The Pogues

In 2002 Q magazine named The Pogues as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Redbone survived the crash of a small plane in the early 1980s and now travels to engagements exclusively by car. The band, including MacGowan, re-formed for a Christmas tour in 2001 and performed 9 shows in the UK in December 2004. His recurrent gags involve the influence of alcohol, claiming to have written works well before his time (as part of the age mystery schtick), and his concerts blend performance, comedy, and skilled instrumentals. His autobiography, A Drink With Shane MacGowan, co-written with his journalist girlfriend appeared in 2001. On top of soundtrack and lesser compositions, Redbone has released approximately a dozen albums and earned a near cultic fan community who will travel significant distances to hear him perform. Shane MacGowan remains the sole member of the band in the spotlight, having founded The Popes (AKA Shane MacGowan and The Popes) in 1994. He has an extensive and enviable performance history with musical greats and has made appearances in even popular cartoons including those of Mister Boffo and Gary Larson.

Though he came with strings attached, few would argue that without MacGowan, The Pogues were a band lacking a leader and in search of creative direction. Records in 1975. Two politely received but disappointing albums followed until 1996 when the Pogues disbanded. Redbone finally released his first album, "On the Track," for Warner Bros. Without their singer, vocal duties were for a time handled by Joe Strummer, before Stacy finally took over permanently. In 1974, Rolling Stone Magazine ran a feature article on Redbone, a full year before he even had a recording contract. Described in the article as "so authentic you can hear the surface noise," Redbone told the magazine that he was the love child of Paganini and Jenny Lind. With his departure, the band was thrown into a state of flux. Frequent appearances in Toronto clubs and at folk music festivals in the early 1970s helped him to build his musical reputation and his mysterious persona.

MacGowan and the band parted company in 1991. It is known that he lived in Canada for years, where he first began performing in public. Their next album Hell's Ditch, produced by The Clash's Joe Strummer, featured Stacy and Finer handling many of the vocal duties. Supposedly born in Cyprus to Armenian parents (né Dickran Gobalian, according to some sources), Redbone cultivates an aura of mystery and therefore is not easy to biographize. The band was at the peak of its commercial success, but MacGowan was spiralling out of control (especially notable during an appearance on the US Saturday Night Live). Leon Redbone (born August 26, 1949) is a performer of classic early 20th-century, jazz, and blues music who has been called the most famous non-famous American musician. They managed to get things together to record If I Should Fall from Grace with God in 1988 (with its Christmas hit duet with Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale of New York") and 1989's Peace and Love (featuring "White City" and "Down All The Days").

Looming over the band at this period (as throughout their entire career) was the increasingly erratic behaviour of their vocalist, principal songwriter and creative visionary, Shane MacGowan. The band failed to take advantage of the momentum created by the strong artistic and commercial success of their second album. They first refused to record another album (offering up the 4 track EP Poguetry in Motion instead); O'Riordan married Costello and left the band, to be replaced by bassist Darryl Hunt; and they added a multi-instrumentalist in Terry Woods, fomerly of Steeleye Span. Their version of Eric Bogle's "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" featured on the album and has become more popular than the original. While the first album had focused mostly on traditional songs, Shane MacGowan came into his own as a songwriter with this disc, offering up some remarkable pieces of poetic story-telling.

The album cover featured The Raft of the Medusa. Phil Chevron (guitar) joined the group soon after, then with the aid of punk and new wave forefather Elvis Costello they recorded the follow up, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985 (The album title is a reply attributed to Winston Churchill and others in describing the Royal Navy.). Shortening their name to "The Pogues" due to lack of radio play for the curse in their name, they released their first album Red Roses for Me in 1985. The band rapidly developed a reputation, started releasing some indie work, and ended up opening for The Clash on tour in 1984.

During this time they added Jeremy 'Jem' Finer (guitar, banjo), Cait O'Riordan (bass) and Andrew Ranken (drums). Shane MacGowan (vocals), Jim Fearnley (accordion) and Spider Stacy (tin whistle) were the original members of the Pogues, in the days when they busked on the streets of London. In the later incarnations of the band, after the departure of Shane MacGowan, electronic instruments such as the electric guitar would become more prevalent. Their politically-tinged music was reminiscent of The Clash, with whom they played (Joe Strummer produced one of their albums), and utilised traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo mandolin, accordion, and more.

The Pogues were founded in London in 1982 as Pogue Mahone — "pogue mahone" being the Anglicization of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse." The band specialised in Celtic folk with a side order of punk attitude and featured a largely Irish-born cast. They had a strong following, providing music which remains largely unique to this day. The Pogues were a popular Irish folk/punk band of the 1980s. The Rest Of The Best.

The Best of The Pogues. Pogue Mahone. Waiting For Herb. Hell's Ditch.

Peace and Love. Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah. Poguetry in Motion. If I Should Fall From Grace with God.

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash. Red Roses For Me.