Rum Sodomy & The Lash

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.

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.

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.

devuelvan las malvinas piratas hijos de puta

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

One hell of an album.

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.

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.

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.

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

IRISH FOLK PUNK IRISH FOLK PUNK IRISH FOLK PUNK

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

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

if i was a white middle class suburban dad desperate to formulate some kind of identity by staking a bizarre claim on irish heritage despite my family being in america for 150 years, i would probably love this!

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.

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

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?

My orange pubes don’t even like this shit.

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

This is the album that launched a thousand Celt Punk groups. The second full -length album by the Pogues, this presents the Pogues as a fully realized band. Whereas Red Roses for Me introduced early fans to the band, this one broke through college radio at a time that was incredibly meaningful. It is loud, audacious, and at times funny and poignant. Starting with the thermonuclear blast of Sick Bed of Cuchuliann, the album whip saws between wildly frenetic and drunken sadness. Classic songs include the aforementioned Sick Bed of Cuckulainn, Sally MacLennane, Wild and Cats of Kilkenney. That said, probably the two best songs on the album are modern folk songs full of pain and hopelessness - Ewan MacColl's Dirty Old Town and Eric Bogle's Band Played Waltzing Matilda. Here, Shane MacGowen's plaintive vocals really shine as he sings of terrible loss and despair. And yet, in the hands of the Pogues, these songs don't become too heavy to handle, and hence, the listener doesn't tune out the message as too much emotionally. They strike a rare balance that is hard to achieve. A true classic and foundation of Celt Punk, Rum Sodomy and the Lash is a worthy listen many time over.

A riot

This is sublime. The mix of traditional Irish folk songs and McGowan’s poetic lyrics is magical for me. I also love all the songs on the reissue. Some songs are toe tapping and others are just heartbreaking- gentleman soldier and Rainy Night in Soho. And the band played Waltzing Matilda is one of the best anti-war songs ever (along with Red Army Blues by the Waterboys). Beautiful arrangements - not everyone loves Shane’s voice but as a songwriter he is one of the best. And along with The Dubliners The Pogues brought proper Irish music to the masses!

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

Man, I just love The Pogues

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

1985 - English/Anglo-Irish Celtic punk

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

...

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.

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*

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.

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

i love this album.

LOVED IT

Classic. Some of my fav punk vocals ever.

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!

All brilliant, loved it

Pretty fun listen with great storytelling. Obligatory Aussie point for a great rendition of And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda.

Very fun, with a lot of great songs. While it's mostly folksy, I think there's notable influences from other genres here, especially punk, and it mixes together well. Irish music isn't really my thing, so I can't say I love it, but for what it is, it's great.

Now this is an album I can get behind. I wasn't sure what to expecting when I saw this was a folk punk album, but I am very satisfied with what I got. This album's kind of like Marty Robbins' album "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" in that it evokes the vibe of a certain aesthetic, but whereas Gunfighter Ballads evokes a cowboy theme, Rum Sodomy & The Lash evokes this sort of Celtic wartime feel to it that's hard to explain, but once you start listening, you just kind of get it. I get it. This album put a big old smile on my face for nearly the whole time, and when I wasn't smiling, it was because of the emotional nature of some of the later songs, namely the 8-minute closer "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." The singing is something that seems very love-it-or-hate-it, but I think it fits the album's vibe very well. The writing contains some pretty good storytelling that also fits the vibe. Of course, some of these songs are actually traditional folk songs, but the original ones are great too. The production is also great. The production comes courtesy of Elvis Costello, and if any of the 6 ALBUMS that he has on this list are as good as this one, then maybe I'll be okay with listening to 6 ALBUMS OF HIS. I'm very shocked that I haven't gotten any of them yet. I was conflicted on what score to give this album, but then I realized something. This album has a very specific goal in mind with its aesthetic and appeal, and it succeeds in accomplishing that goal with flying colors. Because of that and the enjoyment I had with this album, I will give it a light 4/5.

I didn't think I'd like it but I loved it. Move way over people who play Flogging Molly instead of this album on St Patrick's Day

The Pogues came out of nowhere for us--how did this exist? Like the band's faces drawn over the originals on The Raft of the Medusa, they embossed wild punk and Irish music and nothing was ever the same. I recall a party where someone put this on and the next thing the whole room was jumping about in exorbitant gleeful abandon. To this day, A Pair of Brown Eyes and Dirty Old Town are essential listening, with Waltzing Matilda and Sally nudging their way in. Not many albums compare.

I sang, I jigged, I hollered, I fancied a Guinness or 5, and in an instant I was back in the tiny Portsmouth Polytechnic students union bar, watching them in 1985.

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.

“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

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...

Authentic sound, fun listen

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

Well, Rum, Sodomy & the Lash ain’t aimed at me, With reels and the chaos and MacGowan’s decree, I see the appeal of their rowdy ol’ charm, But it’s like a fair on a faraway farm. There’s noise and there’s drink and a fair bit of cheer, But it’s tangled and jangled and rough on the ear, In the quiet, some melody tries to come through, But it’s swamped by the fiddles and pipes barely in tune. MacGowan’s a voice you won’t soon forget, It’s a howl, it’s a wail, it’s a whisky-fueled threat, While Bassist Cait O'Riordan, bless her, sings it right, A cool drink of water in a brawl late at night. So raise ‘em a toast, if it’s your type of roar, But I’ll stick with their “Fairytale” carol once more, A salute to the lads and their riotous show, But on my own list? It’s a loud, rowdy no. Did I own this release? No Does it belong on the list? No Would it make my personal list? No Will I be listening to it again? I’d rather listen to "Fairytale Of New York" on loop.

Giving it 1 just for the name

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.

A perfect album. If you don't think so then fuck you.

The easiest 5 ever. A perfect album from start to finish.

Great listen, best on a cold grey day with a pint this one, more traditional that other albums but like it a lot.

I grew up in a house where Irish folk and rebel music was played. And I was very much into punk / hardcore in the 80’s. So when I heard the opening bit of Sick Bed of Cuchulainn when it came out I pretty much went bonkers. I love everything about this record.

What a great album. The mix of Celtic and punk really works and I want to listen to this album in a pub with a pint.

How can you not like The Pogues? They're a perfect blend of Irish folk music, slightly tinged with punk. Makes you want to get up and dance. It's very fun, catchy, feel good music. 'Wild Cats of Kilkenny' almost strays into heavy metal. It's a really good instrumental track that builds nicely and sounds quite dark, despite the jiggy Irish melodies and instruments. There are also some more gentle arrangements as well which still manage to keep the Irish sound. 'Dirty Old Town' is one of their most popular and understandably so, it's a quality track and shows off Shane MacGowan's vocals very well. It's a perfect song for the middle of the album to slow things down a bit after the bouncy and very catchy 'Sally MacLennane'. You can't accuse the Pogues of being boring and they're so much more than their Christmas song. Go into this knowing what you're going to get and I promise you'll have fun and enjoy it.

Perfect album for roadtrips to the Ren Fair.

The album that solidified my love of the Pogues

Best album title ever? What is it that makes it work? The Irish spirit of responding to suffering with a gleefully defiant glint? It's not saudade but I wonder if this sits somewhere near that in the 3D genre cloud if the musical universe. It's got the earthy Celtic Instruments and harmonies. And some good old see shanties that I happen to live. Instead of being serious and austere it's wild and tiny bit unhinged like a wild night at the pub. And why would you go home early for that? But self destruction isnt normally comedic and imminently catchy entertainment. Never has so much fun been had singing about soiling yourself and others in bars and throwing up in church. The ships horn book ending the piano accordion. Beautifully broken songs. It's the tender pathos and humour. They can do what we cant and entertain us with it... Our modern jesters remind us of our animalism while we click our mice, and look at blueish screen wearing suits and sigh. Anyone who doesnt know the wonderful drunken jigs of the Pogues have indeed missed out. Loved hearing this filthy, debauched, addicted, album.

Ah, the Pogues. Is it folk? Is it punk? Is it Celtic? Yes. What a mix. Such attitude and emotion. Plus I’m a sucker for some banjo, especially where you might not expect banjo. Dirty Old Town it the tops on this album for me, but it’s all good.

Older Pogue album than the last one here on the list, but the comment is still correct: "Irish Folk Punk. It doesn't get better than this. This album is pure fun. Always a pleasure to listen to."

The Pogues are an amazing band and this album is incredible. The energy and passion draws you in, slams you around from pillar to post, and never let’s you go. On top of that their version of “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” will absolutely break your heart. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-rum-sodomy-and-the-lash?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

There is a revolution in Ireland now with Irish music! Lankum, Kneecap, The Mary Wallopers, The Scratch, etc, A huge inspiration for them is The Pogues and this album in particular, this has nothing to do with the album yet, but for Irish culture, it's a big album. The Pogues revolutionize Irish music, blending the old Irish trad music, with rock and punk and singing about modern problems, while also telling a great story! Shane MacGowan is one of the great songwriters of our time and often goes underappreciated. His unique style and powerful lyrics have left a lasting impact on music. This album shows his amazing talent With, A Pair of Brown Eyes, Shane's writing skills are at his best! Tells an amazing story with some beautiful and witty lyrics! This album is one of the greatest to come from Irish music and made Irish music relevant again!

One minute in and I know I'm gonna love it Edit after listening: I loved it.

Lovely stuff

8/10. While listening to the album, I kept on thinking to myself: "What the hell am I listening to?". I loved it! It is original. It's unique. It's dope! :) Because of the originality, I'm giving this 5 stars instead of 4 stars. :)

Honest 5 star album.

9/10

Drove down the street blasting this while swinging my arm back and forth. Big fan, and absolutely wouldn’t have listened to this without this project.

I love this sound. I love this band. I love this album.

Absolutely brilliant

nice

I love this album. It's raw and true and fun and flawed. And it accepts the fact, without apology, that it's all of these things. So grab your mates and slur a verse of the Dirty Old Town And when you're done just toast to Shane and buy another round

8.5/10 - I don’t know why but the pirate/Wild West music just works for me. I don’t really enjoy his voice but everything else is just so amazing. I can fully see myself singing to these songs on a road trip or while camping or even studying. This doesn’t deserve 5 stars probably but for me it’s just too good. Waltzing Matilda brought it down a little bit but it wasnt bad enough to remove the 5 star status

No deep thoughts this time. I just think Celtic punk is fucking awesome. And Celtic folk, too, for that matter. I just love the melodies these have. Like, damn, I feel like I should be in a pub, five Lagers deep trying to sing along, but I'm so blitzed I can't even **speak right**, let alone sing. And when the band plays "Waltzing Matilda", I'm down on the bar sobbing. Gawddamn. Amazing stuff.

I’m at a 5. I really didn’t expect to enjoy that as much as I did, but talk about just hitting a vibe I never knew I really wanted to hit upon until now. I’ve never heard of “Celtic rock” as a genre, but like… yeah, this makes sense. Honestly, I’m still kinda just stunned. I think the instrumentation here is super fun, I think the storytelling in the lyricism is fabulous (especially on the final track), and the vocals are pretty good across the board. The only real knock I could even have on this album is that the volume levels gradually go down as the album goes on, which certainly doesn’t feel intentional. There are some lulls here and there, but ultimately, I just found myself captivated by what felt like such a lively world. There’s a genuine feeling that all of this could have (and probably did) happen, and it’s reflected in just about every aspect of the album. I thought it was really, really cool, and easily deserving of the 5. Just a super cool listen.

Never heard it before but I always knew I would love it and I was right. Stupid I never checked it out before. Delighted by the very deep and direct musical connections it makes with American country music. A great punk rock record in the truest and best sense of the term.

Outstanding

I’m not a Hegelian, but I am a Marxist, which has historical Hegelian basics, and I’ve also studied Hegel, and so as a qualified expert, I’d like to offer an opinion that creates a synthesis of the two opinions offered as the two top rated reviews at the moment. If we look at the Pogues purely from an Aesthetic point of view, then they are absolutely worthy of a place on this list based in their insight into the lives of drunkards and the Irish-British underclass. If we are to look at the band from the point of view of influence, then I’d probably give them more credit than others have. While it’s true that there was never a specifically popular Celtic Punk movement that followed the Pogues particular style, the fact does remain that there was a movement of New Wave that utilised Celtic traditions. It seemed to achieve it’s zenith in Scotland with bands like Big Country and The Waterboys, but it was present in Ireland and amongst the Irish diaspora. And I’m too drunk to find some sort of synthesis between these two points. It was gonna be something about art transcending direct influence, and that the influence of the Pogues talking about down-and-outs and drunkards allowed other bands to talk more openly about those sorts of themes. But I can’t be asked to elaborate on that more right now. Póg mo thóin

5 de manual

Shane MacGowan looked and sang like a goblin. Is it actually possible to not like this album?

No one songs about a dirty old town like these boys do

I love this. Always been a big fan of Shane’s. I especially like his version of Dirty Old Town.

Fantastic

Celtic rock/folk. First off just have to say I loved this album. It was a new sound to me and was so refreshing. There's a real passion and energy behind each song that I could feel the whole time. And the instrumentation was beautiful as well, incorporating a lot of traditional instruments that made the whole album just that much more genuine. Gruff singing but again, very genuine. Felt like I wanted to be in a pub drinking with the boys while the band plays in the background. Just an incredibly fun and unique experience. Well, fun if you ignore the darker lyrics I guess. Overall had a great time listening. Would love to relisten, maybe visit their other albums. 4.5/5

Best example of Irish fusion

Oh, the Dropkick Murphys but actually Irish and first! This kicks ass!

I’m a sucker for this kind of music. How can you not want to draw a pint and sing along with all your new friends from the bar you’ve been in all night. While it is not my favorite from the pogues, and maybe because I am not as familiar with it, it is a great album. I could throw this on with all my Irish drinking buddies…because aren’t we all Irish?

Probably not everyone’s cup of tea. However, I enjoyed it from start to finish Shane McGowan will be missed.

Fantastic!

This was SO GOOD. Loved it.

Gets better every listen

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash is an incredible effort from the Pogues. Their punk by way of Irish folk songs is their distinct sound, and it work so very well because of the vivid storytelling from Shane MacGowen. This is drinking music - and unapologetically so - and a brilliant version of drinking music. The Pogues made a unique, distinct addition to modern popular music, and this album demonstrates why they had a devoted following. This talented band has instrumental songs - "Planxty Noel Hill" - but most of the tracks feature MacGowen's brogue and his engaging stories.

Love it