by Andy P. Davies Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:21 pm
I followed the band avidly around the UK as a live unit between 1984 and 1990, and concommitantly, was always being mesmerised by the creative gains the studio based The Pogues achieved. The Noisy Boysies/PogueMahone came to a fruition in a manner I believe no-one could have predicted and all in very short order.
I always found it quite astonishing how the crisp freshness, the sense of adventure and possibility of IISFFGWG was replaced by the 'Car Crash' murkiness of 'Peace and Love' within a relatively short space of time. It is as though The Pogues reached the summit - and then went very weary.
Notwithsanding the above - some of The Pogues greatest songs and arrangements appear on 'Peace and Love' - namely 'London You're a Lady', 'Down all the Days'. 'Misty Morning, Albert Bridge' and 'Lorelei'.
However - some of the most execrable Pogues moments were for the first time publicly aired on the disc - 'Blue Heaven', 'Boat Train'...
It was a long time ago - but did it signal the creative defeat of the band?
I followed the band avidly around the UK as a live unit between 1984 and 1990, and concommitantly, was always being mesmerised by the creative gains the studio based The Pogues achieved. The Noisy Boysies/PogueMahone came to a fruition in a manner I believe no-one could have predicted and all in very short order.
I always found it quite astonishing how the crisp freshness, the sense of adventure and possibility of IISFFGWG was replaced by the 'Car Crash' murkiness of 'Peace and Love' within a relatively short space of time. It is as though The Pogues reached the summit - and then went very weary.
Notwithsanding the above - some of The Pogues greatest songs and arrangements appear on 'Peace and Love' - namely 'London You're a Lady', 'Down all the Days'. 'Misty Morning, Albert Bridge' and 'Lorelei'.
However - some of the most execrable Pogues moments were for the first time publicly aired on the disc - 'Blue Heaven', 'Boat Train'...
It was a long time ago - but did it signal the creative defeat of the band?