Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band who formed in 1996. This is their fourth album (and first live album), which was released in 2002, one year after Sing Loud Sing Proud.
Before we jump into the 26 songs(!) herein, I should note that a common theme is that I can't understand the damn lyrics. Maybe it's the noisy nature of a live recording, and it does seem worse when the lead vocals are sung as a duet. But I have a theory: sibilants, and the lack thereof. The shouted lyrics probably reduces them to start with, but also I think that this recording is missing the high-pitch vocal sounds. Unfortunately, this means that many of the songs are non-starters for me, for example Boys on the Docks, Road of the Righteous, Rocky Road to Dublin and Finnegan's Wake.
While I'm moaning, For Boston, Curse of a Fallen Soul and A Few Good Men seems like wall-of-noise thrashes without any structure, although I do like the half-time chorus of the latter. Adding a mandolin (Gang's All Here) or bagpipes (Spicy McHaggis' Jig) is a nice touch, but can't single-handedly carry the song. The Gauntlet reminds me a lot of the band The Dwarves, but verses are too blurry (beer goggles perhaps?) to speak to me.
Barroom Hero is similar to the wall-of-noise thrashes in many ways, yet somehow this tavern shanty perfectly hits the spot for me. Such is the mysterious subtlety of the punk-rock artform, I guess! It's a similar story for Bloody Pig Pile, which also features an uplifting sing-along chorus. Similarly, Which Side Are You On has a great bounciness and an addictive chorus (I just wish they'd let the chorus fully reach its potential within the song, by using a double-length version of it, as hinted at by the outro)
Upstarts & Broken Hearts is the first example of a more involved song structure than the earlier thrashes, greatly increasing my enjoyment. Also, the pre-chorus is a highlight.
The bagpipes and whistle in the background of Heroes from Our Past adds a nice layer, but unfortunately it's another song let down my an inability to decypher what on earth they're shouting about. On the slower side, the addition of a whistle for the main melody of Wild Rover works a treat, adding an airiness and sitting beautifully above the vocals.
The Torch is probably a beautiful experience live, but it doesn't translate to my living room unfortunately. Nutty (Bruin's Theme), however, is a brilliant and unexpected interlude in the form of a saccharine TV series theme-song style. Fortunate Son is a brilliant raucous cover, brings a great working-class feel to the tale. And the main riff of Dirty Water reminds me of the theme from Sesame Street! Mixed in with some George Thorogood vibes, it all adds up to a great song in my book.
Saving the best until last, Amazing Grace is simply incredible- both as the original hymn and when pumped full of frenetic punk-rock energy. I bought the album specifically for this song, and it is even better than I could have imagined. There's also a great personal touch in the intro, with the singer's elderly grandparents being in attendance at this punk-rock gig.
Favourite songs
Upstarts & Broken Hearts, Which Side Are You On, Wild Rover, Fortunate Son, Amazing Grace (times infinity!), Barroom Hero, Dirty Water, Bloody Pig Pile
Final thoughts
This album brilliantly portrays the live atmosphere, has very touching liner notes and the banter between songs adds to the sense of occasion... but many songs rely heavily on the storytelling, and I can't understand the lyrics. They could be the most beautiful expression of the human condition we've ever witnessed, for all I know. There are definitely many highlights of this album, but it's also quite a frustrating experience.
