Customer Reviews

Sing Loud, Sing Proud

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Dropkick Murphys have matured like a fine Bushmills on this record, and the results are just as satisfying. Losing none of their punk rock/Oi! fury, but mixing in some classic rock-n-roll, as well as strengthening their Irish folk, this album blends "Do or Die" seemlessly with "The Gang's All Here."

I've already heard "Sing Loud, Sing Proud" described as a perfect cross between Cock Sparrer and the Pogues, and I'd be inclined to agree, but also toss in a healthy dose of Rose Tattoo and/or AC/DC as well, and you have the makings of another classic from the Boston crew.

Opening with the Boston College fight song, the album is heavy on the cover songs. The old folkie/protest "Which Side Are You On?" works wonders (as good as Billy Bragg's version) and the old Irish standbys of "The Rocky Road to Dublin" and "The Wild Rover" get the proper DKM treatment, as do the remakes of "The Legend of Finn MacCumhail" (one of their best, if not THE best, B-sides) and "Caps and Bottles."

Of the originals, I find myself going back to "Heroes From Our Past" most often and feel that is represents all the DKM strengths to a tee: anthemic, grand lyrics, top notch musicianship, and Spicey's bagpipes all make this my favorite track.

Speaking of the Pogues, Shane Mac turns up for "Good Rats", which to me, is the DKM answer to all those old Clancy Brothers/Dubliners tunes they listened to: a light-hearted story about an infested Dublin brewery. Not meant to be taken too terribly seriously, so don't.

"Forever" and "Fortunes of War" touch on deeper subjects like loss of family and friends and come across as excellent as well.

Rose Tattoo and AC/DC (possibly Slade?) rear their heads on "The Gauntlet" and "Ramble and Roll", a rock-n-roll lifestyle-inspired ditty.

Things also get acoustically anthemic for "The Torch" with it's warnings of racism/hate passing from generation to generation and "A Few Good Men" with it's "Sing Loud, Sind Proud" refrain.

The closer, a jig dedicated to the best piper in punk rock, "The Spicey McHaggis Jig" is great as well, a none to PC romp through a night in the life of Spicy.

All in all, a great third effort from the Dropkicks. Only one complaint: Why is the F.U.'s cover on the Japan-only release?

So, enjoy this album like you would the aged Bushmills: take mass quantities, shoot it down, savor it, and do it all again.

i know there are still a lot of people who are really bent out of shape that Mike left the band and was replaced by ex-Bruiser front man Al Barr, but if you listen to this album you will see that Al is every bit as good for this band as Mike was. No more of this "they sound too much like the Bruisers" crap i keep hearing, because DKM has gone full circle with their latest. SING LOUD, SING PROUD is closer in style to DO or DIE, by keeping truer to Irish Influence Ruck N Roll, but this one has much greater emphasis on Traditional Irish Folk Sounds. The band even brings in a classic song from their BOYS ON THE DOCKS E.P. called "Caps and Bottles" from way back in the days of Mike.

Some of the best tunes on this one are "Rocky Road to Dublin" the American Working-Class anthem "Heroes Of Our Past" and "The Torch" a beautiful folk tune that goes beyond any of their past work. It reminds of "Far Away Coast" from DO or DIE, in that it is a very personal and beautifully written acoustic song. Other songs to keep your ear on include the humurous "Good Rats" with ex-Pogues singer/songwriter Shane McGowan (is that spelled right?) and a cover of a classic Irish drinking tune "The Wild Rover" which is just as good as "Finnegan's Wake" or "The Fighting 69th."

The album has less of the Thundering Hardcore style sounds THE GANGS ALL HERE had, but still keeps the HC influenced Punk sound alive and kicking with "Fortunes of War," "The Gauntlet," and the big Finale "The Spicy McHaggis Jig" a song about one of DKM's newest additions, Bagpiper Spicy McHaggis.

Even though Rick Barton has retired from the punk rock Road (with DKM at least), the bands two newer guitar players never miss a beat and do a damn good job of picking up where Rick left off. With the additions of Bagpipes on their songs regularly, and with a tin whistle and mandolin to help, the band is much more able to pull that ever-loving Irish Folk sound that inspied them off succesfully. And as long as Ken and Matt are still writing great Irish-Punk songs, this band is going to have quite a future ahead of it.

This is simply the best work that Dropkick Murphys have done to date.

