The Pogues - Live at the Town and Country

[in_the_morning]

Good evening!

On the T & C Live DVD (1988) the Pogues played (obviously) Fairytale of New York. Now when James Fearnley finished the piano intro and the whole band starts, you can hear the accordion immediately. My question: Was that cut or edited in the video, or was it playback? Because the whole show is live, so I suppose F.O.N.Y. is live, too? On other live shows it takes Mr. Fearnley a little while to go from keyboard to accordion and put it on, before he can start playing on the song, so the first couple of bars are without accordion. What about this DVD? I don't get it, can anybody help?

Thanks a lot! Cheers

[old barney greyheron]

I bought that when it came out on video...'88 I think...still got it...the wife bought me the dvd and yes the documentary is on there. I reckon it's very tame. They should do a proper full-gig dvd, with nowt taken out..i'd have that..ooh yessss.

[Alex]

Good evening!

On the T & C Live DVD (1988) the Pogues played (obviously) Fairytale of New York. Now when James Fearnley finished the piano intro and the whole band starts, you can hear the accordion immediately. My question: Was that cut or edited in the video, or was it playback? Because the whole show is live, so I suppose F.O.N.Y. is live, too? On other live shows it takes Mr. Fearnley a little while to go from keyboard to accordion and put it on, before he can start playing on the song, so the first couple of bars are without accordion. What about this DVD? I don't get it, can anybody help?

Thanks a lot! Cheers

Funny, I noticed the same thing, when I first saw that video ca 10 years ago.
I just listened to that passage on the T&C Video and on an audience recording covering the complete concert. The acordion starts on both versions right after the piano ends. Maybe Philip can shed some light on this

[philipchevron]

Good evening!

On the T & C Live DVD (1988) the Pogues played (obviously) Fairytale of New York. Now when James Fearnley finished the piano intro and the whole band starts, you can hear the accordion immediately. My question: Was that cut or edited in the video, or was it playback? Because the whole show is live, so I suppose F.O.N.Y. is live, too? On other live shows it takes Mr. Fearnley a little while to go from keyboard to accordion and put it on, before he can start playing on the song, so the first couple of bars are without accordion. What about this DVD? I don't get it, can anybody help?

Thanks a lot! Cheers

Funny, I noticed the same thing, when I first saw that video ca 10 years ago.
I just listened to that passage on the T&C Video and on an audience recording covering the complete concert. The acordion starts on both versions right after the piano ends. Maybe Philip can shed some light on this

Gosh, I wish you'd asked me that 20 years ago when I still might have been able to answer!

First thing that must be said about Town And Country is that, live though it all is, it was filmed on several performances that week and jumbled together later. Unfortunately, The Pogues in general have very little respect for continuity, and despite the Director's pleas to wear the same clothes ever night, he forgot to mention about little things like instrument continuity etc. I believe there is one number in which I am playing at least two guitars. The editors planted their own little continuiy joke into the film too, in recognition of the chaos - you can see James, at one point, on either side of Shane without apparently having done anything in particular to get from one side of the mic to the other.

It is also true that Mr Woods, in particular, was unhappy with his performance on St Patrick's Day's show and replaced a considerable amount of his playing in a studio the next day, or week, or whatever. This may well be the best test of whether the T&C audio bootleg is from an actual concert or just a dub from the movie. As to the Fairytale question, it is actually possible that James did, in real time, switch from the piano to the accordion that quickly, as the live arrangement was still quite new back in March 1988 and we may well have been experimenting. As most people know, however, he soon gave up on the sleight-of-hand as being more trouble than it was worth and Fairtyale has, ever since, been missing the first few accordion notes in its live version.

So the answer is I don't know.

[in_the_morning]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Interesting thing about Terry Woods replacing and editing his playing afterwards. As for the Fairytale-thing: You can see that James Fearnley plays the last notes of the intro and then jumps up and the accordion starts at the same time, so he must have been reaaally fast with switching the instruments. Well anyway, I wasn't born 20 years ago, I wish I was, to see this great performances live, but well...

I always thought that this show on the DVD was the last night of the St. Patricks week in March 1988, so that's where I got the impression from that Shane MacGowan sounds a bit croaky and raspy on the show, because he sang on five shows before during the week. I didn't know that the show on DVD was cut from several performances.

