"I saw my task... was to capture them in their delapidated glory before some more professional producer f--ked them up," Elvis Costello wrote of his role behind the controls for the Pogues' second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. One spin of the album proves that Costello accomplished his mission; this album captures all the sweat, fire, and angry joy that was lost in the thin, disembodied recording of the band's debut, and the Pogues sound stronger and tighter without losing a bit of their edge in the process. Rum Sodomy & the Lash also found Shane MacGowan growing steadily as a songwriter; while the debut had its moments, the blazing and bitter roar of the opening track, "The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn," made it clear MacGowan had fused the intelligent anger of punk and the sly storytelling of Irish folk as no one had before, and the rent boys' serenade of "The Old Main Drag" and the dazzling, drunken character sketch of "A Pair of Brown Eyes" proved there were plenty of directions where he could take his gifts. And like any good folk group, the Pogues also had a great ear for other people's songs. Bassist Cait O'Riordan's haunting performance of "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day" is simply superb (it must have especially impressed Costello, who would later marry her), and while Shane MacGowan may not have written "Dirty Old Town" or "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," his wrought, emotionally compelling vocals made them his from then on. Rum Sodomy & the Lash falls just a bit short of being the Pogues' best album, but was the first one to prove that they were a great band, and not just a great idea for a band.© Mark Deming /TiVo

Recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles on their 2018 tour, Live in the City of Angels captures Simple Minds at their best. Featured are numerous tracks from their back catalog including fan favorites "Don’t You (Forget About Me)," "Sanctify Yourself," and "Alive and Kicking."© Rich Wilson /TiVo

A few notes are enough to recognize Simple Minds, and thus rediscover their brand. The echo, the lyricism, the mystic rhythmic, the muddled guitars, the choruses calibrated for the stadiums and above all Jim Kerr’s possessed voice: nothing is lacking on this 18th studio album. Forty years after starting their formation which peaked at the top of the charts during the 80s, the Scots don’t try to reinvent themselves here, but rather to rekindle a flame that shone during the last century and that they adapt quite well to 2018. With the help of a sober production, Simple Minds manages to reflect the times without sounding off track. It’s worth noting that this Walk Between Worlds is also the first album of the band since 2002 without drummer Mel Gaynor and keyboardist Andy Gillespie. © CM/Qobuz

Bettye LaVette gets classified as an R&B singer, which she is, of course, but her newest album, the Craig Street-produced Thankful N' Thoughtful, finds her taking her blues, gospel, and soul-influenced singing style into deep, swampy, and edgy American roots territory, and she makes it all work with a sting and bite to her phrasing that ranks her as one of the best living soul singers. She gives Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" a little jump of joy, moving the song away from being plaintive and lonely to something closer to anxious homesickness. Tom Waits' "Yesterday Is Here," complete with brass and reeds, loses some of its clang and becomes a poignant blues. The most stunning track here is LaVette's reinvention of the old folk song "Dirty Old Town," best known in the version by the Pogues. She fills it with disgust and ominous menace -- there's also a slower version of "Dirty Old Town" that lets a measure of sadness creep back in at the close of the album. Thankful N' Thoughtful is a solid outing from an outstanding singer who knows how to growl, croon, grumble, praise, and jump for joy with her vocal phrasing -- whatever makes the song live and breathe. She is still a marvel.© Steve Leggett /TiVo

Ten years after Gerry Rafferty's death from alcoholism-induced liver failure, Rest in Blue is being released as a sort of "what-if?" vision of his final album. Culled from demo tapes Rafferty had pulled from his archives for consideration on the follow-up to 2009's Life Goes On, the songs on Rest in Blue were actually written across several decades of his career. His daughter took those tapes and oversaw a remixing project in an effort to deliver what could have (should have?) been his next album had he not died. To be clear: this is not a misguided attempt to modernize or reinterpret Rafferty's work; instead, the material is surprisingly and thankfully consistent, both within the context of the album as well as within Rafferty's career. It's important to not read too much narratively into the curation here, as these tracks represent more than 40 years of Rafferty's songcraft, the equivalent of an author pulling out boxes of old notebooks before beginning a new novel. So, it's best to approach Rest In Blue as a halted work-in-progress, rather than a fully formed album finally seeing the light of day. However, it must be said, starting off a posthumous album with a song about the very thing that killed the artist is ... a move. "Still in Denial," is a rough-edged, bluesy rocker that kicks off the album with a dose of infectious high energy; it's also about helplessly struggling with alcoholism, so the song tinged with the slightly bitter weariness Rafferty was known for. That approach persists throughout most of Rest In Blue, which is undercut with the folksy touches that are at the root of Rafferty's songwriting, but presented with more of a live, rockist vibe than the smooth melancholy of his best known stuff; this is definitely not soft rock. Cuts like "Sign of the Times" are brimming with energy (albeit one shot through with lyrical cynicism bemoaning the befouling of the planet) and even occasionally ("Slow Down") have a gleeful sense of optimism. And while Rafferty's voice is notably wobbly on "I Still Love You"—a beautiful number crafted with gentle guitar lines and his trademark multi tracked harmonies—it's quite strong elsewhere, like on the muscular, bluesy rocker "Keeper of My Soul" and a redux of "Stuck in the Middle with You." These two cuts close out the album, and while the loose rendition of "Stuck" may strike one as a little weird and unnecessary, it definitely fits with the organic and open mood of these 14 tracks. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

