PirateFest - DaSilvaSings The Pogues, "Turkish Song of the Damned"

[dasilvasings]

Dear all,


Here's my contribution to the Pirate's Fest.

I took a while choosing on a theme. Eventually I thought of Pogues because of the album "Rum, Sodomy and Lash", but I came across this song from "Hell's Ditch" a bit by accident. It wasn't one of my favourite Pogues song, until now, when I gave attention to the lyrics and story within.

Before that, a few "pearly" notes on the song, taken from the internet:

Jem Finer: "On an early visit to Germany a fan asked Shane if he liked the Turkish song of the Damned ... referring to a song by the Damned. Thank you German fan for a wonderful title."

Shane MacGowan in a NME interview: "It's about a guy on a Turkish island who deserted a sinking ship with all the money and all his mates went down. I'm not totally sure about this - he's haunted and he's dancing around with all this Turkish music playing endlessly in his brain - NYEAHH NYE NEE NEE HYEAHH NYEAHHH NIN NIN NYIN NEAHH... He just spends his time, haunted - dancing, drinking and fucking. Then his best mate comes back, and all the crew, to drag him down to hell or wherever they are. The thing is, he knew it was going to happen. So he's been waiting. Haunted, it's definitely about being haunted." A metaphor for yourself? "Fuck that. I don't live on a Turkish island. I'm not haunted either."


The lyrics: So if you are week at heart, leave now, for the story I'm about to tell may cause your blood to freeze and your reason to leave:
[old_scroll]
Turkish Song of the Damned
(the Pogues/ Shane Macgowan;Jeremy Finer)

I [Am] come old friend from hell tonight across the rotting sea.
Nor the [Am] nails of the cross nor the blood of Christ
Can bring you help this eve.
The [Dm] dead have come to claim a debt from [Am] thee.
They [Dm] stand outside your door four score and [Am] three. [G]

 Did you [C] keep a watch for the [F] dead man's wind,
  Did you [C] see the woman with the [G] comb in her hand,
  [C] Wailing away on the [F] wall on the strand
  As you [C] danced to the Turkish [G] song of the damned.

You re[Am]member when the ship went down, you left me on the deck.
The [Am] captain's corpse jumped up and threw his arms around my neck.
For [Dm] all these years I've had him on my [Am] back.
This [Dm] debt cannot be paid with all your [Am] jack. [G]

And [Am] as I sit and talk to you I see your face go white.
This [Am] shadow hanging over me is no trick of the light.
The [Dm] spectre on my back will soon be [Am] free.
The [Dm] dead have come to claim a debt from [Am] thee. [G]

[/old_scroll]
The line up was:

DaSilvaSings's corpse voice in 4 different states of decomposition
Main riff played by a legless sailor with a 12x mandolin made of human skulls and guts for strings
Uptempo cavaquinho strummed by filthy beggar wih no teeth, no arms and no soul
Accordion played by a gipsy fortune teller with over 200 years. (Sound gently sampled by a Kurzweil Digital Piano)
Jazz bass guitar sung by a retired prostitute after a bottle of grog
Xylophone made from human bones profaned from local graveyard. (Sounds provided, courtesy of Kurzweil Corporation)
Sea surf sounds recorded from a ship wreckage
Written in blood in a microBR made of human skin


So... Nevermind the bollocks, here's DaSilvaSings

[lg]

Fun Song.....
I think I'm going to like this one.
now on mp3 player to digest further.

LG

[Oldrottenhead]

can i get me one of them thar skull mandolins

[Ferryman_1957]

Ooh arr brilliant! This is my favourite Pogues song of all time, I didn't know what to expect here, but this is great fun. Love your vox on this! Very inspired rendering of a true pirate song.

Cheers,

Nigel

PS Shane sends you a big kiss:

[Bluesberry]

Fantastic stuff, wild enough and proper enough to be deadly sounding.  The Piratefest is still alive.  Whooo, hooo, who else has a pirate song in their brain, bursting to get out, only 10 days left.   Lets get going.  Listen to how much fun this is. great song.

[Geir]

LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FAB COVER !!!!

[danieldesete]

I've always loved that song and you gave it a new life !
thanks for the waves
daniel

[tafka]

Loved this. you gave it a Pogues feel with SM vocal.
Hats off to you. I find this impossible to do.

TJ

[Gritter]

Excellent job on this one matey! I love all the sounds and your sing as a pirate should!

[dasilvasings]

Thank you for the comment,  fellon pirates!


64 Guitars (I guess it was you) - thanks for putting the lyrics in the scroll. I was really happy when I saw it!
ORH - sorry but we are out of stock of human sull mandolins. Come back next week!
Nigel - Tell Shane I love him too. BTW part of the MacGowan Mythos, it is said Wendy James, the blonde from Transvision Vamp said SM was the sexiest man on Earth!
Others -Thanks for the comments on the voice. I recorded a main track, then a second sung very close to the mic (with some clipping). This 2nd voice appears only on the chorus, mixed with -20 db (?). The other 2 voices appear only in the last chorus, as I was trying to make it sound like a mob singing. All voices were bounced with the microBR "only chorus" (?) effect on.