I suppose the Fall from Grace-video was taken at one of those shows? It looks very much the same, although some bandmembers have got different clothes.

Anyway, thanks for the replies!

[philipchevron]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Interesting thing about Terry Woods replacing and editing his playing afterwards. As for the Fairytale-thing: You can see that James Fearnley plays the last notes of the intro and then jumps up and the accordion starts at the same time, so he must have been reaaally fast with switching the instruments. Well anyway, I wasn't born 20 years ago, I wish I was, to see this great performances live, but well...

I always thought that this show on the DVD was the last night of the St. Patricks week in March 1988, so that's where I got the impression from that Shane MacGowan sounds a bit croaky and raspy on the show, because he sang on five shows before during the week. I didn't know that the show on DVD was cut from several performances.

I suppose the Fall from Grace-video was taken at one of those shows? It looks very much the same, although some bandmembers have got different clothes.

Anyway, thanks for the replies!

I can't help but think the switch from piano to accordion was not in itself the problem, but that it's not just an accordion, it's an accordion plus various electronic trappings to make it heard and probably, a wireless pack as well, to transmit the accordion audio to the PA. All bulky, awkward and highly vulnerable to even the most accidental abuse.

The Fall From Grace single video was at least partly done that week, though I think some of the more detailed "crowd scenes" - dancing legs etc, may have come from a film session done at one of that week's soundchecks. Jesus, the more I think about it, the more I wish I'd taken my vitamins that week. All this AND Steve Earle and L.I.L.T. too!

[in_the_morning]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Interesting thing about Terry Woods replacing and editing his playing afterwards. As for the Fairytale-thing: You can see that James Fearnley plays the last notes of the intro and then jumps up and the accordion starts at the same time, so he must have been reaaally fast with switching the instruments. Well anyway, I wasn't born 20 years ago, I wish I was, to see this great performances live, but well...

I always thought that this show on the DVD was the last night of the St. Patricks week in March 1988, so that's where I got the impression from that Shane MacGowan sounds a bit croaky and raspy on the show, because he sang on five shows before during the week. I didn't know that the show on DVD was cut from several performances.

I suppose the Fall from Grace-video was taken at one of those shows? It looks very much the same, although some bandmembers have got different clothes.

Anyway, thanks for the replies!

I can't help but think the switch from piano to accordion was not in itself the problem, but that it's not just an accordion, it's an accordion plus various electronic trappings to make it heard and probably, a wireless pack as well, to transmit the accordion audio to the PA. All bulky, awkward and highly vulnerable to even the most accidental abuse.

The Fall From Grace single video was at least partly done that week, though I think some of the more detailed "crowd scenes" - dancing legs etc, may have come from a film session done at one of that week's soundchecks. Jesus, the more I think about it, the more I wish I'd taken my vitamins that week. All this AND Steve Earle and L.I.L.T. too!

L.I.L.T. ?? What's that?

I wonder if you can get an accordion like James Fearnley uses, with the electric stuff which you can connect with an amp? I don't know anything about this electric-accordion-thing, so I thought that you can do it the same way you can connect a guitar or a bass with an amp. I play accordion, but mine is just an acoustic one, I suppose those that are used in the Pogues are pretty expensive. Don't know it...

Thank you for answering!

[MacRua]

LILT is London Irish Live Trust, it was Ron Kavana’s charity project featured among others some of The Pogues, Mary Coughlan, the actor Patrick Bergin and a whole load of Irish musicians. They did “LILT - For The Children” album (originally labeled The Pogues - Irish Ways, recorded Summer "86 At Etude Studio London and March "88 at the Firehouse studio London, mixed Oct "90 at Sarm East Studio London by Ron Kavana & Dave Young) with the profits going to integrated education in Belfast. The album was very well received – it was one of Sounds and Time Out’s “Best Albums Of The Year” and featured in the Indie charts for months. There are 7" and 12" LILT derived singles.

more here

[philipchevron]

LILT is London Irish Live Trust, it was Ron Kavana’s charity project featured among others some of The Pogues, Mary Coughlan, the actor Patrick Bergin and a whole load of Irish musicians. They did “LILT - For The Children” album (originally labeled The Pogues - Irish Ways, recorded Summer "86 At Etude Studio London and March "88 at the Firehouse studio London, mixed Oct "90 at Sarm East Studio London by Ron Kavana & Dave Young) with the profits going to integrated education in Belfast. The album was very well received – it was one of Sounds and Time Out’s “Best Albums Of The Year” and featured in the Indie charts for months. There are 7" and 12" LILT derived singles.

more here

The Pogues recorded most of their guest parts That Week in March 1988.

