“And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”
by The Pogues
6 thoughts on “VOLUME 17.3.3”
Iggy: The godfather of Punk. Iggy was ahead of his time. Love this song and Love Iggy. I believe he just released a new album not to long ago, I wasn’t too thrilled with the song I heard but will have to give it another go. Can’t believe he is still rocking it after all these years.
Sinead – interestingly I have been listening to Sinead a lot lately. Always liked her, again another person ahead of their time. She stood against injustice and racism and also spoke out for women’s rights. She was basically silenced and her career almost destroyed. (Remember her on SNL ripping the picture of the Pope). Radio stations stopped playing her and somebody bought a bunch of her CDs and ran them over with a steamroller in the streets. I thought about this song after I submitted. Glad to see somebody got this song in there. Side NOTE: If you have Showtime, watch the documentary “Nothing Compares” its quite good.
Pogues – What a great song, can’t go wrong with a waltzing Matilda (Tom Waits does a version of Waltzing Matilda, I believe on the Album Blue Valentine). Great song for St. Paddies Day
“Search and Destroy” / Ig and Stooges. Always loved in this song how the lead guitar just barges in during the intro, like it CAN’T WAIT ANOTHER INSTANT. Released in ’73, but it’s definitely not an anti-war track, instead using martial metaphors (even a hatful of napalm!) to limn the singer’s aggro mentality. Still, a proto-punk classic. The coda that kicks in around 2:40 is a great example of pushing a track to the next level without getting too complicated about things.
“Drink Before the War” / Sinead. A condemnation of the morally complacent — not the masters of war, but the onlookers. (Or so it sounds to me .) A bilious takedown, and a vocal performance that burrows into one’s thorax. Had to look up that it’s from her debut album!
The Stooges – Search & Destroy
This track takes me back to the origins of MyFive. I believe Raw Power was on Rolling Stone’s list of greatest albums from 1968-1988. (The exclusion of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” led to an argument which sparked the idea for MyFive.) Search & Destroy represented the album on a mix CD I made from albums on that list (the CD was volume I of a series that has yet to be continued – I made a brief attempt to lay my hands on the CD, or at least a tracklist – with the thought of making a Spotify playlist – but it was not to be). Wild abandon – this song spews from the speakers with Iggy turning himself inside out on vocals.
Sinead O’Connor – Drink Before the War
Okay, calming down – initially. Mostly know her 2nd album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” This song builds impressively and her vocals are strong enough to ride that wave. A call to disarm.
“So stop talking of war ’cause you know we’ve heard it all before
Why don’t you go out there and do something useful?”
The Pogues – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
“…Work to be done” – with a tin hat and a gun – “Work”. Tough to get from bleak to dark here. “Never knew there were worse things than dying.” An almost-funeral march beautifully played. “And thanked Christ there was no one waiting for me to grieve and to mourn and to pity.” A gut punch.
Iggy- Raw, unfettered, with wild abandon yet there is a poetic grace to the merging of Iggy’s vocals and the backing storm of music. I love the line “Look out honey cause I’m using technology.” Made me laugh for some reason. And for those who know him, there is clearly a direct line between Iggy and our own Bill O’Driscoll (of The Impositions fame).
Sinead- Ah, Sinead. The picture of her on the video face is a reminder of what a beautiful flower she was back in the day with a gorgeous gentle and powerful voice. She shows both of these on this song. This song starts with the simplicity of a keyboard pad and her haunting melody, then break down, blows up, expands–however you want to describe it. Powerful.
Pogues- I don’t think anyone would say that this song has an amazing vocalists or technically blazing musicianship, but it is brilliant and beautiful nonetheless. The spare strings of the banjo (?) and super-tasteful accompaniment blends perfectly with the raggedy narrative of the vocal. It evokes the sadness, longing and tragedy of the story so well.
“Search and Destroy” by The Stooges – “I’m a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm!” Raw Power, such an iconic album featuring the Godfather of punk. My introduction to the Stooges was Fun House, which is an album I still spin a few times a year. Its powerful, short, and to the point. There’s no searching, as it destroys everything in its path.
“Drink Before the War” by Sinéad O’Connor – That voice. She effortlessly belts, and then croons through this dark track. I remember the activist she was in the eighties, and nineties. @Ian – you beat me to the SNL moment. I believe she was covering a Bob Marley track during? In many ways, she was a star ahead of her time.
“And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by The Pogues – Have always been a fan of The Pogues. Completely forgot this version of Waltzing Matilda existed. The slow pacing from the band works as we traverse a tale that warns against those who glorify warfare. Its grittiness as a whole is undeniable.
“Search and Destroy” by The Stooges: This was is a beautiful pile of pent up raw energy and attitude. Excellent. Love those screams at the outro!
“Drink Before the War” by Sinéad O’Connor. It is interesting how little things can add so much to a whole song. This song instrumentally is very simple and Sinead’s voice and lyric story creates the richness and power of the song to my ears. However, the infrequent little synth pulse and string plucks are Sweet…I find myself waiting for them. Sweet Track. And Sweet is my word for the day. Hat Trick Sports Fans.
“And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by The Pogues: A moving story. The stories slow burn power kept building so the chorus and instruments return to “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” was progressively more powerful. Excellent Track.
Iggy: The godfather of Punk. Iggy was ahead of his time. Love this song and Love Iggy. I believe he just released a new album not to long ago, I wasn’t too thrilled with the song I heard but will have to give it another go. Can’t believe he is still rocking it after all these years.
Sinead – interestingly I have been listening to Sinead a lot lately. Always liked her, again another person ahead of their time. She stood against injustice and racism and also spoke out for women’s rights. She was basically silenced and her career almost destroyed. (Remember her on SNL ripping the picture of the Pope). Radio stations stopped playing her and somebody bought a bunch of her CDs and ran them over with a steamroller in the streets. I thought about this song after I submitted. Glad to see somebody got this song in there. Side NOTE: If you have Showtime, watch the documentary “Nothing Compares” its quite good.
Pogues – What a great song, can’t go wrong with a waltzing Matilda (Tom Waits does a version of Waltzing Matilda, I believe on the Album Blue Valentine). Great song for St. Paddies Day
“Search and Destroy” / Ig and Stooges. Always loved in this song how the lead guitar just barges in during the intro, like it CAN’T WAIT ANOTHER INSTANT. Released in ’73, but it’s definitely not an anti-war track, instead using martial metaphors (even a hatful of napalm!) to limn the singer’s aggro mentality. Still, a proto-punk classic. The coda that kicks in around 2:40 is a great example of pushing a track to the next level without getting too complicated about things.
“Drink Before the War” / Sinead. A condemnation of the morally complacent — not the masters of war, but the onlookers. (Or so it sounds to me .) A bilious takedown, and a vocal performance that burrows into one’s thorax. Had to look up that it’s from her debut album!
The Stooges – Search & Destroy
This track takes me back to the origins of MyFive. I believe Raw Power was on Rolling Stone’s list of greatest albums from 1968-1988. (The exclusion of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” led to an argument which sparked the idea for MyFive.) Search & Destroy represented the album on a mix CD I made from albums on that list (the CD was volume I of a series that has yet to be continued – I made a brief attempt to lay my hands on the CD, or at least a tracklist – with the thought of making a Spotify playlist – but it was not to be). Wild abandon – this song spews from the speakers with Iggy turning himself inside out on vocals.
Sinead O’Connor – Drink Before the War
Okay, calming down – initially. Mostly know her 2nd album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” This song builds impressively and her vocals are strong enough to ride that wave. A call to disarm.
“So stop talking of war ’cause you know we’ve heard it all before
Why don’t you go out there and do something useful?”
The Pogues – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
“…Work to be done” – with a tin hat and a gun – “Work”. Tough to get from bleak to dark here. “Never knew there were worse things than dying.” An almost-funeral march beautifully played. “And thanked Christ there was no one waiting for me to grieve and to mourn and to pity.” A gut punch.
Iggy- Raw, unfettered, with wild abandon yet there is a poetic grace to the merging of Iggy’s vocals and the backing storm of music. I love the line “Look out honey cause I’m using technology.” Made me laugh for some reason. And for those who know him, there is clearly a direct line between Iggy and our own Bill O’Driscoll (of The Impositions fame).
Sinead- Ah, Sinead. The picture of her on the video face is a reminder of what a beautiful flower she was back in the day with a gorgeous gentle and powerful voice. She shows both of these on this song. This song starts with the simplicity of a keyboard pad and her haunting melody, then break down, blows up, expands–however you want to describe it. Powerful.
Pogues- I don’t think anyone would say that this song has an amazing vocalists or technically blazing musicianship, but it is brilliant and beautiful nonetheless. The spare strings of the banjo (?) and super-tasteful accompaniment blends perfectly with the raggedy narrative of the vocal. It evokes the sadness, longing and tragedy of the story so well.
“Search and Destroy” by The Stooges – “I’m a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm!” Raw Power, such an iconic album featuring the Godfather of punk. My introduction to the Stooges was Fun House, which is an album I still spin a few times a year. Its powerful, short, and to the point. There’s no searching, as it destroys everything in its path.
“Drink Before the War” by Sinéad O’Connor – That voice. She effortlessly belts, and then croons through this dark track. I remember the activist she was in the eighties, and nineties. @Ian – you beat me to the SNL moment. I believe she was covering a Bob Marley track during? In many ways, she was a star ahead of her time.
“And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by The Pogues – Have always been a fan of The Pogues. Completely forgot this version of Waltzing Matilda existed. The slow pacing from the band works as we traverse a tale that warns against those who glorify warfare. Its grittiness as a whole is undeniable.
“Search and Destroy” by The Stooges: This was is a beautiful pile of pent up raw energy and attitude. Excellent. Love those screams at the outro!
“Drink Before the War” by Sinéad O’Connor. It is interesting how little things can add so much to a whole song. This song instrumentally is very simple and Sinead’s voice and lyric story creates the richness and power of the song to my ears. However, the infrequent little synth pulse and string plucks are Sweet…I find myself waiting for them. Sweet Track. And Sweet is my word for the day. Hat Trick Sports Fans.
“And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by The Pogues: A moving story. The stories slow burn power kept building so the chorus and instruments return to “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” was progressively more powerful. Excellent Track.