To mark 40 years since their unconventional sound was loosed on the European record buying public, The Pogues' debut album Red Roses for Me will be reissued by Rhino this fall. The package will be available as a red LP on recycled vinyl - featuring a 2013 remix of the album that was first pressed on wax two years later - or a 2CD set that will make the remix available on the format for the first time, along with a bonus disc of six B-sides and a dozen live sessions for the BBC. (Those 12 tracks were issued as part of a Record Store Day-exclusive release in 2020.) Both formats release October 18.

The group that would become The Pogues first came together as Stacy's Millwall Chainsaws, an informal ensemble consisting of singer Shane MacGowan (an England-born child of Irish parents who fronted the punk band The Nips), banjo player Jem Finer and tin whistler Peter "Spider" Stacy. With the addition of accordion player Jimmy Fearnley, bassist Cait O'Riordan and drummer Andy Ranken in 1982, the group changed their name to Pogue Mahone (from the Irish insult "póg mo thóin," or "kiss my arse") and built up a wild reputation as a raucous live band, combining the raw energy of punk rock with the style and instrumentation of traditional Celtic folk. Though shunned by purveyors of the latter genre - Tommy Makem called them "the greatest disaster ever to hit Irish music" - their sound and spirit were hard to deny, and they reached their greatest audience when The Clash recruited them as a support act in 1984. Signing to Stiff Records that same year (and shortening their name to avoid charges of indecency), Red Roses for Me was an in-your-face debut, mixing traditional Irish tunes with new ones largely written by MacGowan, who even then was earning a reputation for his intense lifestyle, heavy on alcohol and drugs (and an infamously crooked smile to boot). "Dark Streets of London," "Streams of Whiskey" and "Boys from the County Hell" were three of his more memorable contributions to the album.

Six additional recordings - mostly traditional tunes - complement the album on its bonus disc, along with three sessions for BBC Radio 1: two with John Peel and one with David "Kid" Jensen. Red Roses for Me kicked off a stellar wave of success for the group through the rest of the decade: 1985 follow-up Rum Sodomy and the Lash was produced by Elvis Costello (who would later marry O'Riordan), and 1988's If I Should Fall from Grace with God reached the Top 5 in the U.K. and even crossed over into the U.S. charts, bolstered by the cockeyed holiday staple "Fairytale of New York," a duet with Kirsty MacColl. MacGowan was sacked from the band in 1991 and Stacy would handle vocal duties (after a brief collaboration with Joe Strummer of The Clash); the group broke up in 1996 but reformed (with MacGowan) for numerous tours between 2001 and 2014. MacGowan passed away last November at the age of 63.

You can pre-order both versions of Red Roses below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Red Roses for Me (40th Anniversary Edition) (Rhino, 2024)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Red recycled LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1/LP: 2013 remix of original album (originally released as Stiff SEEZ 55 (U.K.), 1984; this mix released on LP as Pogue Mahone R1 255900, 2015)

1. Transmetropolitan
2. The Battle of Brisbane
3. The Auld Triangle
4. Waxie's Dargle
5. Boys from the County Hell
6. Sea Shanty
7. Dark Streets of London
8. Streams of Whiskey
9. Poor Paddy
10. Dingle Regatta
11. Greenland Whale Fisheries
12. Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go
13. Kitty

CD 2: Bonus material

1. The Leaving of Liverpool
2. Muirshin Durkin
3. Repeal of the Licensing Laws
4. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
5. Whiskey You're the Devil
6. The Wild Rover
7. Streams of Whiskey (John Peel Session - 4/10/1984)
8. Greenland Whale Fisheries (John Peel Session - 4/10/1984)
9. Boys from the County Hell (John Peel Session - 4/10/1984)
10. The Auld Triangle (John Peel Session - 4/10/1984)
11. Dingle Regatta/Holly Johnsons (David "Kid" Jensen Session - 6/21/1984)
12. Poor Paddy on the Railway (David "Kid" Jensen Session - 6/21/1984)
13. Boys from the County Hell (David "Kid" Jensen Session - 6/21/1984)
14. Connemara, Let's Go! (David "Kid" Jensen Session - 6/21/1984)
15. Whiskey You're the Devil (John Peel Session - 12/4/1984)
16. The Navigator (John Peel Session - 12/4/1984)
17. Sally MacLennane (John Peel Session - 12/4/1984)
18. Danny Boy (John Peel Session - 12/4/1984)

CD 2, Tracks 1 and 6 released on "Sally Maclennane" 12" single - Stiff BUYIT 224, 1985
CD 2, Tracks 2 and 5 released on "A Pair of Brown Eyes" 12" single - Stiff BUYIT 220, 1985
CD 2, Track 3 released on "The Boys from the County Hell" single - Stiff BUY 212, 1984
CD 2, Track 4 released on "Dark Streets of London" single - Stiff BUY 207, 1984
CD 2, Tracks 7-9, 11 and 14-16 released on BBC Sessions 1984-1986 - Pogue Mahone 0190295266646, 2020
CD 2, Tracks 10, 12-13 and 17-18 released on Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say...Poguemahone!! The Pogues Box Set - Rhino 5144 28135-2 (U.K.), 2008