[philipchevron]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Interesting thing about Terry Woods replacing and editing his playing afterwards. As for the Fairytale-thing: You can see that James Fearnley plays the last notes of the intro and then jumps up and the accordion starts at the same time, so he must have been reaaally fast with switching the instruments. Well anyway, I wasn't born 20 years ago, I wish I was, to see this great performances live, but well...

I always thought that this show on the DVD was the last night of the St. Patricks week in March 1988, so that's where I got the impression from that Shane MacGowan sounds a bit croaky and raspy on the show, because he sang on five shows before during the week. I didn't know that the show on DVD was cut from several performances.

I suppose the Fall from Grace-video was taken at one of those shows? It looks very much the same, although some bandmembers have got different clothes.

Anyway, thanks for the replies!

I can't help but think the switch from piano to accordion was not in itself the problem, but that it's not just an accordion, it's an accordion plus various electronic trappings to make it heard and probably, a wireless pack as well, to transmit the accordion audio to the PA. All bulky, awkward and highly vulnerable to even the most accidental abuse.

The Fall From Grace single video was at least partly done that week, though I think some of the more detailed "crowd scenes" - dancing legs etc, may have come from a film session done at one of that week's soundchecks. Jesus, the more I think about it, the more I wish I'd taken my vitamins that week. All this AND Steve Earle and L.I.L.T. too!

L.I.L.T. ?? What's that?

I wonder if you can get an accordion like James Fearnley uses, with the electric stuff which you can connect with an amp? I don't know anything about this electric-accordion-thing, so I thought that you can do it the same way you can connect a guitar or a bass with an amp. I play accordion, but mine is just an acoustic one, I suppose those that are used in the Pogues are pretty expensive. Don't know it...

Thank you for answering!

I don't think James has ever seriously tried to play an Electric Accordion, as the acoustic, bellowsy sound of the accordion is so much a part of the Pogues' sound. Besides, I am pretty certain that no accordion sound designer in the world could ever take into account the multiple sound considerations and challenges a Pogue Accordion faces. James still uses variations on microphones and/or pick ups. There is no good way to amplify a Pogue Accordion, only a variety of less bad ways, something that I think James and (sound men) Paul Scully and Dave Guerin now have down to something close to a fine art after all this time.

[in_the_morning]

Another question concerning the DVD: It's not the full show, isn't it? I think I read the setlist of the full show on "pogueslive.com" and it was something like 22 songs? I suppose the whole concert was too big to put on the DVD, because there's the (very good) "Completely Pogued" documentary on, as well.

[Fr. McGreer]

I imagine the reason the full set list is not on the released video is because at the time, the IISFFGWG album was released so the emphasis was put on those songs. It was originally a stand alone VHS tape. Only bundled with Completely Pogued recently and released on DVD.

[Nobby]

I was at the gig on St Patrick's night and bought the video when it came out and now you tell me that it's recorded over the week. I want my money back!

It was a tremendous night. I do recall Mr Woods looking like he'd partaken of the day, so that's maybe why he added his flourishes later. He introduced Steve Earle to do Johnny Come Lately, only for Spider to announce Steve Earle had gone back to the US that morning and sing it himself!

My moment of fame is that I'm on the video, down the front, looking like I've had a few as well.

[in_the_morning]

My moment of fame is that I'm on the video, down the front, looking like I've had a few as well.

Are you one of the guys with cigarettes in the mouth? At the end of the show James Fearnley gives them something like wine, I don't know what it is exactly, are you one of them?

[old barney greyheron]

Yeah I remember them...right buncha pikies ain't they...