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If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
1988
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!I'm obligated culturally to give this at least three stars, but the extra two stars are for its incredible quality as a piece of music.
This is just a completely classic album in every respect, with some absolutely historic songs. It's intensely replayable, and I really liked some of the deep cuts, like South Australia and Thousands are Sailing. Just completely HITS the Irish Diaspora that one. Some weird choices with the Spanish-themed tracks? But I dig it all.
A poppy, accessible and musically upbeat take on traditional Irish folk. The album incorporates a lot of other styles, but all somehow within an Celtic folk rock framework, which holds it together. A couple of ubiquitous classics - Fairytail of New York and Fiesta. A fun album, but with depth. A triumph. 4.5/5
i will always love the pogues, especially in their earlier days. there's hardly a poet out there who measures up to shane, and i hope the music always hits me right in the heart. i still love rum, sodomy & the lash more than this one, but they're both 7-star albums in my book.
Takes me back to Sunday arvos at Duggan’s. The diversity in the tone of this album make these go up the order of favourite songs, and rustle my inner Irish Jimmies
Een album puur amusement! Maakt vaak niet uit wie de groep is, maar dit genre is gewoon 100% m'n ding
In Manhatten’s desert twilight in the death of afternoon, we stepped hand in hand on Broadway, like the first man on the moon. And a blackbird broke the silence as you whistled it so sweet, and in Brendan Behan’s footsteps I danced up and down the street. Adios!
Really dig this, I'd heard of the Pogues and I must have heard a song or two in the past since it's very familiar. It's Punk, it's Irish folk, it's Polka, lots of surly vocals and lyrics with a solid accompaniment using all kinds of instruments. Metropolis is almost like an orchestral piece. Definitely adding to my playlist. They cover a lot of ground in this album but it all lands.
August 3, 2021 I really enjoyed this! Again this one fuses two different styles of music I already enjoy. Looking forward to more of this.
Favs: If I Should Fall from Grace with God, Fiesta, Lullaby of London, Sit Down by the Fire, Thousands Are Sailing Mehs: No mehs. Irish rabble-rousing tunes: guts, soul, and dancing. Great fun. Only The Pogues sound like The Pogues.
Really liked Turkish Song of the Damned Metropolis reminds me of Batman for some reason... The Irish Rover, how can you *not* sing along to this cracker!
An absolute riot! So much fun to listen to and a surprising amount of range for a band who might be considered a pissed up, one-trick pony. From the moment the accordion refrain kicks in, leading the title track, we're on a wild ride into either glory or oblivion, and feeling like either one is deserved. Together with the frenetic tempo, and MacGowan's vocals, the overall feel is jubilant yet jaded, triumphant but angry... all at once. A fantastic way to open an album, and I can't see anybody listening and not wanting to either dance on the table or sink a thousand pints. If that doesn't do it, the following 1-2 of "Turkish Song of the Damned" (that amazing outro jig) and "Bottle of Smoke" certainly will. It's all brilliantly orchestrated, with rich instrumentation from accordion, tin-whistles, banjo, mandolin and cello to some unexpected brass in "Metropolis" and "Fiesta". MacGowan's voice is not going to be to everyone's taste, but it's often sweetened by unison accordion lines or backing vocals. It also suits the material perfectly: he's magnetic as a drunken storyteller from the bottom of someone's glass, in equal measure revelling in chaos, sharing his history, lamenting his situation. Nestled in amongst the frantic knees-ups are songs that feel like moments of lucidity, featuring either down-and-out deadbeats or Irish heritage. "Thousands are Sailing", "Streets of Sorrow" and "Lullaby of London" are heartfelt and sincere, weaving their narratives and characters perfectly into the music. I haven't even mentioned the most famous offering, "Fairytale of New York": for all its bitterness, it somehow (deservedly) broke through to become embedded in UK culture as a favourite Christmas song of all time. But here, it's just one of many brilliant character portraits. I was tempted to mark this down because "Worms" is such an odd, left-field closer, but there's so much greatness elsewhere on the record that one duff minute at the end can be forgiven.
YESSSSSS! The title track sets up this celtic rock masterpiece. Turkish Song of the Damned is a thundering folk piece. Fairy Tale of New York is a ballad of a drunk sung by a drunk. Like quite honestly, his voice is sooooooo bad. Fiesta is a lot of fun. Worms is a great closer.
This was very very good. And even though it contains the accursed fairytale, it also has a version of the Irish Rover with the Dubliners. Fiesta isn't bad either.
