Day 0611 - If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" (1988) - got it

Good gravy, that is a whole other kettle of fish!  I enjoyed the last Pogues album in this list ("Rum, Sodomy & the Lash"), but this one takes their punk-Celtic sound and spreads it out over a range of other genres.  From the jazzy nightclub swag of "Metropolis" to the Middle-Eastern-sounding "Turkish song of the damned", the lolloping oompa of closer "Worms", and of course the slightly drunken ballad of "Fairytale of New York" that has rightfully become one of the most beloved of the modern Christmas songs.  That last song featured vocals from Kristy Macoll the wife of the band's producer Steve Lilywhite.

Their previous producer Elvis Costello had become romantically entangled with bass-player Cait O'Riordan, who ended up leaving the band, leading to a bit of a lineup shuffle prior to the recording of the album.  "Fairytale of New York" had originally been written with her in mind as the female vocalist.

Day 0571 - Talking With the Taxman About Poetry

Billy Bragg "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry" (1986)

The book talks about Bragg's ability to find the personal in politics and the political in the personal.  As is often the case, I didn't really pay much attention to the lyrics so I didn't really pick up on that so much, but I did enjoy the album musically.

Bragg's reverb drenched guitar manages to accentuate a variety of styles, from rockabilly, folk, pop and country.  I didn't even realise the first time I listened to the album, but there's little-to-no drumming in it, and the songs don't suffer at all as a result.  One or two tracks have limited percussion but that's it.

The album also features contributions from the Smiths' Johnny Marr, and Kirsty MacColl (of 'fairytale of New York' fame.