The Pogues
Red Roses For Me

THE REVIEW

"Red Roses for Me" is the debut album by the Pogues, an Irish formation led by the alcoholic genius of Shane MacGowan, who will be remembered for their absolutely new approach to folk music, characterized by the desire to mix its traditional sounds with decidedly more modern ones: the result is a folk not pure but no less heartfelt and passionate for it.

We are in 1984, and the punk revolution, whose peak of fury passed a few years ago, has left its indelible marks on the young MacGowan (who at that time was precisely in England), who thus decides to bring into his band the irreverence and desire to break the mold typical of groups like the Sex Pistols and, especially, the Clash, but still able to coexist with the most popular genre in their Ireland.

This album introduces the musical discourse that the Pogues will then continue in their relatively short career, characterized by the departure of Shane, almost completely annihilated by alcoholism. We can find classics of the Irish folk tradition ("Poor Paddy", "Waxie's Dargle"), reimagined in a new guise and excellent tracks composed by the band like the introductory "Transmetropolitan", the pleasant instrumental "Battle of Brisbane", and "Streams of Whiskey", in which the group's leader dreams of meeting the great writer Brendan Behan. And it is precisely from a poem composed by the latter that the album's masterpiece, "The Auld Triangle", is born: an extraordinary ballad that manages to make us live that magical atmosphere that only Ireland can offer.

In conclusion, a very good record from a band that throughout the '80s managed to carve out a niche in music history.