Original vesions of Pogues songs

[marukomu]

Couple more:

Miss Otis Regrets - Cole Porter
Got a lotta living to do - Elvis Presley

It's getting to be quite a list now.

[firehazard]

There's so muck to think about here... I need another furloughed week.

Gentleman Soldier I think goes back to the nineteenth century at least. I'm guessing, like with most of the traditional songs on the list, it would again be the Luke Kelly / Clancys/Makem / Dubliners versions that had most influence here.

I have somewhere a copy of a Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick version from the 60s...

https://youtu.be/S5ZH7ic0O_4

[Ciderman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66HQWjeHelQ

And

Hot Dogs With Everything

[Ciderman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVGUs9nQGaw

[marukomu]

OK, I've done a bit more digging and here's the list as it currently stands. Anyone got any suggestions for the missing ones?

1. A message to you, Rudy – Specials/Dandy Livingstone
2. And don’t it make your brown eyes blue – Crystal Gayle
3. Auld Triangle – Brendan Behan
4. Biddy Mulligan – Jimmy O’Dea
5. Brand New Cadillac – Vince Taylor
6. Danny Boy -
7. Dingle Regatta - Sean O'Riada
8. Dirty old town – Ewan McColl
9. Do you believe in magic – Lovin’ Spoonful
10. Eve of destruction – Barry McGuire
11. Galway Races - Dubliners
12. Gentleman soldier – Martin Carthy
13. Goodnight Irene – Leadbelly/Weavers
14. Got a lot of living to do – Elvis Presley
15. Greenland Whale Fisheries – Paul Clayton/Weavers/Dubliners
16. Holy Ground - Dubliners
17. Honky Tony Women – Rolling Stones
18. Hot asphalt – Ewan McColl
19. I fought the law – Bobby Fuller
20. I’m a man you don’t meet every day - Jeannie Robertson
21. I’m alone in the wilderness – Culture
22. Irish Rover – Burl Ives/Dominic Behan
23. Japan -
24. Jesse James – Woody Guthrie?
25. Johnny Was – Bob Marley
26. Kerry polka -
27. Kitty –
28. Leaving of Liverpool – Clancy Brothers
29. Lillibulero –
30. Limerick Rake – Christy Moore/Wolfe Tones/Dubliners
31. London Calling – the Clash
32. Maggie May – Rod Stewart
33. Maidrin Rua – Mary O’Hara?
34. Me and Bobby McGee – Roger Miller/Janis Joplin
35. Miss Otis regrets – Cole Porter
36. Mountain dew – Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
37. Muirshin Durkin – Johnny McEvoy
38. Nicaragua Libre -
39. North sea holes – Ewan McColl
40. Parting Glass – Clancy Brothers
41. Poor Paddy – Dubliners
42. Redemption song – Bob Marley
43. Rocky Road to Dublin – Clancy Brothers/Dubliners
44. South Australia – Clancy Brothers
45. Star of the County Down – Wolfe Tones?
46. Straight to hell – the Clash
47. The hen and the cock are in Carrickmacross -
48. The Travelling People – Ewan McColl
49. Waltzing Matilda – Eric Bogle
50. Waxie’s Dargle – Sweeney’s Men
51. Whiskey in the Jar – Dubliners/Thin Lizzy
52. Whiskey you’re the devil – Clancy Brothers
53. Wild Rover – Dubliners

[DzM]

Japan (23) is a cover of Pharaoh Sanders' track by the same name ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvkDuFJSQs8 )

I believe that Nicaragua Libre (38) is a Pogues original penned by Spider. My memory could be failing me though.

Waltzing Matilda (49) is an Australian traditional. It contributes to And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle), but it is a different song.

Many of the unattributed tracks you list are traditionals (as are many of the tracks you have attributed to other artists).

[Low D]

I think the goal is to pick the *influential* recording, which is a bit of guesswork.

Danny Boy is a hard one as it was written in 1913 and there are. so. many. recordings. Which is the influential version? Johnny Cash? Jackie Wilson? Definitely not Daniel O'Donnell, which I specifically remember Shane slagging in Victoria's book. As well I'm sure many Pogues members grew up with it just in the air around them. I think we'd want to find the recording that put it into the popular consciousness.

