A very disjointed album. At times it's great snapshot of the Irish diaspora around North London. And then it fades and struggles with back to the Old Country fiddly diddly. Which isn't really for me, I'm afraid. Shane's voice sounds strong throughout, particularly on Dirty Old Town. He belts it out like an old pro. It's probably an album that's best appreciated after five pints, rather than on a miserable, overcast Monday morning.
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.