Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash

Infobox Album |
Name = Rum Sodomy & the Lash
Type = Album
Artist = The Pogues


Released = August 1985
Recorded = at Elephant Studios, London
Genre = Traditional Irish music
Length = 45:25
Label = MCA Records/Stiff Records/WEA International
Producer = Philip Chevron, Elvis Costello
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:scz1z85ajyv1~T1 link]
* CLUAS rating|8|10 [http://www.cluas.com/music/albums/pogues-rum-sodomy-lash-9043.htm link]
*Review-Christgau|A|album=3759|
Last album = "Red Roses for Me"
(1984)
This album = "Rum Sodomy & the Lash
(1985)
Next album = "If I Should Fall from Grace with God"
(1988)

"Rum Sodomy & the Lash" is the second album by the Anglo-Irish musical group The Pogues, released in 1985.

The title is taken from a quote often attributed (albeit falsely [ [http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=112 Quotes Falsely Attributed To Him] , Accessed Sep 4, 2008: The Churchill Centre | 200 West Madison St, Ste. 1700 Chicago, IL 60606-3415 1-888-972-1874 ] ) to Winston Churchill ("Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash.") Singer and primary songwriter Shane MacGowan claimed that the title was suggested by drummer Andrew Ranken.

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.

In August 1985, the album was launched on HMS "Belfast" – and one writer at the event was thrown into the Thames. It reached number 13 in the UK charts. The track "A Pair of Brown Eyes" went on to reach number 72 in the UK singles chart. "The Old Main Drag" would later appear on the soundtrack to the film "My Own Private Idaho". A remastered and expanded version of "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash" was released on 11 January 2005. The cut "A Pistol for Paddy Garcia", the B-side of "Dirty Old Town" and which only appeared on the initial cassette release, was moved to the bonus tracks.

It has often made its way onto lists of greatest albums. In 2000 "Q" magazine placed it at number 93 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. RS500|445 Pitchfork Media named it the 67th best album of the 1980s. [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36736/Top_100_Albums_of_the_1980s/page_4] . Colin Meloy of The Decemberists cites it as his favorite album [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq3imtB3U6o]

Track listing

# "The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn" (MacGowan) – 2:59
# "The Old Main Drag" (MacGowan) – 3:19
# "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" (MacGowan/Finer) – 2:48
# "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" (Traditional) – 2:55
# "A Pair of Brown Eyes" (MacGowan) – 4:54
# "Sally MacLennane" (MacGowan) – 2:43
# "Dirty Old Town" (MacColl) – 3:45
# "Jesse James" (traditional) – 2:58
# "Navigator" (Gaston) – 4:12
# "Billy's Bones" (MacGowan) – 2:02
# "The Gentleman Soldier" (traditional) – 2:04
# "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (Bogle) – 8:10

Bonus Tracks (2004 release)

# "A Pistol for Paddy Garcia" (Finer) – 2:31*
# "London Girl" (MacGowan) – 3:05**
# "Rainy Night in Soho" (MacGowan) – 5:36**
# "Body of an American" (MacGowan) – 4:49**
# "Planxty Noel Hill" (Finer) – 3:12**
# "The Parting Glass" (traditional) – 2:14

*Track previously released on the cassette version of the original album

**Tracks previously released on the EP "Poguetry in Motion"

Personnel

*Shane MacGowan – vocals
*Spider Stacy – tin whistle
*James Fearnley – accordion
*Jem Finer – banjo
*Cait O'Riordan – bass
*Andrew Ranken – drums
*Philip Chevron – guitar

Additional personnel

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

References

External links

* [http://www.poguetry.com/rsl.htm Poguetry.com]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=bq3imtB3U6o Favorite Album of Colin Meloy of The Decemberists]