The Pogues

"Rum Sodomy & the Lash" is the second studio album by the London-based folk punk band The Pogues, which was released on August 5th, 1985 and reached number 13 on the UK charts. The track "A Pair of Brown Eyes" based on an older Irish tune, reached number 72 on the UK singles chart. "The Old Main Drag" later appeared on the soundtrack to the film "My Own Private Idaho".

The album's title is taken from a quote attributed to Winston Churchill that was suggested by the band's drummer, Andrew Ranken, as it seemed to sum up life in the band. The cover artwork is an altered version of a painting by Theodore Géricault with the band members' heads painted by Peter Mennim replacing those of the figures on the raft.

The album was originally produced by Elvis Costello, who was brought on to produce two songs for a single but ended up recording the entire album. The band wanted to record the album as live as possible with a lot of natural acoustic presence in the instruments which was considered revolutionary in 1985. Costello said that his task was to capture the band in their dilapidated glory before a more professional producer changed their sound.

The album received very positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its soul and storytelling. Critics also praised The Pogues for dragging an oft-ignored folk tradition into the daylight with an altogether improbable potency. In retrospect, the album was considered the first one to prove that they were a great band, and not just a great idea for a band. The album placed in various "greatest album" lists such as Q's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever and Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.