A fat lip. A throbbing head. A full heart. It is observed that the Tibetan people (whose country and culture remains illegally occupied and oppressed by communist China) are among the happiest on earth, despite their circumstances. Their recipe? A constant contemplation of the everpresent reality of death that becomes their catalyst for the enjoyment of every moment, this moment. It’s all gravy, they giggle. Understand? I’ve found the Irish possessing a similar ability to dance in spite of their shackles, but not of the same fruit of active detachment from the illusionary external world of which the eastern religious traditions bring awareness; rather, the Irish find/choose joy in the midst of their active engagement with the muddy world, as well as the spirits that abide in it: whiskey (ponder why, exactly, alcohol has been classically identified as a spirit), followed by a good dust up, and then another whiskey. At some point, a weeping, snot nosed, good cry is in order. And all accompanied with music and song, dance, and fall. Another round of whiskey! There is an intentional and unwaverable attitude of joy in the Pogues’ music and lyrics, despite the worst that life (or the devil and all his fallen angels, sometimes even God himself) can bring. The Irish don’t raise a glass to celebrate poverty and oppression. They toast the Irish spirit, the human spirit, who rages against and endures the worst that life brings. Who fight it tooth and nail. Whose dying words echo the concluding lyrics of this LP- even when the worms be crawling in and around your brain, ‘Be merry, my friends. Be merry.’ Sweet Mary, Jesus, and all the saints, can’t the Pogues wander, musically: from traditional Irish folk music amped up a might with a punk edge. Celtic sounds pared with Latin flare. When did a Turkish song of the damned ever propel a person to dance a jig to salvation? Or singing 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew' in the drunk tank on Christmas Eve ever transfigure into something as earthly-holy as the feeding trough in Bethlehem in which the baby Jesus slumbered? ‘Metropolis’ even introduced this listener, at least, into the genre of Celtic jazz! Lyrics? Where do we begin? I’ve not heard anyone, other than the Pogues, use both the words ‘fuck (ed, ing, er, etc)’ and ‘Jesus’ in the same song (‘Bottle Of Smoke’) and with reverence for the meaning and importance of both. As expected, there’s plenty of love for the immigrant experience and celebration for the promised land of opportunity in America. Irish are certainly among the most grateful immigrants of the freedom and opportunity America provides. But so are Latinos and Africans, for whom the Pogues also sing. This LP, this band, is so much more than only ‘Irish.’ And yet, nothing less, somehow, too. Hey, what do I know? I’m WUI anyway, from my home, on a snow day in Denver (2 feet and rising.) Is it happy hour, yet, across the Alantic, to the east? My great-grandfather, Papa Hall Delaney, was an Irish immigrant and worked on the western U.S. railroad, eventually settling in San Francisco before he died, forcing my great grandmother, Nanny, to move back to Pasadena, Texas, where she lived out her days in a small apartment above the garage in the backyard of my grandparent’s home. At 29, when this LP was released, I was barely even aware of my Irish roots. I was spirited enough, that’s for sure, and too familiar with spirits, but not yet spiritual, Celtic or otherwise, so I didn’t’ know shite. Over the years, I’ve become more than familiar with the best and worst Irish blood can bring: an unfortunate propensity to the overindulgence of alcohol, an exaggerated and sometimes violent reaction to fear and despair, an uneasy alliance with church and society; but, also, a love of hearth and song, a longing for reconciliation and peace with Creator and creation. Caressing the beads of a rosary in morning devotion, after fishing it out of the toilet where it accidentally fell the night before- the Word became (too?) flesh. This is Irish, for me, in a sentence. Better yet, I believe this lyric in ‘Sit Down By The Fire’ kinda says everything one needs to know about the Pogues, this terrific LP, and the Irish and/or Irish-American experience in general: ‘Remember this place. It is damp and its cold. The best place on Earth. But it’s dark and its old. So lie near the wall and cover your head. Good night and God bless. Now fuck off to bed!’ I’ll conclude with Ireland’s greatest and most loved and loathed (and so, soo Irish), writer, Oscar Wilde: ‘We are all in the gutter. Some of us are looking at the stars.’ And raise your glass (and if you don’t already have one full, we’ll wait………………………………………………………………………………………………………….) for this most famous of Irish toasts: May you be in heaven a full half hour before the the devil knows you’re dead. I love ya all- that’s Jesus and the whiskey talking (and so, me…), Mark.
Just perfect in its execution against its aims. "It was Christmas Eve in the drunk take" is an all-time opening line -- in song or literature. Who knew the Irish lads could do Turkish and Spanish and Aussie so well? (Well, we knew the Aussie a bit.) Just not a wrong foot placed here, in spite of the legendary sloppiness. Great fun besides. Only quibble would be the relative lack of singalong "smash hits" here vs other records which lacked the consistent ambience or pervasive depth of this one.
I don't like folk music. Therefore this isn't folk music. It must be some obscure subset of punk.
The differnt style, the crazed lyrics and the urgency make this a solid album. But what I enjoyed was that it was fun all the songs were bangers.
Really cool Irish folk/punk music mashup. Some really memorable interesting music here. The lead singer can be very mumbly at times, but this is probably the progenitor of stuff like Bedouin Soundclash, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Gogol Bordello, etc.
Awesome stuff! I don't think I'd heard this Pogues album before, but I think I like it even more than "Rum Sodomy & The Lash"! The addition of Spanish and Turkish influences really does good things... Fave track - "Thousands Are Sailing", maybe, though I'm sure more listens would offer other favourites to choose from!
As a disaffected youth, I got interested in my Irish background and asked for an album of Celtic music for Xmas one year. I got a James Galway album. Now, no disrespect to Mr Galway or the person who gave me that gift, but they can póg mo thóin, especially after I realised that this album could’ve been my Xmas present that year.
Folk-Punk now there's a Genre and these lads are the pinnacle of this particular scene. Such an influential band, mixing the storytelling of Irish Folk music with the energy of the Clash. some lovely songs here with Shane at his imperious best as the main vocalist. Love "Bottle Of Smoke" "Turkish Song Of The Damned" and of course the classic "Fairytale of New York" with one of my personal favourite female vocalist Kirsty MacColl. Great album rightfully on the list in my opinion.
This is a tough one. The songs are all great, and I can see why it would be an all-timer for some, but this isn’t a type of music I would search out very often. But as an album, it is fantastic. Obv Fairytale, but Lullaby and Majestic Shannon are almost as timeless. Solid 4, and a 4.5 on some days.
I've seen Flogging Molly a bunch but never listened to the Pogues. Can see the evolution. Good stuff, sounds like it would be fun drunk, disappointed I got this in dry January. Favorite tracks: "Fairytale of New York", "Thousands are Sailing", "Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant"
Great Irish folk-punk. I should have listened to this long ago since I love fairytale of New York
A fun, varied, and at times emotional album. Competent musicianship meets clever arranging and songwriting. Reminds me of the Levelers a bit.
Irish classic feel good mixed with some American blue swing- love fiesta. Great fun and energy
I was pretty blown away by this. I expected to like it, but I was not expecting the level of quality and diversity of the music. I was thinking the Pogues were just a bunch of drunken punks, but they are really good musicians as well. 4 stars.
I have a hard time taking it seriously, but it sure is fun. Vocals are horribly sibilant at times which can be an annoyance.
After going through it and relistening to a couple songs I think in the end I really enjoyed this album. Very wild and fun at times but also hit on someone serious topics Favorite Tracks: “Fairytale of New York,” “Medley:...,” and “The Irish Rover”
Raucous. Experimental. Joyful. Melancholy. Some missteps but probably my favourite so far.
pleasant folksy ska-y times. A relatively clean sound compared to Dayz n Daze or something.
Booze-soaked Irish fighting music plus one improbable Christmas smash and one God awful novelty hit.
A continuation of form from the first 2 albums. The same punky drive as the first two but with a developing knack of a poppier tune. Clearly the timeless classic that is Fairy Tale of New York sits centre stage but is accompanied by a fine array of other songs ranging from Turkish Song of the Damned to Thousands are Sailing.
A little patchy but great verse and musicianship and overall a great listen. The energy on this record is incredible. Fantastic arrangements set against Shane MacGowan’s unique vocals. Hairs on end stuff.
Before diving into this record, the only song I was familiar with was the Christmas classic duet “Fairytale of New York” with Kirsty MacColl. I’ve always been aware of The Pogues as a sort of Irish version of The Replacements but never listened to them despite my love for their American counterparts. From the first note of the title track, I feel like I should be drinking a Guinness or an Irish whiskey. Accordions and banjos are flying recklessly over this track. “Turkish Song of the Damned” adds a middle eastern influence to the band's heavy Irish sound. The band pushes the pedal to the metal on “Bottle of Smoke” as Shane MacGowan spits out lyrics at a feverish pace while adding howls between the verses. Flutes, horns, and a throbbing bass drum propel the instrumental “Metropolis.” This song completely threw me for a loop. It's a curveball I didn't see coming. The party atmosphere comes to a brief halt with “Thousands Are Sailing.” A tale of immigration that adds a hint of melancholy to the Irish stew. Despite its boozy opening, the party atmosphere returns with “Fiesta.” Horns and McGowan’s howl make this song irresistible. For their next trick, The Pogues pull out an Irish medley of “The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road to London/Galway Races.” I love the band’s ambition, and they wholly lean into this with abandon. But wait, there’s another medley. Featuring a quiet acoustic guitar, “Streets of Sorrow” is the first hint of a ballad before doing a 180 with “Birmingham Six.” Bagpipes welcome “Lullaby of London.” Although it's hardly a lull in The Pouges’ hands, it's about as close as they get on this record. Accordions and relentless percussion on “Sit Down By The Fire” will hardly have anyone sitting. “The Broad Majestic Shannon” sounds like a retread of “Fairytale of New York” and seems to be the record's first misstep. Unfortunately, the album ends on a whimper with “Worms.” The minute-long track is about as bunch fun as knowing you just finished your last Guinness. This is not a Monday night album. It's strictly for the weekends after a few drinks have been consumed. As my wife said, “it’s rowdy.” I have no idea why I have avoided The Pogues for so long. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, this record is the drunken brother to their fellow Irishmen The Waterboys “Fisherman’s Blues” which was released the same year. Definitely two sides to the coin.
This was a real treat to come back to from a brief holiday-enforced hiatus (would you believe there are other things than listening to old albums on a list someone made up?). The Pogues have such a singular sound in popular music; lyrical, filthy, raucous, tender and always always stories stories stories. Reaching into the past for comment on the present, and into the present for comment on the past. Compared to Rum, Sodomy and the Lash (it’s only fair that we compare them, right?) I feel like the expanded musical palette on show here didn’t quite allow for the same eternal quality that the earlier album has. Still hella good though. God I can’t remember how these review things work. Is this thing on??
A little patchy but overall a great listen. The energy on this record is incredible. Fantastic arrangements set against Shane MacGowan’s unique vocals. Hairs on end stuff.
I had only ever heard fairytale of New York by this band, which I don't love, bit the rest of this album was great!
Another great album, raucous, energetic and rich, with full steam song like The tile track and Fiesta mixed with really moments over beauty and the classic ballad fo Fairytale of New york.
Not all what I was expecting when I started to listen. I was pleasantly surprised by the album. Sone really great Celtic rock.
Jag hoppar på tåget direkt när musiken börjar, och det känns som jag hoppar på tåget när det är i rörelse. För det är snabbt, mycket instrument och jag tycker mig kunna känna smaken av irländsk glädje. Dom har helt enkelt inte tid att stanna för att plocka upp mig. Det är något med instrumenten som känns väldigt festligt. Ett dragspel som ligger och myser i bakgrunden, lite sköna banjo-riffs som ligger fint i öronen och den där lilla flöjten, det är den som tar hårdast grepp om mig. Bäst: "Fairytale of New York"
4/5. First listen to this album but I do know a few of the songs already. And their style is unmistakable. Favorites: If I Should Fall From the Grace of God Fairytale of New York South Australia, Fiesta Streets of Sorrow Lullaby of London
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. This is very emotional musically, sometimes uplifting and full of joy and life, and other times full of woe and sadness. I feel I should have got into The Pogues many years ago but something always stopped me diving right in. I think I might be ready to take the leap now.
