Sigh… They’re such a disappointment. Some time in high school, I bought Do or Die, their first album. It’s amazing. 5 years later, I’m still listening to it. I finally got a chance to hear some of their other stuff and it’s a complete and utter disappointment. I guess waiting so long built up my expectations too much.
I’ve been meaning to pick up one of their CDs, but I haven’t gotten round to it yet.
Now you know which one to pick.
I liked Do or Die, The Gang’s All Here, and some stuff off whatever the one was called that had a brick wall with their logo painted on it.
But then I got into the Pogues, the Clancy Brothers, and Flogging Molly, and Dropkick’s stuff doesn’t even come close. Not Irish enough, or punk enough, for my tastes anymore. Although I did like “Shipping Up to Boston” which I heard via The Departed, and that seemed a lot closer to the energy they used to have.
I think part of their problem is the constant changes in the lineup. I didn’t freak out as much as my friends when Al Barr became the lead singer, but it definitely changed the band. And of course, since then they’ve changed the lineup again.
So I’ll still rock out to some old Dropkick, but I’m not a diehard fan anymore.
I’ve listened to Flogging Molly but not the other two you mentioned. I was actually thinking of starting a thread asking for different bands of that genre. I’ll save that for tomorrow though.
Do check out the Pogues. Red Roses for Me is their first (and incredibly awesome) album.
The Clancy Brothers are acoustic Irish folk, you might have to develop a taste for them but they’re also awesome. The Dubliners are similar although with a wider variety of instruments, and they also do a few songs with the Pogues. It’s funny, because the videos I’ve seen of the Dubliners with the Pogues, with both complete bands on stage, includes something like 14 people.
For some this is blasphemous, but I’ve always preferred The Tossers.
I was thinking about the Tossers as I was posting earlier, but I just can’t do it. OK, so the Pogues (started off as) an Irish punk band with guys in suits and hats and a token hot chick. Then later Flogging Molly- an Irish punk band (admittedly with a different sound) with guys in suits and hats and a token hot chick.
Then there’s the Tossers. Irish punk band with- you guessed it- guys in suits and hats and a token hot chick.
Can’t do it. You can’t be the Pogues, stop trying.
Note, this semi-rant has less to do with the music and more to do with the image. Good morning Da is a fun song, but I feel I must boycott the Tossers on principle.
I am posting way too much, but since the OP is interested in other bands of this genre, and I just so happened to think of one as I was falling asleep…
The Greenland Whalefishers. They’re from Norway or something I think, but rock pretty hard. I don’t know how popular they are, I know they’re on myspace and you can listen to them there. I had the pleasure of hearing them at a 3 day music festival in England that included a Celtic day that the Pogues headlined. Went there for the Pogues, obviously, but the Greenland Whalefishers were awesome. Of course it didn’t hurt that they’re named after a Pogues song…
Og I should just start a Pogues appreciation thread. :smack:
Do or Die is a great album - their first singer was awesome. The second guy is not bad - I liked The Gang’s All Here, but everything went to pieces with Sing Loud Sing Proud. Celtic punk is just laughably bad - tattooed Bostonians thinking if they bellow out The Rocky Road to Dublin or Galway Races they’ll sound like Luke Kelly - get right tae fuck with ye.
Agree with RedRosesforMe that The Pogues are really to blame here. These bands look at the Pogues and see one of the greatest bands in modern music, with a legendary song writer, and want to emulate them. The problem is no one writes songs like Shane - just tanning the bevvy and bashing out a punk rock medley of Irish classics doesn’t come close to measuring up.
Dropkick Murphys has always felt like a decent bar band to me. Can be fun to listen to, but I have never felt the need to own any of their music.
I did buy a tee-shirt off the Clearance Rack at Hot Topic once. Embarrasses my daughters. (I’m also likely to say “Look honey – here’s a bustier in your size!” Serves them right for even thinking they can buy revolution at the mall. Hot Topic is the premier example of the stifling conformity of corporate-sponsored non-conformism.)
Huh. I had a chance to buy a heavily marked down CD featuring “Tessie” by the Dropkick Murphys (the old Red Sox anthem) and passed it up.
Should I have regrets?
I love The Pogues, Flogging Molly is pretty good, never got into Dropkick Murphys.
But The Fenians are my boys!!!
It depends, are you a Sox fan?
Always felt like the story behind that song was interesting. Apparently they stopped playing it about 100 years ago when the red sox drought started… and then the exact year that Dropkick brought it back and played it during the World Series (on the field), the sox end the drought and win.
Any love for Boiled in Lead?
The Dropkick Murphys are great fun. Sure they aren’t up to the standards of the Pogues - but who is? As a band the Pogues are one of the great talents of all time, the comparison is hardly a fair one.
Jackmannii, I can’t speak to that song in particular, but Dropkick has definitely declined in quality for the last I dunno, decade or so. I haven’t even bothered with any of their albums since 2002(?). There’s probably a reason it was heavily marked down.
tr0psn4j, hopefully you’ve got suggestions now that won’t disappoint you. I could probably come up with another dozen similar bands if pressed.
Their sales have steadily increased over the last 10 years, so it’s unlikely that it was marked down for lack of popularity.
I’m assuming it was the Tessie single, which has kind of had time pass it by.
I’ve started a The Pogues thread so as not to hijack this one.