The Pogues - Streams Of Whiskey
Two Stars. Castle CMRCD 388 - 61.46 mins

Shane MacGowan & The Popes - The Rare Oul' Stuff
Two Stars. ZTT 178CD - 74.18 mins

Shambolic 1991 in-concert set and similarly ropey post-Pogues Best Of.

Anyone pondering how things might have been for Shane MacGowan without the booze and drugs should try listening  to 1988's If I Should Fall Fro Grace With God and these two albums back to back. Sadly, the damage is all to apparent. Possibly not unrelated to the recent Pogues reuonion, Streams Of Whiskey is a previously shelved live recording from 1991, not long before MacGowan and the band split for the first time. With  MacGowan's vocals reducing everything from Dirty Old Town to Sally MacLennane to one long slur, leaving it to gather dust would have been kinder. Equally missable is The Rare Oul' Stuff. 21 tracks culled from MacGowan's two back-sliding exercises with The Popes, plus a handful of rarities. The latter includes a duet with Clannad's Maire Brennan, You're The One, plus pub singer Neil Diamond's Cracklin' Rosie and - cue misty Irish eyes - Danny Boy. Still, at least he didn't get religion.

Reviewer: Peter Kane.