Flogging Molly- Within a Mile of Home

[UnforgettableLemon]

This is a wonderful album. Fans of the first two Flogging Molly albums may be taken aback at first. It is very much the same style as the first two albums, but the nuances have gone far beyond simply Irish and punk. There are elements of appalachian and cajun music here, and they work incredibly well. The singalong are still big but not overwrought, and the uptempo songs are nicely balanced with the ballads they've come to master.

My irish/punk spectrum has always gone from The Pogues to Dropkick Murhpys, the former of course being the most folk, the latter the most punk. Flogging Molly always provided a nice balance (and Dave King is better vocalist than Shane McGowan, though not a better lyricist. And while I love the Murphys, Al Barr, Ken Casey and Mike McCulgan have NOTHING on Dave King in regards to music or lyrics). But now it seems as if they've begun leading more towards the Pogues. I know it is unfair in the eyes of some to simply reduce the band to Pogues mach 2, but that's not really what I'm saying. The spirit of the Pogues, the traditional Irish music with the attitude, intelligence, and spirit of punk lives on in the music of Flogging Molly, but the songs are all their own. And you have to love the dedication to Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer. Johnny Strummed his Tommy Gun.

Fans of earlier albums will also note the clarity in the production. This is a large band, and every tin whistle, bazouki, mandolin, and accordian can now be heard along with the ripping electric guitars and gorgeous fiddling. They've never played this well, and they have definitely done justice to the quality of production.

Highlights of the album include "Screaming at the Wailing Wall," "The Seven Deadly Sins," "Factory Girls," "To Youth (My Sweet Roisin Dubh)," "The Light of a Fading Star," "Tomorrow Comes a Day too Soon," and "Within a Mile of Home."
"Screaming..." is an indictment of a certain US President's war and his implicit religious justifications. "Seven Deadly Sins" is for fans of "Salty Dog" with it's breakneck speed and pirate feel. "Factory Girls" is a folky duet with Lucinda Williams, and "To Youth"(my favorite track) is an ode to days long gone in Dave's Homeland (Roisin Dubh is Irish for the Black Rose, a traditional name for Eire). "Fading Star" is an anthemic song about the person that pushes too hard, that has that glow, but goes unnoticed until it has almost burned out. "Tomorrow Comes a Day too Soon" is the cajun number, and the title track, in grand fashion of another Irish band, grows from a whisper to a scream as the resounding chorus swells and swells.

Fans of punk, folk, Irish music, and anything well-written need give this album a listen.

Five out of Five stars. Album of the year, thusfar.

Jason Cash

 

[IWasBored]

holy shit someone started a thread about this.

i didn't cos no one reads threads i start (except for zoney)

good fucking album. i wouldn't call it ground-breaking as nothing they're doing really hasn't been done before, but they do it so well that it soundspretty fresh each time. good fucking album.

actually, my favorite thing has to be how their songs sound more based on a classic song rather than a direct cover or arrangement of a traditional song or a pogues song. as 'another bag of bricks' was a dead ringer for the pogues' 'turkish song of the damned' on drunken lullabies, 'the seven deadly sins' (best pirate song since main street saints' 'pirate song'...although i haven't got a chance to listen to the new briggs EP yet, so...) is similar to 'south australia' (yes, i know it's not technically a pogues song, ignore the coincidence between that and tuskish song of the damned being on the same pogues album. asi i said, coincidence).

 

[IWasBored]

ok, i can't let this go un-noted:

And while I love the Murphys, Al Barr, Ken Casey and Mike McCulgan have NOTHING on Dave King in regards to music or lyrics).

fuck that. people like you, people who say things like this, are the kinds of people who make my life difficult. i'm a huge dropkick fan, despite the fact that all of their fans who have been fans since before 2000 seem to have jumped on the 'let's bash the murphys!' bandwagon.

the bottom line is that while they have a really obvious irish influence, they're a punk band. i don't know whether people don't read properly when they read interviews with ken casey or al barr, explicitly stating "we're an american punk band FIRST" or i'm blessed with some special understanding due to the fact that the first DKM songs i heard and grew to love had no irish influence whatsoever.