How to appreciate Celtic music. The fusion of Celtic instrumentation and style with punk music creates a distinctive identity that carries the spirit of Irish music to a more accessible audience. It's danceable, upbeat, full of some amazing and creative tracks, not to mention that the tracks flow perfectly well from one to the next. "Metropolis" sounds like James Bond infiltrating the IRA. Love how the albums retains the spirit but slows down like an after-party following the medley. Favorite tracks: Thousands are Sailing, Fiesta
Mixed folk content from everywhere performed by one band - sounds bad, but it's not bad at all.
Love the Pogues. Great range of Irish rock, traditional jig, and one favorite Xmas carol. Great vocals and music from winds, accordion, strings and percussion. Bottle of smoke, fairytale, streets of sorrow, Irish rover
If you want an introduction to the Pogues this probably the album to start with. If you don't like this album you won't like the Pogues. True it does stray from the strictly Irish folk song paradigm and adds some middle-eastern rythms and an Iberian flavour on one song but they maintain their folky feel and traditional acoustic instrumentation, that still feels classic Pogues. Shane still dominates and sounds as gloriously drunk and loose and above all poignant as ever. And, of course, this album contains The Pogues most iconic and perhaps most beautiful (though that's debatable, song; Fairytale of New York. Can you tell that I love this album? 4.5 🌟
Clearly inspired flogging Molly and other Irish punk rock. Pretty cool, better than expected!
Bouncy folk-rock with an charming roughness. But I had to skip Fairytale; I've heard that song far too many times and I hate how overexposed it is. It's probably the weakest track on the album as well.
I liked some of these Celtic style selections. I'd like to explore further and add some to my playlist.
The lovely thing about this list is that while I knew about the Pogues (and I have previously been assigned Rum Sodomy & The Lash), I would never have put this on without this exercise. This is better than the other one and their sound, which seems to me truly unique, is this amazing mishmash of cultural styles that keeps entertaining. And their skills are much better since the other album as well. I even made it through the "extended version" of the album before I realized it was coming over.
It's got one of my favorite Christmas songs, so there's that. Love the Pogues, though. Classic band and a classic album here. Perfect? Naw. But a unique sound (for when they were doing it) that holds up pretty well.
Really enjoyed this, title track, bottle of smoke, thousands are sailing and, of course, fairytale of new york, were my favourites. Really good to listen to it in Mid-december too, a strange coincidence of the list
A high energy, well-arranged folk album with a rock twist. 'If I Should Fall From Grace With God' (album) benefits from being lyrically upfront and vivid, complementing its easy compositions. On the side of pure listening, one would find only joy getting lost in a culturally prevalent atmosphere.
Nonni, tässä levyssä parempi yhdistelmä irkkukansanmusaa ja rokkia eli enemmän sinne kansanmusasuuntaan. Myös kiva kuulla positiivissävytteinen levy taas hetkeen. 4/5, nautin.
Ovaj album je za day-drinking ili općenito pijenje alkoholnih napitaka uz pjevanje. Od početka do kraja sa dobrim stvarima, možda 2 pjesme mi nisu sjele, ali ostatak je dost dobar i imaju dobar streak pjesama koje su bile odlične. Pogotovo prvi dio albuma. Preporuke ako ste za seltički rok.
This is definitely a mood thing. If you are willing to embrace the style, and revel in the rawness, sweat and dirt, this is a great ride with both frantic energy and passionate ballads. Just awesome.
I am familiar with THE POGUES, but not the album IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD. I have and listened to the album RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH which I like very much. After listening to IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD, which is a very good album, although popular because of the Christmas hit "Fairytale of New York". I found it interesting that the instrumentals are a very strong part of the album, but I feel that RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH is a better and stronger albumin comparison. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE POGUES’ RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH is also listed along with IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE POGUES (6.0) Rate Album (Year): IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD (UK 1988 Original) (4.0) Rate Album (Year): IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD (US 2004 Expanded) (4.0) Ranking of THE POGUES - IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" 2:20 09.0/10 02. "Turkish Song of the Damned" 3:27 09.5/10 03. "Bottle of Smoke" 2:47 08.0/10 04. "Fairytale of New York" 4:36 09.5/10 05. "Metropolis" 2:50 09.0/10 instrumental 06. "Thousands Are Sailing" 5:28 08.0/10 07. "Fiesta" 4:13 07.0/10 08. "Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Galway Races" 4:03 07.0/10 09. "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six" 4:39 07.0/10 10. "Lullaby of London" 3:32 08.0/10 11. "Sit Down by the Fire" 2:18 07.0/10 12. "The Broad Majestic Shannon" 2:55 08.0/10 13. "Worms" 1:01 07.0/10 Original UK 1988 Release 104.0/130 = 8.00 / 2 = 4.00 Bonus tracks No. Title Length Ranking 14. "The Battle March (Medley)" (B-side of "Fairytale of New York", 1987) 4:10 08.0/10 15. "The Irish Rover" (A-side single, 1987; with THE DUBLINERS) 4:08 08.0/10 16. "Mountain Dew" (B-side of "The Irish Rover"; with THE DUBLINERS) 2:15 09.0/10 17. "Shanne Bradley" (B-side of "Fairytale of New York") 3:42 09.0/10 instrumental 18. "Sketches of Spain" (B-side of "Fiesta", 1988) 2:14 09.0/10 instrumental 19. "South Australia" (B-side of "Fiesta") 3:27 09.0/10 US Expanded 2004 Release 156.0/190 = 8.21 / 2 = 4.11
"Bury me at sea Where no murdered ghost can haunt me If I rock upon the waves No corpse shall lie upon me" (If I Should Fall From Grace With God)
Une véritable kermesse est cet album des Pogues. Les morceaux sont truffés de claque-doigts, de sandwichs à la merguez ou encore de spectacles d'enfants très mal mis en scène… On en sort ravi.
