Blood or Whiskey "Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil" BOW records cat. no. BOW2
Release date: 14 March 2014
Running time: 34:17, 11 tracks
Blood or Whiskey are THE real Irish Celtic punk legend. I first new about them at the ad section of the old Friends of Shane fanzine and I bought their debut album in 1999 from the USA. In fact Blood or Whiskey were established in 1994 and their first album predates both Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys debut albums (have a look to the Unofficial History at the bottom of the post) . The band have gone through several ups and downs (health problems, issues with their previous label and some members passing away) . So, their discography is shorter than expected, only a couple of EPs and 4 albums: “Blood or Whiskey” (1996, two different versions and a must have), “No Time to Explain” (2001), “Cashed Out on Culture” (2005, another gem) and their newest release “Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil” (2014).
“Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil” showcases the band’s blend of traditional Irish and Caribbean sounds. The guys from Leixlip have previously shown their love for ska. For instance, “Rudy” from their second album or “Poxy Pub” and “Impaired Vision” from their third album. Anyway, “Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil” differs from other albums like The Trojans “Celtic Ska” or The California Celts CDs. There are no ska versions of Irish pub standards. Moreover, it’s not a 100% ska album.
“Dirty Aul War” , the opening number, is an upbeat ska-punk song. It begins with some piano notes, but a brass section and the band’s trademark sound based on banjo and tin whistle joins straightway. This song was already included in their “Live and Learn” EP (2009) where the spirit of The Clash “Sandinista” sessions was present.
The next track, “Montpelier Hill” is linked to the titled of The Mahones third album, “The Hellfire Club Sessions”. The lyrics are about the same topic, the events that happened at the “Hellfire Club” at Montpellier Hill. The building where the so-called debauchery took place is shown at the back cover of the album. Musically it’s very interesting. It opens with a Mexican/Western movie trumpet sound and features Will Slattery on vocals and Niall Cloak on fiddle.
“Gone and Forgotten” is the first single of the album. Rancid influences via Strawberry Blondes can be heard on this catchy ska-punk number. The guests on this track are Nihil Murphy on keyboards, Damien O’Meara on sax and Mick Boyle on trumpet.
As a Basque citizen, the following song really goes straight to my heart. “Gernika” is a tribute to one of the biggest peace symbols in the world. The town was destroyed by the Luftwaffe’s bombs in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. I guess that my aitxitxa (grandfather) and my amama (grandmother) will be happy in heaven listening to this song after having lived nearly 40 years under the fascist dictator law.
Apart from ska or ska-punk, other Caribbean rythms can be heard on “Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil”. For instance, “Seanie O’Keefe” is a reggae infused number. It’s a fast paced song, but the intro and the chorus are clearly reggae.
“Generals” is IMHO the less interesting song on the album. The beginning is slow, but at the end the band speeds and the song shifts to an Eastern fiddle led influenced beat.
Tracks no. 7 is called “Rutland” and the sax plays the main role at the song’s intro. Lyrics are more introspective and the chorus have an early U2 twist.
The band goes back to their beloved ska-punk on “Time Over Time”, another Rancid inspired number and one of my faves. Brilliant brass section!
“Emigrant” is another survivor from the “Live and Learn” EP. Emigration has always been an important matter in Ireland. As Ronnie Drew used to say, “Ireland’s biggest export is people”. The first part of the song showcases the band’s classic sound, which is backed by the trumpet later. Great chorus and kick ass strong vocals on the “No Black no Dogs no Irish” verses.
A new comeback to the band’s classic blend of tin whistle, banjo and electric instruments on “Cannibal Economy”. A rant to all those greedy bastards who call us PIGS (Portugal-Ireland-Greece-Spain). Amazing stuff!
To finish up, an instrumental: "Black Pits". Blood or Whiskey have always included awesome instrumentals on their albums. If only other bands did it too!
Other guests on the album are Donnchadh Grant (guitars, mandolin, backing vocals and vocals on “Time Over Time”), Leonard Walsh (accordion) and Luke Deignan (whistle). The album has been produced and mixed by Eoin “Spud” Murphy at Big Garden Recording and co-produced by original members Chris O’Meara and Dugs Mullooly. I feel that the tin whistle should be a little bit louder in the mix, but overall the sound is good.
“Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil” has been released by the band on their own BOW records label. It has been self-financed, so please DO NOT download pirate mp3 copies from the usual Russian sites. Or, if you do, give some spins to the album and once you’re sure that you love it, PLEASE buy the CD with the eight page booklet from the band.
Tracklist:
01 - Dirty Aul War 2:45
02 - Montpelier Hill 2:29
03 - Gone And Forgotten 3:32
04 - Gernika 2:48
05 - Seanie O'Keeffe 4:03
06 - Generals 3:44
07 - Rutland 3:10
08 - Time Over Time 2:34
09 - Emigrant 4:09
10 - Cannibal Economy 2:39
11 - Black Pits 2:03
Band's site
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SHAME THE DEVIL EUROPEAN TOUR
03.04.14 - DE-Essen, Panic Room
04.04.14 - DE-Furth, Kopf und Kragen
05.04.14 - DE-Waiblingen, Villa Roller
07.04.14 - CZ-Kladno, Auto Da Fe
08.04.14 - CZ-Teplice - 3ozak club
09.04.14 - AT-Vienna, Viper Room
10.04.14 - HR-Zagreb, Vintage Industrial Bar
11.04.14 - SI-Ravne na Koroskem, Kompleks
12.04.14 - IT-Bologna, Freakout Club
14.04.14 - CH-Zurich, Dynamo
15.04.14 - FR-Saint-Etienne, Thunderbird Lounge
16.04.14 - FR-Dijon, Les Tanneries
17.04.14 - DE-Mannheim, Kulturbrucken Jungbusch
19.04.14 - DE-Bonn, Kult 41
21.06.14 At Alte Kaserne
08.08.14 Boomtown Fair, Matterly Estate, England
09.08.14 Rebellion, Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England
