Shane MacGowan finished final album before his death, collaborator reveals
15-track album is set to include both covers and MacGowan originals
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Your support makes all the difference.Shane MacGowan finished recording a new solo album before his death last week, according to a new report.
The 15-track record features both original songs and covers. It was produced in collaboration with Irish band Cronin, and also includes appearances from MacGowanās former The Pogues bandmates Spider Stacey and Jem Finer.
MacGowan spent the last seven years of his life working on the album, and Cronin frontman Johnny Cronin told The Irish Sun that the singer and songwriter had āa fine voice right to the endā.
āShane was ill but he wanted to keep working,ā said Cronin. āI was driving up to Dublin to record his vocals at his house.ā
Cronin, who is bandmates with his own brother Mick, added: āWe are beyond devastated to lose our friend, the only consolation we have is that Shane had finished all his vocals for this record.ā
āShane was always in charge when we went into the studio, he was telling us what to play and where to play it,ā Cronin continued. āIf I was going to try and describe it, itās like the recordings Johnny Cash did with producer Rick Rubin at the end of his career.ā
The album is set to include original songs such as āGinoās Placeā and covers such as the traditional ballad āWild Mountain Thymeā and a musical reading of WB Yeatsā āDown By The Sally Gardensā.
āShane came up with some beautiful songs as well as (recording) some cover versions,ā said Cronin. āWe spent seven years working on this with Shane, and he brought in people like Spider Stacey and Jem Finer to play on some of the songs as well as Waterboys fiddle player Steve Wickham and musical duo Foster and Allen.ā
Cronin added that while he believes there will be āworldwide interestā in the posthumous album, there is no release schedule in place and no label attached to release it. āShane wanted this record out, so it will come out,ā said Cronin. āBut itās not something we are thinking about right now.ā
He recalled seeing MacGowan for the last time just a few days before his death. āShane was very weak but smiling and still able to have the craic,ā he recalled. āWe sat at his bedside and reminisced.ā
Following MacGowanās death last Thursday, The Independentās Dorian Lynskey paid tribute to āa chaotic hellraiser and a natural storyteller who could give you a whole life in a handful of linesā.
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