Greetings fellow Pogues fans, I figured for my first post I would discuss how I discovered The Pogues, and how Hell's Ditch probably changed my perspective of music forever. This was probably 1992 or so. At a young age (around 6) I remember hearing this different music from the stereo every so often, I was too young to really have a fond love for music, I must have focused on Super Mario Bro's or whatnot at that age... but I always appreciated it, some nights I'd hear some Celtic, other nights standard rock and roll from say, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, and some nights I'd hear The Pogues... but lets rewind about a year
My dad had just bought the stereo system after saying bye bye to vinyl. My mom at the time had heard Fairytale of N.Y and was pretty much begging for "That Irish band with the Christmas song on the radio" ... not ever hearing of them my dad searched some of the higher chain CD stores, to not much avail... then he stopped by the local CD shop and picked up a copy of Peace and Love (The SECOND CD he bought for his new CD Player) figuring the song might be on there... it obviously wasn't. However my father actually really enjoyed the album, so much so he purchased Hell's Ditch. (The Third or Fourth CD he bought for his new CD Player)
Years had gone by and the same old routine, I'd hear stuff I'd enjoy, but not pay much mind, in fact the only song I actually knew by the Pogues WAS Fairytale of NY, and Sunny Side of the Street (My dad finally picked up the right album after buying the third album a few months after Hell's Ditch
) and I pretty much considered them a one or two hit wonder... Then 2003 hit, I was in Grade 11 at the time and summer was approaching. I loved (and still do!) classic rock. I never ever listen to Rap, C&W (unless you count Warren Zevon as C&W), or Metal... and was even a little reluctant of Punk... though I DO like The Clash. That summer I went on a camping trip with this buddy of mine, and this being a first camping trip in a while I decided to throw some new stuff on my portable CD player (after being tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again). My dad said "Hey Nick, why not take along Hell's Ditch?", having not heard "Sunny" in a long time, I agreed, figuring that was all I was going to bother playing on my CD Player...
That first night I put it in and it started with Sunny... then Sayonara (Which I still consider one of their greatest songs)... Ghost of a Smile, Hell's Ditch, Lorca's Norvena (might by my favorite song of all time), Rain Street, House of the Gods, Wake of the Medusa. Basically, I fell in love. Summer had just begun and I had found a new band to thoroughly enjoy. Then I listened too a greatest hits album, (being disappointed at the fact there weren't very many Hell's Ditch tunes on it
) then Peace and Love, soon enough I had heard enough of them and made my own compilation... which eventually I gave to my older cousin to enjoy after he first discovered them. (The guy has heard barely anything from Hell's Ditch!) I consider to this day The Pogues to be one of the greatest bands of all time, along with Van Morrison... and Shane is a living legend. Today, at 20, I am soon going to learn to play the Acoustic guitar, so through the years on these camping trips (I still go to them annually) I can play some songs in front of the fire that have meant so much too me.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and hopefully I didn't bore you too much.
- Nick