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Rum Sodomy & The Lash

The Pogues

1985

Buy At Rough Trade
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
Album Summary

Rum Sodomy & the Lash is the second studio album by the London-based folk punk band The Pogues, released on 5 August 1985. The album reached number 13 in the UK charts. The track "A Pair of Brown Eyes", based on an older Irish tune, reached number 72 in the UK singles chart. "The Old Main Drag" later appeared on the soundtrack to the film My Own Private Idaho.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.2

Votes

10630
Genres
Punk
Rock
Folk

Reviews

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Fri Apr 23 2021
5

What is music for? What is art for? Part of what it’s for is creating little windows into other worlds, and letting others peer into those worlds. And when it works, we peer into marvellous, fully constructed worlds that adhere to their own internal logic - that build something from nothing. That transmit the world you see directly into my head. Point being, this album creates such a world better than most any album I’ve heard in a long time. A totally internally consistent world of heroic boozehounds and defeated champions, spinning yarns and raising glasses. I was transported.

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Fri Nov 27 2020
4

Look, it's the Pogues. I love this band and their albums are, to a one, pure fun to listen to. But I can't, for the life of me, understand why they're on this list. I don't see how anyone could say that this is an influential band with a straight face. Anyway, it's a ton of fun and that's worth some stars.

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Fri Apr 23 2021
4

Wouldn't be surprised if this was made 'Thanks to a grant from the Irish in Britain Heritage Fund', so well does it document the horrors visited on the Irish by our multiply disgraced nation. As for historicity, I imagine some is fact and some is myth and jolly good too because history can't be understood without both. At the same time, McGowan and his troop make you feel the spirital effects of all this turbulence. It's pretty obvious how this is done lyrically. These are fabulous stories bleeding with colour. But it's the inclusion and ocassional reworking of traditional songs among the originals that elevates this to heritage status. Capping it all off with Waltzing Matilda -- about similar awfulness in Australia -- is a masterstroke that makes the album universal. What struck me anew this time were the sparing and gentle arrangements, which belie my assumption that this is mostly punk and puckish fare.

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Fri Jan 14 2022
5

Not many albums can make you dance, sway and cry all within the hour. 'Rum, Sodomy and the Lash' is The Pogues' finest work, although some prefer the almost as good follow up 'If I Should Fall From Grace With God'. The album is packed with an impressive amount of variety, original material blending seamlessly with covers and instrumental numbers. The last thing MacGowan or his band could ever be accused of is being boring, and the almost complete absence of bad songs on this album is a testament to that. It goes down rightly as the album that captured the band at their emotional, intoxicated and brilliant best. 5/5

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Tue Mar 07 2023
1

devuelvan las malvinas piratas hijos de puta

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Tue Jun 15 2021
5

I have to say the title of this made me a little nervous that it would be a metal band, but I actually quite enjoyed this one. It was really good.

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Tue Sep 28 2021
5

The title pretty much sums it up. A feast of whisky, penny whistle, folk and punk spirit. A classic example of a band at the peak of their powers.

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Wed Mar 24 2021
5

Concede there’s a couple of dud tracks but there’s very few that can keep the live energy bottled into recordings like this.

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Mon Nov 22 2021
5

IRISH FOLK PUNK IRISH FOLK PUNK IRISH FOLK PUNK

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Wed Feb 03 2021
5

Welp, here's another album that hits all the right spots for me. Irish band playing Irish and spaghetti western-style music. To be honest, today wasn't the right day to listen to it, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I might've done. However, I recognize that fact, and this album's greatness. Five stars!

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Wed Jun 02 2021
5

Classic. Some of my fav punk vocals ever.

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Fri Jul 09 2021
5

Great album, lots of nice bar songs. I think i like this one better than the other Pogues album.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
5

Der Sänger ist zwar die hässlichste Sau, die je das Pech gehabt hat geboren zu werden, er hat sich es sich trotzdem nicht nehmen lassen, jegliche Hirnfunktion aus seiner verformten Matschbirne zu saufen. Beeindruckend! Musikalisch zwar grade mal über Grundschulniveau, dafür aber mit ganz viel Gefühl bei der Sache, also alles gut (und traurig meistens). Möchte im Pub so viele Snakebites saufen bis ich mich anfühle, wie der Mongo aussieht. Nur geil. Dirty Old Town absolutes GOLD! 5*, wer war was anderes sagt, hats nicht verstanden. Eigentlich müsste man 1* abziehen, weil die wohl bei der hälfte der Aufnahme gepennt haben. Dirty old Town - Gute Qualität. Jesse James - hört sich an wie durch ne Wand aufgenommen. Hätten die mal weniger gesoffen.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
5

Erster Song direkt Bock auf n pint black adder, poor mans black velvet oder ein chilliges snakebite. Holt mich sauftechnisch enorm ab. Instrumental tracks kicken mich weniger, vernebeln mir aber schön den Geist mit Hobbit-vibes und bock auf'n kühles Kilkenny. Zwischenzeitlich auf nice "fields of Athenry" Vibes die mich die grünen saftigen Wiesen samt eines Eimers des wohlduftenden Gesöffs direkt vom St. James Gate in Dublin schmecken lassen. Je länger der bumms dauert desto mehr wünsche ich mich in mein 4 uhr morgens Irish Pub ich hinein das rücksicktslos weiter bestellt. Na klar darfs noch n whisky dazu sein. Hab zwar fast kotzen müssen aber der muss noch sein. Als ob ich noch was schmecke lol. Bei the parting glass kommt mir der absolute tullamore dew Rausch in die Birne, absolut krank. Insgesamt einfach ein einwandfreises Irish Folk Album. Meiner meinung nach sind auch nur Spider Stacy, Jem Finer und Andrew Ranken echte Pogues, da der Rest früher oder später weg war (alle drei an diesem album beteiligt). Sei es drum. Schenk mir ein du grüne Muse und hör nicht auf bis mir schwindelig wird. Cheers! 5*

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Fri Jan 29 2021
5

Dirty Old Town always gets me. Honestly I didn't have time to relisten to this, so perhaps it doesn't hold up, but old me will fight new me if I end up thinking so. Once saw Shane McGowan in concert after the Pogues, as you might expect, drinking in excess for decades doesn't does one well.

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Wed Aug 04 2021
5

5/5 - Yay for pirate punk! Flogging Molly eat your heart out

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Mon Nov 01 2021
5

1985 - English/Anglo-Irish Celtic punk

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Mon Nov 08 2021
5

I've always loved this album - kept finding myself humming or whistling along. Just brilliant

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Thu Nov 11 2021
5

So much fuckin energy here, it's impossible to dislike in any way. It sounds dumb to write it but Shane McGowan's alcoholism was something I thought was really cool in my 20s. I always thought the ultimate rock star would be a cross between him and David Lee Roth. Punk rock energy, arena rock antics, incredible substance abuse problem haha. 5/5.

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Fri Nov 12 2021
5

This album is dynamite, and the Pogues have such a unique sound. Pair of Brown Eyes, Rainy Night in Soho, The Band Played Waltzing Matilda are all five star songs.

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Fri Nov 26 2021
5

I goddamn love the goddamn Pogues. This is my absolute Jam. What a cracking album.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
5

It's Irish drinking music. What's not to like?

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Tue Jan 04 2022
5

Wow. Really enjoyed mix of punk and Celtic. Very original

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Fri Dec 01 2023
5

Absolutely unbelievable. I woke up this morning to the news that Shane MacGowan had just died, and then this was my album of the day!! It was meant to be. Obviously I have some slight bias today, but this album is incredible and pulls of such an unusual combination of Irish Folk and punk that works so well from the raucous energy of Sick Bed of Cuchulainn and Sally MacLenanne to the haunting story telling of The Band Played Waltzing Mathilda. It’s just so good!!!!! In Shane’s own words: They’ll take you to Cloughprior, and shove you in the ground, But you’ll stick your head back out and shout “We’ll have another round!” Absolute 5/5

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Thu Apr 15 2021
4

this was actually quite good...I normally don't go for Irish rock.

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Mon May 24 2021
4

Hah hah, a raucous rocking time! I was introduced to this album during my "only metal" phase, and even though it's plainly not metal, I had to admire the level of punk wrapped up in this folk! Fave track - "Sally MacLennane" maybe? A lot of good songs to choose from, though...

