The Pogues

What set the Pogues apart from any number of other energetic Irish traditional bands was the sheer physical force of their performances, the punky swagger of their personalities, and Shane MacGowan's considerable gifts as a songwriter. Unfortunately, none of these qualities comes through very clearly on their first album, Red Roses for Me. While the Pogues are in good form here, the production (by Stan Brennan) is thin and lacks the body or nuance to capture the finer details of the performances, robbing this recording of the fire the group would display on their later albums. And it's clear that MacGowan had not yet fully matured as a songwriter; there are a handful of superb songs here, such as "Transmetropolitan," "Streams of Whiskey," and "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go," but some of the others suggest MacGowan was still learning how to fit all his ideas into his songs. Red Roses for Me is good and rowdy fun, but on Rum Sodomy & the Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God, the Pogues would prove they were capable of a lot more than that. [In 2006, Rhino Records gave Red Roses for Me a long-overdue reissue in the United States, with remastered audio, new liner notes (an enthusiastic appreciation from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and a witty essay on the group's early days from Gavin Martin), and six bonus tracks. While "The Leaving of Liverpool" and "The Wild Rover" sound like quickly recorded demos and the version of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" pales in comparison to the later recording on Rum Sodomy & the Lash, "Whiskey, You're the Devil" and "The Repeal of the Licensing Laws" kick up plenty of dust and would have added to the album's impact.] ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide