Celtic Punk? The term was coined because and for The Pogues at the beginning of the 80s and have its origin in the 1960s and 1970s folk rock musicians who played electric folk and Celtic rock in Ireland and Scotland, as well as in more traditional Celtic folk bands such as The Dubliners.
The story says that The Pogues were formed when MacGowan (vocals), Peter “Spider” Stacy (tin whistle), and Jem Finer (banjo) were together in an occasional band called The Millwall Chainsaws in the late 1970s after MacGowan and Stacy met in the toilets at a Ramones gig at The Roundhouse in 1977. MacGowan was already with The Nips, though when they broke up in 1980 he concentrated a bit more on Stacy’s Millwall Chainsaws who changed their name to The New Republicans. In 1982 they rename the band into Pogue Mahone. They came to the attention of the media and Stiff Records when they opened for The Clash on their 1984 tour. Shortening their name to “The Pogues” due to BBC censorship following complaints from Gaelic speakers in Scotland, they released their first album “Red Roses for Me” on Stiff that October.
“Rum Sodomy & the Lash” is the second studio album by The Pogues and it has often made its way on to lists of greatest albums. In 2000 Q magazine placed it at number 93 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 445 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Pitchfork Media named it the 67th best album of the 1980s.
Released sometimes in mid/late August – eventually on 26 😀 – 1985, “Rum Sodomy & the Lash” is a worthwhile listen. Read more The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985) ›