Pogue Mahone, ya Nipple Erectors

filthy light thief — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:51:20 -0800

Shane MacGowan is the face and name most often associated with The Pogues. Unraveling Shane's psyche would require a book-length study but the crux of his identity lies somewhere in that conflict between English experience and Irish heritage. The abbreviated story of his life starts with his birth in England, but he was raised in Ireland, and moved back to England some years later. He won a scholarship to the renowned Westminster School, where he was possibly enrolled alongside Thomas Dolby and other notable people. MacGowan was involved with drugs and publicized hooliganery before being in a band, the first of which was The Nipple Erectors in 1977. In the short life of the band, the line-up shifted a number of times, the name was changed to The Nips, and their sound ranged from rockabilly to a punkish R&B, and softer pop. The band in one form or another released four singles, and got as far as to send a demo to Polydor Records in 1980, but the band broke up before the end of that year. MacGowan joined up with another group, The Millwall Chainsaws, who formed in 1979 with Spider Stacy, where Stacy sang and MacGowan played guitar. Inspired by The Dubliners (previously), they renamed themselves The New Republicans, with Shane as the lead singer. "Singing Irish rebel songs was a really good way of sticking up two fingers at the establishment," says Spider. The band shifted a bit, changed their name, and coined their own battle cry: "We are the Pogue Mahone/Fuck The Clash and The Rolling Stones", and began to blaze a trail across the bars and venues of north London. "We just wanted to do something that nobody else had ever done and take it as far as it would go," says MacGowan. "We, knew that people didn't want retro-punk. They wanted fast dance music with good tunes, something they could whoop and scream and cry to. And what fits the bill better than Irish music?" The Pogues had begun. Pogue Mahone initially playing old Irish folk tunes like Waxie's Dargle and Poor Paddy, alongside new compositions like Streams Of Whiskey (here on Old Grey Whistle Test) and The Old Main Drag (BBC Radio Session). In 1984, the band released their first single, Dark Streets of London, and received serious airplay until a Gaelic-speaking producer on BBC Radio Scotland heard the band's name and realized what was being said, and it was banned in Scotland and frozen by Radio 1. The band changed their name to The Pogues, and in October 1984 they released their next single and their first studio album, Red Roses for Me. Their view of The Clash changed enough that they opened from the band's 1984 tour, and Joe Strummer became a friend and accomplice to the band. The band continuing to gain renown, opening for Stiff Records label-mate Elvis Costello in 1985. That same year, Costello produced their second studio album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash, which has been included in a number of "greatest albums" lists. In 1986, band released Poguetry In Motion, a four-track EP that was also produced by Costello, though it was considered "hardly a collection of leftovers." There were strains on the band in this time. The long-time bassist, Cait O'Riordan, left the band and married Elvis Costello, leading to the first major change in the band's line-up, and Shane MacGowan was increasingly erratic and unreliable. The group survived to make their third studio album, If I Should Fall From Grace With God, which came out in January 1988. This effort included more than the Irish folk/punk sound of the past, including middle-eastern influences, a Spanish-inspired party song, and a Christmas ballad (previously, twice), featuring vocal accompaniment from album producer Steve Lillywhite's wife, Kirsty MacColl. The band's fourth album, Peace and Love, is the first to be without a single cover of a traditional Irish song, and includes songs of London, more Spanish influences, even opening with some instrumental jazz of a sort. Unfortunately, Shane MacGowan's drinking and drug abuse worsened, and he failed to turn up for opening dates for the band's 1988 tour, and hindered the band's effort to promote their fifth studio album, Hell's Ditch. This album shifted farther from the Irish folk roots of the past, and included Asian themes and more Spanish influences that were gained in part from the band's time in Spain while shooting Straight To Hell, an action-comedy homage to Spaghetti Westerns (clip). (Director Alex Cox wanted to put on a tour to raise money for Nicaragua, but instead shot this film in Spain and made what one critic called "A Fist Full of Nothing".) The soundtrack includes covers and exclusive tracks. Finally the band dropping MacGowan in 1991, and two Pogues compilations were issued that same year: Essential Pogues and The Best of The Pogues. Another compilation was issued in 1992, The Rest of The Best, as if to mark the end of the band. But The Pogues lived on, with Joe Strummer filling in for vocals until Spider Stacy took over and returned to his old role of lead vocalist, and giving other band members a chance to write songs for the group. In 1993 they released Waiting for Herb, their second album without a traditional cover. Even though the band was without their iconic frontman, they still had their first top 20 single since Fairytale of New York, with Tuesday Morning (YouTube). The band line-up changed dramatically between their 6th and 7th album, Pogue Mahone, which even the band members considered "a less ambitious, rather conservative Pogues album, all in a well-established Pogues style." Reviewers were less forgiving: "No angst. No identity. Nothing memorable." In 1996, the remainder of the band called it quits, but this wasn't the end. Various members of the band went on to their own side projects or to form new groups. In October 1995, Jem Finer (one of the original Pogues) started to work on Longplayer, the one thousand year long musical composition (previously). Spider Stacy, Darryl Hunt and Andrew Ranken formed The Vendetta (initially named The Wisemen, not Stacy's idea), and had half an album written before The Pogues reunited. Ranken also performed with Nigel Burch and the Flea-Pit Orchestra. James McNally released a solo album and joined Afro-Celt Sound System. Jamie Clarke formed Perfect in 1997. Shane MacGowan formed The Popes in 1994 after parting ways with The Pogues, releasing two studio albums in the 1990s, only to reunite the band in 2001 and again in 2004, then in 2006 and 2008, though no new studio material has been recorded. The Popes live on, without MacGowan. They released a studio album from the new line-up in 2000, then released a 2-disc Best-Of compilation and a live album in 2002 from their time being fronted by MacGowan. The Popes released another studio album in May 2009, featuring a more orderly Shane MacGowan. More Pogues Media BBC Radio 2 documentary - Pogue Mahone: The Story of the Pogues Written summary and and streaming in Real Media The Story of Fairytale of New York (2005), from BBC Three 6 parts on YouTube: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6 The Pogues: Live at the Town and Country on St. Patrick's Day in 1988, one of the official live video recordings (also available via unofficial media, as listed on the highly detailed database of live audio and video recordings of The Pogues and related bands) and YouTube, from the Japanese LaserDisc:

