m sad to say I must be on my way / So buy me beer or whiskey cause I’m going far away.” It’s not so much the words, as cool and heavy as they are, but the way they are sung or shouted and make for meaningful drunken memories with friends.

Where are they now?: In 2001, The Pogues re-formed, including Shane MacGowan, and toured sporadically until 2014, but there was never any new music released. MacGowan’s death seems to have put an end to any talk of another reunion for now.

For the rest of the Eighties’ best 100 redux list, click here.

Tags 1980s, Alternative, Alternative Rock, Best tunes, Celtic Folk, Folk-Punk, Retro, Shane MacGowan, The Pogues

Playlists

Playlist: In the summertime

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date August 18, 2021
No Comments on Playlist: In the summertime

Earlier this year, I had this brilliant idea to make a series of seasonal-themed playlists and post each on these pages on the first day of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The idea was inspired by my friend Andrew Rodriguez, who has posited in the past that there are certain songs and albums that just scream out a particular season to him. I think there’s something to his idea and wanted to shared the love and expand upon it.

My playlist for Spring, the aptly titled “The first day of spring”, went off without a hitch. It was predictably full of the hope and pent-up excitement that the season brings and I posted it right on time. Of course, and incidentally, my summer playlist wasn’t as punctual. I had it made in time for the turning of the season on the calendar date but perhaps something in me felt that the time wasn’t quite right. Indeed, if you listen to these twenty-five tracks, it just screams out from the depths and the heights of mid-summer, wavering between the hazy and languid, and the all out beach and patio party.

Yes, I know August is more than half over and the kids are heading back to school soon but that doesn’t mean we have to let the summer end. As long as the sun beats down on us and the patios remain open, we can stretch this thing out and enjoy it to the fullest. So I suggest we put this playlist on repeat, turn it up, and get ready to “Lay back in the sun” and hit as many “Happy hour”s as we can.

Other highlights on this mix include:

- “In the summertime”, the title track and opening number sets the tone with love

- Camera Obscura’s “Lloyd, I’m ready to be heartbroken” isn’t necessarily linked to the season lyrically but it definitely has the feel that we wished all summers had

- “Island in the sun” is Weezer as The Beach Boys and resulted in one of their biggest ever hits

- I remember first hearing Smash Mouth’s retro fling, “Walkin’ on the sun” in the summer of 1997, falling for it, and then, falling all over myself trying to find their album in the stores

- Black Box Recorder’s lovely cover of the wistful “Seasons in the sun”, a song originally made famous by Canadian Terry Jacks

For those who don’t use Spotify or if the embedded playlist below doesn’t work for you, here is the entire playlist (complete with YouTube links) as I’ve created it:

1. The Rural Alberta Advantage “In the summertime”
2. The Housemartins “Happy hour”
3. Primal Scream “Higher than the sun”
4. Young Galaxy “New summer”
5. Doves “Catch the sun”
6. Camera Obscura “Lloyd, I’m ready to be heartbroken”
7. Galaxy 500 “Fourth of July”
8. The Airborne Toxic Event “The girls in their summer dresses”
9. Weezer “Island in the sun”
10. Pink Mountaintops “The second summer of love”
11. Violent Femmes “Blister in the sun”
12. The Polyphonic Spree “Light & day / Reach for the sun”
13. The Pogues “Summer in Siam”
14. Spiritualized “Lay back in the sun”
15. The Sundays “Summertime”
16. Rachel Goswell “Warm summer sun”
17. Munroe “Summer”
18. Belle and Sebastian “Another sunny day”
19. Shannon Lay “August”
20. Vampire Weekend “Cape Cod kwassa Bkwassa”
21. Smash Mouth “Walkin’ on the sun”
22. Dodgy “Staying out for the summer”
23. Black Box Recorder “Seasons in the sun”
24. The Jezabels “Endless summer”
25. The Decemberists “Anti-summersong”

And as I’ve said before, I’ll say again: Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are safe and continue to be well. Until next time, enjoy the tunes.

For those of you who are on Spotify, feel free to look me up. My user name is “jprobichaud911”.

Albums

Best albums of 1988: #1 The Pogues “If I should fall from grace with god”

Post author By jprobichaud
Post date August 22, 2019
4 Comments on Best albums of 1988: #1 The Pogues “If I should fall from grace with god”

Yeah. These guys. You know them. You love them.

