The Pogues "The very best of..." 2001 + "Misty Morning, Albert Bridge" 1989 - Mini CDThere's little question that the Pogues were a seminal band, blessed with great musicians, led by Shane MacGowan, a songwriter of major vision and talent. This was apparent on their initial Stiff singles but it truly blazed on their debut, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, an album that artfully walked the razor's edge between Irish traditionalism and venomous, working-class punk...
...Though they became more accomplished in later albums, they never strayed from this template. What did change, however, was the group's consistency, largely because their fortunes were tied too closely to those of MacGowan. His talent burned intensely, but like a supernova, it flamed out quickly as the singer sank into an abyss of liquor and drugs. He could still turn out some great moments, but his unpredictability became a major liability for the group's very sanity and they had to let him go. Ironically, without Shane aboard, the Pogues started to drift and they only lasted through one more album before calling it a day, leaving behind a body of work that is very well summarized on the European-only compilation, The Very Best of the Pogues. This concentrates heavily on the group's first three albums, where MacGowan's writing was its sharpest and the band sounded best, but it also picks up highlights from erratic albums like Peace and Love and Hell's Ditch. That's not to say this is a perfect collection; it has a tendency to play toward their traditional folk inclinations, which means it overlooks such wonderful moments as their stomping Motown salute "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah," one of the very best singles of the late '80s and early '90s. Even so, this collection is as good a single-disc retrospective as it could be, and it comes very close to capturing the Pogues at their very best. - Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
1 Dirty Old Town 2 The Irish Rover 3 Sally MacLennane 4 Fiesta 5 A Pair Of Brown Eyes 6 Fairytale Of New York 7 The Body Of An American 8 Streams Of Whiskey 9 The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn 10 If I Should Fall From Grace With God 11 Misty Morning, Albert Bridge 12 Rain Street 13 White City 14 A Rainy Night In Soho 15 London Girl 16 Boys From The County Hell 17 The Sunnyside Of The Street 18 Summer In Siam 19 Hell's Ditch 20 The Old Main Drag 21 The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
"Misty Morning, Albert Bridge" 1989 - Mini CD
1 Misty Morning, Albert Bridge 2 Cotton Fields 3 Young Ned Of The Hill (Dub Version) 4 Train Of Love
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