Grab your scally caps and down a Guinness, cuz those no-good-Irishmen are stirring up all kinds of trouble again (and it sounds amazing!). Sing Loud, Sing Proud! perfectly describes the album: every song either forces you to sing along, or demonstrates enough intensity to make you bang your head against the wall (and most songs are a little of both). Bassist Ken Casey steps up with his Clash-style singing and splits the vocal duties with the deeper, throaty grunts of ex-Bruiser Al Barr. Songs like the pro-union anthem "Which Side Are You On?" set the standard for Casey and Barr alternating vocals, and the results are awesome. Dropkick has always paid great respect to their roots, and continues to honor their ancestors on "Heroes From Our Past." "The Rocky Road to Dublin" is one of two traditional Irish songs, combining Casey's vocals with a great jarring beat and tin whistle. They don't waste any time showing off their hometown pride with the opening track "For Boston," featuring bagpipes over the fastest beat I've ever heard from the band. Even legendary Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan contributed some liquored-up vocals on "Good Rats," the honest-to-god tale of the secret "ingredient" in Guinness beer... rat shit. This album shows a great deal of social awareness by the band, such as retelling the story of slain punk Brian Deneke in "The Fortunes of War." Similarly, "The New American Way" makes a great point about the insane rate at which America locks up its citizens. Furthermore, the lyric sheet revolves around a quote from Martin Luther King about unity - just to remind everyone that oi ain't only for the racists. "Forever" shows a suprisingly sensitive side of the band, with a slow, well-written track about a lost loved one. One of the few acoustic selections is "The Torch," which laments passing down the wrong values to the next generation. Surprisingly enough, the album ends on a screw around song about the bagpipe player screwing around with the larger ladies. The second guitarist, bagpipes, tin whistle, and mandolin are now permanent members of the Boston crew. The melodies are great, the chanting is irresistible, and this is surely among the best stuff the band has put together, so sing loud!

As I write this review, I'm still nursing myriad bruises and minor injuries from spending the entire Dropkick show in the pit two days ago. This band is one of the rare few that's just as good live, not to mention an incredible amount of fun.

I have owned four copies of "Sing Loud, Sing Proud" and given them all away. I ought to start buying it in bulk. When I try to describe Dropkick to the uninitiated, I end up with "They're an Irish punk band outta Boston." But that doesn't come close to covering their unique energy and hard-core yet feelgood sound.

At their show, I made friends with a bunch of guys in their forties wearing Boston ballcaps, a punker couple in their early twenties, and people of all other ages and tastes. Loving Dropkick transcends all else, really - they're like a cult without the Koolaid.

Buy this album, memorize this album, play this album while partying, drinking, fighting, and everything else. It's a very good soundtrack to one's life. Enjoy.

I hate popular music. It's all contrite, trendy, and sounds the same. Unfortunately, our generation is pretty much stuck with it, with MTV and the aweful radio, so I was stuck getting my punk fix from trendy punk bands of today, with the occasional touch of Ramones or Dead Kennedys from my brother. (Thank you so much) Then I discovered Dropkick Murphys.
This is the band all you punkers are looking for. This is the band Blink 182 wishes they sounded like. These guys are the last bastion of punk in a dreary, Billboard chart ruled world. Simply put, you can't beat DKM, and this is their best album.
Enough of this. Let's get to the songs:

For Boston - Great sing-along. It's the Boston University fight song. I dare you not to clap along.
The Legend of Finn MacCumhail - Awesome straight-out punk song. Liked it right away.
Which Side Are You On? - Obligatory Murphys union song. Still great. I love Ken's part.
Rocky Road to Dublin - Here it is, the perfect blend of Irish folk and kick your mom in the face punk. Crank this up.
Heroes From Our Past - Bagpipes, tin whistle, a great chorus. This song is perfection.
Forever - A ballad I actually like. Not only can DKM do punk, they can do sissy music well, too.
The Gauntlet - Makes you want to go out and pick a fight. What can be more punk?
Good Rats - Grew on me. I'm a HUGE Pogues fan, but Shane doesn't sound like he's trying here. Still a great song.
New American Way - Not their best, but has a catchy chorus.
The Torch - ANOTHER great ballad!! These guys actually have talent!
Fortunes of War - Solid punk song. Awesome.
A Few Good Men - Sing along to this. I dare you not to.
Ramble and Roll - Short, fast, loud . . . need I say more?
Caps and Bottles - What's with the radio in the background? Still a great song.
Wild Rover - Traditional Irish done right.
The Spicy McHaggis Jig - Gross song, but the most catchy on the album. Once you figure out what they're saying, you'll either cringe or sing along.

