Customer Reviews

Just Look Them Straight in the Eye & Say Poguemaho

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My. God.

This is no "best of" box set, recycling the same stuff you've already got in your collection...I own just about every official and unofficial recording the Pogues have ever released, and this compilation is almost entirely new to me. Live tracks. Demos. Peel Sessions. Remixes.

More than just a box set, this is archival stuff - the recorded history of one of the best (and most influential) bands in the history or rock music.

The sound quality is almost as impressive as the content itself - really wonderful remastering work.

Just buy it...assuming amazon ever gets it back in stock.

I'm generally not one to gush on music except in rare cases like this when high expectations are met with an even grander result. This box is full of some of the best Pogues you will ever hear. How it wasn't released earlier on is beyond me, but it's here now and you must own it if you like the Pogues.

The remastering on many of the cuts is spectacular. You can tell this music isn't just enjoyed, it's loved.

Phil Chevron's notes are well worth the read and give many insights into the madness that is The Pogues.

This box set is well priced and worth twice as much.

OK, this is one of those projects that was built up by internet buzz for over three years. As such, the opportunity for disappointment and failure to meet expectations was high. I am a skeptic by nature and especially of the sort of buzz and hype that preceded this release.

Holy ****ing &%$#!!! If you've never been to a Pogues show, but know the material, listen to the live cuts of Sally MacLennane, Dirty Old Town, and The Sickbed of Cuchulainn first. These will confirm what Macgowan has always said, says on the rambling docu-bio "If I Should Fall From Grace. . .", that the Pogues should be recorded live. The energy on those tracks, from the band and the audience is truly extraordinary, and takes me back to New York in the late 80's when I first heard some of this music (at McSorley's Pub on E. 6th St; a night on which I was almost beaten for something unkind a companion said about the Irish). It's raw, it's warm, it's grrrreat fun, and it's a lasting beauty that attends little in popular music, say maybe Bob Dylan and a very few others.

Everything has been said in the other reviews about this set. I can only echo: "when will the other five discs be released"? And: "how about a tour of the US (not just the Northeast)?!" The fact that Shane MacGowan is still alive (look for a prediction of his imminent death to appear in print at least twice a year) is a marvel, and though I do actually say a prayer now and then that he will get sober (at 51 how much longer can he last?), his persistence in breathing the air is a testament to the energy and vitality of the music that flows through him and the band. I enjoy all of this, including the slurred singing from Shane-O (which, incidentally, has as much to do with his very poor dental health as the drinking). The variety, the new stuff, the old stuff in new versions, even the cinematic instrumentals are all a joy. Buy this if you like the Pogues, The Popes, and the genre they spawned, even a little bit. A keeper, a joy, a marvel. Thank you Phil Chevron for this great labor of love. May the Pogues (and Shane) be around and playing another 25 years!

One of the best collections I've ever experienced. Outtakes, demos, rare recordings, live recordings, all remastered for brilliant audio quality. Phil Chevron's notes are extensive and fascinating. The Pogues at their best, and an amazing listen from beginning to end.

A must-have and now one of the treasures of my collection.

Been waiting for a while for this one and was in NO WAY disappointed. For those looking for yet another "best of" collection - look elsewhere - there are plenty of them out there (The Essential Pogues is the best I've heard). Here, we get the raw and the rare.

For hardcore fans, the alternate mix of "If I Should Fall From Grace.." is worth the price of the entire boxed set. If you haven't heard it yet, it is basically what the song should have been all along - complete with an instrumental breakdown and an additional verse/chorus.

The tracks that showcase the band's skill as a backing ensemble are really interesting - the Steve Earle collaboration from the Copperhead Road album is among the best represented (not to mention numerous tracks recorded live with Joe Strummer).

The unreleased material basically proves a point made by (I think it was) Nick Cave on the Shane documentary that MacGowan has probably thrown away more great songs than most songwriters will ever write, while the live material showcases just how great a band this really is - the type of band that Flogging Molly et. al., strive to be but, as is always the case, fall short of the glory of the Pogues despite their best intentions.

Perhaps a downside is that we get a glimpse of Shane MacGowan's writing process with a couple of "in the works" versions of "Fairytale of New York" - even Shane-O revises. It takes a little while to get used to the idea that the man fans have built up as a huge, mythic figure is just as human as anyone else (although his pre-revision lyrics are still better than most). Perhaps this is a good thing as fans have, at times, become too focused on the legend as opposed to the human being toiling over his art.

While the "Mall Irish" (they have "Mall Goths", right?) run off to grab the latest "Paddy McGwire and the [insert Potato Famine reference here]'s" disc, do yourself a favor and grab this set.

For beginners, definitely grab a retrospective first but, eventually, you will need this!

I was excited to hear this even though a two thirds of it is bad I'm a huge Pogues fan and if I wasn't such a fanatic about their stuff this would of been a total waste of money.
Hearing "NW3", the different versions of "Fairytale of New York", the live stuff and the Pogues version of Shane's solo songs like "Aisling", "Victoria" and "Dunigal Express" was worth the money. On the other hand most of the songs are duds, I mean come on who wants to hear Shane sing "Do you believe in magic" and "Eve of Destruction" all of the time!? I did want to hear them once or twice to see their creative motivation at the time but that is good enough for me. What's really sad was to hear Shane go downhill in the songs especially in "Aisling" he mumbled half of the time because he couldn't keep up with the song, his solo version from "The Snake" album is way better. And as a good little Pogues fan I have the songs from Sid and Nancy and from Straight to Hell so that's another disk I won't listen to.
I just picked out about an CD's worth of studio stuff and a CD worth of live stuff to listen to all of the time and the rest I'll enjoy maybe once a year.

What an age we're living in ; at $13 per disc of the gritty elegance that is the Pogues this set cannot be beat . Full resonant sound, great remastering and also has an annotated booklet of 50 odd pages including photos. The 6 live tracks from a show in Glasgow at the height of their powers are a special treat. If you are a fan (or if you just like full blooded music) you must have it - hell, buy several and distribute some as Christmas presents,

I know what your thinking. Is is worth the money? If you are a true Pogues fan the answer is definitely YES! If you are just a casual fan of The Pogues there are plenty of "Best Of" compilations for you to choose from out there. The Pogues Box Set IS NOT a best of compilation, but it is an incredibly wonderful collection of the most rarest of Pogues tracks. Well produced and well worth the extra cash.

I have all of The Pogues albums (except for Red Roses and the last two without Shane McGowan). Buy this box set. You won't be disappointed! I had no idea there were so many great Pogues gems that never made it on their albums. The production value is also a HUGE PLUS! There are at least 3 Pogues albums worth of stuff you've probably never heard of before.

Reasons to buy this box set:

1. "NW3" Arguably one of the BEST Pogues songs I've ever heard!
2. All the different demo's of "Fairytale Of New York" simply fabulous! I love Demo #2 BETTER THAN the one with Kristy MacColl! (and I love Kristy MacColl's voice)
3. Unreleased songs of The Pogues with Kristy MacColl (all 3 of them) are terrific, especially "Miss Otis Regrets" and "Tears That I've Cried"
4. The 12 inch version of "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" is AWESOME!
5. There are countless demos and outtakes from "Hells Ditch" and "Red Roses..." which are fabulous. (Just check out: "The Black Dogs Ditch" and "The Last Of McGee" that were cut from Hells Ditch).
6. The demos from "Red Roses" and "Peace and Love" are in my opinion better than what you get on the actual albums, especially the demos from "Red Roses.."
7. I Love the covers: "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" "Do You Believe In Magic" and "Maggie May" and I never cared for Rod Steward's music but when Shane sings it, it's so much better!
8. Demo of "Haunted" from The Sid and Nancy soundtrack is terrific!
9. Awesome production value on the 3 live songs with Joe Strummer. In the past they were only available on bootleg and didn't have decent production value.
10. Liner notes, packaging, and booklet are fabulous with many great stories of The Pogues!

All you Pogues fans will be happy with this Pogues box set. Trust me there's no buyers remorse with this set of treasures!

This is a really interesting and highly enjoyable compilation of early versions and songs you wouldn't expect to hear by the Pogues. It's not a greatest hits record but it's well worth the price if you like hearing what went into making songs... and if you enjoy the unexpected. The booklet and packaging are thought out and informative -- a work of love. This package is nicely put together!

If you really like the Pogues, buy it. Its a great collectors item. Alot of pictures and stories by the band. Every song has details and dates. I made 2 cd length playlists you can listen to while your driving. The rest of it is interesting to hear also.I guess you could buy it used and maybe get the booklet but i really like the Pogues.