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Sat May 15 2021
4

“Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash” by The Pogues (1985) Are you into sailing? Serious listeners who don’t immediately recognize the reference in the title will be behind the curve, but this album is very good—sailor songs, mate, in the finest traditions of the British navy—rum, sodomy, and the lash. Songs that tell a story—sometimes coarse, sometimes passionate, sometimes horribly abrasive, but always ballsy and always entertaining. With lyrics that are somewhere in the broad sea between doggerel and epic (it ain’t Kipling), the music is in the folk Irish style, meant to be sung and heard while inebriated, pounding pewter mugs on the nearest horizontal piece of oak. Lead singer Shane McGowan has a voice like your average drunk boatswain’s apprentice, but with soul. Everyone should listen to at least one track of this (I recommend "The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn") to get the flavor. Musically, these performances feature a heavy dose of accordion, tin whistle, and banjo, with standard chord structures and conventional melodies. And it’s so well done. Picture yourself on a British man o’ war in 1870, gathered with your shipmates on the fo’c’sle before the third watch after your issue of grog. Obviously, this isn’t for everybody, but within its very narrow genre, it excels. 4/5

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Thu Nov 16 2023
4

Pour one out for Ray Cole, veteran Baltimore Police Homicide detective. He died of a heart attack at the gym, while working out on a Stair-master. He wasn’t the greatest detective and he wasn’t the worst. He put down some good cases and he dogged a few bad ones, but the motherfucker had his moments….yes he did.

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Tue Mar 05 2024
4

Made we want to drink Guinness, get shit-faced and throw up everywhere.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
3

I like the song Dirty Old Town very much, but 18 songs of The Pogues is a bit much.

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Mon Apr 12 2021
2

I honestly can't stand this. It does nothing for me.

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Mon May 17 2021
2

nice cover art. album started, dont know if ill make it through an hour of this voice. second song: i can hear him 'singing' against the mic? its unplesant. cant imagine this possibly taking a turn i like, awful music and voice. curious now if there might be 1 singular song in this album i might like. theres 18 freaking songs. okay a woman singing now. interesting lyrics there. back to the man. i dont hate a pair of brown eyes! i think i got used to his voice and its no longer quite so unpleasant. music reminds me of the sponge bob theme song haha. i can take a guess what the genre is but i wont embarass myself. but they have to be irish right haha. different male singer now i think. idk. the sound effects lol. so unnecessary to do the girls voice in the gentleman soldier xd okay im stopping at london girl, i got the gist of it i think. cant say i loved or even liked this but it ended up being not as awful as i initially thought it might be.

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Thu Sep 30 2021
2

This album is best enjoyed when performed live in an Irish pub. I am not in an Irish pub currently, so please turn it off.

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Sat May 28 2022
1

I don't possess the relevant DNA to enjoy this hibernian folksy drunken Captain Pugwash nonsense. Never liked it - music for people who like you to know they get properly drunk

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Wed Feb 01 2023
1

My orange pubes don’t even like this shit.

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Tue Mar 07 2023
1

Look, the singer blatantly just cannot sing. That would be okay if he had (almost) any other job in the world, but with him being a professional singer and all I think it poses a slight problem.

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Thu Aug 10 2023
1

18 tracks of sound-alike music that shouldn't be played outside of a pub or a wake. Do people actually listen to this stuff when they're driving, doing homework, etc? For what it is, it's good. But they have two (so far) albums of Irish jigs on a list of 1001 must-hear albums. What the hell?

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Thu Jan 27 2022
5

This is the greatest drinking album I've ever listened to

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Mon Feb 07 2022
5

Bloody love the Pogues, such a great band. I has such nostalgia for this album, my parents playing it a lot when I was young.

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Sat Feb 12 2022
5

Just classic. I love every song!! Drinking music.

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Sat Feb 12 2022
5

What a brilliant album, Punk / Folk / whatever, still sounds great

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Fri Mar 04 2022
5

Absolutely great album - fantastic mix of songs, given a unique twist.

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Sun Mar 13 2022
5

I am a big fan of Celtic punk and the Pogues are largely responsible for popularizing it. This album is at times angry, political, and endearingly reflective. Shane MacGowan’s distinctive delivery can be heard in later bands such as Flogging Molly, and serves to highlight his influence. The music itself is brilliant. Combining punk forms with traditional Irish instrumentation is a unique and effective hybrid and one that allows for the expression of a cultural identity within a popular genre.

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Mon Mar 14 2022
5

Oh, how I wish I'd seen them live. Preferably in a pub with a dance floor. I love the little touches that elevate it above folk (I love good Celtic folk BTW). My favourite is the surf guitar solo on, "A Pistol For Paddy Garcia." I was expecting to mark this down because of repetition, but this glorious LP is packed with variety, fun, skill, and that spark of anger and rebellion that turns good into great.

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Tue Mar 15 2022
5

10/10 Best song - Sally MacLennane

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Sat Mar 19 2022
5

Well for one thing, this popped up a day after St Patrick's Day - feels like a missed trick. It's one of my Dad's favourite albums too (the last one to come up was Take Five, and it got five stars just like that... I feel like this might have the same treatment. And you may need to add an additional star option when Graceland arrives). A perfect mix of sentimental, offensive, raucous and fun.

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Wed Apr 13 2022
5

Doesn't disappoint on any level - Bill (5/5) Reminds me of the UK, makes me happy - Shannah (5/5) Better than anticipated, more measured and musical than expected - Conor (4/5) (4.7/5)

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Thu May 05 2022
5

The Pogues! Not expecting to see them here, but I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not my favorite album by them, but it's still really good. While I think the bands they influenced aren't bad, you really don't need Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys albums when you can just listen to The Pogues instead.

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Wed Jun 15 2022
5

Actually pretty great. Energetic, folky with all the charm you'd expect.

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Mon Jun 20 2022
5

Lots of my favourite songs on this one

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Thu Jul 14 2022
5

An Irish classic from an iconic group from the region. This album is simply so fun and entertaining and enjoyable. Classic Celtic flutes, accordions, rhythms and humorous and honest lyricism.

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Wed Jul 27 2022
5

Als ik ooit een jaar verdwijn weet dan dat ik dit album bij me heb. Instant reisklassieker

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Sat Jul 30 2022
5

this is exactly why i wanted to do this a pair of brown eyes, dirty old town, navigator fills beautifully between, starts strong with ‘sick beds’

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Sun Jul 31 2022
5

The unruliness, the vigor, the wit, the sentiment, the absolute joy of the Irish soul is in The Pogues, as it is in Brendan Behan and Seamus Heaney and James Joyce. Here that soul has been brought into the twentieth century (the rapidfire drums and howling vocals on The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn) but it's still essentially nostalgic -- about green lands, slower time, a community based on old custom (A Pair of Brown Eyes). Maybe traditional music played like this isn't for everyone, but I think it's so original, so unmistakably the music of a place. A Dirty Old Town so deeply beloved.

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Sat Aug 27 2022
5

I love the Pogues, and this album is amazing from beginning to end.

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Tue Nov 08 2022
5

I would put this album along side Dexy’s Searching or the first Specials album - genre-bending and game changing. I don’t listen to a lot of Pogues these days, but I love d the rebel spirit of this at the time. There are some absolute classics on here, not least The Old Main Drag, along with a couple of duffers (Jesse James, for one). But they save the best for last here. And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda is one of about 3 songs I can name off the top of my head that makes me teary every time that I hear it. I am not a folk fan - far from it - but I absolutely love this.

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Tue Nov 08 2022
5

Just a solid set of bangers in here. Irish Punk Shanties are definitely underrepresented in music.

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

I thought The Pogues were some kind of indie, maybe punk music when this came up. Why? I have no idea. Turns out I had no idea what The Pogues were all about. I certainly did not expect that Irish folk with a little country thrown in. Nor a disturbing anti-war anthem based on “Waltzing Matilda.” I did not realize that would be the perfect soundtrack for my day. Amazing storytelling. Amazing music. I love it! Rum Sodomy & the Lash was never so great!

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

To me this album means home. It is heartbreaking but gorgeous and exhilarating. I love every moment.

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

I enjoyed this album quite a bit. As soon as I finished my first listen, I immediately wanted to listen again...and I did. It was amazing!

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

Put together a tin whistle, banjo, and accordion and I'm in. Add some powerful stories and it's perfect. Lovely.

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Mon Nov 28 2022
5

This album was a breath of fresh air after a string of albums I did not like. I am a sucker for Irish punk rock and sea shanty vibes so this album made me very happy to listen to it (3 times in 2 days.)

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Tue Nov 29 2022
5

one of my top ten albums of all time.

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Mon Dec 05 2022
5

Excellent album, probably my favourite by The Pogues Each track is superb

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Thu Dec 15 2022
5

This is the apex of Pogues records

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Sat Dec 17 2022
5

Some of the best shit out there. Grew up with this and it will never get old.

