published: 4 /
4 /
2010
Label:
Cooking Vinyl
Format: CD
Raucous collection of mainly drinking anthems on exuberant live album and DVD from Boston-based Irish folk-punks, the Dropkick Murphys
Review
Since they appeared in a blast of Irish-folk and American punk in the late 90s the Dropkick Murphys have proudly touted their allegiance to both Massachusetts and the less salubrious side of life.
This is the second live album the Boston-Irish band have recorded at one of their annual run of St Patrick's Day gigs in their home-town (and it comes with a bonus video of the same tracks). It says something about their output that despite sharing only one track with the previous album, this latest raucous offering doesn't feel light, being full of shout along anthems to drinking, friendship, drinking with friends, fighting, some more drinking and a dash of punk politics thrown in for good measure.
Firmly rooted in their hometown they may be – as demonstrated by their ode to local hockey team the Bruins 'Time to Go' – but the Murphys are also steeped in their heritage from the other side of the Atlantic. Hence the 'Fields of Athenry' cover with its tale of the Great Famine and a punked-up version of the anti-war 'Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya' appear with the Murphys' own takes on the same subjects, such as their bleak, raging tale of broken families 'The State of Massachusetts' and 'Citizen CIA'.
But where the Murphys really come alive – and the moments when you can really hear the crowd on what might otherwise be a studio album, given the quality – are the songs about drinking. This is perhaps unsurprising given the album was recorded over six nights around a day noted now more for its drinking potential than the religious figure it is nominally named after.
Ode to alcoholism 'The Dirty Glass' is wonderful. Even better is the braggart's list of lies 'Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced': “I can bench press a car/ I'm an ex-football star/"With degrees from both Harvard and Yale”.
If the music doesn't make you wish you were there the DVD should. If they don't, then have a few more drinks, you'll soon be singing along if you've got any heart at all.
Track Listing:-
1
Famous For Nothing
2
The State Of Massachusetts
3
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
4
Time To Go
5
Sunshine Highway
6
(F)lannigan's Ball
7
Bastards On Parade
8
God Willing
9
Caught In A Jar
10
Captain Kelly's Kitchen
11
Citizen C.I.A.
12
Fields Of Athenry
13
Your Spirit's Alive
14
The Warrior's Code
15
The Dirty Glass
16
Tessie
17
Forever 2009
18
Worker's Song
19
Kiss Me I'm S&!%faced
20
I'm Shipping Up To Boston
Band Links:-
https://dropkickmurphys.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DropkickMurph
Label Links:-
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