I will nominate Irish tenor John McCormack's 1929 recording, just because it was a hit with the Irish at home and in the USA. If anybody has a better idea, or knows of Shane or other Pogues commenting on a version, please share! Personally, my favourite remains the one led by Cait on the 'Straight to Hell' soundtrack.

[Low D]

Nicaragua Libre is listed as 'Trad.' in the box set, but a quick look has got me lots of compilations with that title but not that song. It's also possible it had a different title.

[marukomu]

Thanks for the pointers. Yes, Japan and Nicaragua Libre were giving me trouble.

I know the Eric Bogle one very well as he actually went to school with my dad (!) and I've seen him play many times over the years. He also did Green Fields of France, as covered by the Men They Couldn't Hang, of course.

Anyone know about Kitty?

[firehazard]

Anyone know about Kitty?

Well, according to Martin Dardis' Irish Folk Songs site (he's an Irish guitar and tin whistle player who, to be honest, I know nothing more about), he recalls Shane saying that he heard it from his mother: https://www.irish-folk-songs.com/kitty-lyrics-chords-and-whistle-notes.html#. Which would make sense, I guess.

A friend of mine has a granddaughter named after the song. I still remember the time she was at Brixton with me when they did it a few years ago, first time she'd seen it done for ages. There were tears.

[Low D]

I think a recording of Shane's mom singing Kitty would be appropriate. Although there's not one commercially available, there's a part of the BBC documentary "The Great Hunger" where it cuts between footage of Shane singing it in a Tipperary bar, and his mom singing it in studio (starts at 0:51:07):
https://youtu.be/KOu6PbfLO1g

Were this a 'real' project I guess we'd buy the rights to that recording hoping the master of Therese MacGowan singing the whole song was still existant.

I've never encountered any pre-Pogue recording of this one, and a search only brings up a couple of post-Pogue recordings.

[marukomu]

Thanks! Here's a bit more info about Kitty: http://www.poguetry.com/roses.htm

Anyone got any ideas about Lilliburlero. Reading this: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/mo ... lliburlero it seems a bit of a strange one.

[DzM]

Nicaragua Libre is listed as 'Trad.' in the box set, but a quick look has got me lots of compilations with that title but not that song. It's also possible it had a different title.

So part of the text The Borthers Warner (and Mr. Chevron) sent me for the Box Set back in whenever ( http://www.pogues.com/Releases/Disco/BoxSetPage.html ) says:

Nicaragua Libré
(1987, outtake from the If I Should Fall From Grace With God recording sessions, previously unreleased) (d)
[Lyrics: P. Stacy / Music: Trad. arr Stacy / Chevron]
Produced by Steve Lillywhite, Engineered by Chris Dickie, Roy Spong, Nick Lacey

I'd swear I remember an interview with Spider from years ago where he indicates that this was his first attempt at lyric writing and that he now finds it rather simplistic, but I'll be damned if I can find that interview. My meory is likely wrong.

[Low D]

Nicaragua Libre is listed as 'Trad.' in the box set, but a quick look has got me lots of compilations with that title but not that song. It's also possible it had a different title.

So part of the text The Borthers Warner (and Mr. Chevron) sent me for the Box Set back in whenever ( http://www.pogues.com/Releases/Disco/BoxSetPage.html ) says:

Nicaragua Libré
(1987, outtake from the If I Should Fall From Grace With God recording sessions, previously unreleased) (d)
[Lyrics: P. Stacy / Music: Trad. arr Stacy / Chevron]
Produced by Steve Lillywhite, Engineered by Chris Dickie, Roy Spong, Nick Lacey

I'd swear I remember an interview with Spider from years ago where he indicates that this was his first attempt at lyric writing and that he now finds it rather simplistic, but I'll be damned if I can find that interview. My meory is likely wrong.

Ah, so the selection would be tracking down a version of that instrumental. Which possibly has a different name.

[firehazard]

Nicaragua Libré
(1987, outtake from the If I Should Fall From Grace With God recording sessions, previously unreleased) (d)
[Lyrics: P. Stacy / Music: Trad. arr Stacy / Chevron]
Produced by Steve Lillywhite, Engineered by Chris Dickie, Roy Spong, Nick Lacey

I'd swear I remember an interview with Spider from years ago where he indicates that this was his first attempt at lyric writing and that he now finds it rather simplistic, but I'll be damned if I can find that interview...

Spider's reasonably active on Twitter. Might it be worth floating a question about it to him on there?