Hell's Ditch [IMPORT]

Pogues

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 28, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Phantom Sound & Vision
• ASIN: B000005JXF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #432,107 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Sunnyside Of The Street

2. Sayonara

3. The Ghost Of A Smile

4. Hell's Ditch

5. Lorca's Novena

6. Summer In Siam

7. Rain Street

8. Rainbow Man

9. The Wake Of The Medusa

10. House Of The Gods

11. 5 Green Queens And Jean

12. Maidrin Rua

13. Six To Go

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Deleted in the U.S., this is their 1990 studio album, produced by The Clash's Joe Strummer. 13 tracks, including 'The Sunny Side Of The Street', 'Ghost Of A Smile' and 'Sayonara'. Lyrics & color photos included in the sleeve. 1990 WEA International release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Through the haze, Shane still shines, May 30, 2000

By	James G. Mundie (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While it was clear by the time this album was released that all was not well with the Pogues, there are moments of pure crystaline brilliance on this album that continue to speak to me. "Lorca's Novena" is right up there among the best songs Shane MacGowan ever wrote, and is simply beatiful -- and also horrifying. The patient listener is amply rewarded on this album. There are hardly any of those tedious non-MacGowan moments one finds on "Peace & Love", as "Hell's Ditch" feels more like a harmonious whole than a patchwork of unrelated 'showcase' material for various bandmates.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars End of the Pogues, February 20, 2004

By A Customer

This was the last Pogues album to feature the singing and songwriting talents of Shane MacGowan- and if you ask me that makes this the LAST Pogues album. As much I would like to say that the Pogues and MacGowan went out with a bang on their last album together, it just isn't true. "Hell's Ditch" is the weakest of the band's five studio albums.

There is no question that by 1990 MacGowan's alcohol and drug problems (the man's a junkie!) had taken their awful toll on his abilities. His voice on "Hell's Ditch" is no longer the boozy growl of previous efforts but an almost unintelligible mumble. I won't say that his songwriting talents had fully abandoned him- "On Sunnyside on the Street" and "Summer in Siam" are very, very good. However, this album continues the trend started with "Peace & Love"- a good part of the CD features songs written and sung by other members of the band with mixed results. "Hell's Ditch" has a lot of weak filler songs in comparison to previous Pogues albums.

This was the end of the road for the Pogues. "Hell's Ditch" was released in 1990 and the next year MacGowan would be fired by the band on the eve of its U.S. tour. (In September 1991, I would see the Shane-less Pogues perform at NYC's Beacon Theater with Joe Strummer (who produced "Hell's Ditch") filling in as lead singer.) Without question the Pogues were one of the most exciting and unique groups to emerge during the 80's- a raucous blend of Irish folk and British punk. So in comparison to the vast majority of the music being produced in 1990 (Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice were chart toppers at the time) Hell's Ditch is a fantastic CD, but when compared to previous Pogues' efforts it doesn't entirely measure up.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Pogues broadening horizons?, November 17, 2001

By	yinan (San Leandro, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell's Ditch (Audio CD)

Hell's Ditch seems like an effort to blend many different styles of music and to sound more "international." Perhaps it was the influence of Joe Strummer, who produced this album and, as we all know, was in that marvelous British escapade known as The Clash. If you know the Clash, then you probably know the direction Joe Strummer has been heading since the first Clash album. Similar to Peace and Love, some of the songs here are really exceptional and some are just...blah. Unlike Peace and Love, the bad songs here don't go so far as to make me want to flush it down the toilet, but the good songs aren't quite as good as the ones on Peace and Love, either. Of course, there can be no comparison between Hell's Ditch and any of the Pogues' first three albums. They were the work of a higher power. The Sunnyside of the Street is a nice beginning, Sayonara is probably the best song on here, Lorca's Novena is hauntingly beautiful, and House of the Gods is very cute. On the other hand, the song Hell's Ditch is simply disgusting ("I can hear the screams from up above, if it ain't a fist it isn't love") and I am at a loss as to the meanings of songs like Rainbow Man and 5 Green Queens and Jean. Overall, this is a skippy album with the highlights sporadically placed throughout. I would only recommend it to you if you're really insistent on getting all the Pogues albums.