THE PUBCRAWLERS / THE OUTSIDERS "Vintage Brews & Punkabilly Blues" (2012)

The Pubcrawlers/The Outsiders "Vintage Brews & Punkabilly Blues"
Release date: 13 January 2012
Running time: 30:26, 11 tracks + Flipping the tape

The Pubcrawlers have released a split album with their mates The Outsiders. Every band has recorded 5 songs and the last track features both bands playing together under the name The Pubsiders. The Pubcrawlers have covered 5 well-known Celtic standards and The Outsiders five country/rock’n’roll classics.

The New England Celtic punk band has always included several Celtic standards on their previous albums and that’s what they have chosen to whet the fans’ appetite (apparently, a full Pubcrawlers album is coming soon). Curiously, three of these songs were recorded by The Pogues and another one by Canadian stars Great Big Sea.

The first track, “Danny Boy”, gets the Pubcrawlers treatment: banjo, fiddle and pipes together with great background vocals. The Pubcrawlers add a lot of passion to a song that normally is quite calm. In fact, their rendition is so good that it has been included in PaddyRock vol. 4.

The next track is “Greenland Whalefishers”. It is performed at a slower pace than The Pogues version and has an amazing tune in the middle. Once again, awesome pipes and fiddle along the song and a superb end with mandolin and fiddle.

Song number three, “Home Boys Home”, features tin whistle instead of pipes. It’s maybe the less interesting Pubcrawlers number on the split. I mean that it’s not so “innovative” as the other covers.

“The Night Pat Murphy Died” is played at a fast pace, another standard Celtic punk version. Fortunately we are talking about The Pubcrawlers, not about Fiddler’s Green, and the song is not a mirror of the Great Big Sea’s version.

Their last number, “South Australia”, is together with tracks no. 1 and 2, a top-notch song. Rockabilly bass, great drums solo, powerful guitar, excellent fiddle and kick-ass gang vocals. A rendition that you had never heard before.

Another point that should be mentioned is that The Pubcrawlers have shown an evolution (sort of) regarding vocals. Many tracks on “One Too Many Again” featured pirate vocals. This is not the case now and I feel that this is an improvement.

As far as The Outsiders are concerned, if you like both Johnny Cash and the Hot Pants, you will enjoy them. Just check “Six Days on the Road”, an amazing song.



Tracklist:

1.Danny Boy 03:20
2.Greenland Whalefisheries 03:43
3.Home Boys Home 03:22
4.The Night Pat Murphy Died 02:23
5.South Australia 02:46   
6.Flipping the Tape   
7.The Outsiders - Highway Patrol 02:35
8.The Outsiders - Tombstone Every Mile 02:43
9.The Outsiders - The Enforcer 01:35
10.The Outsiders - Six Days on the Road 02:11
11.The Outsiders - Understand Your Astro Zombie 02:18
12.The Pubcrawlers & The Outsiders - I Saw the Light 03:16

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Review by Kinksmarkham