CD Odyssey Disc 1853: Dropkick Murphys

For our next review, let’s ship off to Boston, shall we?

Disc 1853 is…Okemah Rising

Artist: Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2023

What’s up with the Cover? Someone has left a perfectly good guitar laying on the railroad tracks. Or has this a guitar just had enough and thrown itself there, intent on ending it all. It’s final thoughts likely, “No – I won’t play one more Liona Boyd song. I won’t do it. I’d rather die here on the tracks!”

Apologies to Liona Boyd fans but hey – you got mentioned. Take the win.

How I Came To Know It: I’m a longtime fan of the Dropkick Murphys. I fell away from them for a bit, but in recent years I’ve caught up on their music and I’m back in the swing of it. I bought this one when it came out.

How It Stacks Up: I have 10 Dropkick Murphys albums which is not all of them, but is a lot of them. I put “Okemah Rising in at #8. I still liked it, but not as much as seven other ones, I suppose. If you are looking up previously reviewed Dropkick Murphy albums for comparison, it won’t work. I reviewed those when I only had seven, so things have shifted a bit. You’ll just have to wait until I review the final one and recap.

But I digress…

Ratings: 3 stars

The Dropkick Murphys perfected the art of the sing-along decades ago. On “Okemah Rising” they are once again paired with sloganeer and folk anthem writer Woody Guthrie’s lyrics and the result is predictable: a good time had by all.

In recent years the Murphys brand of Irish folk/punk has veered a bit closer to Irish folk over punk, and that trend accelerates on he acoustic “Okemah Rising”. Expect plenty of penny whistle and singing in unison. If you don’t find yourself with an insane desire to sway in a barroom, pint in hand, then I suggest you turn the record up. You’re missing it.

You may also be missing co-lead vocalist Al Barr, who is on hiatus from the band for this one. Fortunately we still have the rich and raunchy tone of fellow long-time Murphy Ken Casey. While I like the combination of the two of them, Casey holds things down just fine, and they bring in some guest vocalists here and there to keep it interesting.

The best of these is the ever-brilliant Jaime Wyatt, who shows up for the final verse of “Bring It Home”. “Bring It Home” is merely an OK song to this point, veering toward full kitsch as it tells the tale of a man bringing home appliances for his wife until he comes home one day he’s been replaced by the neighbour.

Fun but unremarkable and then Wyatt’s vocals kick in and stop the world with rich, sumptuous, evocative power. Sure, she’s tasked with singing the punchline of the joke, but never was a joke more sublime to hear.

The album’s biggest advantage is yet more songs where the lyrics are by folk master Woodie Guthrie. Guthrie had a fun time writing “Bring it Home” but for the most part he cleaves to what he knows best – class struggle, defence of the working man, and a general celebration of the blue collar, stained with sweat and proud of it.

Guthrie also takes it to the fascists directly, with “Run, Hitler Run” a song about chasing down Hitler with justified ill intent. It may have been 80 years ago, but this song proves that dissing Hitler just never gets old, and I enjoyed wishing him harm just as much as if it were 1945 again.

For all the fun, this record suffers by comparison to “This Machine Still Kills Fascists” (which landed at #5 on my “Best of 2022” list for that year). That record is a late-career classic. It is also fuelled by Woody Guthrie’s lyrics, and I got the overall impression the Murphys used the best of Guthrie’s stuff on the previous album.

However, even a second-tier iteration of “This Machine…” still makes for a record that is solid, raucous, and upbeat, and every bit a worthy celebration of Woody Guthrie, the Dropkick Murphys and the staying power of both acts. I had a great time, even as I wished for the songs to be just a bit more creative and varied.

Minor quibbles. The album still kills fascists - literally in the case of “Run, Hitler, Run” - and it has a nice mix of social commentary, celebratory revelry, or a combination of both. Not the best the band ever did, but a damn fine time all the same.

Best tracks: My Eyes Are Gonna Shine, Watchin’ The World Go By, Bring It Home, Run Hitler Run

The Best Albums of 2022

I often load my best of albums list into the introduction to a regular review, but I’m going to break with tradition this year and give it an entry all its own. This year will also have the excitement of links to songs so you can have an immediate sampling of just what I’m so damned excited about.

If you like it, please check out the artist’s entire record, and if you like that, please buy it. That’s how artists get paid. Or stream it a whole bunch of times. That also works.

I listened to an untold number of records released in 2022 and found 80 of them worth buying. Of those I have successfully bought 66 (still searching for the rest) and gotten rid of 4 (errors). Still on the hunt for 14 more, some of which made the list regardless.

After considerable soul searching, here is the best of the best. I reserve the right to change my mind as I dig into each of these (and others) deeper, but for now, this is it. For those records I’ve already reviewed, I’ve embedded a link:

10 Ghost – Impera (reviewed at Disc 1592)

• Hard rock/metal from Sweden, Ghost has long enjoyed pretending they really love Satan, but don’t be concerned. It is just pretend.Here’s a track about their favourite subject called “Call Me Little Sunshine”. 

9 Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure

• Jacklin just keeps getting better. 2019’s Crushing was good, but I think this is even better. For the sake of balance with the previous record, let’s go with “Lydia Wears a Cross”.  

8 The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field

• More great music from the Beths. Here’s the title track as a sampler: 

7 Danger Mouse and Black Thoughts – Cheat Codes

• I find Danger Mouse hit and miss but combining him with hip hop mastery of Black Thoughts and the many guest stars on this record is inspiring. Here’s one called "Strangers" with some Run the Jewels guest starring.

6 Craig Finn – A Legacy of Rentals

• If you like the band The Hold Steady you’ll already know its lead singer Craig Finn. If you like that, I think you’ll like this just as much. I liked it even more, but you have to be OK with listening to the lyrics, because Finn tells a hell of a story, but you gotta pay attention. Here’s "The Amarillo Kid". 

5 Dropkick Murphys – This Machine Still Kills Fascists

• Woody Guthrie lyrics have been set to music by Wilco and Billy Bragg previously, and the latest collaboration is with the Dropkick Murphys. I think it may be the best yet. Here’s “The Last One”. 

4 Kevin Morby – This is a Photograph

• Just an all-around great record that is half chill, half-anxiety, all awesome. All the tracks are good, but I’m picking this one because I like the tone of the banjo and it features Erin Rae, who I also discovered this year. Her 2022 album is Lighten Up and it is good, even though it didn’t make this list. Here’s “Bittersweet”.

3 Mattiel – Georgia Gothic

• Mattiel’s 2019 album Satis Factory is one of my favourite records of all time. Georgia Gothic is good enough for #3 in 2022. Here’s “On the Run”.

2 Ezra Furman – All of Us Flames

• Brilliant, anthemic, and emotionally overwhelming, Furman is a wave you want to both catch and have crash over you. Here’s “Forever in Sunset".

1 Grace Cummings – Storm Queen (reviewed at Disc 1573)

• Listening to Grace Cummings is like being transfixed by the keening of a ghost as she warbles her fell and beautiful secrets to you from the underworld. Here’s “Up in Flames”:  I also strongly recommend “Heaven” if for no other reason than the arresting quality of Cummings eyes as she stares right at you in the video.

Honourable Mention – all great, but I could only pick 10. Here are 5 more in no particular order in the event you want even more great music to choose from 2022:

• Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – Crooked Tree; CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead; Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter; Wet Leg – Self-Titled; Angel Olsen – Big Time

CD Odyssey Disc 1303: The Dropkick Murphys

Earlier this month I watched a solid four-part documentary on punk rock. One of the lessons I took from it was that punk is an attitude as much as a style of music, and that denying someone the title simply because it isn’t ‘pure’ enough is just uncool.

Whatever you want to call this next band, I like their music, and that’s what matters.

Disc 1303 is… The Meanest of Times

Artist: Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2007

What’s up with the Cover? A family portrait of some kids you wouldn’t want lurking around your silverware or left alone in a room with your cat.

How I Came to Know It: I’ve been a fan of the Dropkick Murphys since my friend Andrew introduced me to them. This album was just me checking out their latest album.

How It Stacks Up:  The Dropkick Murphys have made nine studio LPs, and I have seven of them. Yeah, I’m a fan. Despite that fandom, one of those albums has to finish last, and “the Meanest of Times” is it. If you’re a glass-half-full kind of person you might say it ranks higher than the two records I passed on.

Ratings: 3 stars

If “The Meanest of Times” had been the first Dropkick Murphys album I’d ever heard, I would probably be raving right now at the brilliance of it all. This is because when you first year the Murphys infectious, aggressive blend of Celtic folk music and punk rock it is something of a musical revelation. This being the sixth Dropkick Murphys album I’d ever heard, my reaction was more akin to “Oh, so more of this? I like this!”

There is a lot to like, and like hard rockers ACDC drop killer rhythm guitar licks and keep 4/4 time, the Murphys know what makes their sound great and how to stay in their lane. You won’t encounter them exploring a lot of new sound on “The Meanest of Times” but you’ll still have a rollicking good time, and even a slam-dance or two if you’re in the right company.

I did not have a slam-dance, as I listened to this walking around town and riding the bus. Coming off of a soft-spoken contemporary folk album, I didn’t cotton on to the Murphys signature mix of rock guitar, raucous unison singing and the blast of bagpipes at first. However, it didn’t take long, and by the end of my first run through I was ready to sing along, or yell about something important, or maybe just yell for the sake of it.

For a band as big and boisterous as they are - the Murphys have seven members and whatever they play, they play it loud – the sound is never muddy. These guys bring the energy of punk rock, but they bring the musicianship of Celtic folk. Lead singer Al Barr is also a big part of what makes this band rock. He has a rough rasp and earnest delivery that makes you feel like every song is being played at a live show.

If you like your punk to sound like it is being played by drunks in the garage next door, this is not for you. But if, like me, you like a blast of visceral energy but also appreciate good production, then the “Meanest of Times” will give you joy.

This album covers the traditional Murphys gamut of subjects. The positive songs invest heavily in themes of family, friendship, drinking and fighting. Yes, for the Murphys a good donnybrook is a perfectly acceptable Saturday night. A good example comes from the first track, “Famous for Nothing” where the boys belt out a chorus of:

“Their gang went my way for basketball

My gang went their way for alcohol

When we met it wasn’t pretty at all

Still the bells of St. Mary’s kept ringing”

The heavier tracks take on serious social issues, none more so than on “State of Massachusetts” a song about children being taken by the state from homes stricken with poverty and violence. On “Vices and Virtues” we hear about friends lost to alcoholism, war, suicide and gun violence. It is grim stuff, sung with an appropriately desperate energy.

The album also features some updated traditionals, including “(F)lannigan’s Ball” and the two-hundred-year-old “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,” still a powerful combination of martial might and dread. The Murphys fill them all with a fast-paced fist-shaking power that is undeniable.

For all that, this is the same old fare they mastered long ago. If you liked it then, you’ll like it now. Just don’t expect any earth-shattering revelation. The Murphys know what they do and they do it well.

Best tracks: Famous for Nothing, The State of Massachusetts, Vices and Virtues, (F)lannigan’s Ball, Rude Awakenings, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya

CD Odyssey Disc 1015: Dropkick Murphys

My holidays continue in glorious fashion. Yesterday I had a lovely day out with Sheila, which included a little shopping, seeing a movie (Wonder Woman – and yes, it is good), and having a couple of great meals.

On Tuesday, I bought five more albums:

• The Civil Wars “Barton Hollow”
• Daniel Romano “If I’ve Only One Time Askin’”
• Olivia Newton John and E.L.O. “Xanadu” (a guilty pleasure).
• Gillian Welch “Hell Among the Yearlings”
• Joan Shelley “Self-Titled”

I also recently got nine (yes, nine) Handsome Family albums in the mail, and I’d like to give a shout-out to Rennie Sparks. Rennie personally emailed me to thank me for my order and generally gave me a fanboy thrill that someone in the band was taking the time to say hello. You’re a class act, Rennie, and the fact that you and Brett make great music is nice too. OK – on to the next review.

Disc 1015 is…Signed and Sealed in Blood

Artist: Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2013

What’s up with the Cover? This cover would make a kick-ass tattoo (and is likely inspired by – or the inspiration for – the song “Rose Tattoo”). In fact, based on the dozens of photos in the CD booklet, getting this tattoo is a bit of a thing among Murphys fans. I would get this as a t-shirt, but I prefer my tattoos to be unique, so I won’t be joining the throngs. For now, it is a great album cover.

How I Came To Know It: Last year I was poking around the Dropkick Murphys to see what their more recent albums were like (I hadn’t bought one since 2007). I found three I didn’t have and of those three, “Signed and Sealed in Blood” was the best of the lot.

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Dropkick Murphys albums. Of those seven, “Signed and Sealed in Blood” is pretty solid. I’ll put it right in the middle at fourth.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

If you are familiar with the Dropkick Murphys, “Signed and Sealed in Blood” might feel like more of the kind of thing you’ve heard before. If you are a fan of the Dropkick Murphys, this will be a good thing.

The album’s first song is “The Boys are Back” seeming to announce their intention to give their fans more of what they love – a mix of Celtic folk and punk rock, bagpipes, lots of singing in unison, and a whole lot of triumphant energy.

The Murphys continue to sing about their favourites topics: blue collar life, loyalty to family and friends, nights on the town and their beloved Boston hockey and baseball teams. I love songs about all these things as well (go Bruins!), and few have done them as well as the Murphys over the years.

There is not a lot of new ground being broken here, but so what? Listening to the Murphys is like being invited to the best party on the block. The songs have memorable choruses that beg you to sing along, swaying back and forth with friends while you down a few pints. Won’t some of that pint get spilled with all that swaying? Absolutely! A little spilled beer is part of the feel of this music; raucous and just a little bit out of control.

The album could have used a few more references to my beloved Boston Bruins. The only one I could find was on “Rose Tattoo,” where lead singer Al Barr belts out:

“This one’s for our favourite game

Black and gold, we wave the flag.”

Despite this, “Rose Tattoo” isn’t about the Bruins per se, so much as it is an anthem to all the things the Murphys hold dear: family, true loves, and honour. This is a song that explains why people get tattoos in the first place; to commemorate the things that are nearest and dearest to their hearts. With its bright and confident mandolin riff, and rollicking melody it is also the best song on the album. Here you find the perfect mix of Dropkick Murphys, taking traditional Irish song structures and infusing them with a raw rock and roll delivery. The Pogues would be proud.

The Murphys love their sports history and “Jimmy Collins’ Wake” teaches us about an early baseball player who Wikipedia tells me perfected the bunt, and later led the 1903 Boston Americans to the first ever modern World Series championship. When I was in school I was a pretty skinny kid, but I was fast and I was a bit of a bunt expert myself. Watching those bigger, stronger kids curse as I got on base with foot speed and guile felt pretty good back then. Here’s to you, Jimmy Collins.

The album isn’t as angry as the Murphys’ early work, but they still take the time to work in some social commentary. “The Battle Rages On” revisits a Murphy theme of how the worker is sacrificed in the interests of the rich and powerful, and “Don’t Tear Us Apart” is a song about how the human race needs to come together and love one another. Messages of equal treatment and human love may have been covered by the Murphys before, but I don’t think you can have enough songs about these things.

As with a lot of Dropkick Murphys albums, “Signed and Sealed in Blood” ends with a ‘night on the town’ song. “End of the Night” is about how sometimes when the bar lights come on, you aren’t ready to go home. These nights aren’t great for your liver, but they are pretty great for your spirit, and the Murphys always manage to capture the triumph of the moment, and not the inevitable headache the next morning (although they do end the song with a punch-up that doesn’t go well for our heroes, so there is a healthy dose of realism in there as well).

There isn’t a lot of new ground on this record, but the Murphys walk their familiar roads with an enthusiasm that makes it feel new. If you’ve never heard a Murphys album before, you’ll like this one for an introduction. If you’ve heard plenty, then this record will be like meeting very old friends for a few pints. Maybe you’ve heard each other’s stories many times before, but it doesn’t make it any less fun to put your arms around each other’s shoulders and share a song or two.

Best tracks: The Boys Are Back, Prisoner’s Song, Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Collins’ Wake, Don’t Tear Us Apart, End of the Night

CD Odyssey Disc 889: Dropkick Murphys

Through a strange coincidence I was listening to this album on a weekend walk home while wearing a band t-shirt. I had also had a couple of pints, which I imagine is exactly how the Dropkick Murphys want their music enjoyed.

Disc 889 is….Blackout

Artist: Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2003

What’s up with the Cover? Some very bad photoshopping. This cover is likely intended to capture the visceral energy of the Murphys but instead it looks like the cover of some guy’s homemade mixed compilation. Actually, scratch that. I do homemade song compilations all the time and my covers are always better than this.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me buying another Dropkick Murphys album after I discovered them and started mining their back catalogue. I believe this was the third Murphys album I got, after “Sing Loud, Sing Proud” and “The Gang’s All Here” (reviewed back at Disc 704).

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Dropkick Murphys albums, which isn’t all of them, but it’s close. Of the seven, “Blackout” is the best.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

Listening to “Blackout” always makes me want to see the Dropkick Murphys live. Their raw energy oozes out of this record, angry and triumphant Celtic rock with a punk edge that makes you want to stand up and throw your first in the air.

“Blackout” is the Murphys best-produced album, which might make punk purists cringe. Since the Murphys aren’t strictly punk and I’m not a punk purist, I appreciated the production a lot. There is just no good reason why you should deliberately make your record sound worse than it has to.

Despite the great production the visceral quality of the Murphys shines through. They make you feel like they are throwing a private show in your basement with all your buddies over and despite all the emotion and excitement and the clinking of glasses somehow the sound is still absolutely fucking perfect.

The chord progressions are all pretty standard, but there is a reason 4-5-1 chord progressions are so common; because they sound great.

The Murphys sing about partying hard and fighting injustice and they do both with equal gusto.

The album begins with “Walk Away,” a powerhouse track about a man abandoning his family when things get tough. The track is a hard topic, and the Murphys take no prisoners here, or at any other point on the album.

There are many hard-rocking tracks, among them “The Outcast,” “Buried Alive” and “As One”. There are also more traditional Celtic tracks where the production is stripped down and more narrative (“World Full of Hate”, “The Dirty Glass” and “Fields of Athenry” which are just as awesome, only different.

Soft or hard, all the songs benefit from Al Barr’s signature angry but melodic voice that sounds like a cross between Johnny Rotten and the Corries. They also benefit from some amazing bagpipe playing. The bagpipes are a tough instrument to work into the mix of any pop song, but the Murphys have always been masters of it.  Here they are played by the very capable Spicy McHaggis. This would be Spicy’s last album with the Murphys, after which he is replaced by Scruffy Wallace. I assume in order to play the pipes for the Murphys your first name has to be an adjective. But I digress…

Back to this record, which has very few weak points. “Buried Alive” is a heartbreaking tale of a mining disaster, and “Worker’s Song” always pulls at my blue collar roots, as it reminds us of the many (often anonymous) sacrifices the working class has made over the centuries.

“Worker’s Song” is originally a folk song by Ed Pickford, rocked up by the Murphys as only they can do. They give similar treatments to the traditional “Black Velvet Band” and a seventies folk song by Pete St. John called “Fields of Athenry.” This latter song is about a man imprisoned for stealing food during the Irish famine. It is heartbreaking and in the hands of the Murphys more than a little angry as well. It is very hard to enjoy the Pete St. John original once you’ve heard the Murphys fill it with electric guitar, glorious unison singing and (of course) bagpipes.

“The Dirty Glass” is a great duet between a drunk and (I think) his bar which owes a lot to the Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” but still manages to be fresh and new. Like “Fairytale…” it is a song that is good fun on the surface, and tragic underneath.

The final song on the album is the hilarious (and not at all tragic) “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced,” a song about all the dumb things you’ll say and do while trying to impress a girl after having one too many pints. Lines like this:

“I can bench-press a car, I’m an ex-football star

With degrees from both Harvard and Yale

Girls just can’t keep up, I’m a real love machine

I’ve had far better sex while in jail”

Aren’t likely to get you laid, but damn they’re funny.

Even more important, this album features the song “Time To Go” which is about my favourite hockey team, the Boston Bruins! With a chorus of “Go go, black and gold!” it is hard not to fall hard for this record honouring the greatest hockey franchise of all time (yeah, you read that right – get your own blog if you disagree).

The boys pay homage in the song to the subway line you take to get to the stadium and also to the Bruins’ long time anthem singer, Rene Rancourt. It is all around good fun, at least for me. This song used to play on my EA Sports video game and I loved hearing it as the Bruins won the virtual cup. When we won the real one in 2011, I played it again. For that alone, this album will always be #1.

Best tracks:  Worker’s Song, The Outcast, World Full of Hate, Buried Alive, The Dirty Glass, Fields of Athenry, Bastards on Parade, As One, Time To Go, Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced

CD Odyssey Disc 830: Dropkick Murphys

My walk home from work is a bit longer these days and as a result I get a chance to immerse myself that much more fully in my albums. This next album didn’t grab me halfway through the first listen, but by the end of the third had really grown on me.

Disc 830 is….Do or Die

Artist: Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 1997

What’s up with the Cover? A bunch of labourers. They’re a jolly bunch by the looks of them. 

How I Came To Know It: Although this is actually the Dropkick Murphys’ debut album I bought it fairly late. It was just me digging through their collection and getting the albums I didn’t have already. I’m like that.

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Dropkick Murphys albums (that’s all of them with the exception of 2011’s “Going Out in Style” which didn’t grab me). I only recently bought my seventh, which I like quite a bit. “Do or Die” isn’t quite that good, but it did surprise me a bit. I’m going to bump it ahead of “The Warrior’s Code” into fifth. “The Warrior’s Code” actually falls two spots to sixth because of the aforementioned new album, but I’ll talk about that when I roll it.

Ratings: 3 stars

If you like your Dropkick Murphys more punk and less folk, then their debut album, “Do or Die” is the album for you.

Sure this record starts off with bagpipes playing “Scotland the Brave” but it isn’t too long before the punk rock crashes down around you. In fact, after the title track gets going on the second song I don’t believe the pipes ever return. It is a damned shame.

“Do Or Die” is a hard hitting album, crusty and angry and hard to love at first. However, if you open your heart (and ears) to it, it will grow on you. The boys play with a wild abandon but they never lose the song in their exuberance. This record exudes energy – mostly of the rebellious kind. These are songs about fighting, drinking and the plight of the working man.

This is Murphys’ debut album and the only one to feature original frontman Mike McColgan. All the other records feature Al Barr as lead vocalist. In Iron Maiden parlance, McColgan is the Paul Di’Anno to Barr’s Bruce Dickinson. Barr has the better voice, but McColgan is rawer. Unfortunately, McColgan overdoes it at times, and can end up sounding out of breath. In McColgan’s defence it happens because he sings with such a wild abandon. If he didn’t overdo it, he wouldn’t be doing it the same. Because I like my Murphys just a smidge more lyrical and Celtic I prefer Barr overall, but McColgan is the right voice for this particular record.

The album is 16 tracks, which should be too many, but because the Murphys faithfully stick to the punk aesthetic of very short songs (only one even breaks the three minute mark) it goes by in a blur.

As noted there is plenty of grimy Boston underbelly exposed here. We’ve got drunks with catheters, and Karaoke-inspired brawls. The heroes are as likely to be from the barroom as from the battlefield. The most notable villain on the record is a landlord. Although the record is twenty years removed from the beginnings of the punk movement it is faithful to its roots, while still embodying the energy of more current times.

At first I thought I would be worn down by relentless pace of the songs, but because they switch one to another so quickly they just feed the energy. Also once your ear adjusts to the onslaught you start picking out the melodies.

“Do or Die” is not a complicated album, but it is an honest one that is played with skill and enthusiasm. I’ve enjoyed watching the Murphys grow their sound over the almost twenty years they’ve been putting out records, and even if “Do or Die” is not their crowning achievement it helped me appreciate their roots. If you like traditional punk music, you’ll like this record.

Best tracks:  Get Up, Caught in a Jar, Fightstarter Karaoke, Barroom Hero, Tenant Enemy #1, Skinhead on the MBTA

CD Odyssey Disc 704: Dropkick Murphys

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 69^th” 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

CD Odyssey Disc 487: Dropkick Murphys

Sheila and I spent a quiet weekend together doing one of our favourite down-time things – playing board games.  A big part of the experience is picking music.  I’ve still got an old five disc player, and to get started we each put two CDs in and set it to random.  This gives an interesting mix of music, but within a limited number of records.  If we run out of music before we run out of game, we each pick another record (only one this time, because it is usually getting late) and start over.

Over the course of the last weekend, here’s what ended up in the player, and who picked it:

• Billy Bragg – “Don’t Try This At Home” (Logan)
• The Shins – “Chutes Too Narrow” (Sheila)
• Black Mountain – “Wilderness Heart” (Logan)
• R.E.M. – “Automatic for the People” (Sheila)
• Tom Petty – “Hard Promises” (Logan)
• Lucinda Williams – “Self Titled” (Sheila)
• The Pogues – “Peace and Love” (Logan)
• Amy Winehouse – “Frank” (Sheila)
• Corb Lund – “Losin’ Lately Gambler” (Logan)
• God Help the Girl – “God Help the Girl” (Sheila)

Yeah – we played a lot of games over the weekend – mostly Arkham Horror and Dominion (both are great – look them up).  And now on to the game I like to call the CD Odyssey.

Disc 487 is… The Warrior’s Code

Artist: The Dropkick Murphys

Year of Release: 2005

What’s up with the Cover?  The second boxing match of the CD Odyssey (the first was on Aimee Mann’s “The Forgotten Arm” way back at Disc 66 before the “What’s up with the Cover?” feature existed).  Interestingly, both albums were released in 2005.

I know very little about boxing, but as you can partly make out from the fight card in the background it is a scene from a May 18, 2002 bout between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti (which was later immortalized by Mark Wahlberg in the film, “The Fighter” in 2010).

Of course the Dropkick Murphys – who are lovers of all things Massachusetts – would have known about this fight, since Ward was a famous boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts.  Ward won the fight on decision in nine rounds, or so I am advised by the infallible Wikipedia – so take that for what it’s worth.

How I Came To Know It:  I’ve been a fan of the Dropkick Murphys since my friend Andrew introduced me to them back around 2001 when they released “Sing Loud, Sing Proud,” but I’ll talk about that album when I roll it.  By 2005 I was hooked on their sound, and so I bought “The Warrior’s Code” when it came out.

How It Stacks Up:  I have six Dropkick Murphys albums (I haven’t bought their last two – yet).  Of the six, I’d put “the Warrior’s Code” at fourth, just behind “The Gang’s All Here”.

Rating:  3 stars

A few years back I took a trip to Boston with my friends Byng and Craig where I took in some sports tourism (Craig and I are both huge Bruins fans).  It was a great time, but the rest of Boston didn’t inspire me too much – as a Canadian I’m more used to being the ‘good son’ of England, and Boston’s sightseeing is all about being the rebellious son.

On the plus side this rebelliousness breeds some fine music in Beantown, chiefly the Dropkick Murphys who are only moderately known outside of their hometown, but are definitely favourite sons within it.  The Boston Bruin’s rink is filled with Murphys songs in the same way that you’ll hear Captain Tractor at Edmonton Oiler games (trust me, you will).

The album’s title track honours the aforementioned Massachusetts boxer Micky Ward, and the bonus track “Tessie” is about a famous Boston Red Sox incident, showing the Murphys love all Boston sports legends, not just hockey. As a Miami Dolphins fan, I was just glad I haven’t heard them laud the Patriots yet.  Yech.

Back to the music, which is a mix of Celtic folk music, punk rock and a healthy dose of blue collar worker politics.  Every album they make is infused with huge doses of enthusiasm that encourages you to raise your fist and sing along.

“The Warrior’s Code” is a bit more polished than their earlier albums in terms of production, which I know can offend some punk sensibilities, but as I’ve said in previous reviews, there is no reason why punk music should have to abandon good production values.

The Murphys don’t lose any of their visceral energy as a result.  They know how to blend traditional instruments like the bagpipes with electric guitar, bass and drums.  Along the way they work in violin, mandolin, cello and piano where those make sense, and leave them out where they don’t.  At no point – even at its loudest and most frenetic – is it ever played loosely; another thing that will make punk purists wince, but that I’m thankful for.

As you would expect from a punk/folk crossover band song topics range around a fair bit.  On the punk side, songs like “Citizen C.I.A.,” which is a satirical recruitment song for the U.S.’s intelligence agency.  I doubt it is a favourite at the agency.

On the other side they play traditional songs, including the classic World War One anti-war song “The Green Fields of France.”  This is a beautiful song, and for all their anti-establishment vibe the Murphys give it the respect it deserves, keeping it understated with just piano and a fine vocal performance from lead singer Al Barr.  Prior to getting this album I had only a technically sound, but very generic version by John McDermott so it was great to hear this song sung the way it should be – with a hurtful edge.  I’d have slowed the tempo down just a hair, but it’s a minor quibble.

By contrast, their remake of the Pogues’ “The Auld Triangle” is gorgeously punkified.  It starts out like “Green Fields…” with a mournful piano and penny whistle but it doesn’t take long for an electric guitar assault to jump in, as the song is sped up to two or three times the tempo.  Overall I prefer the Pogues’ version, but the Dropkick Murphys do a fine reimagining, and by speeding it up tyey turn it from a mournful tune to one of rage and defiance (they do rage and defiance well, these boys).

The final song (notwithstanding bonus tracks) is “Last Letter Home” and brings all of the Murphys’ influences together in one place.  Vibrant bagpipe riffs (‘riffs’ is the only way I can think to describe them), join furious guitar playing, heavy bass drum and Barr singing in full throat.  The song is about a soldier away from his family who meets a tragic end serving in Iraq.  The chorus is sung in unison, and goes simply:

“If I lead will you follow?

Will you follow if I lead?”

The song ends with the bagpipes, left on their own, slowing their fury to a mournful drop that takes all that energy and tumbles it off a cliff into silence. 

Clever readers will note that I’ve said very little bad about this album, given that I’m only awarding it three stars.  That’s true – you’re very clever.  That’s because there isn’t a lot on this record that bothers me.  I find “Citizen C.I.A.” a little heavy handed, and the requisite drinking/carousing song “Wicked Sensitive Crew” isn’t as strong as their offering on other albums, but they aren’t terrible songs.

By the same measure, there aren’t a lot of amazing standouts.  This is a solid album by a band who knows their sound and how to make it great, and always give 100%.  It may only add up to three stars for me, but it is a satisfying three stars withal.

Best tracks:  The Warrior’s Code, The Green Fields of France, Take It and Run, The Auld Triangle, Last Letter Home.