It was seeing the album cover as the music started that cued me into an openness to the band. I've heard them before but sort of dismissed them as an irish/polka-type group. Seeing how many members, and acknowledging how much more complex they are, and aligned to my past music interests (like ska) has flipped how I thought about this group.
Folk punk en la seva millor expressió. Un tercer LP amb la inspiració en cotes màximes, recull de temes que barregen la tradició irlandesa més alcohòlica amb l'actitud punk i nihilista de Shane and co. Conté, a més, una de les cançons més boniques de la década
Nice vraiment bon,jai le folk irish pop, ca sonne vraiment bien et je reecoute. Je me tanne pas . 4.85
I hadn't listened to the whole album before, thoroughly enjoyed it! In a small way I felt that Fairytale of New York distracted from the rest of the album, it's become too popular and overplayed.
A very lively album with some banging tunes and enough variety to keep me interested. Shane McGowan may not be the best singer but he brings lots of passion and gets into character. I especially enjoyed the exotic numbers like Turkish Song Of To The Dammed and Thousands are Sailing. Cool album cover by the way.
How can anyone not love this? Even if it didn't have one the best Christmas songs (that makes me cry) ever on it, I still would.
While it is not entirely relevant to this record, I remember the first time I heard the Pogues and the person who introduced me to them. They were so unique, like nothing I had heard before. Without The Pogues, it's hard to imagine there would be a Dropkick Murphys, or a Flogging Molly, or a Gogol Bordello, or maybe even the contemporary "old punk rocker with an acoustic guitar" genre. This record is full of Celtic folk-punk bangers. The music is upbeat, the lyrics are either beautifully mournful or gunning for a scrap , it all just makes you want to raise a pint and dance until your feet bleed.
Fairy Tale of New York is of course an all time classic. You forget that you're guanteed to hear every year and still enjoy it. Liked this more than their other album, fell off a little towards the end.
Glad for an excuse to listen to the pogues. Love the traditional Irish elements on top of the more standard punk rock instruments. Gladly Shane MacGowan's voice doesn't sound as limp as it does in later recordings. Great brass, shouting and energy in 'Fiesta'. 'Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant / Rocky Road To Dublin / The Galway Races' is fantastic! Passionate lyrics, singing, drumming and yowing.
Surprised to any form of Celtic music on here. Pulling from Irish folk music specifically, The Pogues put a heavier, modern spin on the old sounds of folk music (tin whistles, accordion, and bodhrán accompanied by electric bass and rock drums) while also punching up a few traditional songs. They also do the classic Christmas tune Fairytale of New York, though I could do without the unnecessary use of the slur FAGGOT. It also feels out of place, given the rest of the album's tone. I admittedly have a soft spot for these tunes because I heard a bunch of these (or songs like these) growing up. It's fun to hear the full collection like this, and I feel the traditional Irish folk influence is refreshing. My grievances with the album fall with Shane MacGowan's strained vocals, but it's made up for the chorus when they come in to back him up. A fantastic bunch of lads here, this album is a party.
I dig it. +1 star because Fairytale of New York reminds me of raging at an Irish wedding
Fiesta and *that* Christmas song are both brilliant. I have Rum, Sodomy and the Lash five stars - I'm giving this four because there hasn't been a ton of development... But it's still a joy! Also, there's an extended edition with the Irish Rover on it too which would have lifted it to five, but I feel like I have to review the album as it stands!
Really good! Never felt like it had too many dips, I quite liked the feeling of nation-hopping, and it made me want to listen to more Pgues.
The best celtic folk we've had so far, good songwriting. It does get a bit much after an hour or so, but still very enjoyable.
Это шикарно;) Даже не знаю, что мне понравилось конкретно, потому что сложно назвать это новаторской музыкой или альбомом с запоминающимися хитами. Тут вряд ли можно найти и эксперименты, достойные внимания. Но...под эту музыку хочется напиться Гинесса и плясать ирландские танцы в пабе. Что и делал фронтмен этой группы. И он крутой мужик, судя по Википедии. 7 из 10
Boisterous and fun all the way through. I’d never heard of this band or any of their songs, but I enjoyed this album. It did start to feel a little long by the end, probably just because this style of music doesn’t lend itself to a marathon listening session, but I thought every song was strong. Probably wouldn’t listen again but glad I know about this band now. I would see them live if given the chance.
Nice little album with a real range of songs. Worms is a strange ending, but 'The Broad Majestic Shannon' and 'The Streets of Sorrow' are great along with, of course, the timeless 'Fairytale of New York'. A interesting insight into Irish (folk?) music, but not quite enough clicking with me on this album to give it a 4.
Parempi kuin edellinen listalla ollut levy, mutta edelleen kalpenee tämän vuosituhannen vastaaville.
Irish rock... man the early 90s/late 80s were a weird time. Hard to imagine people getting amped about this music the present day. This record gave us Fairytale of New York, one of my Xmas classics
Wasn't looking forward to it but again pleasantly surprised. Hasn't cured my aversion to fiddles or banjos but didn't hate it. Loved the Dubliners bits
It's fine but Irish music is not really my jam. I liked the song with all the fucks. 2.5 rounded up.
Classic Irish album, for the right setting. Highlights: Fairytale of New York Streets of Sorrow Lullaby of London Ballad of March Medley Irish Rover Shanne Bradley
Really good album, none of the songs were bad. Celtic folk punk, sea shanty vibes. Fairytale of New York, Turkish Song of the Damned, Streets of Sorrow, The Recruiting Sergeant and Thousands Are Sailing are the best.
