I've never really been a fan of "best of..." collections. Too much of the time, they are released mid-career without justification or necessity, or to fill an unusually long gap between albums. Even more often, they are used as cynical marketing ploys, or worse, in order to milk the cash cow of any given artist whom lacks longevity. At times, however, they can be looked at less contemptuously, because the band has since deceased and/or made enough music to merit and/or necessitate a condensed collection of their work.
Until a few years ago, I would have included The Pogues in this grouping. After all, they've managed to release several albums since the early 80s, with the most recent coming well over ten years ago. But that's where the justification stops. Off hand, I can think of at least five or six other Pogues collections with roughly the same content, maybe, in a different order, if you're lucky.
The big thing with "Best Of..." albums is that they never really manage to do what they are designed to do, and that is, to capture the true essence and soul of a band. The Ultimate Collection is no exception to that rule. The ordering of the songs is consistent neither to the ethic nor emotion with which they were written, and while it does take you on a trip through the lifetime of The Pogues, invariably, it is the most important thing that is missing.
The only redemption I can find in this is the inclusion of the reunion performances in Brixton Academy on the second disc. This shows The Pogues they way they are meant to be heard and understood. Raw, powerful and emotive. But then, why not just release a live album, instead of using it as the unique sales point of this particular, and unimproved / unexpanded "Best Of"?
The live disc would actually make this worth picking up, if it weren't for the excess price of the 2 CD set. After all, it is something that a great many people have waited a long time for. As it is, the whole package only succeeds in forcing people who want the live material to pay an over the top amount for songs they already have.
I've deliberately not made comment on the quality of the songs. That, in itself cannot be faulted. The Pogues are neither just a punk band, nor a traditional Irish folk band; they are both and neither at the same time. Quite simply, no one does what The Pogues do better, regardless of what The Dropkick Murphys might like to think, and no one ever will.
That is the saddest part of this - not a single one of the many Pogues compilations has even come close to showing the band for what they really were and what they really are. No one collection has ever managed to show the power and energy The Pogues had, and over time, I doubt any of them ever will. Had this compilation surpassed the others in this right, I could have forgiven it. But I can't.
If you want a taste of The Pogues, grab any one of the albums they've produced over the years. As with all Pogues collections, this only succeeds in presenting the band as one led by the ageing, ugly, alcoholic with bad teeth and a rough voice that Shane Macgowan is perceived to be. The Pogues are, and always will be, so much more than that.