when people put DKM and flogging molly in the same sentence, i cringe because that means one more person is going to come up to me while i'm wearing a dkm shirt, and ask me what i think of flogging molly. i love them, but where's the person who comes up and asks how i feel about good ol' boston hardcore in the vein of slapshot, gang green, etc.?

it's all good, but the comparrisions really aren't there to be made. you'd say king is a better songwriter than barr or casey, well, you're dealing with a whole different type of songwriting. so it's more like comparing apples and oranges.


p.s. it's McColgan. not McCulgan. nice guy. great frontman. check out his new band street dogs if you haven't. they'll be playing with flogging molly on the upcoming (it may have started already, i don't know, all i know is that it doesn't come to boston until october 1st. tourdates up on the bands' sites, of course. also on that bill, the almighty briggs).

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Sorry about the Mike thing, simple memory lapse.
Also, meant to say vocals, not lyrics. The thing I prefer about King's vocals is that they sort of transcend and genre definition, very much adaptable.

It's hard to explain my feelings on the preference between Murphys and Molly. Basically it's this: I feel that Flogging Molly are the better band, more dexterous in terms of musicianship and master, but I think I'd rather listen to the Murphys frequently. I listen to Do or Die and Blackout almost every day. I think they've got a more fun spirit, and they produce a more enjoyable sound, just less nuanced. Again, as you said, they are first and foremost a punk band. But very few punk bands have that great an influence on their sound, so I think it is reasonable to make comparisons between DKM, FM, Blood or Whiskey, Black 47, the Pogues/Popes, etc. I'm not saying they are the exact same band or even the same approach, or that I'm judging one over another. Is it wrong to compare the Bosstones and Reel Big Fish or any other ska band because the Bosstones have a significantly harder edge than most? I really don't think so. I understand the annoyance. Also remember that I was trying to describe FM's sound by placing them somewhere between the Pogues and DKM, just for the uninformed reader.

In terms of DKM's more folk-arranged originals, World Full of Hate, the Torch, Forever, Far Away Coast, etc. lack the lyrical finesse of similar songs by Flogging Molly. Granted, Dave King has been in the music business about as long as Al Barr and Ken Casey have been alive. That said, I do think that "Caught in a Jar" is possibly the best folkish (though it does get quite raucous) original, and on par with anything by King and co.

Oh, and I'm a big Mike lover. Do or Die really is their best album, but I'd actually put Blackout up there with it. Not really a big fan of Gang's All Here, though. The singles (Curse of a Fallen Soul, 10 Years of Service, Upstarts and Broken Hearts) from the album were fucking amazing, but it seemed as if they hadn't found the proper chemistry between Barr and the rest of the band at that point. I love SLSP, but it sometimes comes across as a singles collection instead of a coherent album to me.

Again, I apoligize for having been so upsetting to you. I'm a big fan of classic punk, not so often that I get into anything now (although the Murphys have sent me looking to different things). I admit my biggest draw is the Irish element, and thus my grounds for comparison. I love both bands (something none of my friends do, lots of big fans on one side or the other, stupid posturing bullshit), and that was the whole point of this post. Peace

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Being from the south, it's also rare that I encounter much Boston punk at all, so sorry again. All we have here are folk bands (which I like) and death metal bands (not so much). Punk scene not really too big in VA.

 

[IWasBored]

my appologies, i came off as more of a jerk than i really should have. i could try to make all sorts of exuses but any reason i might have had to jump at your post like that is pretty unfair to you, cos simple enough--i don't know you. unfortunatly, since i don't know you from the legions of fans who post shit like "who do u think is better al or mike?!?!?!" threads on DKM boards across the net, i get a little cranky about even the slightest implications. totally my own problem. i understand where you're coming from. i still disagree with you on comparing FM, black 47 et. al, to DKM for the same reason i said before, because even though they do have the songs, that's not just what the band's about. so i don't think you can expect the songs to be worthy of comparisson, for better or worse. comparing the bosstones to real big fish isn't nearly the same thing, because both of them are doing that whole ska-core thing, 100% fulltime. MMB have some songs without horns, yes, but they never completly put down that influence. if you listen to a song like 'pipebomb on lansdowne' you'd never have any idea this was the same band that would go on to do 'bastards on parade'.

