The Pogues

Their irrepressible Celt-punk sound and grimy gutter poet storytelling had already distinguished the Pogues as one of modern music's all-time greats, and their third album found them at their most sonically ambitious. Producer Steve Lillywhite helped the band expand on their scrappier early work, beefing up the instrumentation and generally enlarging their sound. It's hard to pick a more defining Pogues song than the wonderful "Fairy Tale of New York," which was also their biggest hit.

With Steve Lillywhite out to prove he's both a true punk and a true son of Eire, neither pop nor rock nor disco crossover stays these groghounds from the swift accomplishment of their appointed rounds. Lillywhite is so permissive he lets Shane MacGowan slur the words Elvis Costello forced him to enunciate, and at tempos like these you can be sure there are plenty of them. Politics, down-and-outers, New York, the broad majestic Shannon--just don't lose your lyric sheet. (Grade - B+)