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If I Should Fall From Grace With God (Expanded Edition) (Album of the Day)
If RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH put The Pogues on the musical map, IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD showed the folk-punkers to be a band for the ages. Three new members joined the line-up for the 1988 collection, providing a broader instrumental palette that helped the group incorporate influences from beyond Ireland. Frontman Shane MacGowan provides what may be his best-ever set of songs here, including “The Broad Majestic Shannon,” the title track and “Fairytale of New York.” The last of these was a number the band had been working on for years that never clicked until producer Steve Lillywhite played it for his wife, Kirsty MacColl; her acerbic duet with MacGowan has become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The band's biggest commercial success, IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD captures everything that was great about The Pogues.
Tiger Bay (Album of the Day)
Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley once described TIGER BAY as “an album of modern folk songs done in twentieth century styles like techno and dub,” and the set's balance between retro songcraft and contemporary arrangements never falters. The British indie trio's third album includes such favorites as “Like A Motorway,” “Pale Movie,” the Billboard Dance Club-charting “Hug My Soul” and (for its U.S. Warner Bros. release) the joyous “I Was Born on Christmas Day.” Stanley and fellow keyboardist Pete Wiggs fill their songs with lovelorn wit and irresistible hooks, and vocalist Sarah Cracknell sends them into orbit with the buoyant charm of a '60s pop queen. A Top 10 hit in the band's native England, TIGER BAY has been issued and reissued with varying cover art and track lineups, and if fans argue over which is definitive, there's consensus that the 1994 collection captures Saint Etienne near the top of its game.
If I Should Fall From Grace With God (Album of the Day)
If RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH put The Pogues on the musical map, IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD showed the folk-punkers to be a band for the ages. Three new members joined the line-up for the 1988 collection, providing a broader instrumental palette that helped the group incorporate influences from beyond Ireland. Frontman Shane MacGowan provides what may be his best-ever set of songs here, including “The Broad Majestic Shannon,” the title track and “Fairytale of New York.” The last of these was a number the band had been working on for years that never clicked until producer Steve Lillywhite played it for his wife, Kirsty MacColl; her acerbic duet with MacGowan has become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The Expanded Edition of IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD adds half a dozen single A- and B-sides to the classic original and we'll cue it up now to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
Realism (Album of the Day)
Released 10 years ago, The Magnetic Fields' REALISM was the last of a “no synths” trilogy that also includes I and DISTORTION. In fact, the Nonesuch collection takes the low-tech concept a step further, largely abandoning electric guitars and rock drumming. Magnetic mastermind Stephin Merritt has described the set as a folk album, and even if it does include a song called “We Are Having a Hootenanny,” it takes a broader approach to acoustic music along the lines of Judy Collins' baroque late-'60s collaborations with Joshua Rifkin. The cellos, banjos and sitars serve a baker's dozen originals whose sardonic takes on heartache are among Merritt's most accessible since 69 LOVE SONGS, both beautifully sung and well-produced. From indie pop gem “You Must Be Out of Your Mind” to “The Dada Polka” to a twisted holiday number (“Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree”), REALISM offers a lot of variety, and shows The Magnetic Fields remain among the most adventurous in alternative music.