The Pogues Rum, Sodomy & The Lash (1985)

the seminal Pogues record shows O’Riordan at her root-and-fifth best. Her trusty P-Bass was the go-to instrument here, and she is technically bang-on from the bouncy walking line of opening track ‘The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn’ right through to the mournful closer, ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’. This track and ‘The Old Main Drag’ show the value of playing on the beat; the bass here is playing the role of percussion as well as supplying musical scaffolding. As a result, there’s a massive amount of space, sonically, which is perfect for a typically rough-arsed MacGowan vocal to throw a story of debauchery right in the face of the listener. Playing with a pick on ‘Wild Cats of Kilkenny’, O’Riordan channels the Doctor Who theme before some sweet glissandos in a middle eight that flits between the jig and the jug. Her vocal talents are showcased on the band’s classic interpretation of ‘I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day’, her relatively soft delivery entirely at odds with the boastfulness of the lyric. Under it all, of course, is that locked-in line with the bodhran.