Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod the Mod finds his solo footing, headed for stardom, with the Faces in his wake.
6:00 AM GMT 22/06/2011
Features Disc of the day
The Pogues
Peace And Love
(WEA 1989)
MacGowan's men, embattled but sustaining.
It was, it's said, an ironic title - guitarist Phil Chevron quipped The Pogues were in "ever decreasing circles of hell" at the time of Peace And Love. Was it because of main writer and figurehead Shane MacGowan was wrecked all the time, and so into the burgeoning sound of Acid House that he wanted a twenty minute dance track called Contact Yourself included? But if, compared to the group's fabulous first three LPs, there were flaws on Peace And Love, it's still worth lending an ear. With Shane somewhat removed from the creative process, the rest of the then globally touring group filled the gap. This meant febrile variety, with noir instrumental jazz (Gridlock), brooding, Bo Diddley-leaning Americana (USA) and fairy tale stadium rock (Lorelei) all warping the formula in intriguing ways. The songs belonging to the Pogue mainline are enhanced in their company, the best being MacGowan's White City. Off out of the gates with an oddly mechanic dance beat and Cajun accordions, it sees the singer mentally time travelling back to the famed, demolished race track where "the paddies and the frogs came to gamble on the dogs, came to gamble on the dogs not long ago." Full of elegiac, bitter joyfulness, it's one of his great London songs. Jem Finer's beauteous, Shane-sung Misty Morning, Albert Bridge is another to slot in next to the Poguetry In Motion EP. The group with MacGowan would only manage one more LP, but there are rumours the reconstituted touring Pogues may be about to record a new album, possibly entitled Salvador Dali. If it was as good as Peace And Love, nobody would moan.
Ian Harrison
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 07/01/2011
Further Listening
The Pogues – Hell’s Ditch (WEA, 1990)
Les Negresses Vertes - Famille Nombreuses (Delabel, 1991)
The Men They Couldn’t Hang – Waiting For Bonaparte (Magnet, 1988)
Previous Disc of the day
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Earl Brutus - Larky
Last salvo of Ginsters Pasty-Warholism from Britpop ramraiders.
12:04 PM GMT 08/06/2011
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Loudon Wainwright - T-Shirt
An overlooked small wonder from an unpredictable career.
6:00 AM GMT 03/06/2011
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Landscape - From The Tea-rooms Of Mars… To The Hell-holes Of Uranus
Dry computer club Futurists, upon hitting implausible chart paydirt.
6:00 AM GMT 17/05/2011
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Causa Sui - Summer Sessions Vol 1-3
Epic Danish jams, for when the neighbours get you down.
6:00 AM GMT 12/05/2011
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White City - An absolute cracking song. The air is taking from an old folk ballad called The Curragh Of Kildare but Shane does the air justice.
Boat Train is another rowdy classic from the album. Celebrating an alcoholic journey probably from Dublin to London.
I've been a fan of the Pogues ever since seeing them perfrom The Waxie's Dargle on the Late Late way back before they were famous. An amazing performance with Andrew Rankin beating time with his head and a battered metal beer-tray which he was making a number of angry impressions on.
It made a big impression on me too.
Posted by dino at 12:53 PM GMT 07/01/2011 Report Abuse
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I've always felt this album was much maligned by many Pogues fans.
Lorelei has long been one of my guilty pleasures and you have to include London You're A Lady in Shane's list of odes to the capital
Can do without Blue Heaven though!!
Posted by Savage at 2:03 PM GMT 07/01/2011 Report Abuse
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I seem to recall that 'USA' was written for Bruce Springsteen, don't know whether it was ever submitted to him- and 'London you're a Lady' is one of the great macgowan classics- it would be great to hear something new from them, even an album of covers- just to demonstrate that they still have that alchemy that evades so many of those bands who came in their wake
Posted by MickeyOC at 8:07 AM GMT 03/04/2011 Report Abuse
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