The Pogues

After the Punk scene faded in the UK, there were many people left with which musical direction to go. Many opted for the New Wave sound, some opted for goth rock and some changed direction all together. One band that did change was the Pogues.

Following the embers of Punk the band decided the best route was to play more traditional celtic rock using more traditional instruments and the decision opened the ways for the likes of The Waterboys, Del Amitri, Hothouse Flowers through to the Levellers.

The band was originally formed in London by Shane Macgowan and Spider Stacy and soon enlisted the help of o'riordan and Ranken as there live shows were legendary and soon attracted the attention of London record label Stiff Records who had Elvis Costello and Madness on the books.

They toured with The Clash and changed there name to The Pogues, it was Pog Mo Thoin but was deemed offensive to the gaelic speakers. The next release was the infamous 'rum, sodomy and the Lash' which was loosely based on a Winston Churchill statement describing the British Navy and the songs on the depicted a poetic feel with the Old Main Drag, Waltzing Matilda and a cover of Ewan MacColl Dirty Old Town, whose daughter Kirsty would work with them at a later date.

The band released an EP as a follow up named Poguetry in Motion but the band was to see some changes in personnel with Darryl Hunt and Terry Woods joining the ranks but Cait O'Riordan exiting the band. Also Shane MacGowan erratic behaviour was causing concern with his hellish lifestyle of drink and partying.

Also the band released 'The Irish Rover' with the Dubliners to celebrate there 25 years in music and as that was released there record label Stiff Records went bankrupt. The band signed to Island Records and held it together to release 'If I should fall from grace with God' and this spawned the huge international hit 'Fairytale of New York' with Kirsty MacColl on joint lead vocals with Shane.

Although never actually reached the pivotal Christmas number one it is highly regarded as the most requested Christmas song and was kept of the top spot in the UK by Pet Shop Boys. Shane's behaviour was cause for concern as the bands commercial success was increasing, he failed to show for the start of the American tour in 1988 and was replaced by ex-Clash singer Joe Strummer, eventually MacGowan was sacked by the band in 1991 as he tried to stop the band releasing an album in 1990 named Hells Ditch.

Shane would eventually rejoin the band but not until 2001 for a reunion tour. During the 1980s the band released four studio albums with 3 going top 20 in the UK with 'If I should fall from grace with god' peaking at number three.

They also released 13 singles with four top 30 singles in the UK with 'The Irish Rover' and 'Fairytale of New York' both going top 10. However, Fairytale has been a significant entrant on the charts since 2005 based on downloads and enjoyed further top 10 entries in 2005-07 and top 20 every year since 2006! such is the popularity of the song.

The Human League Dare

32 years ago this week saw the release of one of the most significant synthpop albums. This was the bands third album released and a lot was riding on it considering there two previous works had not performed well and the band shifted in personnel to come up with this classic 80s gem.

The group saw the creative influences of Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh leave the band and Phil Oakey was the new driving force behind the change to get the band more commercially accepted. The band reinvented itself mainly due to Oakey directional change and the addition of the two young backing singers Jo Catherall and Susan Sulley and the musical influence and writing of Jo Callis.
They set to work and the first release was Love Action which was a top 3 in the UK and vindicated the moves the band had made to become more commercially accepted.

The album was completed and as the norm a single was released to promote the album. This saw Open your Heart released and again a top 10 hit. The record label decided to release 'Don't you want me' as a Christmas release. Oakey was much against this as he thought it was the weakest track on the album hence the last track on side 2 but he was overruled and the decision paid off for the record label when it went to number one, selling over 1 million copies and the 1981 Christmas number one! It still remains one of the top 30 best selling singles of all time in the UK!

The album went to number one in the UK in November 1981 and they also held a number one album and single at the same time. This was no mean feat in the 1980s. Such was the popularity of the album it remained in the charts for 71 weeks.

The album and the number one single is widely reported to have saved Virgin records from bankruptcy, The label had no success since Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells in 1977 and this helped prevent the company from going under. Such was Richard Branson relief that he bought Oakey a Motorbike but unfortunately Oakey was unable to ride one!

Tracks on album

The things that dreams are made of
Open your heart
The sound of the crowd
Darkness
Do or Die
Get Carter
I am the law
Seconds
Love Action
Don't you want me

Phil Chevron 1957-2013

This week saw the sad news that Phil Chevron of the Pogues had died after a long battle with Cancer. Having seen The Pogues live on many occasions this was certainly a sad week in music to see this talisman leave the Earth.

