Shane MacGowan and the Popes

• The Snake [ZTT/Warner Bros., 1995] A-
• Crock of Gold [SPV, 1997] ***

Consumer Guide Reviews:

The Snake [ZTT/Warner Bros., 1995]
Fuckin' right he's still alive, and without stooping to abstinence, either. He abuses any substance you got, addresses love bitter love with the unexampled expertise of a snaggle-tooth who might have fucked your missis but never fucked your daughter, bawls catchy tone-deaf tunes, and entrusts his life to the Church of the Holy Spook. The only great Pogues album was Rum Sodomy and the Lash, 10 years ago. This is the next best thing. A-

Crock of Gold [SPV, 1997]
"F yez all, F yez all, F yez all" ("St. John of Gods," "Paddy Public Enemy No. 1"). ***