"And so it arrived at interested decks across the London…" writes late Pogues guitarist Philip Chevron in the liner notes to the band's career-spanning 30 Years box set. He is referring to Red Roses for Me, the 1984 debut of the band he had not yet joined. Having been formed two years prior by some former punks named Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy, and Jem Finer, the band had already made a name for itself in the London club scene playing a boozy, spirited take on traditional Irish music under the name Pogue Mahone. Following a self-released single, the group signed with Stiff Records, who delivered the record to interested decks across London, thus beginning a legendary and tumultuous career that would come to an end 12 years later following the release of their final studio album, aptly titled Pogue Mahone. This is not the band's first box set, nor is it their first set of remasters, but 30 Years (which includes each of their seven studio albums) is notable for offering remixed versions of two of their albums along with a 1991 live disc recorded during Clash legend Joe Strummer's brief stint replacing the then-recently fired MacGowan on lead vocals. When you're as beloved as the Pogues, tampering with your recorded legacy can be risky business. Another remaster is practically expected every time a band's catalog gets overhauled, but remixing entire albums is rarer and can be off-putting for fans who hold the original versions in such high esteem. Fortunately, they've trod lightly, offering tasteful and revealing new editions of both Red Roses for Me and 1989's Peace and Love. The 2013 version of Red Roses for Me is very subtly altered, with original engineer Nick Robbins toning down some of the reverbs and adding a welcome bit of punch to the whole affair. The updated remix for Peace and Love is far more drastic and should ultimately please fans who found the original version too ornate and dense. Stylistically, much of Peace and Love's heavily reverbed and densely overdubbed mix was seen as an attempt to cloak Shane's waning vocal abilities. It's long been a bone of contention for many fans (and apparently for the band) which has been seemingly resolved by Lillywhite's lean but aggressive remix. Still, there was a lovely grandeur to the album's original sound that matched both the Pogues' shambling struggles and the gaudy decadence of the late '80s. Hardcore fans will probably want to own both versions. The collection's only non-studio disc features the band's last London concert with Joe Strummer at the helm, recorded in December 1991. It was a pairing that made sense in the wake of MacGowan's departure, and Strummer gives himself 110-percent, stomping, hollering, and strumming his way through a Hell's Ditch-era set which also included Pogues-backed versions of the Clash's "London Calling" and "Straight to Hell." The inclusion of this live set offers yet another glimpse into why the Pogues' saga has been so captivating to follow.© Timothy Monger /TiVo

Evidently, Brian Setzer doesn't take the jump blues and swing of the Brian Setzer Orchestra as a joke. Dirty Boogie is his third album with his large band, and instead of sounding tired, the record is the group's best effort yet. Setzer rocks the band hard, tearing through blues and rock & roll covers with vigor, and delivering made-to-order originals that are surprisingly well crafted and memorable. Much attention will be paid to "You're the Boss," a cover of the Elvis Presley/Ann Margaret staple from Viva Las Vegas, performed as a duet with No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, but that's hardly the only highlight here -- it's a swinging, rocking record that suggests Setzer's skills are only improving with time.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

On his first full-fledged solo album, Byrne indulges his fascination with Latin and South American musical styles, employing a variety of native musicians but mixing up the sounds to suit his own distinctly non-purist vision and singing over the tracks the same kind of witty, oddball lyrics found on Talking Heads albums. (When released, the cassette version contained three more tracks than the LP.)© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Since officially calling it quits in 1996, the Pogues have periodically resurfaced for the occasional tour, but with zero chatter about ever entering the recording studio again. Recorded in 2012 at the legendary Olympia theater in France, The Pogues in Paris may be as close as fans will ever get to hearing anything new from the group (as in current renditions of old favorites), and it's surprisingly sound, considering the group's unholy reputation. What's even more remarkable than arriving on time to their 30th anniversary show is the fact that they did it with Shane MacGowan in tow, who sounds fiery, feisty, and half sober, especially on the venerable folk-punk rockers' older material like "Streams of Whiskey," "Star of the County Down," "Sally MacLennane," and "Boys from the County Hell," spitting out each lyric with cocksure tenacity, despite his obvious lack of teeth. Featuring the classic, full band lineup of MacGowan, Spider Stacy, Jem Finer, James Fearnley, Andrew Ranken, Phillip Chevron, Terry Woods, and Darryl Hunt, along with a brass section and Finer's daughter Ella, who elegantly assumes the late Kirsty MacColl's role in "Fairytale of New York," the 21st century Pogues sound a lot like the 20th century version, albeit a little heavier on the piss than the vinegar. They sound genuinely happy to be playing together and you can tell by the rowdy crowd's near constant singing along that the feeling is mutual.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo