swears said:
How big were the Pogues in the 80's then?
I think my dad had a "Greatest Hits" CD.
Very big, in that they were known, but nowhere near U2 level. To an extent, they retained a sort of 'cult' following, even though the media loved banging on about the state of Shane's teeth and his drinking habits
I'm personally biased, I love them, I grew up as a kid in a household where my parents were playing Iris folk and C&W, and my older sisters and brother playing punk and new wave. The Pogues were like all that hammering together and much more - I just have to walk onto the balcony round the back of my flat early morning, and I can hear that sound at the beginning of 'Transmetropolitan' coming from the overland tracks in the distance.
I also think they managed to rake up the shit lying beneath the 'Revolt Through Style' gloss - after all, 80s London used to be an extremely violent place at times, much more than now. But there's also what Matt Woebot once hit on the head with one of his reviews (of a Vivienne Goldman 12"), a CCTV-free, more communal London where there were more opportunities for people to drift around and meet up in unexpected places.
I can't imagine a band like the Pogues existing these days. I don't really understand why some people despise them (though plenty did even back when they were on the go), maybe they see it as being a twee Irish folk revival, but it's anything but that, play it next to an Irish folk record from the 60s or 70s and it's like comparing skiffle to punk. And of course, the fact that in a way, they were 'our band' when we were kids, they were singing about Camden and Kings Cross which were just down the road. After I got back to the UK after the 7/7 bombings, I remember the first song I stuck on was "London You're A Lady", which said it all to me.
Anyway, if anyone wants to check em out, Red Roses For Me, Rum Sodomy and the Lash and If I Should Fall From Grace With God are the best, without a doubt. Peace and Love is patchy, but does have White City and LYAL plus some other OK stuff. Hell's Ditch was all over the place, and definitely not a good place to start. Also, on 7", try and land Poguetry in Motion and the Italia 90 "Jack's Heroes" (alternative to the godawful 'official' FAI anthem, 'Danny Boy')
The Shane MacGowan & The Popes albums you can take or leave, quite liked them though some of the lyrics on the 2nd ( about killing Hasidic Jews and raping women) were beneath contempt, and seemed like desperate attempts to shock potential liberal listeners. More so seeing as The Pogues had their fair amount of shit off NF types in the 80s and never resorted to such muck when they were going strong.
Anyway, that's my 2p.