Though it’s likely they didn’t actually invent the whole Celtic folk punk genre, The Pogues certainly popularized it, inspiring a whole boatload of next generation musicians to form bands like Flogging Molly, The Dropkick Murphys, and The Mahones. Interesting, then, that the group was formed in London, rather than Dublin, and only ever included two Irish born members in their large and rotating contingent.

Getting started in 1982 with original members Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy, and Jem Finer, their name evolved out of an anglicisation of ‘póg mo thóin’, celtic for ‘kiss my arse’. The Pogues released a total of seven studio albums before calling it quits in 1996. However, for many, there’s only two albums in their catalogue (their second and third) that really mattered and between those two, the debate rages on over which is the superior.

For me, “If I should fall from grace with god” only just wins out over “Rum sodomy and the lash” and it is the mere presence of one great, transcendent song that will surely be discussed a little later that does the trick. Both albums are solid and complete albums. Where “Rum” is slightly more focused on the Celtic folk punk sound, however, “If I should fall from grace” branches out quite a bit more, dabbling and cavorting around the world of music. Many of the band’s contingent have also pointed to this album as their favourite and best, agreeing that nowhere else were they as on their game. And it’s true that as varied as the songs are across the track listing, nothing feels amiss or disjointed. An amazing feat considering the varied sounds and instrumentation that make up its whole and the contributions that included an additional eight musicians to the eight players that made up the band at that particular time.

There are fifteen tracks in total on “If I should fall from grace with god” from which I could have chosen my three picks for you, and one was a given, leaving me two. It was an onerous task but I perservered. You’re welcome.

“If I should fall from grace with god”: From what I’ve read, the title track on the album was originally recorded for the “Straight to hell” soundtrack, albeit at a slower speed. I’ve never heard it but don’t think I’d want to. The pace of the version on the album seems perfect to me, a rousing bar number that feels precariously close to shambles. And that’s the beauty of The Pogues, especially on this album, where the musicianship is so tight it feels loose and free. And I feel a lot of the credit has to go to the frontman at the time, the notorious Shane MacGowan, a deceptively great songwriter whose growling and screaming vocals create an energy all of their own. The rest of The Pogues’ cast can only help but follow along, navigating such speeds by the seats of their pants. “If I’m buried ‘neath the sod but the angels won’t receive me, let me go, boys.” Indeed, Shane, indeed.

“Thousands are sailing”: Starts off haunting with a pluck on the banjo and a hollow, echoing flute, sounding like they’re being played by the ghosts in the profound depths of the coffin ship’s hull. The music gets more spritely from there, gentle on the verses, just enough to urge MacGowan along with accordion melodies and incidental drumming, but picks up substantially at the choruses, drumming heavy handed and accordion, mandolin, and banjo becoming a hootenanny, almost drowning out the singing. Phil Chevron’s words as sung by MacGowan, though, never stray from the heartbreak, sowing the tale of thousands of Irish immigrants and of those who never actually survived the trip to the US shores. “Ah, no, says he, ’twas not to be. On a coffin ship I came here. And I never even got so far that they could change my name.”

“Fairytale of New York”: Not only is this now considered one of the all-time great Christmas tunes, ranking up there with Nat King Cole’s iconic “Christmas song”, Bing Crosby’s ubiquitous “Little Drummer Boy” duet with David Bowie, and Band Aid’s fundraising theme “Do they know it’s Christmas time”, but it’s also one of my all-time favourite Pogues tunes. At it’s heart, it’s a story of love that’s lost and found again on Christmas day, all brought to life by the excellent imagery of characters created in the juxtaposition of the rough and raucous voice of Shane MacGowan against the beautiful pipes of guest vocalist Kirsty MacColl. Her call and response banter, matching MacGowan’s snarl and rasp with just the right degree of attitude and defiance, really makes this song the classic that it is. Her disillusioned muse ‘character’ holds nothing back, even the love that she unbelievable still feels for the character of her drunken partner in MacGowan. The lyrics are grittier here than you would normally expect from a heartwarming Christmas tune but these just make the softer moments all the more mind blowing. Witness below:

Kirsty:
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you…

Shane:
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can’t make it all alone
I’ve built my dreams around you

Indeed, my wife Victoria loved these lyrics and the sentiment of building your dreams around someone you love so much that she insisted we work them into our own wedding vows almost 10 years ago. Who was I to argue?