The Pogues have NOTHING to do with this live album! You should have NOTHING to do with this live album! I should have NOTHING to do with this live album! (whoops! Too late for me!) This so-called “Live” album is just a bootleg that somebody put together just in time to compete with Shane’s solo live album. The cover is a Jamison’s Irish Whiskey label with The Pogues written over it. There is also a small photo of Shane on the bottom. Next to that it says “Shane McGowan & Co.” instead of “Shane MacGowan & Co.” Personally, I hate it when that happens! That alone should show you what you’re getting into with this album. A pretty good Bio of the band is in the liner sleeve. (I will get the producers decent credit for that!) It seems like this album is intended for the casual Pogues fan, who is unaware of the quality of the album.

As far as the music on the album itself, the recording is average for a bootleg, but awful for a “Official” Live album. The squeezebox is too loud, and the drums are bouncing off the walls. Shane actually sounds pretty good for his standards. The overall sound is bland and dull. I have bootlegs that sound more crisp and clear than this shit! Track 14) “Yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah” sounds better than normal, and is probably the best track on the album.(Hard to believe!) An album from The Pogues Reunion concert in Brixton last December is going to be released later this year. Hold your cash for that, Because this one Sucks!

-OR-

Get your hands on a copy of Greenland Whalefishers “Loboville”! This album deserves much more recognition than it has gotten. Trust me, “Loboville” is worth it! It’s also the first album in Shite’n’Onions history to be reviewed twice! That should tell you something! You might think that because they are from Bergen, Norway, that they can’t be very good. Quite the opposite! Let’s not forget where the folks who founded Dublin are from! Besides a very slight accent, lead singer Arvid Grov sounds better than the man himself, Shane MacGowan does nowadays! In case you’re wondering, this album sounds nothing like alot of those mainland European “Poguesy” albums. Out of the 11 tracks, I really enjoyed “Loboville”, “Johnny Lee Roth”, and “The Thirsty Cave”. But “Hole in Our Hearts” is the greatest track on the record. From the bagpipes to the choir singing, this song did the job for me, and will for you too. Instead of buying the “Streams of Whiskey” live album, buy the Greenland Whalefishers “Loboville” instead! You can even order it through the Shite’n’Onions store.

April 2002

Review boldly written by Brian Gillespie