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Mon Dec 19 2022
5

One of my all time favourites

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Mon Dec 26 2022
5

You either like the Pogues or you don’t. I’m a fan. Giving it five stars because I could reposted many more times.

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Wed Feb 01 2023
5

I listened to this in the truck at work today. Twice. I very rarely listen to the same album back to back and it's even more rare for me to do so at work, but this was another one of those "what the fuck have I been doing with my life?!" moments! Certainly, I've long been aware of The Pogues legacy and them being loved by many musicians and friends that I dig, but I've never done the dive before today. Foolishness! This is my second favourite discovery of the project so far. "The Wild Cats of Kilkenny" is stone-cold brilliant. A 6 out of 5 surrounded by 4s and 5s. Their covers of "Dirty Old Town" and "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" are equally incredible, but truly there's nary a misstep on this album. The A-Side is staked with MacGowan originals while the B-Side is just stacked! Turns out the version I played twice is the extended 2005 reissue, which included a pair of "Dirty Old Town" B-Sides bookending the four songs released on the wonderfully titled Poguetry in Motion EP - even these were strong songs with "Body of an American" and "Rainy Night in Soho" being particular standouts. This one will be getting lots of play for a while now, and is going on my vinyl wantlist pronto!

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Wed Mar 01 2023
5

Great stuff - full of energy and life. Irish Folk-Punk at its finest. Loved it.

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Sun Apr 09 2023
5

Pretty good one. I kinda liked it

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Tue Apr 11 2023
5

Awesome, all those years ago Euan Brown lending me the record and saying they’re playing rock city. Hooked ever since

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Thu Apr 13 2023
5

A perfect album when it came out - still fantastic. Peak Pogues.

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Wed May 10 2023
5

These songs sound like 200 year old folk songs but most were written in the '80s a the time of the album. Punk energy with traditional acoustic instruments. Insightful and even devastating lyrics. Sick Bed is funny and kind of sad. The Band Played Waltzing Matilda is a fantastic anti-war song. I have no idea how these guys got as big as they were, but I am glad they did.

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Mon May 15 2023
5

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.

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Thu May 18 2023
5

Ik word heel vrolijk van deze muziek! Genieten van begin tot eind

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Sun Jun 11 2023
5

I love this album, and have very fond memories of seeing them at Oxford Poly on the tour for this too. Less fond memories of an out-of-it appearance at Reading later in the decade. By far their most coherent album, and a thrillingly original idea of joining traditional Irish music with punk energy. Really, this is a flawless album, culminating in an epic take on Aussie anti-war classic And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. How original the melodies of Pair of Brown Eyes and Sally Maclenanne are can be debated, how fresh they are here is unquestioned.

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Fri Aug 25 2023
5

The crowning achievement of Elvis Costello's career. 👏 But seriously, this is just such a fun listen from start to end. Can't rate it anything else honestly. MAYBE not as good as If I Should Fall From Grace With God, but it's kinda a toss up.

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Thu Aug 31 2023
5

Part of the toxic relationship I have with this website is that the more I know about the albums that are left, I put off listening to ones I’m sure I’ll enjoy. I’ll hear them eventually, since they’re on the list! (That didn’t stop me from binging “Dirty Old Town” & “Sally MacLennane” this year, even singing the latter at karaoke one time) But yeah, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. Came not a moment too soon. Never a dull moment. Even the bonus tracks are fire HL: "Sally MacLennane", "Dirty Old Town", "A Pair of Brown Eyes", "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day", "Wild Cats of Kilkenny", "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", "A Rainy Night in Soho" [bonus] August 30, 2023 (much later)

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Sun Sep 03 2023
5

I found myself thinking "This has a Costello-y edge to it" and have just read the wikipedia and discovered he produced it. A match made in heaven. This album captures lightning in a bottle - pure Irish storytelling with a new wave sensibility. I loved this.

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Fri Sep 29 2023
5

I just recently listened to IISFFGWG in the backlog, and after listening to that I immediately listened to this. Happy to listen to it again. I adore this album and play it every St Pats. The firepower here is insane. You’ve energetic, almost claustrophobic songs like Sick Bed and Sally, and then gorgeous, spacious songs that take their time - Pair of Brown Eyes, Old Main Drag, Man You Don’t Meet, Dirty Old Town, and of course Waltzing Matilda which is an absolute triumph.

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