Some of music’s biggest names have assembled to reimagine the singular songs of the late great Shane MacGowan. The delightfully-titled 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan is due out November 13th via Rubyworks. MacGowan passed away in late November 2023.
Among the talents honoring The Pogues frontman are Bruce Springsteen, Dropkick Murphys, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Hozier and actress Jessie Buckley, Primal Scream, Kate Moss, Glen Hansard, The Libertines, Johnny Depp and Imelda May.
Other contributors include Camille O’Sullivan, Liam Ó Maonlaí, David Gray, Garron Noone, The High Kings, and The Murder Capital. The remaining members of the Pogues also appear on the record.
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According to a press release, 20th Century Paddy is actually “an album Shane had always wanted to make himself.”
The record, which describes its contributors as a “wide-ranging mix of icons and contemporary disruptors,” is ultimately “a sonic love letter to a catalogue that shaped generations.” While defining said legacy could be difficult, Victoria Mary Clarke (a writer and MacGowan’s long-time partner, who co-organized the collection) said the album exemplifies the ideas of family and community that were near and dear to the roguish crooner.
“Shane’s spirit and songwriting are eternally exalted through this glorious collection, each song is uniquely and graciously interpreted by these beyond beautiful artists and his family are humbled by and thankful to each and every one of the musicians involved, to the delightful team at Rubyworks, and to John Kennedy without whom this would not have happened,” Clarke said.
Our first taste of 20th Century Paddy comes as Springsteen honors his dear friend with a cover of “A Rainy Night in Soho” (from 1986’s Poguetry in Motion EP). This piano-centric ditty sees The Boss push the earnest sentimental into a new, even more compelling direction while still honoring the original tracks’ heart and soul.
“Shane was all naked bottomless humanity,” Springsteen said in a statement. “Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints.”
20th Century Paddy will be released as three LPs and two CDs, and each version contains a 56-page book of liner notes and memorabilia. Pre-order 20th Century Paddy here.
Honoring MacGowan’s legacy, 50% of artist royalties from the release will be donated to Dublin Simon Community to provide lifesaving housing and healthcare for those experiencing homelessness.
If you’re so inclined, check out a longer quote from Springsteen about MacGowan, where he discusses his unwavering effects as both a man and an artist:
“Every once in a while, every once in a great while an artist comes along whose voice seems to speak to history itself. Woody Guthrie, Jimmy Rogers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Coltrane, Patti Smith, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, John Lydon, Hank Williams, Sinatra. Geniuses all, they were both timeless and the embodiment of their moment in time. Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention. They were natural rebels unable to stifle or heed the impulses that led them to their glory and personal hardships. Great art is by nature lawless. We do not get to choose our obsessions. We do not get to dictate our blessings or our transgressions. It’s a little joke the gods play on us. Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator. The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humor in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self obliteration. Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s. Though I did not know Shane very well, I spent a lovely afternoon in his presence shortly before he passed. He was not well but he and his wife Victoria proved warm and gracious hosts. As I left, I thanked him for his beautiful work, his music, his songs, his life. I stood in his warmth, kissed him and told him I loved him.”
20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan Artwork:
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