The Pogues are to release a special edition of their classic debut album, ‘Red Roses For Me’.
This special album which arrives on October 18, will be a 40th anniversary edition of the band’s debut album.
The album’s re-release will follow a gig led by Pogues’ Spider Stacy, James Fearnley and Jem Finer at London’s Hackney Empire earlier this year.
It also celebrated the anniversary of an album which has been described by Live4ever as “one of the great debut records, vibrating with Shane MacGowan’s teenage influence”.
“MacGowan’s most heartfelt letter”
Elsewhere, this Pogues album has also been described as “MacGowan’s most heartfelt letter”.
“Transmetropolitan begins the story by telling one of rampaging around London, of marvelling at the ‘beauty that’s Mill Lane’, ‘Brixton’s lovely boulevards’ and ‘Hammersmith’s sightly shores’ but how the carefree abandon of youth encourages them to nevertheless ‘kick up bloody murder in the town we love so well”, they said.
“It’s MacGowan’s most heartfelt letter to the traditional music he so adored. To Waxie’s Dargle is added a 100mph sex pistol and one of the first examples of Spider Stacy‘s tin whistle tickling; the unassuming yet quintessential instrument which would go on to underpin their sound”.
They also added: “There’s welcome drunken debauchery on Streams Of Whiskey – our hero ‘walking in on his feet but leaving on his back’ – while Dark Streets of London‘ and the take on Kitty are together an early display of the intangible genius of Shane MacGowan”.
Red Roses For Me includes tracks such as ‘The Auld Triangle’, Waxie’s Dargle’, as well as ‘Streams Of Whiskey’. You can pre order it for yourselves here.
Earlier this month, a special festival also took place in Tipperary in honour of Shane MacGowan in Kilbarron Village, where the Pogues legend spent many extended holidays in the family homestead in nearby Carney Commons.
More on this from Nova here.
