01	The Sick Bed Of Cuchullainn						02:59
	02	The Old Main Drag						03:19
	03	Wild Cats of Kilkenny						02:48
	04	I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day						02:55
	05	A Pair of Brown Eyes						04:54
	06	Sally MacLennane						02:43
	07	A Pistol For Paddy Garcia						02:31
	08	Dirty Old Town						03:45
	09	Jesse James						02:58
	10	The Navigator						04:12
	11	Billy's Bones						02:02
	12	The Gentleman Soldier						02:04
	13	The Band Played Waltzing Matilda						08:10

RUM, SODOMY AND THE LASH

Stiff SEEZ58 (August 1985)
WEA 244 495-2

Formats: LP, LP in Green & Dark Purple vinyl, Cassette, CD

The CD and Cassette versions of this LP also included A Pistol For Paddy Garcia ((1,132k)).


Produced by Elvis Costello
Extended Data by Eamon MacRalph

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: "I saw my task... was to capture them in their dilapidated glory before some more professional producer f-ked them up," Elvis Costello wrote of his role behind the controls for the Pogues' second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. One spin of the album proves that Costello accomplished his mission; this album captures all the sweat, fire, and angry joy that was lost in the thin, disembodied recording of the band's debut, and the Pogues sound stronger and tighter without losing a bit of their edge in the process. Rum Sodomy & the Lash also found Shane MacGowan growing steadily as a songwriter; while the debut had its moments, the blazing and bitter roar of the opening track, "The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn," made it clear MacGowan had fused the intelligent anger of punk and the sly storytelling of Irish folk as no one had before, and the rent boys' serenade of "The Old Main Drag" and the dazzling, drunken character sketch of "A Pair of Brown Eyes" proved there were plenty of directions where he could take his gifts. And like any good folk group, the Pogues also had a great ear for other people's songs. Bassist Cait O'Riordan's haunting performance of "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" is simply superb (it must have especially impressed Costello, who would later marry her), and while Shane MacGowan may not have written "Dirty Old Town" or "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," his wrought, emotionally compelling vocals made them his from then on. Rum Sodomy & the Lash falls just a bit short of being the Pogues best album, but was the first one to prove that they were a great band, and not just a great idea for a band. - Mark Deming

Elvis Costello - Producer
Philip Chevron - Arranger, Producer, Musician
Dick Cuthell - Horn
James Fearnley - Arranger, Musician
Jem Finer - Arranger, Musician
Tommy Keane - Pipe
Shane MacGowan - Arranger, Musician
Cait O'Riordan
Andrew Ranken - Arranger, Musician
Nick Robbins - Engineer
Paul Scully - Engineer
Spider Stacy - Arranger, Musician
Henry Benagh - Fiddle

1998 CD WEA International 44495
CD MCA 732
Stiff SEEZ 58
1985 LP MCA MCA-5744
CS MCA MCAC-5744