content: The writing was on the wall by the time Peace and Love was released, but Hells Ditch, The Pogues' fifth album, signalled the end of an era. By this album there was little left of the raw vocal and musical energy and Celtic flair that made The Pogues so famous. Instead this album awkwardly explores a wide range of musical styles, and frontman Shane MacGowan sounds so bored and drunk that the music has to carry him through the entire album. In fact he was so distant from the band by this time--largely because of his drinking habit--that he only sang about half the songs on the album. (Not surprisingly, this is the last Pogues album with MacGowan as a band member.) The magic was clearly gone by this time, and they never got it back. Overall this is a decent album, but is a profound letdown by Pogues standards--hence the 2-star rating.