Brother and The House Band.
I like Hell’s Ditch but I wouldn’t recommend it as the introductory Pogues album.
I first heard The Pogues on KXLU in L.A. A Pair Of Brown Eyes. Of course I bought the Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Then I bought Red Roses For Me. Rather a different sound. The latter is more traditional than the former. By the second album they seem to have expanded a bit. Less ‘Irish drinking songs’ and more of the archetypal Pogues sound. As Rum, Sodomy & The Lash was more refined than Red Roses For Me, If I Should Fall From Grace With God is more refined than RS&L. It did have a couple of traditional songs, but the bulk of the songs on this album were original. Peace And Love (nice cover photo, BTW) was more of the same.
Hell’s Ditch is a departure from the other albums. Or maybe it’s more nearly correct to say that it was a continuation of The Pogues’s musical development. Again, RRFM was pretty traditional. RS&L had traditional tunes, but more original ones. The next two albums still had the Irish ‘traditional sound’ to them, but the songs on them were veering more into ‘rock’ Rock. Hell’s Ditch seems to me to be an almost total departure from the traditional Irish roots. I knew a lot of people who liked The Pogues, and few of them liked this album. I missed the traditional sound, but I did like it.
Then there was Waiting For Herb, the first (and only?) Pogues album without Shane MacGowan. This one did not have any traditional Irish songs on it at all. I bought it of course, but in over a decade I’ve only listened to it a couple of times. Not that it’s bad, mind you; it’s just not The Pogues. Shane MacGowan was the heard and soul of The Pogues. He’s a genius lyricist. His voice is atrocious, but ‘On him, it sound good.’
Poguetry In Motion is a good EP that includes the romantic A Rainy Night In Soho, and The Body Of An American which features plaintive pipes. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah is notable for Shane’s rendition of The Limerick Rake. The Pogues collaborated with The Dubliners for The Irish Rover, an EP that features the title song.
I bought all of The Pogues’s LPs and EPs on vinyl, and then bought the CDs. I saw them at least twice (maybe three times – I was a bit drunk at the time) at The Coachhouse in San Juan Capistrano, a very intimate club where I was mere feet from the stage. Joe Strummer played with them one (or two) of those times. And I saw them without Shane at The Wiltern, and once at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. And of course I have If I Should Fall From Grace – The Shane MacGowan Story on DVD. 
Donovan’s Open Road. (“Celtic Rock” is track 6, right before “Rikki Tikki Tavi”)
Whirligig is a hoot. There’s a US one and a UK one so be careful.
There’s a little park a block away from my apartment and they played there one summer evening on the playground. They rocked. In a Celtic way, of course.
A Top 10 CD that should be in any collection of that kind of music.
Later stuff generally isn’t nearly this good IMHO. But get this, you’ll thank me.
I came in to mention The Pogues too. (Pogue Mahone is the other album without Shane BTW, but neither is really worth getting IMHO). I would say if you are really into the traditional sound get Red Roses for Me and follow it up with Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. The latter is one of my favorite albums of all time. If I should Fall from Grace with God is a great album too, but is the start of them leaving that traditional sound behind. I was just listening to Fairy Tale of New York this morning. Nothing makes me feel like Christmas the way that song does. And if you can find the live album Sink that Bottle (which I couldn’t find a link to in a quick search), it is a really solid live performance. So InvisibleWombat go buy a Pogues CD. Right now! What are you waiting for?
And to those who got to see the Pogues live while Shane was still in the band…
I hate you all. 
[QUOTE=NAF1138]
I was just listening to Fairy Tale of New York this morning. Nothing makes me feel like Christmas the way that song does.
[/QUOTE[
I just went and threw that on when I read this thread the first time. God I love that song. “You scumbag, you maggot/You cheap lousy faggot…”
Seconded
Don’t hate me.
Stupid coding.
Preview, preview…
You know he’s touring with them again, don’t you? Strictly UK tour dates, from what I understand, and still a bit of a crapshoot if Shane will even show up for the concert, but still…
I did get to see them sans Shane on the Waiting for Herb tour. Which, btw, I think it’s very much an under-rated album. Stacked against their previous output, it simply doesn’t hold up, but taken on its own, it’s pretty good. I think if it hadn’t been released as a Pogues album, it would have been much more well received. I don’t much care for Pogue Mahone, though.
I agree that Hell’s Ditch isn’t the best place to start. Shane himself has said it’s the Pogues’ worst album, and ignoring the stuff after he left the band, it’s hard to argue with him. I still love it, thought. I’d start with If I Should Fall From Grace with God or Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, and expand from there. This is a really good time to get into the band, because they’ve just re-released all their albums, remastered with additional tracks from their EPs and other sources. I haven’t got them yet (no money) but the word is that they’re well worth repurchasing.
Anyway, I’ll also second Flogging Molly as an excellen Irish punk band. Swagger is probably their best to date, but their latest, Within a Mile from Home is quite good, too. Also, check out The Real MacKenzies, who are more Scots-influenced. They’re much more uneven, though. Loch’d and Loaded is their best so far. Give it a shot, if you like it try Clash of the Tartans.
This Pandora dohicky seems like it might be a good thing to try out in your quest.
I forgot about them! They’re very good too, and a lot of their music has a sea shanty/pirate feel to it.
A resounding third for Flogging Molly.
Did I miss mention of The Waterboys?
Karl Wallenger (sp) has done some good stuff on his own too that would probably qualify.
Geez, I wish I’d stumbled across this thread earlier. All great recommendations. And InvisibleWombat is absolutely right about Horslips. They were basically just asserting, “We can make prog-rock that’s just as pretentious and lame as the English!”
If you can find anything by them, I highly recommend Hadrian’s Wall. They were a Celtic rock band out of Vancouver before one of the members decided he’d rather go to medical school.
See Post 25.
I’d have to think that something Van Morrison has recorded in nearly the last 40 years might be worth a listen.
No I didn’t (sorry for the slight hijack). So I need to get airplane tickets to England, and then find Shane and figure out a way to keep him sober enough so he can perform. Hmm. Tricky. Well, where there’s a will. See you when I get back from England, this might take some time.
So this post isn’t a total waste I would like to agree that Flogging Molly are indeed a fine band, and should you ever get the chance to see *them *play live jump on it. I am currently enjoying Swagger , but I haven’t found an album I didn’t like.
For Celtic Stomp, try Ashley McIsaac
…which provided a link to **The Waterboys’ ** Fisherman’s Blues CD
Sorry that I didn’t click on that link earlier to see it. I wholeheartedly agree !!!
BTW, upon further review, in my haste to reccomend Karl Wallenger’s early solo CD’s, his music probably doesn’t qualify.