Intro 1. The Broad Majestic Shannon 2. If I Should Fall From Grace With God 3. A Rainy Night In Soho 4. Thousands Are Sailing 5. Fairytale Of New York (with Kirsty MacColl) 6. Lullaby Of London 7. Dirty Old Town 8. London Calling (Joe Strummer vocals) 9. Turkish Song Of The Damned 10. Fiesta 11. The Irish Rover 12. Worms 13. A Message To You, Rudi (Lynval Golding vocals) 14. The Wild Rover and end credits

Demos on YouTube Dark Streets of London (1983 demo version) Fairytale of New York (2nd demo of the song, with Cait O'Riordian dueting with Shane) Playlist with another 10 or so Straight to Hell, the movie, as a 9-part YouTube playlist. Viewable in scaled up HQ, but with a wonky display ratio either way.

Rubik cubes and classic album covers by the Beatles and the Clash.

maudlin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:54:41 -0800

It's Seurat by me. Iconic album covers by the Beatles and the Clash. Mixed media (a metric buttload of Rubik's cubes shown in Dailymotion video). (via)

mouthy little git

Sailormom — Fri, 25 May 2007 23:04:58 -0800

Filmmaker Julien Temple chronicles the life of Joe Strummer in his new film titled The Future Is Unwritten.

Samuel Huntington

semmi — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 00:09:04 -0800

Samuel Huntington is interviewed by NPQ

Clash fan arrested under terror law

magpie68 — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:30:13 -0800

"London Calling" sparks terror fear in cab driver. Newsfilter: "British anti-terrorism detectives escorted a man from a plane after a taxi driver had earlier become suspicious when he started singing along to a track by punk band The Clash, police said Wednesday. Detectives halted the London-bound flight at Durham Tees Valley Airport in northern England and Harraj Mann, 24, was taken off. "The taxi driver had become worried on the way to the airport because Mann had been singing along to The Clash's 1979 anthem "London Calling," which features the lyrics "Now war is declared -- and battle come down" while other lines warn of a "meltdown expected." Also reported here, where we learn this is not the first Clash-related terror scare. Joe Strummer is looking down and laughing, not least because it wasn't terror song Spanish Bombs.

Punk Rock Scrapbook

planetkyoto — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 07:05:20 -0800

Punk Rock Scrapbook. J Neo Marvin carried an instamatic camera to a lot of gigs way back when, and he has posted them on his band's website. The Clash, X, The Ramones and more.

Joe Strummer dead

alloneword — Mon, 23 Dec 2002 02:15:43 -0800

50 is an odd age for a rock star to die. 25 or 75 both seem right. But fifty? That's absurd! And he never got round to reforming the Clash ...

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