Hell's Ditch
| Hell's Ditch | ||||
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| Studio album by The Pogues | ||||
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Publication |
1990 |
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| Label (s) | Island Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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running time |
41:24 |
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Hell's Ditch is the fifth music album by the British folk punk band The Pogues . It was also the last album recorded with Shane MacGowan as a singer. It reached twelfth place on the UK album charts.
history
With Hell's Ditch the slow departure from was Irish folk , with If I Should Fall from Grace with God had begun, continued. Rock , folk rock and Asian influences dominate the album . While there were five interpretations of traditional compositions on If I Should Fall from Grace with God ( South Australia , The Recruiting Sergeant , The Rocky Road to Dublin , The Galway Races and Worms ), Hell's Ditch was similar to the previous album Peace and Love , almost completely dispensed with this.
Several of the songs on the album have Asian themes, musically or lyrically, for example Summer in Siam , The House of Gods and Sayonara , although only the latter has clear Asian influences. Lorca's Novena tells of the murder of the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca by the nationalist supporter Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War . Lorca's body was never found, it was said that she ran away after Lorca's death.
The Wake of the Medusa is a first person tale inspired by Théodore Géricault's painting The Raft of Medusa . The same painting was used as the template for the cover of the album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash .
The theme song, Hell's Ditch , is largely based on the life of French novelist, poet and playwright Jean Genet , particularly the books Miracle de la rose and Notre Dame des Fleurs , which describe filthy prison life.
The producer was Joe Strummer , the former singer of The Clash , who later replaced Shane MacGowan on some tours. MacGowan was kicked out of the band in 1991 for excessive alcohol and drug use after collapsing at a concert in Tokyo.
Track list
- Sunny Side of the Street ( Shane MacGowan , Jem Finer ) - 2:44
- Sayonara (MacGowan) - 3:07
- The Ghost of a Smile (MacGowan) - 2:58
- Hell's Ditch (MacGowan, Finer) - 3:03
- Lorca's Novena (MacGowan) - 4:40
- Summer in Siam (MacGowan) - 4:06
- Rain Street (MacGowan) - 4:00
- Rainbow Man ( Terry Woods ) - 2:46
- The Wake of the Medusa (Finer) - 3:04
- The House of Gods (MacGowan) - 3:46
- 5 Green Queens & Jean (MacGowan, Finer) - 2:35
- Maidrin Rua (Traditional) - 1:47
- Six to Go (Woods) - 2:58
Re-release from 2005
- Sunny Side of the Street ( Shane MacGowan , Jem Finer ) - 2:44
- Sayonara (MacGowan) - 3:07
- The Ghost of a Smile (MacGowan) - 2:58
- Hell's Ditch (MacGowan, Finer) - 3:03
- Lorca's Novena (MacGowan) - 4:40
- Summer in Siam (MacGowan) - 4:06
- Rain Street (MacGowan) - 4:00
- Rainbow Man ( Terry Woods ) - 2:46
- The Wake of the Medusa (Finer) - 3:04
- The House of Gods (MacGowan) - 3:46
- 5 Green Queens & Jean (MacGowan, Finer) - 2:35
- Maidrin Rua (Traditional) - 1:47
- Six to Go (Woods) - 2:58
- Whiskey in the Jar (Traditional) - 2:41
- The Bastard Landlord (Finer) - 3:09
- Infinity (MacGowan) - 2:48
- The Curse of Love (Finer) - 2:43
- Squid out of Water (MacGowan) - 3:47
- Jack's Heroes (Woods, Spider Stacy ) - 3:06
- A Rainy Night in Soho (1991 Version) (MacGowan) - 4:48
Hell's Ditch demos
The demo recordings for Hell's Ditch (better known as the Falconer demos, named after the studio the songs were recorded in) were recorded before the actual album. Murder Ska and Redemption Song are both unreleased tracks recorded with Spider Stacy as the lead singer . Victoria and Lust for Vomit are instrumental versions of songs that later appeared on MacGowan's first solo album, The Snake , that he recorded with the Popes . Lust for Vomit has been renamed A Mexican Funeral in Paris . NW3 is an early version of Mother Mo Chroi ("Mother of My Heart") , which appeared on MacGowan's second solo album The Crock of Gold .
NW3 and Murder Ska were played live back in 1988, but not recorded before the sessions in the Falconer studio. A studio version of NW3 was originally supposed to appear on Hell's Ditch , but MacGowan was unable to produce an acceptable vocal performance, leaving the song an unfinished instrumental piece.
Most of the Falconer demos are available online, and illegal copies occasionally appear on the eBay auction platform . The songs were also released in 2008 on the Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say… POGUE MAHONE .
List of demos
- Murder Ska
- Ghost of a Smile
- Bastard landlord
- Summer in Siam
- Wake of the Medusa
- NW3
- Victoria
- Redemption song
- Lust for Vomit
- Five Green Queens & Jean
reception
| medium | Rating | critic |
|---|---|---|
| Allmusic |
 
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Mark Deming |
Mark Deming from the Allmusic Guide wrote in his review:
“(...) If there wasn't anything as manic as the high points of Rum Sodomy & the Lash or If I Should Fall from Grace with God, these sessions reveal the Pogues had found their feet and were sounding like a band again (…) ). MacGowan's songwriting still hadn't regained the fire and acidity that made the group's first three albums so powerful, and Terry Woods and Jem Finer don't quite pick up the slack. "
“(…) If it hadn't been for something as manic as the highlights of Rum, Sodomy & The Lash or If I Should Fall from Grace with God, these sessions would show that the Pogues have found solid ground under their feet again and again would sound like a band (...). MacGowan's songwriting still hadn't regained the fire and acidity that made the band's first three albums so vigorous, and Terry Woods and Jem Finer can't make up for that either. "
Deming rated the album three out of five stars.
Web links
- Hell's Ditch at Allmusic (English)
- Hell's Ditch on www.poguetry.com