Posts Tagged ‘Shane MacGowan’

The Pogues: “Fairytale of New York”

Posted: January 26, 2014 in THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Tune du Jour: “Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Billy Bragg & Florence + the Machine vs. Third Eye Blind
Peruse, Comment and Vote (I Beseech, Implore and Urge Thee, respectively)
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"Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs." - Milton Friedbyrd

“Free markets will not prevail without unfettered competition among cover songs.” – Milton Friedbyrd

The Pogues’ Christmas masterpiece, Fairytale of New York, was released in 1987 on their album, If I Should Fall From Grace with God. The song, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, features female vocal accompaniment by Kirsty MacColl and string arrangements by Fiachra Trench. It was originally planned as a duet by Shane MacGowan and Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan, but O’Riordan left the band in 1986 before the song was completed. At the time the Pogues were being produced by Kirsty MacColl’s husband, Steve Lillywhite. Lillywhite asked his wife to provide a guide vocal of the female part for a demo version of the song. However, the Pogues were so impressed with MacColl’s contribution that they asked her to sing the part on the actual recording. Fairytale of New York has correctly been cited as the best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the UK and Ireland.

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The Original

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The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl:

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THE CLASH of Cover Tunes

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Billy Bragg with Florence + the Machine vs. Third Eye Blind
Billy Bragg with Florence + the Machine

Billy Bragg is a recipient of CMI’s universally coveted title of Uni Victor Melodious Maximus in Adversarial Replication. Among the title’s myriad of rewards and benefits, perhaps most desirous is that it bestows upon the recipient the eminently yearned for privilege of having one’s name appear in print media in bold yellow.

Billy Bragg’s triumphal performance in CMI’s THE CLASH of Cover Tunes competition is detailed below:

11/18/2013 – “Which Side Are You On?” (Almanac Singers) – Billy Bragg (57%) bests Dropkick Murphys (43%)

This is a live rendition of Fairytale of New York played on BBC Radio 1 on December 19, 2009. I read somewhere that Bragg and Florence got the idea to play Fairytale of New York about two hours before the Christmas special was to begin. Assuming that’s accurate then this is what they put together within a couple of hours. Brilliant!

Third Eye Blind:

I read somewhere that Third Eye Blind got the idea to cover Fairytale of New York precisely 12 seconds before the studio tapes began to roll. Not bad…

Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?

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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.

Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.

Charles O’Neill: “The Foggy Dew”

Posted: November 3, 2013 in THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
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Broccoli For Miles
And Miles And Miles
And Miles And Miles …
Oh Yeah!

There are a few old traditional English and Irish ballads that go by the name of Foggy Dew or The Foggy Dew. This particular one, undoubtedly the greatest of them (so sayeth R.J. Dubbengoth III in his landmark tome, “Very Excellent Great Things As Sayeth R.J. Dubbengoth III“) was written sometime around 1919 by the Irish priest Charles O’Neill. In April 1916, in what would become known as the Easter Rising, James Connolly, greatest man ever (again see Dubbengoth III’s “Very Excellent Great Things“), and Patrick Pearse led an insurrection in Dublin against British rule of Ireland. The Irish revolutionaries seized the General Post Office and other prominent governmental buildings in Dublin. However, in about a week’s time Britain’s well-trained and heavily-armed occupying force squashed the insurrection. At the time of the rising, which coincided with World War I, many (and probably most) Irish citizens did not support an armed revolt against British troops. But Irish sentiment changed drastically in subsequent weeks as British Command summarily executed all real and imagined leaders of the insurrection. Sixteen leaders of the insurrection, including Patrick Pearse and an already badly injured James Connolly, who unable to stand was placed in a chair before a firing line, were executed without trial. In the eyes of the Irish people these men soon became martyrs in Ireland’s struggle for home rule.

O’Neill’s The Foggy Dew memorialized the Easter Rising and encouraged Irishmen to fight for Ireland’s freedom, rather than for the British, as so many young Irishmen were doing in World War I.

The Earliest Studio Recording

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (1956):

As far as I can tell this was the first studio recording of the song.

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The Most Popular

The Dubliners (1966):

There are many excellent versions of this venerable old song but I’d guess the most well-known would be that of The Dubliners (first cousins with and frequent inebriation-enthusiast mates of Grandfather Dubbengoth I).

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The Cover Songs Competition

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Alan Stivell & Shane MacGowan vs. The Skels

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Alan Stivell & Shane MacGowan (1993):

A damn shame Shane did not have a larger singing role in this song. You don’t suppose he was too tanked, do you?

The Skels (1988):

One of the truly great bands that never caught the break they so richly deserved.

Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. Only one cover tune will live to play another day and it is your solemn responsibility to decide which one prevails. So tell me … Which Side Are You On?!!?

Also, keep in mind that if you should spontaneously self-actualize while playing a cover then you could – and probably should – nominate it for Top 10 (i.e. “Impeccable”) consideration.

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Votes can be cast up to seven days from the day and time of the original post.

Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.