The Pogues Rum, Sodomy and the Lash

I recall someone saying that the Pogues are a remarkable band in that they sound great on paper and even better in performance. The Pogues are one of rock ‘n’ roll’s unlikelier success stories, having drawn on two musical traditions – punk rock and Irish folk - to create an ingenious and highly enjoyable fusion. 1985’s Rum, Sodomy and the Lash a landmark album on this respect. Their second long-player, it was the first to get them noticed in America.

Tracks like The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn, Sally MacLennane, Wild Cats of Kilkenny and Billy’s Bones exemplify the Pogues sound – the aggression of punk rock met with arrangements and instrumentation normally associated with pub folk combos: whistle, accordion, mandolin, uileann pipe, the odd fiddle or horn. The sound is raw, rollicking and ragtag in the best possible way. In the great Irish tradition, the songs of Rum, Sodomy and the Lash are largely concerned with death and drinking – subjects close to the heart of lead singer/songwriter/liquor enthusiast Shane MacGowan.

Though he looks and sounds like he was recently beaten over the head, MacGowan’s songwriting more than makes up for his idiosyncrasies in other departments. Even his everyman-down-the-pub voice lends itself to the hustle and bustle flavour of the album – much in the same way that Tom Waits’ voice contributes to the feel of his own music. And like Waits, his seemingly limited voice is remarkably versatile – he can do an ill-fated rent-boy (The Old Main Drag), a lovelorn returned serviceman taken to booze (A Pair of Brown Eyes) or a soldier and his mistress (Gentleman Soldier) with a perfect balance of humour and pathos.

It’s the mark of a great songwriter that his songs can blend so seamlessly with traditional material and songs by veteran folksingers. Rubbing shoulders with the MacGowan originals are covers of Ewan MacColl’s Dirty Old Town and Eric Bogle’s heart-wrenching Gallipoli ballad The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. The gem among the traditional tunes is A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday, sung by bassist Cait O’ Riordan, whose breathy delivery is a refreshing change from MacGowan’s snarls and warbles.

The 2004 reissue of Rum, Sodomy and the Lash is a vast improvement on the old CD, and among its six bonus tracks are all four songs of the classic 1986 Poguetry in Motion EP – including the sublime, sweeping Rainy Night in Soho.

Among other things, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash is the ultimate one-man-party album: the temptation to jump up and do a jig during some of these songs is often unbearably strong – just be sure you’re the only one a home when it happens.

This review was published, with minor alterations, in
Craccum, Issue 2, 2006.