Favorite track on Peace and Love

[Eckhard]

P&L is the album which I rarely listen to "as an album" - I am not putting it into the CD player and listen to it from the first track to the last track. I love picking out single songs that fit my mood.

Sorry for comparing, Phil, but I think that P&L stands out from the other albums due to the fact that the songs musical styles differ far more imho.

When I first heard P&L I was a bit irritated by it. One point was that I first felt that it was "overproduced" ( sorry, don't find a better word ). It seemed that somebody felt the need to produce a rich tapestry of sounds instead of that back to the basics sound of RS&TL and RRfM. I know, I know, IISFFG's sound was already "bigger", or richer, or whatever you want to call it, but P&L was even bigger. I think listening to "London, You're a Lady" right after listening to "Old Main Drag" makes it pretty clear. But I quickly got into it and there is not a single song on it that I skip over when listening to it ( on Hell's Ditch on the other hand there is one song that I really cannot stand ).

Nowadays P&L is among my favourites when driving in my car. The "random" button makes it an even better experience. IMHO I think P&L is *the* Pogues album that needs to be shuffled by your CD player.

[philipchevron]

P&L is the album which I rarely listen to "as an album" - I am not putting it into the CD player and listen to it from the first track to the last track. I love picking out single songs that fit my mood.

Sorry for comparing, Phil, but I think that P&L stands out from the other albums due to the fact that the songs musical styles differ far more imho.

When I first heard P&L I was a bit irritated by it. One point was that I first felt that it was "overproduced" ( sorry, don't find a better word ). It seemed that somebody felt the need to produce a rich tapestry of sounds instead of that back to the basics sound of RS&TL and RRfM. I know, I know, IISFFG's sound was already "bigger", or richer, or whatever you want to call it, but P&L was even bigger. I think listening to "London, You're a Lady" right after listening to "Old Main Drag" makes it pretty clear. But I quickly got into it and there is not a single song on it that I skip over when listening to it ( on Hell's Ditch on the other hand there is one song that I really cannot stand ).

Nowadays P&L is among my favourites when driving in my car. The "random" button makes it an even better experience. IMHO I think P&L is *the* Pogues album that needs to be shuffled by your CD player.

Yes, much of what you say is true, but Steve Lillywhite has actually gone on record as saying the main error was not to over-produce but to compensate for the weakness of Shane's vocals at the time by building musical and vocal walls around it to support it. He now strongly feels, and I do too, that if you are working with a weak voice, it's better to let it stay that way and somehow hope to turn it into a virtue, than to build artificial defences around it.

[Eckhard]

Yes, much of what you say is true, but Steve Lillywhite has actually gone on record as saying the main error was not to over-produce but to compensate for the weakness of Shane's vocals at the time by building musical and vocal walls around it to support it. He now strongly feels, and I do too, that if you are working with a weak voice, it's better to let it stay that way and somehow hope to turn it into a virtue, than to build artificial defences around it.

Yes, that's a point I forgot. When I first listened to it on my old record player back in 1989 I sometimes wondered just who the hell was singing or why Shane's voice sounded as if he was in need of an excorsism.

[pogues24]

I can't believe that this simple thread blew the way it did. I had no idea that Peace and Love had so many polarized opinions. With that being said I don't think the album is over produced, with the possible exception being that the tin whistle doesn't come in as clear as it did on the first three albums. It seems that Peace and Love was recorded during an extremely turbulent moment in the Pogues career, which would help explain the mixed reviews that the album gets. Hell's Ditch was seen by many as a massive return to form, which it does in some aspects. The overall pastoral and relaxed vibe seems to fit the band well. As Mr. Chevron has said they looking towards "The Sunnyside of the Street." I for one would have love the bucolic surroundings of the Welsh countryside where this album was recorded.

Iain

[pogues24]

I can't believe that this simple thread blew the way it did

I meant to say blew up. SORRY!!!

Iain

[Rich]

I listen to Peace & Love much more than I listen to Hell's Ditch. There are only about 3 tracks on HD I ever listen to. I should probably go give that album a spin all the way through and see how I feel about it now since it's been years since I've listened to the whole thing.

[pogues24]

Rich, yes give Hell's Ditch another whirl. The first seven tracks are brilliant, especially Sayonara, Lorca's Novena, and The Sunnyside of the Street.

Iain

[Pyro]

Pogues24: Lol, looks like we´re sort of opposites. On Ditch I prefer last seven tracks actually.

Most of first half sounds to me like...something like 86-88 stuff - of course made different, but it just doesn´t do it for me. Lorca´s novena is definitely nice, I consider Hell´s ditch to be one of the best songs ever - and on second half - Wake of medusa is one of my all times favourite, I like rainbow man, House of the gods, six to go...anyway, I think the album is brilliant But I think most Pogues albums are brilliant, so it doesn´t matter.

[Eckhard]

I like rainbow man

And that's just that only song on Hell's Ditch I cannot stand. Sorry to Mr. Woods and any other talent involved. It just simply gets on my nerves. I give it a try from time, but I am simply unable to connect with that piece of music. My wife likes it.

[Pyro]

Hehe I always hated Summer in Siam (it was the only Pogues song I ever hated I think). Now I feel neutral or sometimes even positive about it.

I like Rainbow man partly for its weirdness, and for the lyrics...

[FAY]

Phil-

Was it coincidental that the movie My Left Foot and "Down All the Days"/Peace and Love were realeased in the same year?

Was awaresness of the 2 projects or consideration of including this track in the film during recording/release?

Furthermore, is there any significance to 1989 being the year in which Christy Brown was celebrated in both film and song?

And, for the record, "White City" is just such a lovely track. I get quite emotional everytime I hear it sung, "like Atlantis, you just disappeared from view.".

There is just something very nostalgic, fragile, and temporary, hearing that, especially as an ex-New yorker in this post 9/11-era.

Phil Chevron- My family and I support and appreciate all that you are, have been, and will be.

[Eckhard]

Hehe I always hated Summer in Siam (it was the only Pogues song I ever hated I think). Now I feel neutral or sometimes even positive about it.

Summer in Siam is my dad's favourite Pogues song ( He's 72 now. He got me in touch with opera and all that other "classical" stuff, but he was always very tolerant towards my musical tastes and he appreciates the Pogues ).

I love SiS very much as well, though I don't like the video. IMHO you can actually feel the disharmony in the band in that video ( and the band does not seem to happy with the video either )

[Pyro]

Hm, I think I started to like it with the video actually
I was too young to see small notes of disharmony, so it felt really calm, but now I see it and it feels completely different.

Funny how video can change a point of view - I didn´t think the Clash were overly good until I saw Joe Strummer with the Pogues...and after two years, they´re my most favourite band along with the Pogues

[Billie]

Lorelei!

then White City, Down All The Days, USA and Misty Morning, Albert Bridge

[dawson]

This album has been analysed to death!