'the gang's all here' is probably my favorite DKM album, actually. heh. differnt strokes for different folks. al still more or less had the bruisers thing going on vocally for that album, and the bruisers were one of the best bands to come out of new england. although i like the gruffer growling style, i love the stuff like 'world full of hate' just as much.

see, i'm from MA (although i'm 2 hours west of boston), so i'm extremly biased when it comes to punk/hardcore from the boston area ie. it's more or less the core of what i listen to.


i'm just thinking...the fact that al barr does a really good shane macgowan (dkm covering 'fairytale of ny' kicks ass) doesn't help my case much, does it...

 

[u2popmofo]

Great, now I want this CD more than I already did......


Maybe this weekend, friendies want to go up to that CD store I found. Crap, I had already told myself what I wanted there, now I have to add to the list

 

[IWasBored]

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

No harm, no foul. I think as a fan it's more how you approach the music, you know, once the band has put it out there, it sort of takes on a life of it's own beyond what the band intends. Same thing with literature, everyone puts their own spin on it. I do have to say that the DKM marketing department doesn't help the image any. They have, um, 1 shirt with an American Flag, and about 20 with green, shamrocks, kilts, bagpipes, and other celtic iconography. "Shamrock and Roll" for crying out loud. So maybe I'm just brainwashed.

That said, it is kind of annoying. Anything with the Pogues or Flogging Molly looks exactly like the first Murphys shirt I bought. Had I had any foresight I would have purchased a different one. I suppose no one really wants to see Shane McGowan's ugly ass mug (no offense, absolutely fucking brilliant lyricist and vocalist) on a T-Shirt, and as you said, Flogging Molly is much more inherently and intentionally Irish than DKM. But only one member of FM is Irish, the rest are Californians with Irish parents. I'm rambling about pointless info. All that said, I'd still love to see a triple headlining Shane and Popes/DKM/FM show. Can you imagine Al, Ken, Shane, and Dave together singing "Dirty Old Town" or "Wild Rover"?

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

i'm just thinking...the fact that al barr does a really good shane macgowan (dkm covering 'fairytale of ny' kicks ass) doesn't help my case much, does it...

Neither does "Good Rats," or the vinyl version of "Wild Rover". Oh, or the cover of "Billy's Bones".



Also, I'd like to see DKM perform the Bosstones' "Riot on Broad Street" (you have to have heard this song) with Dickie Barret sharing vocals with Al Barr. I swear in high school I would do this dream music festival with collaborations and 50 bands and setlists... I'm such an effing geek.

 

[IWasBored]

oh, and the cover of vengence. sure it doesn't sound irish, but that's fucking pre-pogues shane.

first time i heard good rats was the version on punk o rama 5, without shane.

Can you imagine Al, Ken, Shane, and Dave together singing "Dirty Old Town" or "Wild Rover"?

Also, I'd like to see DKM perform the Bosstones' "Riot on Broad Street" (you have to have heard this song) with Dickie Barret sharing vocals with Al Barr.

we can only dream


all of that would rule (yes, of course i've heard 'riot on broad street', i'm a pretty big bosstones fan...sadly i didn't see the light until it was too late...)



hell, i bought a new DKM shirt today, to replace my old one that i've had for about 4 years...all the letters were cracked and mostly peeled off, it had a bunch of holes...and i get the fucking bright green one with the SLSP coat of arms!

actually, i really wanted this shirt. i had about 4 other choices. while i can't find the goddamn bruisers re-release at newbury comics, i can take my pick of a variety of dkm shirts...


al barr's not of irish descent at all /random. scottish-german, i believe.

 

[IWasBored]

gotta mention street dogs one more time...

'tale of mass deception' and 'in defense of dorchester' (as well as 'fighter' from the 'savin hill' album) are up on the site...www.street-dogs.com

i highly reccomend them. i hate being that person who calls them "mike mccolgan's new band" because they're also johnny rioux's new band, etc...

and i feel pretty sktechy saying this, but it's kind of what it is...'tale of mass deception' is in a couple different ways a sort of update on 'faraway coast'.

not to mention it just rules as a street dogs song unto itself.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

I may pick up Street Dogs' album today, I got a crapload in tips last night. I just have this weird thing with Mike McColgan. I like his voice a lot, but when I see him, he doesn't look like his voice to me. Ken Casey, I think, has the best face/voice match. Ignore my weirdness. Please. Oh, and the Murphy's celtic element extends far beyond Irish, so Al being Scottish still works.

We should petition Flogging Molly to get Mike on stage to do Finnegan's Wake at some of the live shows. (Fanboy dreaming continues)

Gimme a shout some time, AIM:

TheFly22284 or MangledSac (this is a long story, involving ex-girlfriends and trashy romance novels belonging to said ex)

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

You said you don't know me, so...

This is a picture of my girlfriend, Colleen, and I just before I left for Greece and she left for Japan (she's still gone).
I forget if geocities allows remote linking, so I'll try that with no promises, if not just click here http://www.geocities.com/jasonccash/jasoncolleen.jpg

Name: Jason Cash
DOB: February 22, 1984

I'm currently a junior English Major at Bridgewater college in Virginia. I plan on possibly doing two graduate programs, one in film studies, and one in Arthurian Literature. I read a lot, and constantly listen to music. I have no set philosophy on music quality, if I like it I like it, regardless of how indie or mainstream anything is, I'll probably give it a chance. I think there is too much emphasis on credibility, because it's such a difficult thing to define. To paraphrase Kevin Smith, "the first penny you make off of your work, you've sold out." So that's pretty much my philosophy towards music (and movies). I'm also a big movie buff, a big fan of Stanley Kubrick, Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, and Quentin Tarantino. My favorite actors and actresses are Alyson Hanngian, Daniel Day-Lewis, John Cusack, Uma Thurman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Nicole Kidman, and Steve Buscemi, among others. I am a bit neurotic, but nobody really notices. I miss my girlfriend who is in Japan at the moment, and um, here are some lists.

Favorite Bands
1)U2
2)Bruce Springsteen
3)Weezer
4)Dropkick Murphys
5)Red Hot Chili Peppers
6)Oasis
7)The Clash
8)Radiohead
9)Led Zeppelin
10)Ben Folds

Favorite Movies
1)Schindler's List
2)Pulp Fiction
3)Citizen Kane
4)Bram Stoker's Dracula
5)Dr. Strangelove: Or How I learned to Stop worrying and love the bomb
6)The Empire Strikes Back
7)Chasing Amy
8)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
9)The Godfather Part II
10)On the Waterfront

Favorite Books
1)A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce
2)Dracula- Bram Stoker
3)Le Morte Darthur- Sir Thomas Malory
4)The Lord of the Rings- JRR Tolkien
5)A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway
6)Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
7)Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison
8)High Fidelity- Nick Hornby
9)Irish Folktales- edited by William Butler Yeats
10)Mrs. Dalloway- Virginia Woolf

songs and albums would be waaay too difficult. There's an overview intro, take care.

 

[miss chief]

i have loved reading this interaction.
i love both bands ,and the apple oranges thing was pretty acurate. but both fruit and fruit is very good.

just wanted to say - noticed in the list of fav. books a nick hornby one. have you read " songlist " by him. it's great. if you love music ( duh? )

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

I've skimmed through Songbook. I read about "Thunder Road" and "Caravan" (Van Morrison), and some of the others looked interesting, (the stuff about his son was sad) but I haven't really picked it up yet.

 

[IWasBored]

I may pick up Street Dogs' album today, I got a crapload in tips last night. I just have this weird thing with Mike McColgan. I like his voice a lot, but when I see him, he doesn't look like his voice to me. Ken Casey, I think, has the best face/voice match. Ignore my weirdness. Please. Oh, and the Murphy's celtic element extends far beyond Irish, so Al being Scottish still works.

We should petition Flogging Molly to get Mike on stage to do Finnegan's Wake at some of the live shows. (Fanboy dreaming continues)

Gimme a shout some time, AIM:

TheFly22284 or MangledSac (this is a long story, involving ex-girlfriends and trashy romance novels belonging to said ex)

yeah, i know the celtic thing extends to al's background...i was just adding that as a geeky little thing...you definetly don't need to apologize for fan-wierdness (unless you've got stories about stalking the band members, haha), i'm just as bad if not worse about stuff like that. i'd argue i'm more of a geek...i went to the warped tour 10th anniversary show, before the show i had all sorts of nightmares about not making it to foxoboro stadium that morning, and i even had a couple cool ones like dicky barrett showing up to do vocals on "justifiable fisticuffs' with mike (on the album, he does that song with the street dogs, as al and ken are featured on 'stand up', it's pretty cool).

anyway, at the show, street dogs played a killer set, and if that hadn't made my day alone (it was easily one of the top 2 sets of the day), they threw in a piece of a clash cover (they did 'bankrobber'). and if that still hadn't made my day, before kicking into another song, they did part of joe strummer & the mescaleros' "coma girl". i happened to be wearing a joe strummer & the mescaleros shirt, and i was standing down in front near the stage like i usually try to be (because i'm a geek, i know all the words, and i sing along like there's no tomorrow...hehe)...so i start waving my arms and pointing to my shirt. mike looks in my general direction, but i figure he didn't see the shirt...oh well. that was still cool. but after the set, i figured i'd go over with the other people who were going over to shake hands and talk to the band...i shake mike's hand and mumble something about how cool the band was, and he goes i saw your shirt, awesome. he was cool. so yeah...i'm a geek...

 

[IWasBored]

Re: You said you don't know me, so...

This is a picture of my girlfriend, Colleen, and I just before I left for Greece and she left for Japan (she's still gone).
I forget if geocities allows remote linking, so I'll try that with no promises, if not just click here http://www.geocities.com/jasonccash/jasoncolleen.jpg

Name: Jason Cash
DOB: February 22, 1984

I'm currently a junior English Major at Bridgewater college in Virginia. I plan on possibly doing two graduate programs, one in film studies, and one in Arthurian Literature. I read a lot, and constantly listen to music. I have no set philosophy on music quality, if I like it I like it, regardless of how indie or mainstream anything is, I'll probably give it a chance. I think there is too much emphasis on credibility, because it's such a difficult thing to define. To paraphrase Kevin Smith, "the first penny you make off of your work, you've sold out." So that's pretty much my philosophy towards music (and movies). I'm also a big movie buff, a big fan of Stanley Kubrick, Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, and Quentin Tarantino. My favorite actors and actresses are Alyson Hanngian, Daniel Day-Lewis, John Cusack, Uma Thurman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Nicole Kidman, and Steve Buscemi, among others. I am a bit neurotic, but nobody really notices. I miss my girlfriend who is in Japan at the moment, and um, here are some lists.

Favorite Bands
1)U2
2)Bruce Springsteen
3)Weezer
4)Dropkick Murphys
5)Red Hot Chili Peppers
6)Oasis
7)The Clash
8)Radiohead
9)Led Zeppelin
10)Ben Folds

Favorite Movies
1)Schindler's List
2)Pulp Fiction
3)Citizen Kane
4)Bram Stoker's Dracula
5)Dr. Strangelove: Or How I learned to Stop worrying and love the bomb
6)The Empire Strikes Back
7)Chasing Amy
8)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
9)The Godfather Part II
10)On the Waterfront

Favorite Books
1)A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce
2)Dracula- Bram Stoker
3)Le Morte Darthur- Sir Thomas Malory
4)The Lord of the Rings- JRR Tolkien
5)A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway
6)Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
7)Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison
8)High Fidelity- Nick Hornby
9)Irish Folktales- edited by William Butler Yeats
10)Mrs. Dalloway- Virginia Woolf

songs and albums would be waaay too difficult. There's an overview intro, take care.

cool.
good taste in music, movies, and books, and all that stuff

i'm a junior at UMASS Amherst...i don't have a major because i've got no idea what i want to do with myself. i'm leaning towards russian studies if they'll let me do that. i take russian at amherst college. i hate most college kids (especially here) cos i work security in the dorms...i sit at a desk and check stickers on ID cards to make sure the people coming in live in the building, and to make sure their guests get signed in and are accounted for...too many drunken idiots tell me that it sucks to be me cos i have to work when there's so much partying going on. then i realize that they'll somehow graduate, even thought they never actually go to class, their mommy or daddy will get them a high paying job, and so on...i'm not bitter, really i go off on tangents...

nick hornby rules. i haven't read 'songbook' because it was checked out of the library and never returned. 'high fidelity', 'about a boy', 'how to be good'...those rule.

i listen to music almost every waking hour, unless i'm in class or somewhere where i can't.

i'll try to catch you on AIM sometime. i took my screen name off interference cos wierdos were pestering me, asking me why i don't like u2, but when a random person with DKM in their screen name shows up, that will be me.

 

[miss chief]

ok if you like nick hornby ( and who doesn't ) check out david sedaris. he writes about his life like nick hornby does ( whatever high fidelity was totally about him )
david sedaris is a greek gay man who writes about his childhood and family. wear a diaper. you will pee!!

 

[miss chief]

may be one of you could also help me.
i got the ' rock against bush vol 2 ' cd ( very good and very informative dvd )
dkm have a song 'we got the power ' and i just have no frickin clue what it's about. maybe because i'm not the best with mainstream news ( my news source is the daily show )
but i am just sooo in the dark on this one.
got a clue? thanks!
read "confederacy of dunces" ?

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

may be one of you could also help me.
i got the ' rock against bush vol 2 ' cd ( very good and very informative dvd )
dkm have a song 'we got the power ' and i just have no frickin clue what it's about. maybe because i'm not the best with mainstream news ( my news source is the daily show )
but i am just sooo in the dark on this one.
got a clue? thanks!
read "confederacy of dunces" ?

From the Murphys website http://www.dropkickmurphys.com

AP Interview with the DKM

Is there a specific moment or story behind the song "We Got The Power"?
"We Got The Power" is about the 1919 Boston Police strike and the people that lost their jobs as a result of it.

What are some political causes the DKMs as a whole supports?
For the most part we have always been a band that has kept our beliefs pretty low key because we feel too many bands associate or support a political cause as a means to further their career by generating publicity in relation to these causes. In most cases we have preferred to take a different path for example doing individual work away from the spotlight of the band or if the involvement is directly related to the band we try to let the lyrics from our songs do the speaking for us because the world doesn't really need another high school dropout with a microphone holding political debates. However the most notable exceptions to that rule would be our strong relationship with the AFL-CIO, we have a good history of working together with them and we have a lot of respect for the people there especially Joe Ueline and President John Sweeny. We have also done several tours in support of anti-racist causes.

What inspired the DKMs to join the Rock Against Bush compilation?
We want people to know that you don't need to be super liberal or anti-American to vote against the government that is in office. I would like to make it very clear we chose to be on this compilation simply because we're all Democrats and we would like to see our guy in office. We consider ourselves to all be patriotic, we love this country and we support our troops however that doesn't mean we have to agree with all the decisions that a guy who doesn't even fight comes up with.

Coming from Mass., what kind of insight do you have on John Kerry's political career in your home state?
Well I'm no political analyst, as a kid that came from a strong pro-union family I was told to just shut up and vote Democrat however I do have a lot of respect for Kerry's ideas and his background. I think his biggest drawback is that he comes off as a bit robotic, he needs to loosen up and let people see more of his personal side.

Do the DKMs support Kerry's election campaign?
Yes, we do support Kerry as the Democratic's candidate but it's hard for that to be a cut and dried answer as I don't think I would ever find myself agreeing with everything a politician had to say.

Outside of performing live, are there any other things the DKMs are doing to support the Rock Against Bush comp?
No, were we supposed to?

Are there any other politically-minded compilations or any more politically-minded songs we should expect from you guys in the near future?
I am sure there will be a lot more politically minded songs but probably not that many more compilations. As I said earlier this is a pretty rare thing for us.

You guys recently resurrected a century-old Boston Red Sox fight song called "Tessie." What was the inspiration and reasoning behind re-writing the song?
Free Red Sox tickets!!
Seriously though it's an honor to be involved in anything to do with the Red Sox, we've been fans since we were little kids. We even got to perform the National Anthem and "Tessie" on the field at Fenway Park before a Red Sox/Yankees game (especially a game that had a bench clearing brawl and a last inning rally for a Red Sox victory!).

What was the biggest challenge in maintaining the original integrity of "Tessie"?
What integrity? The song was horrible, it was a hundred years old. We basically rewrote the whole song with just a hint of the original melody. We were more intrigued by the story behind the song (in the early 1900's rabid, drunken Red Sox fans would relentlessly sing "Tessie" to annoy the opposing team. The fans stopped singing "Tessie" after 1918 and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since).

 

[IWasBored]

that song's also one of the b-sides on the walk away single (aka the reason i bought that 7" )

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

My stereo with the phonograph went through a flood, so I haven't bought any 7" singles for ages. Very happy to find out that Boys on the Docks is still available in CD format.

Speaking of singles, what did you think of "Tessie". Not amazing, I like the sound, but the lyrics seem really forced, even for a rewrite. Also, didn't think "Fields of Athenry" fit on there, though it is my favorite traditional cover by the band, and "Nutty" worked really well with the whole Boston sports thing.

 

[IWasBored]

stories of dead record players are definetly sad (says the big fan of vinyl).

i don't like how they seem to stick 'fields of athenry' in the same version as the album version on nearly every single, but as it's one of my favorites on blackout, i didn't mind too much.

'tessie'...first time i heard it was on a half-hour tv red sox special about the re-doing of the song, and it was accompanying the video (interestingly enough a rougher edit of the video on the single, so it wasn't the final version or something...not entirely sure)...i watched the video a couple times more (cos i taped the special being the geek i am). a benefit of living in MA.

the first time i heard it, i didn't really like it. after a couple more listens, it grew on me musically. i like the whole boston sports thing. i grew up as a mets fan until the baseball strike in the mid 90s and then i decided i didn't give a fuck about sports. i was raised to hate the yankees from day 1, i lived in NY but my dad was a baltimore fan (i still have no idea why). so if i couldn't be a yankees fan, i figured i'd be a mets fan. i never watched hockey until recently. blame pinball wizard/cujo for that, but that's a long story. anyway, last fall i got wrapped up in the red sox mania because everyone on campus seemed to be watching the game every night. then they'd riot...there were some yankees fans, but i swear they didn't dare show it while 90% of the campus was walking around in varitek jerseys. plus my brother is a huge sox fan, so if i want to be able to talk to him about anything...

i like the version of 'nutty' on the single better than the live one on the live album. the bagpipes fit in there really nicely.

'the burden' is actually pretty cool...the acoustic track. i actually think had i heard it without knowing who it was at first, i wouldn't have been 100% sure it was a murphy's song. i'd have heard ken on there and gone 'whaaaa?? wait...who is this?'...haha.

 

[miss chief]

thank you thank you thank you
i really should have thought to look at the website ( duh ) but you know.
WOW you really know your stuff!! very impressive!

thank you again.

 

[u2popmofo]

They were playing it at the CD store I went to after work today (which I spent an hour and thirty minutes in......)

Seemed really good. I amost picked it up, but I found something else....

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

It's not gonna be flying off shelves, so there's always next time!

 

[u2popmofo]

It's not gonna be flying off shelves, so there's always next time!

Next time it was

Just got it, havent listened to it yet. I'll let you all know what I think when I do.

 

[IWasBored]

i'm starting to think i like 'drunken lullabies' a bit more, but it's probably cos it's still the more familiar of the two (and let's not even get into the fact that i still don't have 'swagger')

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

and let's not even get into the fact that i still don't have 'swagger')

You don't have Swagger!

No...
Black Friday Rule
Beggar's Bush
Devil's Dance Floor
Salty Dog
Grace of God Go I
Far Away Boys
Worst Day Since Yesterday

That makes me sad. Alas. I think it's better overall than Drunken Lullabyes, but DL does have What's Left of the Flag and Rare Ould Times, and If I Ever Leave this World Alive, and Another Bag of Bricks and Death Valley Queen... have I mentioned I love this band?

Did you hear about the album debuting on the top 200 at number 20? I'd say that's pretty fucking impressive for a band like Flogging Molly.