What set the Pogues apart from any number of other energetic Irish traditional bands was the sheer physical force of their performances, the punky swagger of their personalities, and Shane MacGowan's considerable gifts as a songwriter. Unfortunately, none of these qualities comes through very clearly on their first album, Red Roses for Me. While the Pogues are in good form here, the production (by Stan Brennan) is thin and lacks the body or nuance to capture the finer details of the performances, robbing this recording of the fire the group would display on their later albums. And it's clear that MacGowan had not yet fully matured as a songwriter; there are a handful of superb songs here, such as "Transmetropolitan," "Streams of Whiskey," and "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go," but some of the others suggest MacGowan was still learning how to fit all his ideas into his songs. Red Roses for Me is good and rowdy fun, but on Rum Sodomy & the Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God, the Pogues would prove they were capable of a lot more than that. ~ Mark Deming
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rock
- Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!
TRACKS
Side: 1
1 - Transmetropolitan (2013 Mix)
2 - The Battle of Brisbane (2013 Mix)
3 - The Auld Triangle (2013 Mix)
4 - Waxie's Dargle (2013 Mix)
5 - Boys from the County Hell (2013 Mix)
6 - Sea Shanty (2013 Mix)
7 - Dark Streets of London (2013 Mix)
Side: 2
1 - Streams of Whiskey (2013 Mix)
2 - Poor Paddy (2013 Mix)
3 - Dingle Regatta (2013 Mix)
4 - Greenland Whale Fisheries (2013 Mix)
5 - Down in the Ground Where the Deadmen Go (2013 Mix)
6 - Kitty (2013 Mix)