A Dubliner who after a brief foray into the Punk scene of the late 1970s with Radiators from Space he moved to London to seek his fame and Fortune and met up with the original hell raiser Shane MacGowan. He joined the Pogues as a back up musician but became full time when they released the legendary album 'Rum, sodomy and the Lash' where he played the Banjo and Mandolin.

He became one of the important member of the band with his musicianship along with his songwriting and singing. He became an all rounder which was needed on the numerous tours the band went on. His best writing was the homage to many Irish that emigrate called 'Thousands are Sailing' and became one of the most requested songs for the band to play.

He did have his demons like many and spent years battling drink and drugs problems but he overcame but unfortunately he lost the long battle with Cancer and now joins the other great musical Dubliners who have now departed. RIP Phil.

Desire U2 25 years on...

Today is the 25th anniversary of U2 first number single in the UK and the band are still going strong although there has been a hiatus of a few years.

At the time U2 were one of the hottest tickets in town and they were coming of a very successful Joshua Tree tour after the success of the 1987 release. The band decided to do a warts and all rockumentary following the band across America and they released an album mixed with new songs and live material.

A film followed with a book and the band were pretty much in everyone's radar. 1988 saw the release of Rattle and Hum and the first offering was in late September 1988 when Desire was released. The song went to number one in the UK and number three in America. The song was a shift away from previous material where the influence of Blues, folk and gospel.

There obsession with America was finally rewarded with this classic song and album that followed suit. The song was composed by the band and was produced by Jimmy Iovine who previously had worked with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Patti Smith. The song b side was Hallelujah (here she comes) and was released on the Island record label.

Karma Chameleon 30 years on..

30 years ago today, Karma Chameleon was number one in the UK single charts, it also went on to become a USA number one as the bands global image took the world by storm.

It was the bands second number one in the UK following up to 'Do you really want to hurt me'. Karma Chameleon was the biggest selling single in 1983 and to date has sold in excess of 1.4 million copies in the UK and 5 million worldwide.

The song also won the BRIT awards for best British single. The song was written by Culture Club and was produced by Steve Levine who had worked previously with The Clash and Gary Moore amongst many. Steve's brother David was responsible for the artwork and photography on the single cover itself.

The song was released on the Virgin Label. The song pretty much hit number one all over Europe, South Africa, Japan and Australia and was a truly global smash hit.

The Unforgettable Fire

On this day in 1984 U2 released arguably there finest piece of work following on from the previous success of the last album War. The band went for a more different sound following the more rockier War album. The result was a more ambient sound which lost some of the rock fans but gained a new following plus more radio play which was important.

Recording began in early 1984 at Slane Castle in Co Meath and then was completed at Windmill Lane studios in Dublin. They compose some of there finest work here and the critics lavished praise on the album on release. The title was an odd one but was reference to an exhibition they saw in Japan in 1983 about the Hiroshima atomic bombings.

The band decided on a new direction and sought several producers to work with but in the end they opted for Brian Eno whose ambient expertise was seen on Roxy Music and Talking Heads. Eno bough along the production expert Daniel Lanois but not everyone was happy mainly Island Records owner Chris Blackwell who felt the band may regret the new sound just as they found there feet.

The band were a conventional Guitar and Bass sound but for the first time a synthesiser was heard on a U2 record and during the recording it was beset with problems such as recording in too big rooms and the bands ability not too finish tasks which saw the deadline looming the band were forced to work 20 hour days for the last 2 weeks.

The work was completed and released in October 1984 and the result saw a more atmospheric album with low bass sound and more string arrangements which suited the radio and lounge music departments.

The album was highly anticipated and as a taster the band released the lead single Pride(in the name of love) a tribute to MLK and the song was at the time the biggest UK hit as a top 5 hit. The album went to number in the UK and was a top 20 in America.

The follow up single to Pride was Unforgettable Fire and again this was a top 10 hit in the UK. Following the album a tour ensued but it was difficult to replicate the textured sound live so reluctantly the band used sequencers and this proved popular for songs such as A sort of homecoming and Bad.

The latter song was played at the Live Aid concert in 1985 and still is one of the most popular live U2 songs.

Tracks on album

A sort of homecoming,Pride (in the name of love), Wire, The Unforgettable Fire, Promenade, 4th of July, Bad, Indian summer sky, Elvis Presley and America and MLK