Footage of the Dropkick Murphys' celebration with the Sox appears on the DVD portion of the band's Meanest of Times reissue. The original, CD-only version hit store shelves in July 2007 and debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200 chart, the band's highest debut ever. It was the band's sixth full-length, the follow-up to the excellent Warrior's Code CD from 2005. Talk about paying your dues!
This limited reissue contains twenty audio tracks, including five bonus cuts. It may be a bit too long, but you still get more than your money's worth. It features a mix of rowdy, fast-paced punk rock and some slower folk-punk ballads, all with plenty of attitude and energy. The tunes are routinely laced with slick banjo riffs, bagpipes, tin whistles, and other elements characteristic of the band's brand of Celtic rock.
There are fight songs, tales of hard luck, and stories of families torn apart on singles like "State of Massachusetts" and the "spleen"-kickin' "Flannigan's Ball," which was recorded in Ireland with The Pogues' Spider Stacy and Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners. Elsewhere, gritty yet soulful choruses can be heard on the likes of the folk-rocker "Fairmount Hill." The bonus tracks include a new, piano-heavy version of the uplifting fan favorite "Forever (2007)," originally from 2001's Sing Loud Sing Proud record. It's a catchy sing-along song. Call it their "Piano Man."
The most impressive of the extra songs is the band's cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak." The Dropkicks, led by singer Al Barr, actually stay true to the original for the most part, but obviously bring a bit more punch and grit to the performance. Even though bassist/singer Ken Casey says his band is like AC/DC in that it doesn't change much from record to record, they continue to write memorable songs that stand out, and in this case, they've recorded a great cover that does as well.
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