Rum, Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues

Who would have thought that a rowdy collection of shambolic Irish folk songs sung by someone that looked like a salutary warning against the perils of alcohol and not brushing your teeth, would be a hit in the middle of the fashion conscious 80s?

This album features a mix of original numbers written by Shane McGowan, traditional songs and a couple of covers to round out the set. Musically, the band is as tight as you could wish for with fiddles, French horns, plaintive uilleann pipes, banjos, tin whistles, accordions and drums combining with considerable energy. Producer Elvis Costello captures the feel of a live performance in a Kilburn pub without ever feeling over-produced.

Frontman Shane McGowan’s voice is something of an acquired taste, but the emotions are heartfelt bringing considerable resonance to songs of life at the bottom of the scrap heap, but there are moments of joy and romance here too, even if they are generally fuelled with a generous slug of whiskey.

The highlight for me was the final song which was a cover of “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle which is a heartbreaking tale of a wounded Australian veteran returning from the First World War and finding out that there are worse things than dying.