The Medusa Fora

DzM wrote:My attitude at the time was "The Pogues! Fuck yeah! And Joe Strummer from The Clash! Extra more double-plus-good! HELL FUCK YEAH!"

I recall being at a 'Joe led' gig with a mate who needed persuading to come after seeing a 'bad' Shane gig, and he had the same attitued along with a small dose of the "thank god shane isn't here to ruin it", and at the time I had to agree with him. If there was ever someone to short-term fill Shane's shoes, it would've been Joe, and I'll be raising a glass to him this xmas.

Cornish Andy wrote:Yes, I was at Brixton when Joe was fronting the band. It was fantastic. The energy on stage was electrifying. He gave the band a new lease of life after the 'difficult' period leading up to Shane's departure when things weren't going so well. I had seen the band headline the London Fleadh with Shane just a few months earlier, just prior to his leaving the band, and the atmosphere then was very different. You could kinda tell that something had to give.

Yeah i agree 100%. We were also at Brixton. My girl friend (now wife) said it was her favourite gig ever. She'd be impartial though as far as Strummer V MacGowan is concerned. When Shane's on form though, no one touches him.

What Joe did as lead singer with The Pogues was a stroke of Genius. He turned us into a sort of modern jazz ensemble, hanging on his every cue. [Shane does something similar, of course, though not always deliberately]. Anyway, the point is, Joe realised he could never "compete" with Shane, so he didn't even bother. He was the star of a whole new entity - The Pogues featuring Joe Strummer. And it was great while it lasted. It also lasted longer than most people (not least Joe's biographers) realise - just comparatively little of it happened in the UK. The World saw The Pogues featuring Joe Strummer and, by and large, liked what it saw.

The Pogues + Joe Strummer = Bloody brilliant!

philipchevron wrote:What Joe did as lead singer with The Pogues was a stroke of Genius. He turned us into a sort of modern jazz ensemble, hanging on his every cue. [Shane does something similar, of course, though not always deliberately]. Anyway, the point is, Joe realised he could never "compete" with Shane, so he didn't even bother. He was the star of a whole new entity - The Pogues featuring Joe Strummer. And it was great while it lasted. It also lasted longer than most people (not least Joe's biographers) realise - just comparatively little of it happened in the UK. The World saw The Pogues featuring Joe Strummer and, by and large, liked what it saw.

I'll never forget Joe leading the boy's on an extended intro to Hell's Ditch. He had his back to the crowd and the band were around him in a semi circle, guitar, cittern, banjo, bass, the tempo slowly built to a climax and the vocals were electric.

At the time i was very pro Shane, i felt guilty enjoying it, but in hindsight, this was one of the greatest live shows.

He really sang the hell out of it, didnt he?A joy to behold.

Any news on the live album Mr C?

trashcity wrote:He really sang the hell out of it, didnt he?A joy to behold.

Any news on the live album Mr C?

I don't expect to see much happen until the current Sony/The Clash blitz peaks.

philipchevron wrote:

trashcity wrote:He really sang the hell out of it, didnt he?A joy to behold.

Any news on the live album Mr C?

I don't expect to see much happen until the current Sony/The Clash blitz peaks.

They are really milking it, aren't they?

Every year something new comes out. Even I'm not buying it anymore.

I saw The Pogues with Joe filling in for Mr C back in Boston in 87. I'll always remember they played London Calling as an encore. I cant remember the name of the club, but its the littel club past McDonalds heading out on Comm Ave. I was attending BU at the time and it was about 2 blocks from my dorm.

Edit: It was the Paradise.

Broad Majestic Jimmy wrote:I saw The Pogues with Joe filling in for Mr C back in Boston in 87. I'll always remember they played London Calling as an encore. I cant remember the name of the club, but its the littel club past McDonalds heading out on Comm Ave. I was attending BU at the time and it was about 2 blocks from my dorm.

Was that "The Metro"? I have a bootleg of a gig there, 1 Dec 1987. Not bad for an audience recording of the Pogues.

Low D wrote:

Broad Majestic Jimmy wrote:I saw The Pogues with Joe filling in for Mr C back in Boston in 87. I'll always remember they played London Calling as an encore. I cant remember the name of the club, but its the littel club past McDonalds heading out on Comm Ave. I was attending BU at the time and it was about 2 blocks from my dorm.

Was that "The Metro"? I have a bootleg of a gig there, 1 Dec 1987. Not bad for an audience recording of the Pogues.

I had to look up the name, its The Paradise.