GO BUY THIS ALBUM!!! NOW!!!!!!

This CD is alot better than the Gangs all here, which I find myself rarely listening to these days. I still do listen to Do or Die all the time because it is good music to listen to while drinking, but for some reason the Gangs all here was full of rock type songs that didn't really have a Irish sound to them.

Then comes Sing Loud, Sing Proud, there is alot of irish sounding songs on it, and the new members in the band have contributed to the irish sound because they can play more instruments that you would hear in classic irish music. As a result, this disc is great as the previous reviewers have said. If you like to drink, this is a CD you can listen to while drinking! It wasn't Al Barr's fault that the Gang's all here wasn't as good as DOD, it was the songs that simply weren't as good, and that is proven by this CD, because Al Barr rocks in Sing Loud, Sing Proud!

"Sing Loud, Sing Proud" represents a continued advancement for this great band. With this album, the Murphys have added more of an Irish touch to their aggressive punk, furthering the direction they adopted on "The Gang's All Here." While I don't like Al Barr quite as much as the departed Mike McColgan, you can't really go wrong with either of them, and Ken Casey remains an able co-lead vocalist. Fast-paced anthemic numbers predominate on this disc, and I haven't heard a band that can write a catchy anthem quite like the Murphys; witness the addictive energy of "The Gauntlet" and "Heroes of Our Past." The band, however, augments their punk attack with ample doses of bagpipes, tin whistles, and fiddling. The Murphys also add to their appeal with some meaningful and intelligent lyrics that actually have some relevance to real life. "The Fortunes of War" deals with the wars between factions of youths, "Ramble and Roll" describes the life of the small-time musician, and "Caps and Bottles" exposes the dangers of the hard-living lifestyle that many young people anticipate living. Musically, the album is extremely diverse, with many songs whipping along at breakneck pace, and others slowing things down. The music is strong, with the guitars sounding a little crisper than on previous albums, but still not too refined. I wouldn't call this the best Murphys album, but it still beats pretty much anything you'll find on the airwaves now. The Murphys put on quite a live show as well; I urge anyone to check them out.

How do you keep a genre like punk, whose sole existence is based on three-chord anthems, from becoming stagnant? You throw in a little Irish ingenuity and make an album like this! The Murphys take some Celtic folk sounds and some Chuck Berry-style guitar and combine it with head-on punk mayhem. This album displays that unique mix wonderfully. Amongst the vicious crunch the Irish tune "Forever" keeps the sound eclectic and "Heroes of Our Past" keeps it meaningful. The track "Fortunes of War" is probably my favorite, as it touches on a very controversial topic. The subject of the song is Brian Deneke, a young man who was considered an "outsider" and was murdered by an athlete, who was only given parole. I think that this gives the song a deep feeling that rarely surfaces in rock, and gives the Murphys some real credibility. However, that song is merely one of the highlights on a great disc. The whole thing is very listenable and quite melodic without being poppy or commercial. If you enjoy punk and want to hear a true original, check this out.

I thought "Do Or Die" was alright. Didn't like "The Gang's All Here" at all. So when I saw that there was a new Dropkick's album out, I didn't think much about it. The only reason that I bought the album was because Shane MacGowan is on one track, ("Good Rats"). By the way, you should all own everything that Shane MacGowan has done. Then I put the album on. WOW! I was blown away. Friends of mine, who don't even care for punk, were blown away. This is the punk/Irish album that everyone thought the Swingin' Utters would have put out a while ago. Excellent, fun, hook-filled songs. There's alot of variety in there too, (unlike "Gangs..."Lp). It has everything from flat out punk, to Oi, to reworked traditional Irish songs. And, (unlike past releases), the bagpipes don't sound like a forced gimmick. This is just a good album. So pick up a pint and enjoy it with your friends. Who would have thought that the Murphy's could put out a record this good? I know I didn't.

This is the first Dropkick Murphys CD that I purchased and I loved it I'ive bought 3 more CDs by them and theirDVD which I highly recomend even if you are not a fan, but anyways DKM has become my favorite band of all time and i highly recomend this CD!!!