Brilliant for what it is
M. Twomey | Cork,Ireland | 04/15/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's all in the sleeve notes people....
"And there was our answer..
Just set up,plug in,tune up & share what we gave each other-fun!
So to hell with the squeaky clean & the oh-so pretty.
Here are 10 raw and raucous songs,LIVE and dripping with the 'joie de vivre'. Part of an experience we all had something to do with.
This is album is for you,the bawdy and the beautiful that will forever keep us honest"
"Pruduced by: Absolutely no one!"
THIS is the definitive OLD-SCHOOL Flogging Molly experience.Raw,Rowdy,energetic,soaked in Guinness & Whiskey.But most importantly,it didnt sound great. In 1997,Flogging Moly were just a bar band,who probably had no sound engineer or knowledge of the way a structure of a building,such as a Pub,would affect resonance levels and sound quality on a recording!! The point is,it's not supposed to sound perfect and professional.It's raw,it's honest & It's real.
Yes,there are times when the fiddle screeches,the mandolin disappears,or the bass drum tips and taps instead of pounding(see intro of "Between A Man And A Woman"),but for the most part it does sound,in my opinion,quite good for what they were working with at the time.
I own both the original 1997 independent release & the 2006 SideOneDummy re-release,and I have to say the remastering and engineering work done on this version really improved the sound quality to the best possible level,and in my opinion,the sound quality on this re-release is far better than the band's own independent release. So go for this one instead of the 1997 26fRPM release(which I think is also on sale here)
I would really only recommend this to HARDCORE Flogging Molly fans only,who want to experience the early days of the Band's sound,muddy,muffled and wonderful as it is.
But for the newcomer,or someone looking for a definitive Live Album of Today's Flogging Molly, I would Highly recommend "Whiskey On A Sunday" instead of this."