"Fairytale of New York" remains The Pogues' best known and best-selling single. It was named after J.P. Donleavy's 1973 novel A Fairy Tale of New York which Finer had been reading in the studio when the song was first written.[8] The song dated back to 1985 when Finer had written the original melody and lyrics, about a sailor looking out over the ocean, but he admitted that his lyrics had been terrible and MacGowan had come up with a better storyline of a couple arguing in New York City at Christmas time.[6] MacGowan had always intended the song to be sung as a duet, originally with O'Riordan providing the female vocal part, but despite attempts to record "Fairytale of New York" in January 1986 during the sessions for Poguetry in Motion, the band were unhappy with the results and abandoned the song.[9] During the sessions for the third album at RAK in May 1987, MacGowan recorded new guide vocals for the song but with O'Riordan's departure it now had no female vocalist. Lillywhite took the tapes home and recorded his singer-songwriter wife Kirsty MacColl singing the female lines: when he brought them back to the studio The Pogues were so impressed that the song was re-recorded with MacColl as the replacement singing partner for MacGowan.[8] "Fairytale of New York" was released as the album's lead single in November 1987 in the run-up to Christmas and reached number one in Ireland and number two in the UK. Its enduring popularity has seen it re-enter the charts several times since 1987, eventually going on to sell over a million copies in the UK[10] and being voted the most popular Christmas-themed song of all time.
Some solid stuff on this album, though this isn’t typically what I go out of my way to listen to. Still an enjoyable experience
I think this was the first album by The Pogues I've listened to. It was good, but as expected. Didn't know Fiesta was one of their songs so that was a nice surprise, but nothing there to push this above a 3.
My Irish connections won't be pleased about this, but I'm not a huge fan of this. 6/10
It's a good album, but none of the songs really grab me like those from rum, sodomy, and the lash. Still a very fun genre to listen to, and the Christmas song is quickly growing on me Saved: Turkish Song of the Damned, Fairytale of New York
Some absolutely wildcard tunes in here (some miss, some bang), but actually quite impressed that the album doesn't just fade into a cloud of Irish jigs. Happy with it.
Brings back so much childhood nostalgia for me. Used to ask my dad to play this album in the car and always loved it. Some pretty mediocre album tracks in there amongst the gems so 3/5 it is for me. Tin Whistle makes me want to drink Guinness with mates in an Irish pub. Also find it mad that the Pogues & Kirsty wrote a Christmas song so ridiculously good that you can enjoy it in mid-February.
Had to listen to it on the day I had my biggest fuc*ing hangover in years. I think it's good at what it does which is unfortunately not my taste
Pogues appear as first repeat artists to my knowledge.... Not sure this album is unique to qualify as 'must hear'. Good but.....
This is some interesting Irish music for sure. I can see how it influenced other irish bands in the future like Flogging Molly, etc.
Very clearly the inspiration for Flogging Molly, sounds like a lot of Flogging Molly's more ballad-ish stuff. Really enjoyable, wish i would have discovered this a long time ago.
Otra de las sorpresas que tuve con esta lista. Este es un género que no escucho at all: música bien irlandés y de momentos... SKA? (no sé, capaz estoy tirando fruta). Para cuando pensás que el álbum va a ser todo igual encontrás cosas hermosas como "Streets of Sorrow". 3/5 bien merecidos
Está bien. Me sirve para ver de donde sacaron los Dropkick Murphys la inspiracion, basicamente hacen punk de esto. No soy el mas fan de la musica irish, pero no me parece un disco malo. Quizás envejeció mal. Bottle of smoke y Thousands are sailing son mis favoritos del disco pero overall está muy bien.
Welp, here we are again, with a Celtic album by a Celtic band. There's plenty on this album to like, and I do like it. At the same time, it doesn't resonate at a higher frequency for me. 3 stars.
As this album played I got both excited and annoyed. Excited because I have a very soft spot for this type of music, kind of like Dropkick Murphys or some other irish band of misfits. The people who live out in the sticks in the show Outerbanks call themselves the Pogues so that was a nice call out as well. But I'm annoyed because while this album is fine, and has one reallllllly good song, Turkish Song of the Damned (holy cow love the beat), this does not need to be on this list. Throw this album up against Miles Davis or ACDC or Fleetwood and it just crumbles.
A fun, celtic punk album that was fun to listen to. Kind of reminds me of songs you'd play at a pub/bar with your best friends. 7/10.
it was really fun and irish! i liked the vibe and i just wanted to be in a little irish pub dancing to this song. i wouldn’t listen to it again because i have no reason to but i thought it was overall really fun !
Interesting album. I was not familiar with any of the music. I will probably never listen to it again but I didn't hate it.
I may have only heard a few tracks from the Pogues, and never a full album. Overall, I think I like the Pogues. "Fairytale of New York" is the track from this album that I've heard several times before, and I like it. "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" and "The Broad Majestic Shannon" were other favorites. To me the Pogues (with their Celtic instrumentation) would fit in well with Great Big Sea, and the first album from the Crash Test Dummies. The Pogues add a punk feel to their delivery, and it was worth checking out the album as a whole.
Enjoyable. I've never given the Pogues much thought outside of Come on Eileen. The Irish flavour gets a bit tiresome by the end. Would listen again.
Sometimes it sounds like St. Patrick's Day. Other times it sounds like a hangover, which I guess happens when you sing about sleeping off a binge in a drunk tank on Christmas Eve. But "Fairytale Of New York" is actually one of my favorite Christmas songs. Overall the album surprisingly never crosses the border from lubricated to morose, which isn't something I can say about the Dropkick Murphys.
