The original Rogues Gallery sea-chantey-ensemble was released in conjunction with the second Pirates of the Caribbean film. Produced by Hal Willner, the original artefact was afforded much publicity thanks to Execute Producers (albums have those?) Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski.
Though a collection of pirate-folk relics would only ever appeal to a niche corner of the music community, with artists like Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Jarvis Cocker and, umm… Bono, lending a hand, the album found a large enough audience to warrant a follow-up.
However, a lot has changed since 2006. Pirates of the Caribbean got old quick, and so too did Johnny Depp. The only pirates people think of come from Somalia, and don’t strike anyone as rum-swilling outlaws. So instead of having a collective interest in pirates to rely on, Willner has opted for star-power on Son of Rogues Gallery.
A few of the crew return (Nick Cave, Katie McGarrigle, Akron/Family), but for the most part it’s all fresh faces, pooled from many corners (and eras) of the alternative music community.
Stretched long over two discs and clocking in at over two hours, it’s a hearty listen. There’s The Pogues’ Shane MacGowen with the freewheelin’ ‘Leaving of Liverpool’, with both Depp and Verbinski offering guitar solos; though Michael Stipe and Courtney Love’s ‘Rio Grande’ is over-drenched in studio sheen, with no eye-patches or beards in sight.
Katey Red and Big Freedia sound out of place on the ridiculous ‘Sally Racket’. So too do the electronic drums of Todd Rundgren’s ‘Rolling Down to Old Maui’. Broken Social Scene linger too long on ‘Wild Goose’, but redeem themselves on the charming, mandolin-driven ‘Jack Tar on Shore’.
Songs which lend themselves to the sinister nature of pirates do well, with ‘Pirate Jenny’ combining Silpha Ray’s harmonium and howling vocals with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to sound like a slow, eerie midnight trek down a dank, fog-drenched river.
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The same could be said for Beth Orton’s ‘River Come Down’ and especially ‘Barnacle Bill The Sailor’ by Kembra Pfahler, with her voice like a siren song, lulling you before the song cracks open into nightmarish chaos.
Its sadness for the golden era of pirates long-gone that drives the compilation’s highlight, the Tom Waits and Keith Richards’s duet ‘Shenandoah’. Through voices thick with decades of rum, as well as Richards’ delicate guitar solo, the pair recall rivers and women which have loved and betrayed them. It’s heartbreaking.
There’s room for fun here, too. Iggy Pop is hilarious on ‘Asshole Rules the Navy’, as is Swans’ Michael Gira on ‘Whiskey Johnny’, while New Orleans natives Ivan Neville and Dr. John balance humour and swagger on their respective numbers.
As with any collection of this size, there’s plenty of filler on Son of Rogues Gallery. But when it hits, you regret that pirates have long ceased to spark your imagination.
