Product Description

The Dropkick Murphys are to punk what House of Pain was to rap. They bring an explicitly Irish sensibility to their chosen style (there are shamrocks on the album cover, and there's a bagpiper in the band, for goodness' sake) while remaining true to the conventions of the genre. Still, despite the occasional jig-like detour or pennywhistle flourish, the Murphys aren't trying to reinvent punk.
Their songs are presented the way punk was meant to be; loud, fast, hard, and simple. The driving guitars and pummelling drums that power these songs could be descended from the vintage Ramones (or atleast Social Distortion) album of your choice. Admittedly, there aren't too many other punk bands that combine mohawks with kilts, or power chords with bodhrans, but that's what gives the Murphys their distinctive sound.

Track Listing

1. For Boston
2. The Legend Of Finn MacCumhail
3. Which Side Are You On?
4. The Rocky Road To Dublin
5. Heroes From Our Past
6. Forever
7. The Gauntlet
8. Good Rats
9. The New American Way
10. The Torch
11. The Fortunes Of War
12. A Few Good Men
13. Ramble and Roll
14. Caps and Bottles
15. The Wild Rover
16. The Spicy McHaggis Jig

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22676 in Music
• Released on: 2001-01-29
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though possessing a heavy-duty indie history that includes such luminaries as the Pixies, the Lemonheads and Throwing Muses, Boston is also famed for its booze-sodden, craic-driven Irish Exile rock. And Dropkick Murphys--clearly influenced by The Pogues at their most uproarious--are the cream of the present crop. Yet this is not simple jigging traditionalism. Despite employing bagpipes, mandolins and tin whistles to add Celtic flavour to their sound, these guys are full-blown punks, harking back to the immediate post-Pistols era of the Angelic Upstarts. The riffs here are fast, heavy and purposefully uncomplicated, often recalling such bludgeoning classics as "God Save The Queen". The vocals are an impassioned gabble, usually building to terrace chants, while the lyrics are consumed by the plight of the working class in modern-day America and the need to keep a tight grip on a sense of Irish history. The Pogues' Shane MacGowan contributes a garbled but charismatic rap to the racy "Good Rats", and if you are after something more than a beer-soaked mosh-party, the Murphys are also capable of heartfelt acoustic numbers, as evinced by the melancholic and impressively melodic "The Torch". Sing Loud, Sing Proud is the Oi polloi at their indomitable best. Be warned. --Dominic Wills

Customer Reviews

Great!
I have only recently discovered this band, after hearing Shipping up to Boston on the Departed film soundtrack. I am now hooked! They are brilliant, the music just grows on you. I especially like The Torch off this album but the rest are good too. Buy it if you are looking for something a bit different.

hell yeah
how can any punk not love the dropkick murphys!? tis a great cd, mix of punk, irish folk and BAGPIPES! hurrah for dkm! if ur a fan already u wont be dissapointed

Will make your blood run Emerald Green
This has to be one of the most diverse Punk albums I own. The opening Track "For Boston" gets the energy flowing with its chants and fast paced beat, this leads perfectly into my personal favourite track "The Legend of Finn MacCumHail" This is the ultimate punk tune based on a traditional Celtic legend, it has it all - Fast beats, shouty choruses and loud guitars. "The Rocky Road to Dublin" will have you jigging in the isles and "The Wild Rover" is a classic pub tune to drink your Black stuff to.

What struck me most about this album though was that while keep the same punk feel as previous albums like "Do or Die" and "The Gang's All here" it also has some other styles like the traditional Irish tunes and some heart-stirring acoustic tracks. Its this that will keep you going back to this album when most other punk bands have gone into obscurity.

A definite must have album.