THE POGUES – POGUEVISION (Warner Music Vision, PG)
Original release date: October 31st, 2006
This collection of 13 music videos by influential Irish folk-rockers The Pogues would seem to be nothing more than an old VHS release slapped on DVD, but despite its basic nature it’s hard to be displeased when you get clips for the likes of If I Should Fall From Grace With God (live concert footage for the group’s archetypal song), A Pair Of Brown Eyes (equal parts Thatcherian political overtones and surrealism), Jack’s Heroes (a mainly B&W clip for this collaboration with The Dubliners), a medley of Cole Porter’s Miss Otis Regrets/Just One Of Those Things (set up like a theatre performance, with guest Kirsty MacColl dueting with haggard frontman Shane MacGowan), Dirty Old Town (a straightforward clip that showcases MacGowan’s terrible teeth), Summer In Siam (an ornate, saturated set-piece featuring a clash of Irish and Asian cultures), Fairytale Of New York (B&W, also guesting MacColl) and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (a ’60s Top Of The Pops pastiche appropriate for the song’s classic pop-rock beat) among others. ***
DVD: Bog-standard transfers and no extras. *
Owen Heitmann