The Pogues' members weren't your typical Irish folk players. Led by Shane MacGowan, the band took its multicultural musical cues from its countrymen in The Clash and gave Irish folk music a punk-rock spirit.
The group's first two albums, Red Roses for Me (1984) and Rum, Sodomy & the Lash (1985), were solid, if occasionally rough around the edges. It was 1988's If I Should Fall from Grace with God that brought MacGowan into his own as a songwriter — and that featured the fractured Christmas carol "Fairytale of New York." In an interview with host David Dye, Steve Lillywhite talks about producing what's considered The Pogues' finest achievement.
Copyright 2008 XPN