40 years ago today: The Pogues released Rum Sodomy & The Lash

The Pogues had already started a ruckus with their debut Red Roses For Me, in which Shane MacGowan retooled Irish pub jukebox favourites and rambunctious trad in his own inimitable style. But the band’s second album, produced by Elvis Costello, showcased the singer’s extraordinary talents as a balladeer and songwriter.

Songs like ‘Sally MacLennane’ and ‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes’ imbued Irish balladry with the grimy patina of the 20th century London-Irish experience. ‘The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn’ mixed mythology with dipsomania, while ‘The Old Main Drag’ chronicled the life and times of a homeless rent boy (later used to great effect over the closing credits of Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho).

Tom Waits on Rum Sodomy & The Lash:

"Shane has the gift, I believe him. He knows how to tell a story. They're a roaring, stumbling band. These are the dead end kids for real.

"Shane's voice conveys so much. They play like soldiers on leave. The songs are epic. It's whimsical and blasphemous, seasick and sacrilegious. Wear it out and then get another one."

Philip Chevron:

"I came in half way through Rum Sodomy & the Lash so I have a peculiar relationship with it. As an album it was really the point where all this expected greatness of Shane MacGowan as a songwriter, came to fruition. Shane allowed his songwriting to define the record pretty much. That was an essential.

"With Costello producing, it was also interesting. You know he was producing the album while at the same time falling in love with The Pogues’ bass player. So there was all that energy going on. It made for a positive environment.

"That’s not to say there wasn’t tension. Elvis’s vision of what The Pogues should sound like wasn’t always the same as The Pogues’ vision. I think though why Elvis was right for the job at the time was because he recognised that the best way to do it was to record the band live with minimal production. His view was to get the performances out of the band. It’s kind of extraordinarily un-produced in its sound but that’s exactly why. He didn’t impose any production shit or gimmicks on it. He just got the right performances out of the band."

Revisit Rum Sodomy & The Lash below: