Customer Reviews

From The Ladle To The Grave

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

 

 

This is a fascinating album, if only because the packaging might almost have been designed to scare folk fans away -- it looks like a heavy-metal band (and with that name...)

But, once you get past that, this is Great Stuff... if you're not the type who insists on "authenticity" or "appropriate instruments". If you like Fairport Convention and/or the Pogues, you will most likely like BiL.

On this particular album, the standouts are:

"Madman Mora Blues", which is a lovely modern take on the traditional theme of the madman. While it takes a different attitude, if compared with Fairport's "Crazy Man Michael", it does not suffer.

"The MicroOrganism" -- a love song, a plague song, a strange haunting ballad for the Age of HIV.

"Pig Dog Daddy" -- screaming punk mayhem with one of the funniest lyrics in a long time.

You should buy this album.

When I first heard of Boiled in Lead it was from a friend who was going to their concert. This was back in '88 in Minneapolis MN from where the band hails. I didn't go; I wish I had. I thought they were some sort of strange punk band.

Since then this was the first album I picked up and it remains my favorite. The band has been around for a long time but has changed quite a bit. Its original emphasis was much more traditional as the album Old Lead will attest.

This album has hints of those traditional roots but does a great lob of blending them with rock and roll. The only other album I heard was Anlter Dance which was probably my least favorite (and the newest). In my mind Antler Dance completed their transition away from the traditional to rock.

I wish I could find more music like this great blend of traditional music recast to todays hard rockin' ears. This music really encourages you to tip back the tankard and let it all hang out with some great music and funny lyrics.

It doesn't hurt that this is a Minnesota product like myself.

Take a fine traditional tune, pull it into the shop, and replace the motor with a rumbling new American V-8. Now go cruising and shock the socks off any folkies or rock'n'rollers who thought they knew how the world was arranged.

Boiled In Lead regularly administer this treatment, and From The Ladle is perhaps still the best example. It displays a combination of pure folk simplicity and acoustical frenzy that is unmatched anywhere else.

Whether taking a swipe at old traditional tunes or writing their own, Boiled in Lead have a flair... They update Celtic, English, and gypsy styles in a rockin "alternative" manner. Of their albums, this one appears to be the best. Certainly, it is the most played in this household. (As a side note, my one time seeing them perform live was a real treat.)

Having grown up at the Minneasota Ren Fest, I've been listening to these guys for 15+ years. This album is the first one I purchased, many years ago. You'll never hear anything else like it. I like to call it 'hard core irish folk'. Try it out, play it for your friends, you, and your friends will be hooked in no time.

Having grown up at the Minneasota Ren Fest, I've been listening to these guys for 15+ years. This album is the first one I purchased, many years ago. You'll never hear anything else like it. I like to call it 'hard core irish folk'. Try it out, play it for your friends, you, and your friends will be hooked in no time.