The Pogues' Rum, Sodomy & the Lash (33 1/3) [Paperback]

Jeffrey T. Roesgen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2008

To absorb Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash is to be taken on a wild voyage with a cast of downtrodden revolutionaries. Despite this notion, the epic themes of the Pogues' second full length record have been overlooked by both critics and biographers in favor of two things: the band's penchant for combining Celtic folk with punk rhythms ("the sound") and the excesses of Shane MacGowan ("the creator"). Instead of reiterating these aspects, this book discusses, in the form of a sea-faring narrative, the record's articulation of what it is found to be magnificently trodden. Through epic imagery gracing the cover of the album and reverberating throughout the lyrics, Roesgen's book shows that what the Pogues created is far more than pub-room music created by drunken men wallowing in Irish nostalgia and pining for something subversive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Roesgen leaves you wanting more, and convinced both of the greatness of his chosen album and of the beating, vital heart of the band that made it.- Popmatters Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "Roesgen's work casts the album's individual songs in a different light, fleshing them out with his imaginative prose, prompting the reader to look at the life behind the words and music and interpret each song through their own prism. It's an approach that wouldn't have worked on most of the albums covered by the 33 1/3 series, but it works like a charm for Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. By the end of the book, you find yourself caring about the characters brought to life by Roesgen and wondering what will happen next. Kind of like a Pogues album..." —Blurt Magazine (Keith Gordon )

"In this book by the same sordid name, Jeffrey T. Roesgen tells the story behind the album, interwoven with a tale of his own creation, a seafaring narrative starring the band and several of their lyrics' characters. Roesgen ... delivers a spirited novella along with vivid snippets of rowdy, romantic rock 'n' roll history." - Keith Goetzman, Utne Reader



"Within the book's sense of impending disaster is some sharp analysis of the characters, squalor and juxtaposing optimism inherent in the recordings." - Ian Abrahams, Record Collector



"This pocket sized, take-on-holiday, historical and musical mix of fact, fiction and nautical friction is well recommended. You can smell The Pogues through the writing..." — Stephen Kingston, Salford Star

“Roesgen leaves you wanting more, and convinced both of the greatness of his chosen album and of the beating, vital heart of the band that made it.- Popmatters Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 “Roesgen’s work casts the album’s individual songs in a different light, fleshing them out with his imaginative prose, prompting the reader to look at the life behind the words and music and interpret each song through their own prism. It’s an approach that wouldn’t have worked on most of the albums covered by the 33 1/3 series, but it works like a charm for Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. By the end of the book, you find yourself caring about the characters brought to life by Roesgen and wondering what will happen next. Kind of like a Pogues album…” –Blurt Magazine (, )

“In this book by the same sordid name, Jeffrey T. Roesgen tells the story behind the album, interwoven with a tale of his own creation, a seafaring narrative starring the band and several of their lyrics’ characters.  Roesgen … delivers a spirited novella along with vivid snippets of rowdy, romantic rock ’n’ roll history.” - Keith Goetzman, Utne Reader



“Within the book’s sense of impending disaster is some sharp analysis of the characters, squalor and juxtaposing optimism inherent in the recordings.” - Ian Abrahams, Record Collector  



“This pocket sized, take-on-holiday, historical and musical mix of fact, fiction and nautical friction is well recommended. You can smell The Pogues through the writing…” – Stephen Kingston, Salford Star

Review

"In this book by the same sordid name, Jeffrey T. Roesgen tells the story behind the album, interwoven with a tale of his own creation, a seafaring narrative starring the band and several of their lyrics' characters. Roesgen...delivers a spirited novella along with vivid snippets of rowdy, romantic rock 'n' roll history."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (September 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826429165
• ISBN-13: 978-0826429162
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More Analysis, Less Story Please, November 3, 2009

By 

Patrick Mc Coy (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Pogues' Rum, Sodomy & the Lash (33 1/3) (Paperback)

The 33 1/3 series has taken on the classic Pogues album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash by Jeffery T. Roesgen. There have been many different approaches in this series-some that are traditional critical discussions others are more artistic. For example, Joe Pernice wrote a very entertaining novella about The Smith's album Meat Is Murder. Colin Meloy, of the Decembrists, wrote a compelling personal memoir about The Replacements' seminal album Let It Be. Roesgen tried to combine the two styles by writing a short story using historical references form sources of the painting used as the cover art about a disastrous sea voyage to Africa that ended in cannibalism and tragedy. I found myself skipping the narrative and reading the discussions of the songs from the album that were referenced by a number of sources and gave a lot of insight into the conception of the album. I think it would have been better id the author had focused on that and left the story of the ship, The Medusa out of it completely.