Exciting and fun. Love the celtic melodies. Couldn't listen to for long stretches without going insane.
I love the Irish jig sound, and I liked the mix of fast paced songs with slower paced melodies. The album itself got a little redundant for me, and would I listen to it over and over? No.
A fun listen with generally toe-tapping rhythm (albeit angry lyrics) but a bit repetitive musically/ vocally
Typical Sound, i can imagine it is a either you love it or you hate it sound, but I can enjoy this type of music!
Interesting Irish drinking song album. Each song is rather similar, but I don't mind it too much.
I don't know much about the pogues other than Fairytale of New York.....but I quite enjoyed this. I would like to see them dial down the folk and dial up the punk, but it was an experience i wouldn't mind repeating
Overall, a fun sound and enjoyable album, but less enjoyable listening to the whole album straight through. Some of the songs began to feel quite alike-sounding for me as I listened through this, so to my ear these songs would sound best showing up in a longer playlist mixed in with a variety of artists and songs. It's good stuff, just kind of pounds on my ears when it's all at once.
It’s a bloody good soundtrack for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. But other than that, not for me.
Aika hauska meininki. Ei oo kovin tuuttu genre tämä niin vaikea sanoa että onko parempaa kun keskiverto irkkurevittely (vai onko tää nimenomaan tän bändin juttu), mutta tarttuvat haitarimelodiat maistuu kyllä.
It's not one I would put on with great frequency. I could quite happily sit in a pub and drink Guiness, while this played. But then again I could quite happily sit in a pub drinking guiness while most of the albums on this list played.
Well not at all what I was expecting. As someone with a passing interest in Dropkick Murphies this was pretty good. I’ve definitely heard this album in bars in Peterborough.
The sweet propulsion of the first three songs grinds to a halt for “Fairytale,” but the quality of the music keeps this not just afloat but sailing.
Cette bande de joyeux compagnons m'a mis de bonne humeur en ce mardi matin dès les premières notes de leur album. En revanche, quelques minutes plus tard, mon humeur a viré du tout au tout. J'ai en effet fait une découverte très désagréable: les pistes de l'album ne sont pas organisées dans l'ordre sur Spotify. Une erreur majeure qui coûtera aux Pogues une potentielle très belle note.
I'm totally out of my element with this one. I don't hate it. Better than the Dropkick Murphys. But, isn't everyone? Also, I'd like to think, if you're not drinking while listening to this, you're doing it wrong. If I Fall...is a great morning record. Day drinking!
Really enjoyed this, title track, bottle of smoke, thousands are sailing and, of course, fairytale of new york, were my favourites. Would have been better to listen to it in December though, given the clear association.
Pros: - track one, at like 00:30 there's a wild shuffle- did yall hear that? it sounds like a CD glitch but it's not. It's in the snare and how it "reacts" to the rest of the band. That's really cool!! - Production is really good and the instruments are really distinct for late 80's. In my mind this time period for music was a lot of like maximalist production techniques and a ton of synths, ton of compression, and unnecessary layers because recording tech was getting better and better, but they kept it simple while still interesting and full. GREAT use of panning instruments to left and right ears without overdoing it. - So track 1 is like irish pop punk and track 2 is some middle east folk rock? This shit slaps Cons: Misc: - not naturally what I would be into but it's a cool overall sound right? - impressed overall!
Surprisingly versatile Celtic/folk/punk tunes. More listenable than a dropkick Murphy’s album imo.
Better than I expected. Pretty solid album. Highlights: If I Should Fall from Grace with God Fairytale of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl) Thousands Are Sailing Shanne Bradley
Ik kan dit waarderen. Zin om in Dublin in een kroeg te gaan zitten en een pint te bestellen.
Initially I wasn't sure if I liked the sound but it slowly grew on me. Definitely sound like they heavily influenced flogging Molly and dropkick Murphy. Will listen again.
I love this kind of music, a kind of fusion between Irish folk and punk (hope we get some Dropkick Murphys on this list too), and this is a really clever album in the way it incorporates both of those and a load of other influences. That said, the quality of this is pretty variable, a lot of ups, but a lot of mediocrity there too. I think it's the top end of a 3 for me, doesn't do quite enough to get into a four (but a lot of the reviews on the site say that there's a better Pogues album out there, fingers crossed it makes the list).
I've heard a bunch of these live but never on record, and a bunch covered by the Dropkick Murphys, so it's very much up my street. Easy 3, possibly 4, not enough to get me to a 5 but plenty of stuff to listen to often.
I know the pogues arent for me when the 3 best songs are not their usual style... mexican, turkish and christmas song were great. Rest was piratey nonsense.
Folk music. Klinkt als veel Nederlandstalige nummers in een ander jasje. Bekende melodietjes zijn "If I should Fall from Grace with God" en "Fiesta". ***
This is the third album from the Irish folk punk band The Pogues. It is their best-selling album, thanks to the hit single "Fairytale of New York". Critics loved this album and praised the band for trying out some new musical ideas. Although this is The Pogues best-selling album, I still prefer their previous album "Rum Sodomy & the Lash" because of its sea-shanties which I'm partial to over this album's Irish folk punk/rock.
A bunch of really great musicians playing trad Irish stuff...and Shane McGowan is also there.
2.2 - A mixed bag - some interesting surprises, some atrocious. It started off with some Irish type ditties but with profuse swearing and grunty, confrontational vocals. Think soccer hooligans. Along the way, there are some interesting instrumental tracks that blend disparate influences, particularly from American easy listening and Broadway. Some of the more traditional Irish/Welsh folk songs sound vital and upbeat.
