THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG – Waiting for Bonaparte – (WEA) – 1988

The Men They Couldn’t Hang : On the evidence of this album it’s tempting to say something like, “but they should keep trying”.

Like the Oysterband and The Waterboys, The Men They Couldn’t Hang (“TMTCH”) mined English folk music and electrified it. To that end they are an English roots rock band. That sound can be traced back to the late 60s and early 70s with Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, Jethro Tull and others.

However, unlike those bands, TMTCH also mined Celtic, specifically Irish folk. Clearly they were trying to cash in on the success of The Pogues. Were any of them Irish? By their surnames it doesn’t seem so. Granted, music is about “sharing” and “cross fertilisation” but when TMTCH tackle Celtic rhythms the music is particularly disingenuous. But, to be fair to them, they also lifted from other non-English folk music.

The Celtic rip off was popular when Irish culture hit the mainstream in the 80s and 90s, In Australia we had “Roaring Jack”, the US had “The Dropkick Murphys’ and there were many others. Even Croatia had “Belfast Food”. All those bands ripped off some Celtic melodies and used the rhythm as a background to address domestic concerns and themes.

What makes the TMTCH version sound disingenuous is the antagonistic history between the Irish and the English ….my ears cannot separate historical events from the music.

Also, unlike their English counterparts (but much like their non-English compatriots) TMTCH also adopted The Pogues “folk punk” musical sound. They have not only electrified the faux folk tunes but given them a little snarl. And there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is,  though, that so much derivative inspiration doesn’t always allow for ones own talents to emerge.

Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery but in music it can leave a bad taste in the listener, especially when people are going to compare you to the original …and TMTCH were cleaner and devoid of any real anger or passion in their music (though they were more overt and obvious in their politics) . This comes off as folk punk pop, if there is any such a thing.

Regardless, at one point in my life I might have liked this – I say might because all of these bands came in the wake of The Pogues with their ethnic Celtic folk punk and that Celtic folk punk was particularly persuasive in it’s energy and lyricism. The music was also thematically littered with blue collar politics and examinations of the working life. This all appealed to me at one point of my life. Some of it still does.

All songs, bar one, are written by the band. The productions is crisp, clear and soulless in the 80s way.

Tracks (best in italics)

• The Crest   – a Irish Celtic jig on this updated version of “Universal Soldier”. It’s nice to see the English stealing from the Irish instead of the Americans for a change. Otherwise a fine rabble rousing chant song.
• Smugglers – a traditional song that sounds like a sea shanty from a Hollywood film … I like that.
• Dover Lights   – a cynical view of home (here England). Interesting lyrics but it’s a pity the song is a little too dirge like.
• Bounty Hunter  – a boppy Housemartins type of tune.
• Island in the Rain   – filler and pretentious at that

I’ll go to bars we used to go to every day

To Tennyson’s statue carved in stone

It’s stayed the same throughout the passing of the years

But we were made of faithless flesh and bone

This time of year it rains on every empty beach

This time of year the summer souvenirs are gone

No slot machines, candy floss or novelties

Like love affairs picked up and lost along the prom

There’s only lovers walking in the rain

The way we did before another sea-son came

Ghosts, shadows, spirits of a dream

Or just players in a scene?

• The Colours   – a fresh written song about English sailors, the sea, a mutiny and them throwing their lot in with Thomas Paine and the French.      
• Midnight Train – a midnight train’s carrying something that is “poison from the ground”. Uranium perhaps?
• Father’s Wrong – a disturbing though honest song about incestuous paedophilia as spoken by the aggressor.
• Life of a Small Fry   – a song about an average man, “small fry” and his life where “he served no good”. Again, interesting lyrics but a poor delivery.
• Mary’s Present- a boppy pop song about a broken love.  Mood and lyric don’t fit.

And …

An adequate substitute if someone has done off with your Pogues records …no one has done off with mine. I’m selling.

Chart Action

US

Singles

Album

—

England

Singles

1988 The Colours #61 (their only English singles chart placing)

Album

1988 #41

Sounds

The Crest 

live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FjNH_1ce-4]

Smugglers

live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2EJHNOrhs

and attached

Dover Lights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdbBGAQDsO0

Bounty Hunter 

Studio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXmEU_xOX28

live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2zRXfIhI2Y

Island in the Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sW2ZjXpuc

The Colours  

video clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNKLBwAcP04

Others

—

Review

—

Bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_They_Couldn’t_Hang

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_punk

Website

http://www.tmtch.net/

Trivia

—

The Men They Couldn’t Hang – Smugglers