aaamusic | On 15, Feb 2011

Shane MacGowan: Rakes, Rats, Pricks & Kicks – An Anthology
(2CD deluxe digipack, SALVODCD217 out: 04.04.2011)

Salvo – Union Square Music’s collector’s label – is proud to present the first ever collection to examine the genius of Shane MacGowan, covering his career to date. Rakes, Rats, Pricks & Kicks – An Anthology includes all of his most celebrated songs.

With The Pogues, Shane released five near-legendary albums, spawning classic songs like of A Pair Of Brown Eyes, Rainy Night In Soho, If I Should Fall From Grace With God and Fairytale of New York. Post-Pogues, he has recorded some unique collaborations: a version of What A Wonderful World with fellow maverick Nick Cave… The ethereal Haunted with Sinéad O’Connor… And the sweeping pop ballad You’re The One with Máire Brennan of Clannad…

With his own, razor-sharp 90s band, The Popes, Shane realised a stream of unforgettable songs including the rollicking The Church Of The Holy Spook, That Woman’s Got Me Drinking (on which Johnny Depp made a guest appearance), Paddy Rolling Stone, the country-rock of Truck Drivin’ Man and the poignant Mother Mo Chroí.

All of these songs are featured on Rakes, Rats, Pricks & Kicks. And there’s more: Shane’s unique take on Sid Vicious’ My Way (which, bizarrely, charted in the 90s as the soundtrack to a Nike ad), rare early work with his formative bands The Nips and The Nipple Erectors, and a live take of the old traditional he made all his own – The Irish Rover.

A collaboration with The Mighty Stef brings things right up to date. Their duet – a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s Waiting Round To Die – was released in 2009 on TMS’s 100 Midnight album, which Hotpressdescribed as a “masterpiece”.

The Irish Times declared the track “a mess of swaggering braggadocio. Exactly what we need in these dark times,” while State magazine had Waiting Round To Die down as “just downright discomforting considering the parallels between the lives of MacGowan and its authors. Well, nobody said it would be easy to digest…”