The Meanest of Times

by Dropkick Murphys

Overview

Dropkick Murphys are a band closely tied to their roots in Boston, proud products of a working-class neighborhood where kids suffered through Catholic school, grew up to be regulars in the local bar, and watched their friends do the exact same thing. Life isn't always easy, and it's in these moments of hardship that many of the tracks on The Meanest of Times find their muse. The record is a dark, passionate, and rousing collection of songs that fit in nicely with the Murphys' unfailing back catalog of gritty beer-soaked punk rock anthems. But even in its consistency with everything else the Beantown crew has ever released, The Meanest of Times stands tall as the band's tightest and most developed set of songs yet. With such ease, the Murphys combine eyes-wide observation, rough defiance, and emotion rubbed raw into heartfelt songs like the explosive opening duo of "Famous for Nothing" and "God Willing," where elegiac bagpipes coexist with searing guitars and delicate mandolins supplement aggressive drum rolls. Traditional songs also get model Murphy makeovers; "Spancil Hill" gets Boston-ized into the mournful "Fairmount Hill," while "Lannigan's Ball" takes a nice shot of punk rock adrenaline to turn it into the clamorous romp of "(F)lannigan's Ball," complete with guest vocals from the Pogues' Spider Stacy and the Dubliners' Ronnie Drew. Elsewhere -- in varying degrees of unrestrained energy and sore-throat shout-singing -- the crew relates tales of families broken and friends lost, the sad realities only proving further that above all else, it's being true to yourself and the ones you love that is most important. But it's not all just heartfelt sappiness; this is the Dropkick Murphys, so be assured the emotion is still packed into about 45 minutes of beer-sloshing riotous punk rock glory. ~ Corey Apar

Product Details

Release Date:	09/18/2007
Label:	Born & Bred Records
UPC:	0075597997057
Rank:	124682

Tracks

1. Famous for Nothing
2. God Willing
3. The State of Massachusetts
4. Tomorrow's Industry
5. Echoes on "A" Street
6. Vices and Virtues
7. Surrender
8. (F)lannigan's Ball
9. I'll Begin Again
10. Fairmount Hill
11. Loyal to No One
12. Shattered
13. Rude Awakenings
14. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
15. Never Forget

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dropkick Murphys   Primary Artist
Ronnie Drew   Guest Artist,Vocals
Mark Carey   Vocals (Background)
Rick Barton   Guitar
Marc Orrell   Banjo,Guitar,Accordion,Vocals (Background)
Tim Brennan   Banjo,Mandolin,Accordion,Tin Whistle,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Matt Kelly   Drums,Vocals (Background)
Scruffy Wallace   Bagpipes
Spider Stacy   Vocals,Guest Artist
James Lynch   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Andy Reiner   Violin
Armand Aromin   Violin
Chris Baum   Violin
Halley Feaster   Cello
Jeni Magana   Double Bass
John Kingsley   Violin
Keith Dickerhofe   Cello
Tim Weed   Violin
Kenny "Welcome To The Jungle" Tallent   Bagpipes
Ken Casey   Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Al Barr   Vocals
Matthew Edwards   Double Bass
Eric Baird   Sampling,Sequencing

Technical Credits

Scott Riebling   Equipment Rental
Jim Siegel   Mixing,Engineer
Nicholas Zampiello   Mastering
Matt Tahaney   Engineer
Kenneth Casey   Composer
Dropkick Murphys   Composer
Tommy Hayes   Assistant
Dave Slevin   Engineer
Halley Feaster   Organizer,String Arrangements
Raymond Jeffrey   Engineer
Dave Siegel   Assistant
Kristen Smith   Engineer
John Cohan   Photography,Drum Technician
Liam Casey   Sounds
Kailynn Finnigan   Cover Model
Matthew Ball   Cover Model
Charles Webb   Sounds
Kathryn Griffin   Sounds
Greyson Welch   Photography,Video Editor
Kerry Breet Hurley   Cover Photo
Tim "High Society" Brett   Photo Assistance
Sydney Galvin   Cover Model
Colin Galvin   Cover Model
Olivia Swanson   Cover Model
Emma Casey   Sounds
Brandon Webb   Sounds
Brendan Costello   Cover Model
Joseph Gloosian   Art Direction,Layout Design
Ian Webb   Sounds
"Uncle" Pete Macphee   Illustrations
Molly Hedderman   Cover Model
Jack Flaherty   Cover Model
Declan Webb   Sounds
Morgan Hurley   Sounds
Andrew Webb   Sounds
Chris Rioux   Digital Art
Matt Kelly   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Tex Williams & the Western Caravan   Sounds
Al Barr   Composer
Eric Baird   Editing