THE POGUES – RUM SODOMY & THE LASH LP – Nr MINT A1/B2 UK 1985 SHANE MacGOWAN IRISH

The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & The Lash
(Stiff Records  1985  SEEZ58)
Matrix No’s: A1/B2 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners
Plain White Inner Sleeve

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from the odd light pop/crackle)

The Pogues were a Celtic punk band formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band was founded in Kings Cross, London, as Pogue Mahone—the anglicisation of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning “kiss my arse”. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before breaking up in 1996. The Pogues reformed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK and Ireland and on the US East Coast, until dissolving again in 2014. The group did not record any new material during this second incarnation.

Their politically tinged music was informed by MacGowan and Stacy’s punk backgrounds, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin and accordion.

The Pogues have influenced many bands throughout the years, such as Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys.

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash is the second studio album by the London-based folk punk band The Pogues, released on 5 August 1985.

The album’s title is taken from a quotation often misattributed to Winston Churchill: “Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash.” The title was suggested by drummer Andrew Ranken, who said “it seemed to sum up life in our band”. The cover artwork is based on The Raft of the Medusa, a painting by Théodore Géricault, with the band members’ faces replacing those of the men on the raft painted by the artist and illustrator Peter Mennim.

The album reached number 13 in the UK charts. The track “A Pair of Brown Eyes”, based on an older Irish tune, went on to reach number 72 in the UK singles chart. “The Old Main Drag” later appeared on the soundtrack to the film My Own Private Idaho. A remastered and expanded version of Rum, Sodomy & the Lash was released on 11 January 2005. The cut “A Pistol for Paddy Garcia”, and the B-side of “Dirty Old Town”, which only appeared on the initial cassette release, was moved to the bonus tracks. A poem by Tom Waits was also added to the expanded release.

Track listing

Side one

1. “The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn” (Shane MacGowan) – 2:59
2. “The Old Main Drag” (MacGowan) – 3:19
3. “Wild Cats of Kilkenny” (MacGowan, Jem Finer) – 2:48
4. “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day” (Traditional) – 2:55
5. “A Pair of Brown Eyes” (MacGowan) – 4:54
6. “Sally MacLennane” (MacGowan) – 2:43

Side two

1. “Dirty Old Town” (Ewan MacColl) – 3:45
2. “Jesse James” (Traditional) – 2:58
3. “Navigator” (Phil Gaston) – 4:12
4. “Billy’s Bones” (MacGowan) – 2:02
5. “The Gentleman Soldier” (Traditional) – 2:04
6. “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” (Eric Bogle) – 8:10

Personnel

The Pogues:

• Shane MacGowan – vocals
• Spider Stacy – tin whistle
• James Fearnley – accordion
• Jem Finer – banjo
• Cait O’Riordan – bass, vocals on “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day”
• Andrew Ranken – drums
• Philip Chevron – guitar, mandolin

Additional personnel:

• Henry Benagh – fiddle
• Dick Cuthell – horn
• Tommy Keane – uileann pipes