If I Should Fall from Grace with God

If I Should Fall from Grace with God
Studio album by The Pogues
Released	January 1988
Genre	Celtic punk, folk punk
Length	51:43
Label	Island
Producer	Steve Lillywhite
The Pogues chronology
Poguetry in Motion (1986) If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988) Peace and Love (1989)
Alternative Cover

If I Should Fall from Grace with God is a 1988 album by The Pogues. It reached number 3 in the UK album charts.

History

The album was a departure from previous Pogues albums, which had focused on an Irish folk/punk hybrid, combining musical radicalism with strong commercial appeal. On If I Should Fall From Grace with God several more genres were added to this mixture, including Jazz, Spanish folk and Middle Eastern folk. The adding of Spanish and Middle Eastern sounds was a sign of things to come; on later albums such as 1990's Hell's Ditch these would become the defining sound. On this album, however, it was very much Irish folk to the fore, especially on songs such as the title track, "Bottle of Smoke", "Lullaby of London", "Sit Down By The Fire", and the rendition of the traditional jig "The Lark in the Morning" as the coda to "Turkish Song Of The Damned". These songs were more typical of the earlier Pogues albums, mostly fast and heavily textured. The album was also the first by the band to utilize a complete drum kit.

The song makes a passing reference to the Loughgall Martyrs with the line "while over in Ireland eight more men lay dead, kicked down and shot in the back of the head". It marked the most substantial line-up change to date for The Pogues, as it was the first full-length album on which multi-instrumentalist Terry Woods and bassist Darryl Hunt appear. It also marked the first departure of one of the original members, former bassist Cait O'Riordan.

The alternative album cover is a collage of faked photos of the group's members, in which their faces have been superimposed onto a shot of Irish author James Joyce. The version with Joyce himself appears fourth from the left.

Due to time restriction of a vinyl LP the two tracks "South Australia" and "The Battle March Medley" have been omitted and can be found only on the CD release.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B+
Rolling Stone	(favourable)

If I Should Fall from Grace with God was well-received by critics. Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone stated "obviously the Pogues can do it all. And it sounds as if they've only just begun." Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ and said that "neither pop nor rock nor disco crossover stays these groghounds from the swift accomplishment of their appointed rounds." Allmusic has since awarded the album four and a half out of five stars and its reviewer, Mark Deming, called it "the best album the Pogues would ever make."

In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at #37 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".

Track listing

1. "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" (Shane MacGowan) – 2:20
2. "Turkish Song of the Damned" (MacGowan, Jem Finer) – 3:27
3. "Bottle of Smoke" (MacGowan, Finer) – 2:47
4. "Fairytale of New York" (MacGowan, Finer) – 4:36
5. "Metropolis" – 2:50 (Finer)
6. "Thousands Are Sailing" (Phil Chevron) – 5:28
7. "South Australia" (Traditional)† – 3:27
8. "Fiesta" (MacGowan, Finer) – 4:13
9. "Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Galway Races" (Traditional) – 4:03
10. "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six" (MacGowan, Terry Woods) – 4:39
11. "Lullaby of London" (MacGowan) – 3:32
12. "The Battle March Medley" (Woods)†
13. "Sit Down by the Fire" (MacGowan) – 4:10
14. "The Broad Majestic Shannon" (MacGowan) – 2:55
15. "Worms" (Traditional) – 1:01

† – CD bonus track, not on vinyl LP or cassette editions

2005 reissue

1. "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" (MacGowan)
2. "Turkish Song of the Damned" (MacGowan, Finer)
3. "Bottle of Smoke" (MacGowan, Finer)
4. "Fairytale of New York" (MacGowan, Finer)
5. "Metropolis" (Finer)
6. "Thousands Are Sailing" (Chevron)
7. "Fiesta" (MacGowan, Finer)
8. "Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Galway Races" (Traditional)
9. "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six" (MacGowan, Woods)
10. "Lullaby of London" (MacGowan)
11. "Sit Down by the Fire" (MacGowan)
12. "The Broad Majestic Shannon" (MacGowan)
13. "Worms" (Traditional)
14. "The Battle March Medley" (Woods)
15. "The Irish Rover" (Joseph Crofts/Traditional)†
16. "Mountain Dew" (Traditional)†
17. "Shanne Bradley" (MacGowan)†
18. "Sketches of Spain" (The Pogues)†
19. "South Australia" (Traditional)

† – bonus track, not on original release

Personnel

• Shane MacGowan – vocals, guitar
• Spider Stacy – tin whistle, vocals
• James Fearnley – accordion, piano, mandolin, dulcimer, guitar, cello, percussion
• Jem Finer – banjo, saxophone
• Andrew Ranken – drums, vocals
• Philip Chevron – guitar, mandolin
• Darryl Hunt – bass, percussion, vocals
• Terry Woods – cittern lute, concertina, strings, banjo, dulcimer, guitar, vocals
• Ron Kavana – banjo, spoons, mandolin
• Siobhan Sheahan – harp
• Brian Clarke – alto saxophone
• Joe Cashman – tenor saxophone
• Paul Taylor – trombone
• Chris Lee – trumpet
• Eli Thompson – trumpet