Not something i would listen too normally. But I would definitely watch them at a festival of ever given a chance. Overall I did enjoy it. It’s a high 2
Not even a strong example from within the “genre” - take out fairytale and it’s an easy 1 star
diddly dee done by the diddly dee masters. 19 songs is far too much diddly dee. my tolerance to diddly dee is about 3 songs, at that point i look for a different pub.
A shift towards songs that can be danced to, sung anthemically or otherwise accessed instantly. A bigger sound, brassy and jubilantly rhythmic, that's as pleasing as it's designed to be but which out of necessity, carelessness or something else sacrifices the detailed, Dickensian, grand mythical effect of Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. No disputing these are good stories, but they're vehicles for inducing a pleasurable kind of ribaldry rather than carefully-crafted stories of ribaldry that transport the listener into their tumultuous scenes.
I think I have heard fairytale of New York way too many times and that may have negatively influenced my opinion of the entire album
I hate to rate some of these albums with less than 3 stars because they aren't bad, necessarily, they're just not my thing. But since we can't give 1/2 stars... Irish folk-punk music is NOT my thing. LOL
Pretty hilarious that we get this within a week of the Waterboys album. From Irish folk-tinged rock to rock-tinged Irish folk. I find this one decidedly less enjoyable than the previous album. The Waterboys had great, earworm melodies and this one serves more as a punk-y spin on traditional tunes. I can't say this is bad, and this style of music certainly has a place, but that place is not my ear canals. I love hearing traditional music from around the world, but the '80s revival context that this represents doesn't sit the same with me. I struggled to find any songs here worth saving. Thank god for the Popeye ass vocals on "Mountain Dew." Favorite tracks: Mountain Dew. Album art: Just a band photo of these disgruntled lads. Glancing about, I spy Morrissey, Justin Timberlake, Pokey Lafarge, even Elon Musk. Eh, couldn't be pricked. 2/5
OK but I wouldn’t seek it out except Fairy Tale of New York which you can’t avoid at a certain time of year! 2*
First/second/third impressions are that this would be a blast to hear live in a smallish pub in Ireland - fun foot-stomping, get the crowd going a bit. On disc though? Doesn't hold much for me - the music is good but tends to get repetitive in sound/pattern and Shane McGowan on vocals gets....old. Recusing myself a bit as this likely has more of a cultural bent to it and they do sound talented but as a collection of songs to listen to I think I could do 2 or 3 at a time but as a full album it's not something I'm likely to return to. 4/10 2 stars.
The Pogues me suena a la respuesta de "¿como sonarian Los Auténticos Decadentes si fueran irlandeses?". Original en su primera escucha; sin embargo, el sonido "marinero" llega a saturar y la verdad fue un alivio terminar el disco. Eso si, reconocimiento a las originales letras que cuentan una historia como "Turkish Song of the Damned" sobre un pirata que deserta durante un naufragio llevandose el tesoro. Luego los fantasmas de sus compañeros lo vienen a buscar.
You Irish? You drunk? You Pirates? I got bored after a few songs. Certainly cannot listen to 20 of them in a row. I did like "the Irish Rover" though. There must be hundreds of little bands that aren't any worse or better. Who gave these guys a record deal?
Maybe 2 is a bit harsh but too many sounded similar. A good energy to it and some obvious high points
Obviously, Fairytale of New York is an all-time classic, but, this was rough to get through otherwise. I'm sure this album hits the right place for certain people, but, this was not for me.
Is this the eighth Pogues album on here? Certainly "Fairytale..." is a good song. And the rest are stylistic of the Pogues... but as mentioned earlier, do we need to have this album to fill out our list of 1001 albums. I think one album by the 10,000 Maniacs would be nice to have in this list.
Not my thing at all, some well known classics, but I never bought into the whole thing. Music for nutters
If the Clash doing Irish jigs is your thing, then you are going to love these guys. If you are expecting anything that sounds like "Lorca's Novena", then you are feeling like I do right now.
imagine écouter ça bloqué en correspondance entre Montparnasse et Gare du Nord à cause d’un malaise voyageur
HMMMMM. Like celtisk musikk, men ikkje celtisk punk. Detta va folkesangete nok til å passera. Litt lei av den julesangen, og litt lei av folk som seie at dei ikkje like andre julesanga enn den julesangen
Don't care much for The Pogues in general and Shane McGowan in particular. Love traditional music, but not in a punk style. I like my traditional music traditional.
I'm usually pretty open minded, especially about world music, but I just did not enjoy this at all
In your face and annoying as all fuck. Couldn't wait for it to end. A stinking pile of shite from a genre I abhore.
no hay comentario de cada canción porque todas están todas horribles. postdata: el q está en el medio del album parece el john shelby
if i should fall from grace with god: q verga es esto, sounds a lil racist / turkish song of the damned: q mal suenan posta / bottle of smoke: :///// / fairytale of new york: la verdad q es raro q una canción de navidad no me guste pero esta se lució / metropolis: suficiente tortura por hoy no escucho más
не ну вот если окажусь в лондоне в пабе в 15какомнить году, то угарну за это, а так...
Apart from Fairytale in NY I really can’t get into the vast majority. Too much fiddle.
I'm sure that this is a great album as far as Irish folk music is concerned. Problem is, Irish folk music is an unrelenting assault on my eardrums and my better senses. Maybe you have to be Irish to understand it -clearly I'm not Irish.
The Pogues are a unique and dynamic band but their style doesn’t get a lot of mileage with me. I do love the drunkard’s brogue of the lead singer but I can’t do much Irish folk music.
i like the celts