The Pogues: Legacy and Anthology

By Matt White
Contributing Writer

Bono once hailed them as one of the best Irish exports. The lead singer counts Johnny Depp and Nick Cave as his best “mates” and has “habits” that could put Keith Richards and Iggy Pop to shame.

Since 1984 Shane MacGowan and his band The Pogues have written and recorded some of the most critically acclaimed (and yet largely unheard in the US) rock records ever.

I first heard of The Pogues from my father’s colleague when I was 16 or so, who knew I was always on the score for amazing music. Many months later, a girl I met in Santa Fe mentioned them to me. Somewhere that summer I bought The Pogues’ “Peace and Love” record. I’d never heard anything like it before, the production was stellar, thanks to Steve Lillywhite who’s produced hits for the likes of U2 and Joan Armatrading. “Peace & Love” was the soundtrack to my sixteenth summer and no matter how many times I’ve listened, I always notice something in Lillywhite’s production that opens my eyes all over again.

For those of you whom have never heard of The Pogues, which I imagine, unfortunately is most of you, their sound is truly unique. The Pogues are among a handful of bands who, thanks to a great lead singer-songwriter and remarkably cohesive set of musicians, managed to weed out a sound all their own. Just like with Lou Reed or U2, if you hear their songs, you know it’s them and there’s no mistaking it. Stylistically The Pogues have been termed “Irish Folk Punk” by some but I think that’s way too simplistic a description. Shane MacGowan is a great songwriter and is touted as such by, as I said earlier, people like Bono and Nick Cave.

Musically, The Pogues combine elements of traditional Irish instrumentation with a very energetic and sometimes anger-tinged voracity for understanding. Vocally, Shane MacGowan delivers his songs with a rough-around-the edges phrasing that staggers on the edges of desperation and self-certainty.

Reviews of their albums often cite alcohol as an important factor, and it’s no secret that Shane MacGowan boasts that he hasn’t been sober a day since he was a young teen. However, to think of The Pogues and MacGowan as “poetic drunks” is selling them short. They’re a great band and their records stand up after more then twenty years, not because of booze, but despite it. The fact that they toured with The Clash and had their second album “Rum, Sodomy & The Lash” produced by Elvis Costello should speak volumes.

I’ve met Pogues fans all over the world and we all have one thing in common, we all feel it a shame that the band isn’t more well known in the USA. I should point out that I’ve never met any one from Ireland who didn’t know and wasn’t immensely proud of Shane MacGowan & The Pogues. Fans have also been starved for material since the band’s last studio release in 1996. Fortunately for all of us, that changed in 2008 with the release of “Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say….POGUE MAHONE!!” a five disk anthology of unreleased and live material spanning their entire career.

“Just Look Them Straight in the Eye…” is a remarkable treasure chest of music and never before has their music been given the respect it deserves in such a big way. It includes different mixes of songs, live versions, rare unheard covers and long out of print soundtrack work.

When I was in my late teens, most record stores would tell me their albums were out of print and couldn’t be ordered. That was before Amazon and file sharing. Now thanks to new generations of people for whom music is more than a passive experience; all seven of their studio albums have been re-released with much sought after b-sides and expansive liner notes included.

The Anthology is the icing on the proverbial cake. For the first time, The Pogues ragged glory, brilliant poeticism and remarkable musicianship are available and on display for whoever has ears which crave something different and special.

In a era where music seems to be reverting to plastic sounds and flashy banal production, The Pogues deserve to be heard if for no other reason than to remind us that we do have choices and some of those choices can open our eyes and ears to what’s really available if we choose to hear it.

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