On my last entry I bemoaned the
fortunes of my beloved Boston Bruins, so it is fitting tonight that I review a
band that are also huge Bruins fans.
Disc 704 is…. The Gang’s All Here
Artist: Dropkick
Murphys
Year of Release: 1999
What’s up with the Cover? Grim-faced U.S.
soldiers storm the beach in what is likely a scene from the Second World War.
This cover is an awesome ode to the Murphys dedication to the spirit of the
regular man (here, the ordinary soldier) rising above and doing his best in the
face of terrible odds.
How I Came To Know It: My friend Andrew discovered these
guys, and introduced me to them in 2001. I liked their “Sing Loud, Sing Loud” album
from that year and so I decided to check out their earlier work. The first step
backward led me to “The Gang’s All Here.”
How It Stacks Up: I have six of the Dropkick Murphys albums eight
albums. I’ll get their latest two at some point, I’m sure. Of those I have,
I’ll put “The Gang’s All Here” in third place.
Rating: 4 stars
The Dropkick Murphys are the perfect blend of Celtic folk music and punk
rock, and “The Gang’s All Here” is the beginning of their signature sound.
Sure their debut was two years earlier, with 1997’s “Do or Die”, but
this is before the band added vocalist Al Barr. “Do or Die” is OK but it is
still too rough around the edges for me. “The Gang’s All Here” is also very
rough around the edges – delightfully so – but there is just the right amount
of melodic Celtic elements to make everything come together.
In fact, although I stacked this album up as third best, it is really
the equal of the two that followed. If anything it is more ferocious than any
of the others. Then why did I put those two above it? Partly sentimental
reasons, I suppose, which I’ll discuss when I roll them. Maybe I’ll change my
mind by then, since it could be years away. But I digress…
Back to “The Gang’s All Year” which has the frenetic energy of a true
punk record, particularly on guitar mashing tracks like “Blood and Whiskey” and “Pipebomb on Lansdowne.” The Murphys put these songs right at the front of the
record, making it clear how they want to be known.
But they also want to be known for their Celtic roots, and on songs like
“Boston Asphalt” and “Devil’s Brigade” they mix in a sonic
wall of drum and thrash punk guitar with traditional melodies, mostly carried
by the vocal gifts of Barr.
Barr is uniquely able to sound angry and musical at the same time, and
had me wishing more punk bands had vocalists like him at their head. His
versatility allows the Murphys to work in ballad elements, as they do on “10 Years of Service,” “Curse of a Fallen Soul,” and “Upstarts and Broken Hearts”.
It also allows them to pull off actual traditional songs. On “The Gang’s
All Here” they do two: a passable version of “The Fighting 69th” and a punked out “Amazing Grace.” The latter has the best
blend of rock guitar and bagpipes you’ll ever hear. The Murphys at this point
don’t have a permanent pipe player (they would add one a year later) and “Amazing Grace” is a nice teaser for the
fun that will come on future records.
The album exceeds the bounds of good taste with 16 tracks, but keeps
everything at around 40 minutes (punk doesn’t waste time getting through a
song) so on balance I’m willing to let it go.
Thematically, these songs are a strong match to the music. They are
about regular working class men putting in an honest day, and speaking out loud
and long against anyone they see as doing otherwise. The Murphys deliver this
message without irony, subtlety or apology.
Earlier today I was describing my family history to a coworker. I noted
my Dad had been a millworker, and so had my stepdad. My grandpa on one side had
been a millworker and the grandpa on the other had immigrated from Italy,
leaving his life behind to become…a millworker.
It isn’t a particularly glamorous pedigree, but “The Gang’s All Here”
reminds me that there is more nobility in it than I tend to give it credit.
That blue collar work ethic and the blunt honesty that comes with it has served
me well over the years. I love that the Dropkick Murphys have so fittingly
given it a voice.
Best
tracks: Blood
and Whiskey, 10 Years of Service, Upstarts and Broken Hearts, Devil’s Brigade,
Curse of a Fallen Soul, Wheel of Misfortune, Amazing Grace
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