In fact the Pogues did do a version of And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. I don't particularly mind their version of it, although it is certainly not the best version. What I don't like is bar bands trying to do their version of it.

Shane McGowan's voice often worked on songs that you wouldn't think it should work on, just like Louis Armstrong's voice could work on subtle love songs in spite of sounding like tobacco and whiskey. "Broad Majestic Shannon" is a lovely song even though McGowan sounds like he's drunk.

My problem, I say again, is with the imitators. They own a few Pogues CD's and then they think that every song should be uptempo and shouted angrily and punctuated with screams.

Incidently, speaking of the subject matter of And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, why is it that those from Oz only make movies or sing songs about battles they've lost? Surely they fared as well as any of the Allies in the two world wars.Here in Canada we like to dwell upon Juneau Beach, not Dieppe. But this I suppose is a another thread to be discussed elsewhere . . .