Artist: Dropkick Murphys
Album: The Singles Collection Volume 2 (1998-2004)
Label: Epitaph Records
Tracks: 23
Length: 55:54
Reviewed by: Andy Hewitt
Sitting in a Ford Expedition about six years ago, I was introduced to the Celtic punk rock band the Dropkick Murphys by my cousin Brad. I still remember hearing “Cadence to Arms”, the opening track off of their album Do or Die, and coming away from it in aw. From that day forward, the Dropkick Murphys have been a part of my life, and have broken down walls with their blend of traditional Celtic music, rock ‘n’ roll, and punk rock.
The record opens up with the energetic “21 Guitar Salute”, which was originally released on their split with Face to Face. Track 2 features a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Fortunate Son”, which may come as a surprise to some, but comes away as an enjoyable and unique punk flavored classic. The next few tracks show off the classic Dropkick Murphys punk rock roots as they cover tracks from Iron Cross and Shane MacGowan’s first band The Nips, just to name a few.
A quarter of the way through the record, the Dropkick Murphys tackle the AC/DC song “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”. Showing off their rock ‘n’ roll influences, the Dropkick Murphys create a distinctive version of this classic. Hovering back to the punk rock covers, the Dropkick Murphys take on the Gang Green song “Alcohol”, which I have been lucky enough to see live with Gang Green’s front man Chris Doherty. “Pipebomb on Lansdowne (Dance Remix)” follows with a humorous punk rock song in which the liner notes states “This is what happens to a band in the studio when they put in way too many hours and go crazy, you start to experiment and this was the result. Recorded at 4:30 am sometime in August 1999.” Enough said.
A few other songs that stick out to me include the Boston Bruins song “The Nutrocker (Nutty)”, a cover of Sham 69’s “Hey Little Rich Boy”, a version of their traditional song “Wild Rover” with vocals by Shane MacGowan, and a B-side titled “We Got The Power” which was left off of their last full length, Blackout.
As the cover so eloquently puts it, The Singles Collection Volume 2 features B-sides, Covers, Comps & Other Crap. With covers ranging from AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” to the Notre Dame Fight Song “Victory”, The Singles Collection Volume 2 offers new fans as well as Dropkick Murphys Vets a breath of fresh air between their last full length, Blackout, and their upcoming full length slated for June 21st, The Warrior’s Code.
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