MIXED MEDIA : ** 1/2 “POGUETRY: THE LYRICS OF SHANE MacGOWAN” Illustrated by John Hewitt and Steve Pyke : <i> Faber & Faber paperback ($12.95)</i> : W<i> orks are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five stars (a classic). : </i>
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If you were dying to have lyrics by the Celtic folk-punk Pogues’ front man without the music, here they are. But why anyone would spend the price of a CD for that is unclear. MacGowan writes good lyrics--sometimes very good--but even with the best lyrics, the musical context is about 80% of the deal. The drawings (by Hewitt) and photos (by Pyke) are an attraction, but only for real Pogues fans--and then only those who can stand to look at pictures of MacGowan’s famous bad teeth. Lyrical highlight: “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah,” whose chorus goes “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah)” four times, with bridges that go “Wooo-oooh-oooh-oooh” twice. Looks great in print.
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