Customer Reviews

On Fire

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"On Fire" is the second live recording from the Irish-American rock band Black 47. However, this album goes beyond serving as a follow-up to "Live in New York City." It was recorded at Wetlands Preserve in New York and captures the raw energy of a live Black 47 concert. The band has a new lineup with Joseph Mulvanerty replacing Chris Byrne on uillean pipes. He sets himself apart from Byrne with a free, improvisational style rarely heard on pipes. The interplay of the sax and trombone is a highlight of this album. Tracks include unreleased material and bold new arrangments of classic Black 47 songs. Lead singer Larry Kirwan's black humor and socio-political ideals are represented here. Add this to your collection if you're a Black 47 fan, or introduce yourself to 'the house band for New York City'

If the Clash came back they'd be Black 47 and why the hell wouldn't they be proud and glad to be? Rebel stance, laughing good hearts, brave enough to take a bullet and keep rockin'--these lads don't mess. Fans love them enough to catch dozens of shows a year, beauties in the front row lipsynching every word while the uileann pipes wail and the brass section soars. Hey, you have to see and hear them to really get it--and they play everywhere from Shea Stadium to Times Square to Argentina, the hardest working band in America!
This second live cd brings you close to the Black 47 gig. You can taste the whiskey burnin'down as you shout back at Larry Kirwan--"Where the hell are ya now?"! A wonderful roiling roistering party of a record. Get it and play it, you'll play it again. And again and again after that. Loud. Guaranteed.

most live albums either serve as a introduction for the non-fan or for fans who have never heard the band live. seeing black 47 live is almost a religious experience, and you can't get on a cd what you get from seeing them live. it comes pretty close. the first black 47 live album, "live in new york city" was phenomenal and covered many of the "hits" such as james connolly, funky ceili, maria's wedding, etc. none of those songs, which are their best songs are on this album. there are still plenty of good songs on this album. our lady of the bronx was a great choice, along with big fellah, and american wake. but they really miss chris "seanchai" byrne. doing rockin in the bronx and those saints without chris' raps aren't very good. they could have included something else instead like "back to the west," which still isn't on a black 47 album. all in all it's not a bad album, but if you're looking for a better introduction to the band, get "live in new york city" or try to find the very rare greatest hits album "ten bloody years."

New York gael-rockers Black 47 return for a second live album and outshine their previous live effort. The track list pulls from various studio albums, with Bobby Sands MP a notable selection for the 10th anniversary of his death. Highly recommended for Black 47 fans and newcomers.

New York gael-rockers Black 47 return for a second live album and outshine their previous live effort. The track list pulls from various studio albums, with Bobby Sands MP a notable selection for the 10th anniversary of his death. Highly recommended for Black 47 fans and newcomers.

I hate to write anything bad about the good folks from Black 47, but really, very little else can be said of On Fire. While the band's earlier Live in New York album ranks, in my humble opinion, as one of, if not the greatest live recordings in the history of rock and roll, this follow up live work is the sort of record that will surely flood used CD shops in the days and weeks ahead. The upbeat flow of Live in New York has been replaced here by a less than animated overly rehearsed "blah." The track selection is poor (Bobby Sands MP? Who's idea was that one? Even worse Rockin' the Bronx w/o Chris Byrne?) and even those moments which should make for the rollicking good times that we found earlier (American Wake, Czecoslavakia (Sic?)) seem to miss the mark. Larry Kirwan talks to much, sounding all to often as though he's readng his lines from an index card (Don't you dare forget Bobby Sands MP---who really says things like this? Is anyone else embarassed by this?)
Larry, guys, please---I'm begging you---don't let this kind of nonsense continue. You have a repetoire of songs, and a presence on stage that should establish you once and for all as the kings of live rock and roll. If there is a God, you can do better.

Just a very loud and hard rock, no jamming fiddle solo's and such. If you want celtic rock don't buy this, if you want loud hard rock which is indistinguishable from anything you could hear on todays junky radio stations this is it.